Improvements in Watches.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Watches.
:-
We. ISAAC GRASSET, and AUGUSTE MEYLAN, both of Geneva in the Republic
of Switzerland, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention consists of an improved motive device for watches, which is
combined so as to considerably cheapen the manufacture of the latter and never-
theless to act upon the watchwork with great regularity and to insure its going for
the same time as the usual mainsprings.
Our improved motive device is composed of a cylindrical spiral spring, the
geometrical axis of which is parallel or nearly parallel to the plate of the watch
work, said spring being for instance wound around a stem which preferably forms
at same time the winding-up stem of the watch.
The invention further comprises a very compact click-device for stopping the
abovementioned mainspring axis in one direction of its rotation.
To the plate of the watch is affixed a stem or axis arranged parallel to the plane
of the said plate and having one of its pivots located in a suitable hole of a bearing
fixed to the said plate, or in a suitable hole of said plate and its other pivot located
half in a suitable recess of the said plate and half in a suitable recess of a bridge
shaped piece.
The said axis is provided with a click-wheel and with a crown-pinion which may
either be arranged so that the click-wheel is firmly fixed to the stem, and the spiral
mainspring is fixed with its one end to the axis and with its other end to the pinion,
or the said click wheel is free to rotate on the axis and the pinion is firmly fixed to
said axis. The spiral mainspring is then fixed with its one end to the click-wheel
and with the other to the pinion. The pinion is, in this latter case, connected to
the crown.
The crown pinion acts upon a gearwheel the axis of which may carry the hour-
hand or which may act upon any combination of gearwheels carrying the hands
and connected with any suitable escapement whatever to fulfil the usual purpose of
a watch.
When the stem is rotated in one direction the torsion of the spiral spring causes
the pinion to be rotated in the same direction and the said pinion transinits its
motion to the watch-work, the movement of which is regulated by a suitable
escapement. Now, therefore the said pinion cannot rotate as quickly as the click-
wheel is rotated by hand, and the tension of the spiral spring is accumulated when
the crown is rotated and said accumulated tension insures the working of the watch
during a certain lapse of time.
The backward-motion of the stem is prevented by means of a suitable click-
device acting upon the click wheel.
Said click-device may be composed of a click-spring and engaging its head into
the teeth of the click-wheel.
But we preferably use the device in which the necessary clickspring is combined
with the bridge affixing the stem to the plate.
In this construction the foot of said bridge is fixed to the plate by means of a
screw. The bridge is provided with a spring-shaped part and with a bent head
piece which is also capable of playing like a spring and engages with its head the
tooth of the click-wheel. The middle portion of said bridge that is to say, that
portion of the same which is situated between the said spring-shaped portion and
the bent head piece, is rigid and proviled with a suitable notch or recess to embrace
the pivot of the stem.
The whole described bridge is further shaped so as to have the spring bending

page_text: its headpart upward whenever its foot is firmly fixed to and applied on the face of
the plate. The head is then lifted out of gear with wheel and the spiral main-
spring is released, nothing preventing the backward rotation of the stem: There is
provided a screw traversing a slotted hole of the bridge and screwed into the
plate. Its head bears upon the said bridge and presses the latter toward the face
of the plate when screwed, causing the head piece to engage the teeth of the wheel
when screwed to the bottom and leaving it free to be lifted by the spring as above
specified, when unscrewed.
Thus one may liberate the stem and relax the spiral mainspring by merely
unscrewing the screw.
The section of the wire forming the spiral mainspring may be round, square or
of any form whatever, the said mainspring may be made of any suitable metal
whatever.
The spiral mainspring may be disposed radially or in any other suitable direction,
either straight lined or in a curve for instance so as to surround the watch-
movement, its geometrical axis remains always parallel or nearly so, to the plate of
the watch.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1892
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Watches.
We, ISAAC GRASSET and AUGUSTE MEYLAN, both of Geneva, in the Republic
of 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 :-
This invention relates to an improved motive device for watches, which is so
arranged as to considerably cheapen the manufacture of the latter and at the same
time to act upon the watch-work with great regularity and insure its going for the
same period of time as the usual main-springs.
Our improved motive device is composed of a cylindrical spiral spring, the
geometrical axis of which is parallel or nearly parallel with the plate of the watch-
work, the said spring being for instance wound around a stem which preferably
forms at same time the winding up stem of the watch.
The invention further comprises a very compact click-device for stopping the
above mentioned main-spring-axis in one direction of its rotation.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 is a plan-view of a watch-work provided with our motive device, in
which the click-device is composed of an ordinary click-spring.
Figure 2 is a plan-view of a watch-work provided with our motive device and
with our improved click-device.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of our motive device drawn to an enlarged
scale showing one method which may be adopted for the connection of the main-
spring main-spring-axis and the click-wheel.
Figure 4 shows a modification of said connection.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
To the plate B of the watch is affixed a stem or axis A arranged parallel to the
plane of the said plate B and having one of its pivots a located in a suitable hole
in a bearing B' fixed to the said plate B, or in a suitable hole in said plate B, and
its other pivot a located half in a suitable recess of the said plate B and half in a
suitable recess of a bridge-shaped piece G as shewn in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
The said axis A is provided with a click-wheel D and with a crown-pinion C.
In Figure 3 the click-wheel D is shewn firmly fixed to the stem, and the spiral

page_text: main-spring R has one end secured to the axis A and the other end to the
pinion C.
In a modification shewn in Figure 4 the click-wheel D is free to rotate on the
axis A and the pinion C firmly fixed to said axis. The spiral main-spring is then
attached by one end to the click-wheel D and by the other to the pinion C. The
pinion D is, in this latter case, connected to the crown F.
The crown-pinion C acts upon a gear wheel H the axis of which may carry the
hour-hand or which may act upon any combination of gear-wheels carrying the
hands, and connected with any suitable escapement to fulfil the usual purposes of
a watch.
When the stem is rotated in one direction shown by the arrow in the Figures 1, 2
and 3, the torsion of the spiral spring R causes the pinion C to be rotated in the
same direction and the said pinion transmits its motion to the watch-work, the
movement of which is regulated by the escapement. Now the said pinion C
cannot rotate as quickly as the click-wheel D is rotated by hand, so that the
tension of the spiral spring accumulates when the crown is rotated and the said
accumulated tension insures the working of the watch during a certain period
of time.
The backward-motion of the stem is prevented by means of a suitable click-
device acting upon the click-wheel D.
The said click-device may be composed of a click-spring E, fixed to the plate
as shown in Figure 1, and engaging by its head in the teeth of the click-
wheel D.
We prefer to use however the device shown in Figure 2 in which the necessary
click-spring is combined with the bridge-piece used for securing the stem to the
plate B.
In the construction the foot 9 of said bridge G is fixed to the plate B by means
of a screw g¹. The said bridge G is provided with a spring shaped part 93, and
with a bent head-piece 9 which has a certain amount of play like a spring and
which engages by its head o³ in the teeth of the click-wheel D. The middle portion
of said bridge G, that is to say, that portion of the same which is situated between
the said spring-shaped portion g' and the bent head-piece 9, is rigid and provided
with a suitable notch or recess to embrace the pivot a' of the stem as shown in
Figure 3.
The bridge G is moreover shaped so as to bave the spring 9 bending its head-
part upward whenever its foot is firmly fixed on and applied to the face of the
plate. The head g³ is then. lifted out of gear with the wheel D. and the spiral
main-spring R is released, nothing preventing the backward rotation of the stem.
Moreover a screw * is provided passing through a slotted hole in the bridge G and
screwed into the plate B. The head of said screw bears upon the bridge G and
presses the latter toward the face of the plate B causing the head-piece y³ to
engage the teeth of the wheel D when screwed up, leaving it free to be lifted by
the spring gas above specified, when unscrewed. Thus the stem may therefore
be liberated and the spiral main-spring relaxed by merely unscrewing the
screw g¹.
The section of the wire forming the spiral main-spring may be round, square
or of any suitable form and the said main-spring may be made of any suitable
metal.
The spiral main-spring may be disposed radially as shown or in any other suitable
direction, either in a straight line or in a curve for instance so as to surround the
watch-movement, its geometrical axis remaining always parallel with, or nearly so,
to the plate of the watch.
Having now particularly described the nature of our said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :
1. The combination with the watch plate, of a winding stem and crown, a helical
spring around the stem, a pinion with which one end of the spring is connected, a

page_text: ratchet wheel and pawl for holding the stem, and a bridge across the stem for
holding the same in position in the watch plate, substantially as specified
2. The combination with the winding crown, of an axis connected with the crown,
a helical main spring around said axis, a pinion for giving motion to the watch-
works and with which pinion one end of the main spring is connected, a ratchet
wheel connected with the other end of the main spring, a bridge for holding the
axis to the watch plate, and a spring pawl formed integral with the bridge at one
end thereof, substantially as specified.
Dated this 20th day of September 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants
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