Improvements in Watch-bow: Pliers.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 4th Aug., 1894
Improvements in Watch-bow: Pliers.
I, HENRY WILLIAM WILDT, of Alexandria, in the County of Alexandria, and
State of Virginia, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to provide. a-watch.makers tool adapted to
facilitate the insertion or application of the bow or ring to the watch pendant..
For this purpose I construct a pair of pliers held shut by a spring and having
hooked jaws adapted to engage with the open ring or bow near the ends thereof,
so as to spring the bow open without bending or giving a permanent set thereto,
thus permitting it to spring back to its seat in the pendant. To adapt the tool to
hold the bow securely against the endwise draft of the pliers in springing it open,
I further provide a hooked bar on which the center of the bow rests and this is
made adjustable end wise to suit bows of. any size.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will now describe it in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which :—
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the tool.
Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section thereof showing one handle and jaw in
elevation.
Figure 3 is a central longitudinal section showing a modification in the mode of
adjusting the hooked bar or rest.
Figure 4 is a plan illustrating the mode of using the tool.
Figure 5. is a perspective view broken away showing a further modification in the
mode of adjusting the hooked bar or rest.
The tool is constructed of-two-members-each-of-which-may--be-of one piece of
metal and consist of a handle 1, and jaw 2. The said members are separately
fulcrumed by pivots 3, 3, between plates 4, by which they are confined to their
work. The jaws 2, 2, are held together by a suitable spring which may be of plate,
spiral or other common form. I have shown for illustration a plate spring
secured to one of the handles 1 and bearing outward against the other near the
pivot 3.
The jaws 2 are formed on their extremities with upturned or out-turned noses or
hooks 7, 7, adapted to engage within the bow-ring b, near the extremities thereof
as illustrated in Fig. 4, so as by means of pressure applied to the handles 1, to
spring the meeting ends of the bow apart while applying it to the watch pendant p.
In order to resist the endwise pressure and confine the jaw noses 7, 7, to a point
close to the ends of the bow a hooked bar 8 is provided in which the bow b, engages,
as shown in Fig. 4 so as to secure it against longitudinal movement.
The hooked bar 8 is inserted in a post 9 mounted on one of the plates 4 midway
between the pivots 3 and is secured adjustably therein by means of a set-screw 10.
The adjustment of the hooked bar 8 is for the purpose of adapting it to bows b, of
any size. It may be adjusted in any other suitable manner; for example, I have
shown in Fig. 3 a modification in which such a hooked bar 8, is formed with a
threaded shank 8 passing through a nut 11 in the post 9. The said nut is shown
with its periphery milled so that it may be turned with the thumb and finger to
adjust the hooked bar 8 or the, nut being stationary, the bar may be adjusted
end wise by turning it therein. The end wise adjustment of the hooked bar is shown
in dotted lines in Fig. 3. Another method of adjusting the hooked bar is shown
in Fig. 5, in which I show a threaded rod 12 working through the post 9 above the
bar 8 said rod 12 being provided with an operating nut or head 13 by which the

page_text: rod may be turned. Said rod is also provided with a collar or flange 14 which
engages within a notch or recess 15 provided in the edge of the bar 8, so that when
the rod 12 is turned to cause it to move endwise in either direction, the rod 8 will
be caused to move simultaneously therewith.
The above described tool is of great utility in facilitating the application of the
watch-bow to the pendant. By engagement with the bow close to the extremities
as illustrated in Fig. 4 it is adapted to spring the bow open without bending or
imparting a permanent set. The bow is thus caused to spring into its seat securely
by its own resilience so that the operation is much more easily and quickly
performed than by bending the bow open and bending it back into place, and when
applied it is much more secure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The watch-bow pliers, constructed substantially as herein described with
hooked jaws adapted to engage with the watch-bow for springing the same open
substantially as described."
2. The watch-bow pliers, constructed with a pair of handles and jaws 1, 2, formed
with hooked ends to engage with the watch-bow, fulcrumed together and pressed
outwardly by means of a suitable spring 6, as described.
3. The pivoted jaws 1, 2, having hooked ends to engage with the watch-bow near
its ends for springing it open, in combination with the hooked bar to receive the bow
and secure it against end wise motion.
4. The combination of the hooked jaws 2 and the hooked holding-bar 8 adjustable
longitudinally to suit watch-bows of different sizes, as explained.
Dated this 16th day of January 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.