AN IMPROVED WATCH BALANCE REGULATOR
Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED WATCH BALANCE
REGULATOR a communication to me from abroad by Jules Charles Levasseur of
Milianah, Algeria Watchmaker to be as follows:—
n
The object of this invention is to enable watches to be regulated without opening
the case.
The advantages of being able to regulate the watch without opening the case
are obvious while the difficulty commonly experienced in adjusting the regulator is
obviated.
The improvement is applicable both to keyless and to ordinary watches and in
order that the invention may be more readily understood I will proceed to describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1 represents
a face view of the regulating mechanism as applied to a keyless watch while
figure 2 is an edge view and figure 3 a face view of the watch.
Figures 4. 5 and 6 show parts of the mechanism on a larger scale.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures. A is a
pulley fast on the arbor of the minute hand wheel and B a pulley fast on the axis
of the wheel P. CC are pinions keyed at opposite ends of a shaft C³ and gearing
the one (C) with gear wheel P and a rack Q of the balance regulator and the
other (C) with a quadrant rack D on the axis N of which is mounted a pointer or
index S which moves over the graduated arc T on the watch dial and indicates the
degree of adjustment of the balance regulator.
E is an endless band or chain communicating motion from pulley A to pulley B
and transmitting any motion imparted to the minute hand when the adjusting
mechanism is brought into action through the pinions &c, to the regulator.
It will be evident that the regulating mechanism is only to be brought into
operation when it is desired to regulate the watch and that at all other times it
is absolutely necessary that this mechanism should be held out of action. The
CD 077

page_text: regulating mechanism is brought into action by means of a spring lever K pivoted
at M and carrying a roller or pulley F at its extremity, the lever being moved by
a pull piece or knob L which projects at the band of the watch. By operating the
pull piece L the lever K is caused to rock on its pivot and bring the roller F in
contact with the band E, thus tightening the band on pulley B and revolving the
latter. G is a brake which bears on the axis of the pulley B and prevents the
latter from revolving, except when the watch is to be adjusted, at which time the
pulley is relieved of its pressure. I is the crown pinion on winding arbor for
setting the hands, and H the gear wheel of the hour hand. From the foregoing it
will be seen that the minute hand may be set and the watch regulated simul-
taneously, the minute hand in this case being moved the one way or the other, and
the knob L at same time operated so as to bring the adjusting mechanism into
gear whereupon for the rack Q will be moved so as to act on the balance for the
purpose of making it vibrate faster or slower in proportion to the extent to which
the minute hand is moved.
Ca
1002

page_text: An improved waton Balance Regulator.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby
declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me from abroad by
Jules Charles Levasseur of Milianah, Algeria, Watchmaker, 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 this invention is to enable watches to be regulated without
opening the case, and by the mere act of setting the hands, the moving on or
setting back of the minute hand being caused to act in a similar manner and to a
proportionate extent on the regulator, the movement of the regulator being shown
by an index upon the dial. The advantages of being able to regulate the watch
without opening the case are obvious while the difficulty commonly experienced in
adjusting the regulator is obviated.
The improvement is applicable both to keyless and to ordinary watches and in
order that the invention may be more readily understood I will proceed to describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 represents
a face view of the regulating mechanism as applied to a keyless watch while
Figure 2 is an edge view and Figure 3 a face view of the watch.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 show parts of the mechanism on a larger scale.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
A is a pulley fast on the centre wheel arbor, and B a pulley fast on the arbor
of a toothed wheel P, CC are pinions at opposite ends of an arbor C. The
pinion C gears with a toothed wheel P and with a quadrant rack Q attached to
the balance regulator; and the other (C¹) gears with a quadrant rack D the axis N
of which carries a pointer or index S moving over the graduated arc T on the
watch dial and indicating the degree of adjustment of the balance regulator. E is
an endless band or chain communicating motion from pulley A to pulley B and
consequently transmitting the motion imparted to the minute hand in the act of
setting it to time, to the regulator.
It will be evident that the regulating mechanism is only to be brought into
operation when it is desired to regulate the watch and that at all other times it is
absolutely necessary that this mechanism should be held out of action.
The regulating mechanism is brought into action by means of a spring lever K
pivoted at M and carrying a tension roller F at its extremity, the lever being
moved by a thumb piece or knob L which projects at the band of the watch. By
operating the thumb piece L, the lever K is caused to rock on its pivot and press
the roller F against the band E, thus tightening it and causing pulley B to revolve.
G is a brake which bears on the arbor of the pulley B and prevents the latter
from revolving, except when the watch is to be adjusted, at which time the pulley
is relieved of its pressure. I is the crown pinion on the winding arbor for setting
the hands
From the foregoing it will be seen that the act of setting the minute hand is
caused to regulate the watch, provided the knob L be operated so as to bring the

page_text: adjusting mechanism into gear, the extent to which the regulator is moved being
proportionate to the extent to which the minute hand is moved.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st In a watch, the combination of the regulator of the balance spring with the
hand setting mechanism, in such manner that the regulator will be moved in a
direction and to an extent corresponding and proportional to the distance the
minute hand is set on, and back substantially as specified.
2. In a watch capable of being regulated from the exterior without opening the
case, the combination with the regulating mechanism of a visible index for
enabling the extent to which the regulator is moved to be ascertained and
controlled as specified.
3. In a watch capable of being regulated by the act of setting the minute hand,
the combination of the pulleys A and B, endless chain E, lever K, tension roller F,
thumb-piece L, break G, double pinion C. C the quadrant racks D and Q, and
index $ constituting the regulating and indicating mechanism substantially as
herein described and illustrated in the drawings.
1000
: