Improvements in Watches with Chronograph and Repeating Mechanism.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements in Watches with Chronograph and Repeating
Mechanism.
I, AUGUSTE GOY-GOLAY, of Brassus, in Switzerland, 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, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to a new arrangement of the mechanism of watches acting
as a chronograph with minute indicator, and as a repeating mechanism striking the
hours and quarters.
My object is to manufacture a cheap watch working with perfect precision and
presenting over chronograph and repeating watches now in use, the following
advantages:
The striking of the quarters immediately after the hours; the suppression of the
fine teeth of chronograph wheels with a view of obtaining a very exact working of
the starting and stopping mechanism; the addition of a minute-indicator working
with great precision and at the exact moment that the hand of the chronograph
arrives at twelve o'clock.
The means employed to obtain these advantages consist in an important
reduction of the number of pieces forming the mechanism, and in being able to
choose the form of such pieces with a view to manufacture the same cheaply and
interchangeably, by stamping.
"
6323
The movement of the watch, with which is combined the chronograph and
repeating mechanism, may be of any system, but such is not represented in the
accompanying drawings for the sake of clearness. For the same purpose the parts
of the mechanism relating to the repeating, and the parts relating to the chrono
graph, are both represented separately, although they are so combined as to be
placed by the side of each other, between the plate and the dial.
1430
In the drawings, Fig. 1, is a plan of the chronograph mechanism with minute-
indicator, during its working. Fig. 2, is a sectional elevation of the disengaging
gear of the chronograph. Fig. 3, is a plan of the repeating mechanism, at rest.
Fig. 4 shews the same mechanisin at the moment' when a push-piece (hereinafter
mentioned) has been pressed' down, that is to say, at the moment the watch begins
to sound (strike the hour). In figs. 1, 3 and 4, the bridges or bearings for the

page_text: levers and springs are not indicated, so that the lower parts of the mechanism may
be visible. The lever O', for instance, is fixed by means of a screw o¹, to a bridge,
not indicated in the drawings. In fig. 4, the star-wheel K', is also omitted in
order to clearly shew the snail-wheel k¹.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the rack B¹, shewing the arrangement of the 5
bolt T, and of the arms b¹.
In all the figures similar letters refer to similar pieces.
The novel parts of the chronograph mechanism are the disengaging gear and the
mechanism producing the jumping of the hand of the minute indicator.
The click-wheel A (fig. 1) acts upon a double-armed lever B, which is acted upon 1
by a spring b. When the short end of B, is raised by a solid part of the click-
wheel A, its other end presses upon a bevelled projection c, of the lever C (fig. 2);
when the short end of B, falls into one of the spaces of A, its longer end leaves the
projection c, and the lever C, formed like a spring, is raised and raises the wheel D,
which turns freely upon the axis d, but is always in gear with the seconds wheel F.
The wheel D, carries a pin d¹¹ (fig. 2) which engages in a vertical toothed range g,
on the wheel G, when the wheel D, is raised by means of the lever C. Then the
wheel G, is obliged to turn with D, and drives, at the same time, the chronograph
wheel H.
A break I, with spring i, works in the same manner as in the usual chrono-
graphs and stops the center-wheel H, at the very moment the said wheel H is
thrown out of gear with wheel G, and a lever J, with spring j, sets the chrono-
graph hand back to twelve o'clock.
The push-piece-lever K, with click k, and spring 1, is of the usual arrangement,
its purpose is to cause the rack-wheel A, to advance one tooth at each depression
of the pusher.
The mechanism of the minute-indicator is acted upon by an eccentric L, fixed
upon the chronograph wheel and turning once every minute. A double-armed
lever M, which oscillates around the screw m, and bears at one end a click N,
formed like a fork, is pressed by a spring n, against the eccentric L. At each turn
of the chronograph wheel, the lever M, and its click N, are raised once and fall
suddenly back into their lowest position, so as to cause the indicator-wheel O,
which carries the minute hand o, to advance one tooth.
The forked-form of click N has for its object to allow the click to be raised a
sufficient height so as to strike the teeth of O, with great impact, and without the
risk of the hand o being accidentally advanced more than one tooth, For this
purpose, the longest branch of the fork bears against the pin p, of the piece P.
When the minute indicator is stopped, the same pin p, withdraws the click N,
out of gear with the wheel O. A spring Q, with bevelled-shaped head, bears
against the teeth of the latter and regulates its advance tooth by tooth.
The pin p, has a third purpose; it prevents the jumping of more than one tooth
of O, at every stroke of N. The shorter branch of the fork bears against the said
pin as soon as the click has produced the advance of one tooth, and prevents the
jumping of second tooth of O.
The double-armed lever S, bears against the wheel A, and acts upon the lever R,
the spring r, of which, causes the same to strike upon a heart-shaped piece, not
seen in the drawing, but placed underneath the wheel O, for the purpose of setting
the hand of the minute-indicator to 0, (that is to say, to 60).
The repeating mechanism consists of a special spring-barrel A¹ (figs. 3 and 4)
which is wound up every time that it is desired that the watch should strike the
hour, and only to such an extent as to correspond with the hour indicated at that
moment by the watch.
By drawing out the piece C¹, the rack B¹, the teeth of which engage in the
pinion a¹, of the spring barrel A¹, is caused to wind up the said barrel.
The axis of the spring barrel A¹, carries a wheel D¹, the teeth of which are
formed for the purpose of striking the hours and the quarters by acting upon the
pieces E¹ and F³, carrying the hammers G¹ (of the hours) and H³ of the quarters.
-

page_text: U¹ and V¹, are the movers of the repeating escapement; they are acted upon by
the toothed range of the barrel A', placed underneath the plate, but not visible in
the drawing.
At the exact moment the watch has fully struck the hour, the end of the quarter
piece L, engages in the teeth of U₁, and the escapement is stopped.
When the piece C₁ is pushed in the direction indicated by the arrow in fig. 3,
the barrel A and wheels D₁ are turned a certain amount by the arrangements
hereinafter described, and when the piece C¹, is let go, the main-spring contained
in A¹, causes the barrel and wheel D¹, to turn back and to strike the hours and
quarters.
A special arrangement, also described hereinafter, allows the repeating mechanism
to strike only when the piece C₁, has been drawn out to its fullest extent, so as to
prevent incomplete striking. The watch strikes the hour perfectly, or it does not
strike at all, according as to whether the piece C¹, is drawn out completely or
partially.
The canon I¹, of the minute-wheel carries the snail-wheel J¹, of the quarters,
with the surprise ¹, and finger j³, as in the ordinary repeating mechanism. At
every turn of the minute-hand, the finger j¹, causes the star-wheel K², with 12 points,
bearing the hour snail-wheel ¹, to advance one tooth.
As in well known repeating mechanism the steps of the snail-wheels of the hours,
and of the quarters, determine the number of teeth of the wheel D¹, which act
upon the hammers G¹ and H¹.
The arm 6, of the rack B', strikes upon the hour snail-wheel k³, and causes the
barrel A¹ to be wound up, more or less, according to the position of the hour
snail-wheel.
On the other hand, the quarter-piece L³, oscillating around the screw M³, and the
arm, of which bears upon the quarter snail-wheel carries a rack N¹, provided
with 4 teeth which, according to the position of the quarter snail-wheel, is placed
in four different positions. In the first position the pin d, which is fixed to the
wheel D', takes into the first notch of N¹; in the second position the pin takes
into the second notch; in the third position into the third notch, and in the
fourth position into the fourth notch. According to one or the other of these
combinations, the turning back of the wheel D¹, is limited so as to have one, two,
three, or no quarter, struck.
The forked-lever O¹ is specially destined to prevent imperfect striking of the
repeating mechanism when the piece C¹, is not drawn out to its fullest extent. Its
pivot is a screw o¹, fixed to a bearing, not indicated in the drawing.
A spring P¹, acts upon the lever 01, for the purpose of maintaining the same in
the position shewn in fig. 3. In this position, the arm R¹ of its fork, bears against
a pin el, fixed to the piece E¹, which carries the hour-hammer, and maintains it in
a position in which E¹, cannot be acted upon by the teeth of D', so as to allow the
barrel A¹, to be wound up without having the teeth of D, acting upon the
hammer G¹. On the other hand, the arm S', of the fork, bears against a pin m³,
fixed to the quarter-piece L³, and prevents the same from falling down upon the
quarters snail-wheel. This position of the lever O¹ shewn in fig. 3, prevents the
striking of the repeating mechanism even when the piece C¹, is acted upon.
This position must therefore be changed at the exact moment that the piece C!,
is drawn out to its fullest extent, that is to say, as soon as the rack B¹, is stopped
by one step of the hour snail-wheel.
For this purpose the rack B¹, carries an arm 6¹ sliding in a circular slide and
carrying a pin n', playing in an opening p¹.
A conical piece T¹, is fixed to B¹, by means of a screw t¹, and carries a pin q¹
which maintains the arm O", of lever O¹, in the position shewn in fig. 3. In this
position the piece T¹, bearing against the pin n¹ pushes the arm b¹ out of the
rack B¹.
As soon as b¹, strikes upon the hour snail-wheel it is forced back in its slide and
the pin n¹, causes the piece T¹ to turn and to remove the lever 01 by means of the

page_text: pin q¹. The lever O¹ then takes up the position shewn in fig. 4. In this position
the repeating mechanism is ready to strike.
Having now described the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, I declare that I claim ;
In watches with chronograph and repeating mechanism :
1st The wheels D and G, with pin d and vertical toothed range g, spring
lever C, provided with bevilled projection c, and the lever B, the whole arranged
and combined to operate as and for the purposes set forth.
2nd The lever M, with fork and click N, and spring n, acted upon by an
eccentric L, and by a pin p, fixed upon the lever P, working upon the click-
wheel A, the whole arranged and combined to operate as and for the purposes
set forth.
3rd The combination of the rack B¹ with lever C¹, arm b¹, and pin n', piece T¹,
and pin q¹, with the arm Qu of lever O¹, substantially as shewn and described, and
for the purpose specified.
4th The piece L¹, with rack N' and pin m², substantially as shewn and described
and for the purpose specified.
5th The lever O¹, with arms O", R¹, and S¹ in combination with the pin q¹ of
the piece T, the pin m¹ of the quarter piece L', and the pin e¹ of the piece E¹,
substantially as shewn and described and for the purpose specified.
6th The arrangement of toothed wheel D¹ for striking the hours and the quarters,
in combination with the pin d¹ and rack N¹.