IMPROVE- MENTS IN WATCH PENDANTS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE MORE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO KEYLESS WATCHES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Snowball, of Spring Street, Paddington, in
the County of Middlesex, Watchmaker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WATCH PENDANTS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE MORE PARTICULARLY
APPLICABLE TO KEYLESS WATCHES."
Sealed the 6th November 1866, and dated the 8th May 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Snowball at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
May 1866.
I, GEORGE SNOWBALL, of Spring Street, Paddington, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Watchmaker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCH PENDANTS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE MORE PARTI-
CULARLY APPLICABLE TO KEYLESS WATCHES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates, first, to the construction and arrangement of the
pendants of watches in such manner that the bow or stem of the pendant
cannot be wrenched off the watch by torsion, as is usually done in pickpocket
robberies. For this purpose I make the bow and knob to turn as on an axis,
which is received in a strong socket or neck on the case, the axis passing
through to the inside and suitably secured therein. In order to exert a certain
amount of friction on the rotation of the bow and knob axis I dispose toothed.

page_text: collars on it within the neck socket with a spring to press the toothed surfaces
together, one being fixed to the axis, the other to the case; when rotating the
axis makes a clicking noise from the teeth slipping over one another in the
manner of a brequet key which gives the required friction and resistance and
retains the bow in the same plane as the watch; if desired it may be turned
in either direction with like effect. By so constructing a pendant the bow
may itself pass through the knob of the pendant or have a strong steel pin or
screw passed through it and so fix the bow securely to the knob. This kind
of pendant is particularly applicable for keyless watches, which, as well known,
are wound up and the hands set by rotating a part of or a cap on the knob of
the pendant, which cap or part is fixed on an axis that passes inside the
watch. In these watches in particular the bow is very insecurely. attached to
the knob.
Now according to my improvements I fix the bow securely to the knob,
as before explained, and rotate the whole for the purpose of winding up or
setting watches. For this purpose the bow knob and axis are fitted somewhat
as before described, but the axis, instead of simply being secured inside the
watch as before, is furnished with a pinion which actuates the winding and
setting gear of the ordinary kind.
A further improvement in watch pendants consists in constructing them as
before described and fitting them to act as the push piece for detaching the
catch to open the face of a hunting watch, or it may be the bottom of an
open-faced watch if fitted to open with a spring. For this purpose, instead of
the push piece consisting of a rod passing up the centre of the pendant stem
as usual 1 constitute the whole pendant the push piece and press it all inwards
in releasing the catch of the case. In pressing in the pendant it is convenient
to place the fingers at the edge of the case diametrically opposite to the
pendant while the knob is pressed by the thumb near the point, the bow at
same time being held between the forefinger and thumb. The pendant so
constructed as a push piece may rotate or not as first herein described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Snowball in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th November 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
SNOWBALL, of Spring Street, Paddington, in the County of Middlesex, Watch-
maker, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Snowball, Her special licence that I, the said George Snowball,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
George Snowball, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WATCH PENDANTS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE MORE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO
KEYLESS WATCHES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Snowball, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Snowball, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
My Invention relates, first, to the construction and arrangement of the
pendants of watches in such manner that the bow or stem of the pendant
cannot be wrenched off the watch by torsion, as is usually done in pickpocket
robberies. For this purpose I make the bow and knob to turn on an axis,
which is received in a strong socket or neck on the case; the axis passes
through this neck to the inside and is suitably secured therein. In order to
exert a certain amount of friction on the rotation of the bow and knob axis
I dispose toothed collars on it within the neck socket with a spring to press
the toothed surfaces together, one being fixed to the axis, the other to the
case; when rotated the axis makes a clicking noise from the teeth slipping
over one another in the manner of a brequet key, which gives the required
frictional resistance to wind up the watch if required, and to retain the bow in
the same plane as the watch when not operated upon; the bow and knob
may be turned in either direction. By so constructing a pendant the bow or
ring may itself pass through the knob of the pendant, or have a strong steel

page_text: pin or screw passed through it, whereby to fix the bow securely to the knob.
This kind of pendant is particularly applicable for keyless watches, which, as
well known, are wound up and the hands set by rotating a part of or a cap on
the knob of the pendant, which cap or part is fixed on an axis that passes
inside the watch. In these watches in particular the bow is very insecurely
attached to the knob.
Now according to my improvements I fix the bow securely to the knob
as before explained, and rotate the whole for the purpose of winding up or
setting watches. For this purpose the bow knob and axis are fitted somewhat
as before described, but the axis, instead of simply being secured inside the
watch as before, is furnished with a pinion communicating with the winding
and setting gear, which may be of the ordinary kind.
A further improvement in watch pendants consists in constructing them as
before described and in fitting them to act as the push piece for detaching the
catch to open the faces of hunting watches, or it may be the bottom of an open-
faced watch if fitted to open with a spring. For this purpose, instead of the
push piece consisting of a rod passing up the centre of the pendant stem as
usual, I constitute the whole pendant the push piece and press it all inwards
in releasing the catch of the case. In pressing in the pendant it is convenient
to place the fingers at the edge of the case diametrically opposite to the
pendant while the knob is pressed by the end of the thumb, the bow at
same time being held between the forefinger and thumb. The pendant so
constructed as a push piece may rotate or not as first herein described.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a lateral central section of a watch pendant constructed
according to my Invention, while Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same,
the other Figures showing the several parts separate and detached, which will
be sufficiently identified by the several letters of reference thereto affixed.
a, a, is the bow or ring, somewhat as in ordinary; b, b, a spindle or axis,
the head c of which forms the knob of the pendant, the knob being formed in
part by the head and in part by the shield piece d fixed to and enclosing the
head of b; e, e, is a strong neck or socket piece formed on the watch case F,
which socket or neck receives the axis b and also two collars g, i, the one g
being fixed in the neck e, while the other i is fixed to the axis b. These
collars are formed with V-teeth, the one fitting into the other, and are con-
stantly pressed together by a spring 1; this spring has a constant tendency to

page_text: allowing sufficient longitudinal motion of the axis for the teeth to slip over
each other. The collar i is fixed on the axis b' by a pin passing through both,
while the collar 9 is fixed in the neck e by two small screws m, m, passed
through from the outside into the collar, one on each side; this collar being
accurately fitted to the inside of the neck, and to the axis b, it forms a bearing
for said axis to turn in, its further bearing being in the contracted part of the
passage below the collars, where it enters the watch case to which it is fitted.
By fixing collar i to axis b, and collar g to the neck e, the axis will be free to
rotate on the application of an amount of force sufficient to overcome the
resistance of the teeth; this, if in a keyless watch, must be sufficient to wind
up the watch before slipping, but in a watch winding in the ordinary way
with a key the resistance of the teeth do not require to be so nicely adjusted.
The ring or bow a may be fixed in the knob or head c, d, in the form of a
solid ring passing quite through it; but I prefer to fix it, as shown in the
Drawing, by a strong steel pin p passing through one limb of a split bow and
screwed into the other, as seen in Figure 1. The spindle b, if for a keyless
watch, is continued inside the case and rests in a fixed step r. A pinion t is
fixed on 6, which communicates with the winding or hand-setting parts of the
watch. This may be arranged all in the ordinary way, being well understood
and forming no part of this Invention it will be unnecessary to describe it
herein. From this description it will be apparent that it would be impossible
to wrench off the bow of a watch so constructed by twisting the bow on the
case as it would rotate readily in either direction. The ratchet collars g, i, I
prefer to introduce in all cases as they give the bow a tendency to remain in
one position; but these collars (or a mechanical equivalent) are absolutely
necessary for a keyless watch to prevent overwinding and for the motion in
the backward direction. A keyless watch so constructed, as will be apparent,
is wound up by turning the bow, and with it the axis 6 and spur pinion t,
while holding the watch case to prevent it from turning, which, besides the
security of the watch pendant before mentioned, provides a better hold for
performing the winding up than the ordinary knob of keyless watches.
I also make my improved pendant available as a push piece for releasing
the bottom or other spring opening part of the case.
For this purpose
I
cause the axis 6 to pass through or close to the catch spring u, see Figure 1,
which holds the hinged bottom, a shoulder on the axis b rests on the spring u,
and when the axis 6 is pressed inwards by pressing on its head c, d, it forces
back the spring u, as seen dotted, and releases the catch. As before men-
tioned, it is convenient, in opening such bottom by said push piece, to place
the second and third fingers on the opposite side of the watch, the bow or

page_text: ring being held between the thumb and forefinger, while the point of the
thumb presses on the knob c, d, or it may be the pressure of the thumb and
forefinger together on the bow and knob.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, fitting and applying the knob
and bow of a watch pendant in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
'described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Snowball, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
W. CLARK,
Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
GEORGE SNOWBALL. (L.S.)