AM IMPROVEMENT IN WATCH28.
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hoddell, of Northampton Square, Clerkenwell,
in the County of Middlesex, and of Coventry, in the County of Warwick,
Watch Mafar the Lawantion of " AM IMPROVEMENT IN WATCH28.
Watch Manufacturer, for the Invention of " A IMPROVEMENT IN WATCHES.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hoddell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th
December 1857.
I, JAMES HODDELL, of Northampton Square, Clerkenwell, in the County of
Middlesex, and of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Watch Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
WATCHES," to be as follows:-
My said Invention consists in the application to watches of two mainsprings
instead of one, as usually employed. The said two mainsprings may either be
used with or without fuzees and chains, and the said springs act simultaneously
upon the works of the watch.
The said works differ in no essential respect from the works of an ordinary
watch, the principal difference being the addition of an extra wheel in the
train of wheels between the springs and the balance wheel.
By the use of two mainsprings acting simultaneously upon the works,

page_text: sufficient power is obtained to make the watch work for eight days. The
additional wheel causes the springs to uncoil themselves very slowly, and yet
to act upon tho works with sufficient power to keep the watch in action.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Floddell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th June 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
MODDELL, of Northampton Square, Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex,
and of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Watch Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Hoddell, Her special licence that I, the said James Hoddell, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Hoddell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agreo
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 Chanuel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN WATCHES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Hoddell, 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 James Hoddell, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and 'by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My said Invention consists in the application to watches of two mainsprings
instead of one, as in watches of the ordinary construction.
By the use of two inainsprings a watch may be made to work eight days,
which cannot be satisfactorily effected by means of one spring. Figure 1 of

page_text: the accompanying Drawing represents in plan the works of a watch con-
structed according to my Invention, and Figure 2 represents the same in
elevation. In the said Figures I have, omitted, for the sake of clearness, many
of the parts, which, if drawn, would obscure those parts constituting my In-
vention. The omitted parts are common to ordinary watches, and I therefore
do not think it necessary to describe or enumerate them,
a, b, are two barrels, in each of which is a mainspring, the said barrels and
mainsprings being similar to those ordinarily employed; c, d, are two fusees,
which are of the ordinary construction, excepting that the threads are cut in a
contrary direction. The said fusees c, d, are connected in the usual way with
the barrels a, b, of the mainsprings respectively. The works of the watch
differ in no essential respect from the works of ordinary watches, excepting
that I employ an additional wheel and pinion in the train of wheels between
the springs and balance wheel or escapement. In an ordinary watch the fusee
is geared to and turns the centre wheel e, carrying the minute hand. In
using two springs, I prefer to make the fusees c and d gear into a pinion f, a
wheel Ig on the axis of the said pinion f gearing into and driving the centre
pinion e. By this arrangement the springs run down more slowly than they
otherwise would, and yet act with sufficient force to maintain the working of
the watch.
Although I prefer to employ fusees as represented and described, yet the
said fusees may be dispensed with, and the spring barrels made to drive tho
works of the watch without the intervention of a fusee.
Figure 3 represents in plan, and Figure 4 in elevation, a watch having two
spring barrels, the said spring barrels communicating with the works of the
watch without fusees. The spring barrels in Figures 3 and 4 are marked h
and i respectively, and toothed wheels on the peripheries of the spring barrels
h, i, gear into and drive the pinion k. The said pinion k, Figures 3 and 4, is
the equivalent of the pinion f, Figures 1 and 2. The two springs require to
be wound up separately, and the case of the watch is provided with two key-
holes for that purpose. The two springs act simultaneously upon the works
of the watch, and their joint action is necessary to maintain the working of
the watch.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described, and represented in the accom-
panying Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the
nature of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention the improvement in
watches herein-before described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing,

page_text: that is to say, the application to watches of two mainsprings acting simul-
taneously on the works of the watch.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hoddell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
HENRY SMITH.
JAMES HODDELL. (L.s.).