IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURE OF WATCH CASES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Willis Willin, of Clerkenwell Green, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MANUFACTURE OF WATCH CASES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Willis Willin at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th January 1867.
I, THOMAS WILLIS WILLIN, of Clerkenwell Green, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WATCH CASES, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of watch
cases, and in apparatus employed therein. Watch cases are usually formed
of three parts, a ring or middle part, which has jointed to it other rings, one
on each side; these rings are known in the trade as bissels; one of them
receives the glass and the other a metal back. I form the middle part of the
case by drawing a long strip of metal approximately to the sectional form
required, that is to say, to a
form, and I wind this strip on a mandril in
a close spiral; then by a circular saw or other tool I cut the spiral on the
mandril from end to end so as to obtain a number of separate rings all of one
size; I solder up these rings in the usual way and make them truly circular

page_text: by forcing them on to a cone, as heretofore, except that I make the cone
with a flange upon it which forms a stop for the ring so as accurately to
regulate the size to which the ring is stretched and to ensure its being made
truly circular. The outer rings or "bissels" I form of metal which by
preference I draw to the sectional form required for the ring; I wind the
strip on a maundril, cut it into lengths, and solder the rings, as already
described in respect to the middle parts; I bring the rings or "bissels" to
the required bevil, and make them truly circular by placing them in a hollow
cone and forcing them down into it by means of a plunger in the usual way,
except that the plunger has a flange formed upon it which comes against the
top of the hollow cone so as to ensure the ring being forced down truly, and
so that it may be made perfectly circular, and also of the exact size
required.
The middle parts and "bissels" are fitted together in a lathe as at present,
but in place of using tools guided by hand, as heretofore, I employ tools made
to traverse along guide slots in the rest; these tools are moved by levers or
otherwise up to stops; in this way, without employing skilled labour, I am
able immediately to obtain a perfect fit, as each piece is necessarily turned
exactly to the size to which the apparatus is set. The interiors of the middle
part and "bissels" do not as heretofore require to be turned, as they have
according to my arrangement been at once made of the required form, as
already described, thus a saving both of labour and metal is effected. As the
pieces are all made truly to size, I employ metal chucks for holding them
whilst they are turned, in place of the wooden chucks which are now neces-
sarily employed where the chuck has to be frequently altered to suit variations
in the sizes of the parts. The back plate to fit into one of the outer rings or
."bissels" I form by punching them out of sheet metal and dishing them by
discs worked by a fly or other press in place of forming them in the lathe as
is usual. In order to form the joints between the middle part and .outer
rings or "bissels," and also the joint between the middle part and the frame
containing the works of the watch, I place the middle part in a cylindrical
holder which fits it accurately; in this holder it is tightly clamped by a rising
bottom which is forced up by a screw, and presses the piece against a top plate
or lid which goes on with a bayonet joint or in other convenient manner; this
holder fits into a ring, to one side of which a straightedge or guide is fixed.
The piece being thus held is submitted to the action of a tool consisting of a
revolving axis with a circular cutter upon it, the edge of which is semicircular,
and corresponds in size with the joint, wire, or tube; this cutter projects
through a slot in a table which can be raised or lowered to regulate the depth.

page_text: of the cut; there is also a straightedge clamped to the table parallel with the
cutter and at a distance from it which can be adjusted as may be required; in
using this tool the straightedge on the holder is placed against the straight-
edge on the adjustable table, and with this guide the holder is slidden past
the cutter which produces a groove in the edge of the middle part such as
has heretofore been produced with a file; the holder is notched or cut away
so that the cutter may not come against it. To form a corresponding groove
on the other side of the middle part it is turned over in the holder, and the
holder is turned partly round to another gauge mark in its outer ring to
which the straightedge is fixed, and then the middle part thus held is again
submitted to the cutter and a second groove is formed in the middle part on
the other side and the exact angle desired from the first groove. The grooves
in the outer rings or "bissels" are formed in a similar manner, and then, as
heretofore, short pieces of tube or joint wire are laid in the grooves and fixed
with solder. I place an aluminium gauge between the pieces of joint tube so
as to maintain them exactly the distance apart required; this gauge is kept
in during the soldering operation, and as this metal will not take the solder
the gauge piece is afterwards readily removed. The groove in the middle
part to receive the joint which connects it to the frame of the works is made
with a circular cutter in the same way as the other grooves, but the cutter is
of a different form.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Willis Willin in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th July 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WILLIS WILLIN, of Clerkenwell Green, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her Heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Thomas Willis Willin, Her special licence that I, the
said Thomas Willis Willin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Thomas Willis Willin, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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,

page_text: 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF WATCH CASES, AND IN
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Thomas Willis Willin, 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 Thomas Willis Willin, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of watch
cases, and in apparatus employed therein. Watch cases are usually formed
of three parts, a ring or middle part which has jointed to it other rings, one
on each side; these rings are known in the trade as "bissels," one of them
receives the glass, and the other a metal back. I form the middle part of
the case by drawing a long strip of metal approximately to the sectional form
required, that is to say, to a form; this may be done after the ordinary
manner of wire drawing; the die or draw hole may conveniently be formed
between two pieces of steel clamped together in a frame, as screw tools are com-
monly made. A strip of sheet metal is cut of suitable width, and this being
passed through the die or draw hole one or more times is reduced to the
sectional form required; I now take a cylindrical metal maundril corresponding
in diameter with the interior diameter of the middle parts to be produced, or
very slightly smaller; I fix one end of the strip to the maundril by wedging
it into a hole therein, and then whilst the maundril is held between suitable
centres I turn it so as to wind up the strip upon it, bollow side inwards, and
during the winding the strip is kept strained sufficiently to cause it to
conform accurately to the maundril by suspending a weight from its free end,
when the maundril is full the last convolution is secured by a binding screw
entering the maundril, and by its head clamping the strip against the
maundril. The maundril with the coil upon it is now heated to anneal the
coil or to set it to the form to which it has been bent, and afterwards the coil
is cut from end to end by a saw which enters or cuts down into a guide
groove formed in the maundril parallel to the axis. In this way I obtain
a number of separate rings all of one size; I solder up these rings in the

page_text: usual way, and make them truly circular by forcing them on to a cone, as
beretofore, except that I make the cone with a flange upon it which forms a
stop for the ring, so as accurately to regulate the size to which the ring is
stretched and to ensure its being made truly circular. The cone is made with
but a very slight taper upon it, especially near the larger or flanged end, where
the taper is only just sufficient to admit of the ring being removed from the
cone with sufficient freedom after it has been stretched, and at this part of
the cone its size exactly corresponds with the inside measurement of the
middle parts to be made. In order to force the ring down the cone until it
is stopped by the flange a cup or hollow cone is used, the rim of which is
brought down on the ring on the flanged cone and made to force it home;
these tools are conveniently worked in a fly press, and in this way the cup or
hollow cone is brought down truly over the flanged cone which is fixed beneath
it. The novel points in this method of constructing the middle part of a
watch case are, 1st, the drawing the strip of metal to a concave form; 2nd,
the producing the middle parts of the size required by winding the strip on a
maundril, then cutting the coil as described; and, 3rd, the stretching the
middle parts truly to size by forcing them down a cone until they are stopped
by a flange upon it. The outer rings or "bissels" I form of metal, which
by preference I draw to the sectional form required for the ring (say
thus ). I wind the strip hollow side inwards on a maundril, cut it into
lengths, and solder the rings, as already described in respect to the middle
parts. I bring the rings or "bissels' to the required bevil and make them
truly circular by placing them in a hollow cone and forcing them down
into it by means of a plunger in the usual way, except that the plunger
has a flange formed upon it which comes against the top of the hollow
cone, so as to ensure the ring being forced down truly, and so that it may
be made perfectly circular, and also of the exact size required. The taper of
the hollow cone corresponds with the bevil to be given to the exterior of the
bissel, and the flanged cone is made to correspond and to enter the hollow cone
just sufficiently far to force the bissel down until it is contracted to the size
required; these tools also are conveniently worked in a fly press. The novel
features in this method of constructing the bissels of a watch case are, 1st,
the producing the bissel rings of the size required by winding the metal strip
5 on a maundril and cutting the coil as described; and, 2nd, the contracting the
bissel rings to the form and size required by forcing them into a hollow cone
by means of a corresponding plunger, which by a flange upon it is caused
always to come truly to the same position in the hollow cone. The middle
parts and "bissels" are fitted together in a lathe as at present, but in place

page_text: of using tools guided by hand, as heretofore, I employ tools made to traverse
along guide slots in the rest, these tools are moved by levers or otherwise up to
stops. In this way without employing skilled labour I am able immediately
to obtain a perfect fit, as each piece is necessarily turned exactly to the size
to which the apparatus is set. The interiors of the middle part and "bissels"
do not as heretofore require to be turned, as they have according to my
arrangement been at once made of the required form as alrendy described,
thus a saving both of labour and metal is effected. As the pieces are all
made truly to size I employ metal chucks for holding them whilst they are
turned in place of the wooden chucks, which are now necessarily employed
where the chuck has to be frequently altered to suit variations in the sizes of
the parts. The slide rest may consist of a saddle with guides upon it, in which
a tool holder is able to slide to and fro horizontally; the saddle is clamped to
the bed of the lathe, and it is capable of being adjusted in position so that
the tool holder and tool may move to and from the work at any inclination
to the axis of rotation of the work as may be required. The cutting edges of
the tools employed are made to correspond to the forms they are to produce
on the work; the tool box is moved to and fro in its guide by a hand lever
connected to it by a link, and turning on a pivot on the saddle; an adjustable
screw stop is employed to regulate exactly the distance the tool is moved
forward up to the work.
The operation is conducted in the following manner:-A large number of
similar parts being ready for finishing one of them is fixed on the metal chuck
which, as with the wooden chucks heretofore employed, is made accurately to
fit it; a tool is now correctly set in the tool holder by careful trial so as
when brought up against the adjustable stop to finish accurately the part of
the piece with which it comes in contact; then in the same way each of the
series of similar parts, it may be middle parts or bissels, is in succession placed
on the maundril and acted on by the tool, which each time is advanced until
arrested by its adjustable stop; this being done, the first piece of the series is
again chucked and another tool set to it to finish another portion of its
surface, and this tool is used with each of the parts to be finished, and so on
until the work is complete.
The novel points in my method of turning the parts of a watch case are
the employment of a slide rest with an adjustable stop and tools corresponding
to the work as described. The back plate to fit into one of the outer rings
or "bissels" I form by punching them out of sheet metal, and dishing them by
discs worked by a fly or other press in place of forming them in the lathe as
is usual. In order to form the joints between the middle part and outer

page_text: rings or "bissels," and also the joint between the middle part and the frame
containing the works of the wateb, in place of filing out the grooves to
receive the joint wire as is usual I place the middle part in a cylindrical holder
which fits it accurately, in this holder it is tightly clamped by a rising bottom
which is forced up by a screw and presses the piece against a top plate or lid
which goes on with a bayonet joint, or in other convenient manner; this holder
fits into a ring which encircles the cylinder, and to one side of this ring a
straightedge or guide is fixed; the piece being thus beld is submitted to
the action of a tool consisting of a revolving axis with a circular cutter
upon it, the edge of which is semicircular, and corresponds in size with the
joint wire or tube; this cutter projects through a slot in a table which can
be raised or lowered to regulate the depth of the cut; there is also a straight-
edge clamped to the table parallel with the cutter, and at a distance from it
which can be adjusted as may be required. In using this tool it is placed in
an inverted position or lid downwards on the table, and the straight
edge on the holder is placed against the straightedge on the adjustable
table, and with this guide the holder is slidden past the cutter which
produces a groove in the edge of the middle part, such as has heretofore
been produced with a file; the holder with its lid or cover is notched or cut
away so that the cutter may not come against it. To form a corresponding
groove on the other side of the middle part it is turned over in the holder and
replaced accurately therein without turning it round by means of a line scribed
upon it and a corresponding mark in the holder, and the holder is turned
partly round to another gauge mark or stop on its outer ring to which the
straightedge is fixed, and then the middle part thus held is again submitted
to the cutter and a second groove is formed in the middle part on the other
side and at the exact angle desired from the first groove, the grooves in the outer
rings or "bissels are formed in a similar manner, and then, as heretofore,
short pieces of tube or joint wire are laid in the grooves and fixed with solder.
The groove in the middle part to receive the joint which connects it to the
frame of the works is made with a circular cutter in the same way as the other
grooves, but the cutter is of a different form being made as will be well
understood to correspond to the form of the groove.
The novelty in this part of my Invention consists in the tools above
described and in their use to form the grooves to receive the joint wire
accurately in the position required in the several parts of a watch case. In
arranging the pieces of joint wire in their places previous to soldering I place
an aluminium gauge between the pieces of joint tube, so as to maintain them
exactly the distance apart required; this gauge is kept in during the soldering

page_text: wards readily removed. The gauge is a piece of aluminium wire of the same
diameter as the joint wire, and of a length corresponding with the distance
which the lengths of joint wire are required to be set the one from the other.
The novel feature in this part of my Invention is the employment of aluminium
gauges in the manner described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Willis Willin, have hereunto.
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
THOMAS WILLIS WILLIN. (L.S.)