IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Joseph Hughes, of the Firm of Hughes and
Són, Patent Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES."-A communication from abroad by Adrien
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Edward Joseph Hughes at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 6th September 1861, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
JOSEPH HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents; 123,
Chancery Lane, London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES," being a communication to me from abroad by
Adrien Jean, Philippe, of Paris, in the Empire of France, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists of certain improved arrangements for winding up
the watch and turning round the bands at pleasure without the use of a key,
which improvements will be clearly understood by the following statement
thereof; reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon.
The fluted knob A (Figure 1) is fixed to the top of a rod B passing through
the spherical knob C of the pendant. The rod B works freely in all directions,
that is to say, it turns round and slides at pleasure, whether drawn up or pushed

page_text: down. This rod carries first a straight or bevilled pinion D, which being
fastened to the said rod executes the samo movements as the rod itself, whether
turned round, pushed down, or drawn up by the knob A.
The pinion D has two functions to perform; it gears into the fusee or
remontoir wheel, and acts as a conductor of the ratchet E. The spring F,
directed and maintained by the ratchet E, performs an important function; it
carries a pinion G (crown or hour wheel). which obeys the rod B in its rotary
motion, only kept as it is by the flat part on the rod, and by a small invisible
pin when the watch is wound up; that pin is fixed into the pinion or crown
wheel G, which slides on the rod B, being acted upon by the spring F. Thus,
by drawing up the fluted knob A, tho rod B comes up as well as the pinion D,
the ratchet E, caught by its notch in the sides of the pinion D, changes its
place, pushes back the spring F towards the centre of the pallet plate, and
keeps it at the end of the extreme angle; the bevilled pinion G, pushed by the
spring also towards the same centre, gears then into the hands wheel, and by
turning round the knob A the hands are turned. That position is represented
by Figure 1.
г
On the contrary, if the rod B is pushed down by pressing upon the knob A,
the pinion D also pushing back the ratchet E, the extreme angle of which
leaves the spring, this last falls down into a notch O, where it is kept nearer
the circumference; it keeps away the bevilled pinion G from the centre,
disengages it, and if then the knob A is turned round, the nob B acts through
the pinion D upon the remontoir, wheel.
The Drawings represent straight gearings, but I can obtain the sanie results
with conical gearings to keep the transmission of notions; such conical. form
is also a part of my Invention, and I claim it as exclusively. mine for that
purpose.
I will now proceed to the description of an original construction of my
Invention, after which I will describe the modifications applicable to the cou-
structions already known.
Figure 2 in the annexed Drawings shews the mechanism all put together,
and ready to effect the winding up of the main spring.
Figure 3 represents the separate pieces through which passes the shaft or
arbor a, passing also into the pendant, and to which is fixed the fluted knob 7,
which serves to put the whole in motion. This shaft a has a part of it
furnished with upright ratchet teeth; b is the pinion of remontoir, having also
upright ratchet teeth, and ready to gear into those of the shaft a as well as, the
hour wheel; a flat part is formed on the half of the length of that. rod, and
serves to move the hour wheel c; the spring d (Figure 2) is engaged in the

page_text: gorge of the hour wheel c, and presses upon it sufficiently to keep all the pieces
in their position, either at rest or during the winding up of the watch. When
the fluted knob is turned in the direction contrary to the winding up,. the
teeth of the shaft slide upon those of the pinion 6 producing on this last a
retrograde motion which allows the teeth to escape; the spring d acting"
constantly to keep the ratchet teeth gearing produces a noise like that of the
uncogging of one of Bregnet's keys, by the fall of the teeth one upon another.
The moving of the hands is obtained externally by drawing, first, the fluted
knob up; in that case by the retrograde movement of the shaft a, the ratchet
teeth disengage from the teeth of the pinion b, whose motion immediately
ceases; the piece h, engaged by an arm into a gorge in the shaft, behind the
ratchet teeth, follows the motion given to the shaft, and acts by another end
upon the end of the spring d; a hook is left at the end of this spring d to
prevent the pinion from following the backward motion given to the shaft a.
When the hands are brought to the proper hour, a slight pressure upon the
fluted knob is-sufficient to bring the organs to their former position.
Figure 4 represents the same mechanism applied to another external
function. This Figure represents the organs in position to turn the hands; the
piece h bears an arm passing through the thickness of the box of the pallet
plate; this arm is put in contact with the piston n, the two ends of which have
a head of convenient width and projects out of the case on the square. When
it is required to turn round the hands, it is necessary to press with a sudden
movement upon the head of the piston n; by its contact with the arm of the
piece h, it will produce on that piece the effect described for the Figure 2 by
drawing the fluted knob, with this difference, that the shaft a is not removed,
and that the arm engaged between the pinion b and the flange of the shaft a
can move freely to and fro without other utility than to be put in contact with
the above-mentioned flange at the time of the gearing with the minute wheel
work. The disengaging of the ratchet teeth is produced by the hook or beak
of the spring & acting on the flange left on the projecting part of the pinion b.
After having turned the hands, the organs are brought back again to their
normal situation by a slight pressure upon the fluted knob of the pendant.
d
The common construction of watches without a key, with the effect of un-
cogging or of the Bregnet's key, as practised for the trade and in watch
manufactories, is very different from that I have just described. However,
my improvements can be adapted thereto; that is to say, that I dispense with
tlic continual pressure upon the piston, and the necessity of acting with both
bands at once. These improvements are included in my Invention, and
are consequently a part of it.

page_text: Figure. 5, 6, 7, and 8 represent the application of my improvements with
soine modifications applied at pleasure to the various arrangements.
Figure 6 shews the shaft, pinion, and hour wheel separately; the lower
part or rod of the shaft a is not cylindrical in its whole length, two-thirds
being in a square form'; the pinion bis placed upon the cylindrical part, and.
the wheel c on the square part. When the ratchet teeth are engaged it is the
last, wheel which drives the pinion 6 in the operation of winding up by means
of its square fitting upon the shaft.
-In Fig. 5 I have placed a bolt for obtaining the change of hands'; but the
function is also well performed with a piston by a modification given to the
direction of the arm of the piece h. The bolt k is moved by the nail; by the
impulso given to it, the piece h acts in such a way as to remove the spring.d,
and to cause the hour wheel c to advance as in the preceding functions. The
beak of the piece comes ou to prevent the moving of the pinion 6, and serves
to communicate the motion given to the fluted knob when it is intended to
bring all the organs into their normal position. All the pieces having their
free motion, the spring d is quite sufficient by its own strength to bring the
wholo into its primitive order.
In Figure 7, where the organs are in the position of turning the hands, the
above-mentioned effect is more striking. Though the pieces change their
forms, the function is the same. In that Figure the disposition is made for
obtaining the change of the hands through the drawing up of the fluted knob
of the pendant, as in Figure 1. The view of the Figure is enough to under-
stand it, if the above descriptions have been attentively followed.
I now indicate three modes of arrangement, which are very important:-
First, the pinion and hour wheel are inade of the same piece, and are fitted
on the square end of the arbor a; the changing of the bands is obtained by
incans of the piston or bolt, in that case the pinion can disengage itself from:
the teeth of the crown wheel by the internal void of the said teeth.
Second, the pinion and hour wheel are made separately, the pinion is fitted
on the square part of the shaft a, and the hour wheel on the cylindrical part,
with the flat and pin. By the action of the bolt or piston, the pinion dis-
engages itself by a backward motion, that is to say, out from the crown wheel
teeth. In both cases the shaft does not movo; and the uncogging effect is
avoided. The bringing of the pieces into their normal. position is always
. obtained by the pressure upon the fluted knob of the pendant.
The third arrangement is represented by Figure 8, and may be understood
without explanation. The piston or bolt are equally used to move the hands.;
the normal position of the piece is again obtained by the pressure upon the

page_text: fluted knob, but also by the bolt alone by pushing it in the contrary direction
to help to disengage the great arm on the end of the spring. In that case I
suppress the small intermediate lever, which is of no other utility than to
be put in connection with the leaves of the pinion, in order to receive and
transmit to the great arm the pressure made upon the fluted knob when this
means is used to bring the organs into their normal position, after the hands
have been brought to the proper hour.
The bringing of the organs into their normal position is also obtained by a
contrary action of the hand upon the fluted knob, that is to say, by a slight
backward motion. To that effect the small arm of the piece h (Fig. 8) pro-
jects behind the pinion and comes into contact with a flange made upon the
shaft a near the pinion, but only at the time of the change of hands. By this
contact the arm pushes the shaft in such a way as to cause it to advance a
little towards the centre of the watch; now by a contrary action made upon
the fluted knob, that is to say, by drawing it up, the great arm is obliged to
disengage itself from the obstacle of the spring, and the whole comes into order
as by the above-mentioned functions; in this last arrangement the lever is also
suppressed.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of the said Invention
as communicated to me from abroad, and the manner in which the same is to
be performed, I desire it to be understood that I claim, the arrangement and
construction. of the mechanism constituting a watch without a key or any
modification thereof as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Joseph Hughes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Edward Joseph
Hughes, in the presence of
G. SEPTIMUS HUGHES,
17, Cross Street,
E. J. HUGHES. (L.S.)
Manchester.