Improvement in Watches, Clocks, and Chronometers.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Watches, Clocks, and Chronometers.
BAHNE BONNIKSEN 16 Norfolk Street, Coventry 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 :—
The drawing accompanying this following description, is an illustration of what I
have named a position-equalizing-karruse! (hereinafter termed "karrusel; "the word
"karrusel" means the same as a "roundabout") its purpose is to make the balance
of a watch, a chronometer, a carriage-clock or any other portable timepiece, turn
round itself in any given time, which time is immaterial, as long as it (the time of
rotation) is not greater than an hour. The object in view in making the balance
turn round itself, independent of its natural to and fro motion, or vibration, is to
make a watch or any other portable timekeeper measure time to the same precision
in whichever of all the four side positions viz.: 12 o'clock upwards, 6 o'clock
upwards, 3 o'clock upwards and 9 o'clock upwards, it may be placed
A watch
(I will, to make this description as short as possible, only refer to a watch in the
following, while I desire my patentright, if granted, to extend to all timekeepers,
which are governed by the vibrations of a balance) when its balance is not in
perfect poise, i.e..when the centre of gravity of the balance does not exactly coincide
with its centre of motion, will go slow or fast, if in a vertical position, depending
upon whether the centre of gravity of the balance be below or above its axis.
To make clear what I mean, let us imagine a watch hanging on a wall, 12 o'clock
up, and that the centre of gravity of the balance is slightly below the centre of
motion, it will, due to that fact go faster than if the balance were in perfect pois;
suppose this same watch now be turned upside down, or with the 6 o'clock up, it
will then go slower for the reason as stated above.
It will, from this, be apparent if the balance is made to turn round itself, it will
lose while the centre of gravity is above the axis, what it has gained while below.
What follows will explain the action of the mechanism :-
The train of wheels and pinions in a watch, which transmits the motive force of
the main-spring to the escapement are respectively :-
"The centre pinion and centre wheel mounted upon it. The third pinion and
third wheel mounted upon it. The fourth pinion and fourth wheel mounted
upon it."
The centre pinion & wheel are not given in the illustration, as they are in no
way affected by the introduction of the karrusel.
G and H are the third pinion and wheel respectively see Fig. I and Fig. II.
A and C are the fourth pinion and wheel respectively Fig. I and Fig. II.
The karrusel is shown in Fig. I as a large circular disc F F; in Fig. II it is all
the part which is shaded and marked F D B BDF; to make it possible to
observe the fourth wheel C inside the karrusel, I have only shown the upper
semicircle of the disc F F, Fig. I, in Fig. II. The circular disc F F is turned on
its horizontal diameter through an angle of 90 degrees, now its upper half is cut
away, frota the remaining part we get the view FD BBDF Fig. II, exposing
the parts within the karrusel. It turns about a large pivot B B in a hole in the
pillar-plate PP P. The wheel DD is screwed onto the pivot B B keeping it,
the karrusel, in its place; the wheel D D is driven by the third pinion G, thus the
whole of the body F D B B D F is made to turn round together with all the parts
that are planted upon it; although all I have shown upon it is: the balance E,
the balance-cock (in which the top pivot of the balance works) N, and the cock K,
which makes the bearing-points of the top fourth wheel pivot, and the bottoir
balance pivot; there is still, in practice, to be planted upon it what is termed the

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escapement"; this part, however, I have thought superfluous to illustrate, as any
watchmaker will see how that may be done, without it being shown. I mentioned
above that the pinion G is driving the karrusel round about its pivot B B, through
being geared with the wheel D D; as the third wheel goes round once in
7 minutes and its pinion G is of the size of the wheel it drives D D, it will
follow from this, it will go round 7 times in order to turn D D round once,
therefore, DD, together with the whole of the karrusel and all upon it, is made to
turn once in 7 × 7 or 52 minutes. The wheel H, being mounted upon the
pinion G, also turns once in 7 minutes, it drives the fourth pinion A at the rate of
60 turns per hour. The fourth wheel C is, therefore, turning round inside the
karrusel at the rate of 60 turns per hour, because it is mounted upon A, .the
connecting arbor of A and C passes freely through a hole in the pivot of
the karrusel B B.
The bar M is screwed onto the pillar-plate P P P and in it the bottom pivots of
the pinions A and G works.
The cock L is screwed to the top of the pillar-plate P P P and in it the top
pivot of the pinion G works.
I must now point out that it is not the idea of making the balance turn about
itself, independent of its natural vibration, upon which I desire protection; as that
idea is an old one, and not due to me, but it is the mode upon which it is done.
What I desire protection upon is the body F D B B D F Fig. I and Fig. II;
the special feature of which is: it has an axle of its own, and may be made to
turn in any period of duration which practical application in the timekeeper
shall prove to be most suitable for the proper mechanical action of the mechanism.
The old method of making the balance turn round itself was, and still is, to
mount the whole escapement, the balance and necessary bars upon the fourth
pinion (the pinion which carries the seconds hand); it was thus turned round at
the exceedingly rapid rate of 60 turns per hour; this high speed making it
necessary to make all the parts as delicate as possible, for if strongly made, the
friction on the fourth pinion bearings would be too great for the watch to over-
come, as also would the inertia offer too great a resistance at the time of impulse,
for it must be borne in mind, the watch has not a continuous motion, but moves
in jumps, which said jumps take place at the period of connection of the balance
with the escapement. For the reasons as given above the old method could only
be introduced in the most expensive watches, as only workmen of the highest
skill are able to make the mechanism in question.
My mode of obtaining the same result, viz. to make the balance turn round
itself, leaves the present arrangement of wheels and pinions unaltered, none of
the pinions having anything extra to carry; the body which I contemplate intro-
ducing to the watch is carried by its own independent axle, it is merely made
to turn round through being geared with one of the pinions, or the wheels, of
the watch; it has no forces to transmit, therefore, the friction upon its axle is
merely that due to its weight alone. It can be made to turn so slow that its
inertia will be of no objection even if it be made of strong and massive metal.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
Having invented a means of making a watch, a clock or a chronometer keep
the same time in whichever of the four side-positions, viz. 12, 3, 6 or 9 o'clock up,
it be placed, by mounting the balance upon a body which is made to turn round
upon its own independent axle, thus making the centre of gravity of the balance
turn round the balance-axis, should it (the centre of gravity) happen not to be
concentric with the axis of the balance.
2000