The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1911-06-30
HOW TO TAKE CARE OF A WATCH
''What Becomes of All the Watches?"-An-
swer, Victims of Human Neglect'--tiow
TO Make Good One Last Lifetime

swer, victims of Human Neglecf'--fiow
to Make Good One Last Lifetime
Human ingenuity has to its credit no
greater triumph than the modern pocket
watch. 1t is fortunate, however, that
with US familiarity breeds within us
certain indifference to its wonderful
mechanism; and this, doubtless, goes
far to answer the time-honored query:
What becomes of all the watches?"
On the tombs of many of these faithful
little servants might be aptly inscribed
the epitaph: "A Victim of Human
Neglect"
In order to insure for our little pocket
companion the care which is its due, it
is necessary that we should understand
something Of its mechanism. To begin
with, an American watch, according to
its grade, may contain from so to $50
pieces, the manufacture OF which would
entail from 1000 to $500 distinct oper-
atoms. Of course, there are watches
which have many more pieces than this.
For instance, the writer recently exam
ined a combined repeater, chronograph
and calendar watch which had over 500
pieces. But the record in this respect
is held by the eminent French horolo-
gist, Louis Leroy, who constructed an
ultra complicated watch with two dials,
which gave Is different indications, and
the construction of which called for the
use OF o75 pieces!
The fact that so many parts can be
assembled in so small space suggests
the microscopic character of many OF
them. For instance, the smallest screws
cannot be distinguished by the naked
eye from shapeless particles of steel, but
powerful magnifying glass reflects the
wonderful accuracy of their construc-
ton. The little slit in the screw is D.
1000 of an inch wide, and the threads
are 1920 of an inch apart. We should
have to count out more than 800, 1000
of these screws to make pound weight,
and the purchase of these would call for
check for $500.
1t is said the material used in watch
movement in its evolution from the raw
state increases in value over 1000 per
cent. Some parts of it, indeed, increase
many times this amount. Let US take,
for instance, the hair-spring, which is
about 915 inches long, 1-100 of an
inch wide and 27-10000 of an inch
thick. The size of the strip is gagged
to the 100000 of an inch. Hair-spring
wire weighs 120 of a grain to the inch,
and mile of the wire weighs less than
half a pound. We can readily realize
the degree of skill necessary to coil this
strip into a perfect spiral, mathemati-
cally correct in its every part. What,
think you, would be the value of a
quantity OF these springs compared with
the piece of steel from which they were
made? A comparison will best show
the increased value. A ton of gold at
its present market value will cost over
5000, 900, whereas a ton of steel made
up into har-springs, when in watches,
is worth between 100000 and 49,
100000.
Wonderful, too, are the little pivots
upon which the balance rotates. These
pivots or journals are about twice the
diameter Of a human hair and have fol
their bearings two diminutive jewels,
made of ruby or sapphire, which weigh
1872 of grain each. A pound of these,
placed in watches, is said to represent,
mostly in skill and labor, value o.
$4,000.
AS to the work done by the mechan-
ism OF the watch, let one imagine one:
self delivering 100 consecutive blow:
with an ak in the telling OF tree. The
very thought gives one a sense of wea
riness and exhaustion; yet the rolle
jewel of a watch strikes $4,000 blow!
every "a hours, or 157, 100000 in (;
year, blows which are many times hea
vier than those of an axman, consider
ing the respective weights, yet it con
tinues to perform its task from day t.
day, month to month, and year TO year
with almost unening regularity, and il
many cases without other attention thai
the daily winding. The balance whee
travels ID inches in aach If tic g 00i