IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM OR TOOLS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PARTS OF WATCHES OR TIMEKEEPERS, AND IN THE MODE OF SECURING THE WORKS OF WATCHES IN THEIR CASES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Gardner, of the City of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Watch Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM OR TOOLS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PARTS
OF WATCHES OR TIMEKEEPERS, AND IN THE MODE OF SECURING THE WORKS OF
WATCHES IN THEIR CASES."
Scaled the 29th April 1870, and dated the 3rd November 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Gardner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd November 1869.
I, WILLIAM GARDNER, of the City of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Watch Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM OR TOOLS FOR THE MANU-
FACTURE OF PARTS OF WATCHES OR TIMEKEEPERS, AND IN THE MODE OF SECURING
THE WORKS OF WATCHES IN THEIR CASES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements upon the mechanism or tools
for manufacturing watches or timekeepers for which Letters Patent
were granted unto me, dated the Third day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, and numbered
2466, and refers to that part of the tools or mechanism for drilling or
turning watch plates, and to means for facilitating the operations of

page_text: adjusting the template and part holding the watch plate to be operated
upon, and to arrangements for drilling or centering; and my Invention
consists in an arrangement and combination of mechanism, namely:-
A face plate on the end of a lathe spindle having a sliding centre is
used as described in the Specification of my said Patent, but upon this
face plate a plate is arranged so that it can slide diametrically and move
in an angle on each side of the diametrical line. To the back of this
slide plate the template described in the Specification of my said Patent
is secured, and to the front of the said slide the watch plate to be
operated upon is secured by "dogs" arranged and secured in any
convenient manner. In the front of the face plate a sliding spindle is
arranged to carry the drill or centering cutter, and this spindle is placed
in a frame which can be turned on one side out of the way. The frame
has also adjustments, both horizontal and vertical, by which the spindle
can be brought truly opposite the centre of the lathe spindle. The watch
plates to be operated upon may be marked by means of a stencil plate as
a guide to assist in moving the slide to the required hole in the
template; or a plate for this purpose, properly marked, may be fixed
on the front of the face, so that a point carried by the slide will
assist as a guide in bringing the hole in the template opposite the sliding
centre in the hollow of the lathe spindle. In place of one slide on the
face plate having two movements two slides may be used, one to move
at a right angle to the other, and the template may be secured to the
front of the face plate, or two templates may be used, one on the face
plate, and one at the back of the second slide.
My improvements in securing the works of watches in their cases
consist in dispensing with hinges or screws, and in using a "dog" or
fixed bolt on one side, and a spring bolt on the opposite side, so arranged
as to take hold of the ledge round the inside of the watch case.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent; 3
filed by the said William Gardner in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 30th April 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GARNDER, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Watch
Manufacturer, send greeting,
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto mo, the said William Gardner, Her special license,
that I, the said William Gardner, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Gardner, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree 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 Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM
OR TOOLS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PARTS OF WATCHES OR TIMEKEEPERS, AND IN
THE MODE OF SECURING THE WORKS OF WATCHES IN THEIR CASES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Gardner, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Gardner, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates to improvements upon mechanism or tools for
manufacturing watches or timekeepers for which Letters Patent were
granted to me, dated the Third day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, and numbered 2466,
and refers to that part of the tools or mechanism for drilling or
turning watch plates, and to means for facilitating the operations
for adjusting the template and part holding the watch plate to be
operated upon, and to arrangements for drilling or centering; and my
Invention consists in an arrangement and combination of mechanism,
namely: A face plate on the end of a lathe spindle having a sliding
centre is used as described in the Specification of my said Patent, but
upon this face plate a plate is arranged so that it can slide diametrically
and move in an angle on each side of the diametrical line. To the
back of this slide plate the template described in the Specification of

page_text: my said Patent is secured, or the said slide plate forms the template,
having holes drilled in it corresponding to those intended to be formed
in the watch plates. To the front of the said slide plate the watch plate
to be operated upon is held by "dogs" arranged and secured in any
convenient manner. In front of the face plate a sliding spindle is
sarranged to carry the drill or centering cutter, and this spindle is placed
in a frame, which can be turned on one side out of the way. The frame
has also adjustments, both horizontal and vertical, by which the spindle
can be brought truly opposite the centre of the lathe spindle. The
.watch plates to be operated upon may be marked by means of a stencil
plate and suitable marking ink or composition to assist in moving the
slide to the required hole in the template; or a plate for this purpose
properly marked may be fixed on the front of the face plate, so that a
point carried by the slide will assist as a guide in bringing the hole in
the template opposite the sliding centre in the hollow of the lathe
spindle. In place of one slide on the face plate having two movements
two slides may be used, one to move at a right angle to the other, and
the template may be secured to the front of the face plate; or two
-templates may be used, one on the face plate, and one at the back of the
second slide.
My improvements in securing the works of watches in their cases
consist in dispensing with hinges or screws, and in using a "dog" or
fixed bolt on one side, and the ordinary spring bolt on the opposite side,
so arranged as to take hold of the ledge round the inside of the watch
case.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, Fig. 2 is a plan, and
Fig. 3 is an end view of my improved lathe or tool for turning,
centering, and drilling watch plates.
a is the bed or stand of the lathe; a', its feet; is the headstock;
-c, the lathe spindle, which is hollow and has a sliding centre spindle (d)
in it that is pressed outwards by a helical spring (d). The sliding
centre spindle can be drawn and held back by means of a pin (d),
having one end secured in the side of the lathe spindle, the other end of
the pin passing through a slot in the lathe spindle, this slot having
a cross slot at one end which will hold the pin (d), and thus the
sliding centre spindle back when required. c¹ is the face plate of the
lathe; e is the slide plate, the front view of which is seen in Fig. 3;
this slide plate is mounted on two bolts (e¹ and e), each of which passes

page_text: through a diametrical slot in the face plate. One bolt (e¹) is made to
fit a hole in the slide plate, and upon this bolt the slide plate can turn;
the other bolt (e) fits a slot (e³) in the slide plate concentric with the
first-named bolt (e¹). Both bolts (e¹ and e²) also fit the slots (c) on the
face plate, and pass through a plate (ex) at the back of the face plate,
and when the slide plate (e) is adjusted it is secured to the face plate by
the milled headed screws (e' and e³). Upon the slide plate two or more
dogs (e) are mounted, secured by screws (e), and these "dogs" serve
to hold the watch plate (x) against the side plate (e) while being
operated upon. In the slide plate holes are drilled to form a template to
those holes to be drilled in the watch plate. In operating the point of
the sliding centre (d) is made to enter the central hole in the template,
then the watch plate (x) is adjusted and secured by the "dogs" (e), and
when once secured the dogs need not be released from the plate until all
the holes are drilled. The apparatus for drilling the holes or centering
the hole before drilling is shewn at the end of the lathe bed; it consists
of a stand secured to the bed (a) by a bolt (f¹) and wing nut (f), and
adjusted and held laterally on the bed by the screws (f). To the
upright part of the stand a cross piece (g) is secured by a bolt (f), and
it is adjusted by screws (f*), and in this cross picce slide centers (g¹)
are arranged, which are adjusted endways by screws (92) and lock
screws (g), and lateral play is prevented after the end adjustment has
been made by side screws (9'). Within the concave centres (g¹) a
part () is arranged so that it may be brought into the position shown
in Figs. 1 and 2, or turned up into the position shown in Fig. 3. This
part (4) has an elevating screw (¹) secured in it, which is made fast
after being adjusted by a lock nut (2), and the point of the screw rests
upon a stud in the stand (f), the object of the screw (h¹) being to
adjust the vertical position of the part (h). In the part (h) a triangular
piece (k) is fitted and held down when adjusted by means of the
plates (k) and screws (). In this triangular picce a spindle (1) is
accurately fitted to slide lengthway, the inner end of this spindle
carrying the drill or centre (1) or the part in which the drill or centre is
secured. Instead of the triangular piece (4) the spindle (1) may be
accurately fitted in 's and held down by plates and one or more
screws.
My improvements for securing the works of watches in their cases is
illustrated by Fig. 4, a section of a watch case with the front plate of
the works shown in section; Fig. 5, a plan view of the watch case with

page_text: the glass frame open; and Fig. 6, a top view of the work plate with the
dial plate removed.
m is the ordinary spring; n is a dog or pin fixed on the opposite
side of the watch plate; this dog or fixed bolt is passed under the ledge
round the inside of the watch case, so that when the spring bolt has
taken hold, as shown in Fig. 4, the works are held securely in the case
without joints or screws, and thus much expense and trouble is saved,
and the works can be detached or replaced in an instant. The end of
the spring bolt is left short, so as to make it difficult for others than
watchmakers and repairers to remove the works; and to make this still
more difficult a lock screw may be applied to the spring bolt in such
manner that it will be necessary to slacken the screw before the bolt can
be released.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the
mode of carrying it into effect, and claim as my Invention,--
Firstly. The improved combination and arrangement of mechanism
for drilling, centering, and turning watch plates, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Secondly. The mode of securing the works of watches in their cases
by means of a fixed and moveable bolt, substantially as herein-before
described and illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Gardner, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
PETER J. LIVSEY,
24, Queen's Chambers,
5, Market Street,
Manchester.
W. GARDNER. (L.S.)