AN IMPROVEMENT ON CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF WATCHES AND CLOCKS
Year: 1818

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
WILLIAM SEYFFERT, of Saint John Street, Clerkenwell, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Watchmaker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifth day of December,
in the fifty-ninth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said Frederick
William Seyffert, my exors, admors, and assigns, His especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Frederick William
Seyffert, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, during the term of years therein
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, "within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"AN IMPROVEMENT ON CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF WATCHES AND CLOCKS;" in
which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, that if I, the said
Frederick William Seyffert, shall not particularly describe and ascertain tlie
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then
the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby
granted, shall utterly cease, determine and become void, as in and by the same
(relation being thereunto had) will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Frederick William Seyffert, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are par-
ticularly described and ascertained by the Drawing hereunto annexed, and
following description thereof (that is to say):-
My improvement on certain description of watches and clocks consists of a
different and new arrangement and construction of parts of that work which is
termed by watchmakers the repeating motion, which may be seen by the
annexed Drawings and following description. By this construction I am not
only enabled to reduce the repeating motion, as heretofore used, to more
simplicity by saving the crinnelier creinaillier with its chain and varrels, and
hour snail (limason,) but the rest of the work can be done with less trouble,
and of course with less expence. My Invention is applicable to repeating
watches and repeating clocks, with or without running wheels, and to clocks
and clock watches. By manufacturing repeating watches without running
wheels upon this construction, I trust I shall be useful to the trade by intro-
ducing a new branch of the art to the middling class of the public, by this
Invention of a useful article, which they may purchase at a reduced price, and
by preventing the necessity of importing French repeating watches, which the
public in general must derive an advantage from.
Plate 1 exhibits an enlarged section of the watch case, shewing the upper
part of the pillar plate with the repeating motion of a repeating watch, without
running wheels; the mainspring of the repeating motion is supposed to be
between the plates which turns its arbour T to the left; the square of T is to
be about 7 wheel thickness in height (each wheel thickness is one-twelfth
of an inch or thereabouts), begins half a wheel thickness above the plate;
upon the arbour T is first fixed the steel clicket wheel P, the pipe of which is
six wheels thickness in height; one part of the pipe is taken up by the wheel,
one part by the shoulder, and the other four parts of the pipe forms the pivot
on which the steel star wheel R acts. Next is Q, the steel ratchet wheel, of
one wheel thickness; its centre is sufficiently open to let the shoulder of P
pass through it; the wheel Q is placed close to P, and they are fastened
together. The third is the star wheel R, of one wheel thickness; its pipe has
four wheels thickness; two parts are taken up by the shoulder underneath,
one by the wheel, and one by the shoulder on the upper side; this wheel
would turn round free on the axis of P, if the pin d acting against the barrs
a and b did not prevent it. Upon the star wheel are the curved barrs a and b,
of one wheel thickness; attached to it at the pivot c, in a and b, is the pin, of
four wheel thickness in height; one part is in the barr, one passes through
on.

page_text: the wheel, and two are underneath; the two barrs are nioveable, as far as the
hole through which the pin passes permits, and are pushed by their springs to
the exterior part of the wheel. The wheel Q has a pin d, of two wheels
thickness height above the wheel; the pins a, b, and d, run in their natural
situation, by every half a turn together. The quarter stop. S, of one wheel
thickness, is placed above the star wheel, and, being tied with a pin, keeps all
three wheels in order, so that the barrel, arbour, the wheel P, the wheel Q
and the quarter stop S, forms one whole piece, between which the star
wheel R turns its half turns free; the cannon pinion, with its quarter snail V,
is drawn transparent in outline only, for to show better the action. The
quarter snail is to be placed above the star wheel, at the distance of one wheel
thickness; under it lies close the shifting piece f, with a varrel g, with its
notch, and forms one piece with the pin m, and is held up together with
a collet. The pallet and varre' turns free upon its pivot, so far as the pin h
can go in its notch. The repeating motion is drawn in its present situation as
at rest; it did strike the last time twelve and three quarters, and is on the
point to jump on one. If. the shifting piece o be pulled to k, the click N will
then give way, the mainspring will act with its power and turn the arbour
with it, the wheel P, the wheel Q, and the quarter stop S, immediately so
much to the left that the pin (d) rushes past the pin (b) and nects with the
pin a, and will rest here; by this 'action, the contrite wheel u is obliged to
follow the motion of P; the wheel Q lifts and passes the hour and quarter
levers, which are set again to rights by their springs; the quarter piece, II gets
free, and is pushed in three quarters. If the barrel u be now turned slowly
to the left, then is the contright wheel u obliged to turn the wheel P, and
with it the wheel Q, and quarter stop S, to the right. By this action the
hour hand is obliged to strike. twelve, the quarter hammer three, and the
quarter stop S shifts the quarter piece H again in rest. Now, the barrel w
cannot be turned without the shifting piece O is moved for to turn it more to
the left; the pin (7) hinders the quarter piece to turn it to, the right; the.
click N has the same effect. If we suppose the watch going, then the cannon
pinion with the quarter snail and its, barrel would turn in a few minutes so
much to the right that the jumper with its point K would jumpt in the notch.
of the barrel. By this action the barrel and the palet would have been.
shifted one-sixteenth part of a turn; the pin (m) will have moved the star
wheel R the space of half a tooth, being fieed of the jumper; the star bar
will become, by this means, free of the shifting bar M, and parallel with (a).
If the watch is to be repeated in this situation it will strike one, because the
pin (d) would now meet the pin (b) and shift the star wheel another half a

page_text: tooth. By this action the pin (m), with varrel and pallet, would be shifted, so
that the pin (h) would touch (i), and the notch of the varrel would shift the
jumper to rest. By every hour the watch goes the star wheel would be
pushed forward in the same manner as before mentioned, til the star bar (a)
would meet the shifting bar M. which would place the star bar (a) in a
similar situation as (6), shewn in the Drawing, til it drops off, and the same
changes begin over again.
The mechanism applicable to clocks is similar to the plan that has been
described, because the varrel u and the shifting piece O, could be placed
on one of the sides of the clock case. I have constructed this plan with
the design of shewing, as clear as I am able, the mechanism of my
Invention, and for that purpose have placed every part of the repeating
motion on the outside of the pillar plate, except the mainspring of the motion,
which is easily imagined. It will be seen by this disclosure of my plan, I
have invented a shorter way to regulate the ratchet wheel than heretofore, I
regulate it by the pin (d), and the pin (a) and (b) in the star bar; before it
was regulated by the crinnellier and hour snail; I have followed this plan
without mixing it with other things, to prevent puzzling the common under-
standing of the workmen. To work exactly after the Drawing would no be
adviseable, for it would bring the repeating motion to an unnecessary height,
and be attended with other inconveniences. Now to shew how the work may
be in the best way performed, and that I have not the least inclination to
conceal or reserve the most trifling things, I propose, in the first place, to show
how, the thickness of the repeating motion is to be avoided, and give on the
other parts. the best direction I am able. I can place the clicket wheel, the
click, its spring, the hammers, and the bell springs between the plates, as they
are in general placed by repeating watches now in use, and, of course, can
make the cantwright. wheel smaller to this action. I can let in the racket
wheel for a part or for its whole thickness in the upper part of the pillar plate,
can hollow out a part of the wheels Q and R for to gain room for their pins,
or by changing the form of the star bars (a, b,) for those marked (a, b,) pin
(p), in Figure 2, which are to be placed between the wheels, but require a
quarter piece, like A, Figure. 2, which is now generally used, or any other
quarter piece, which will lead the ratchet wheel back to a certain mark, and
by which means the shifting bar M, and the stopping piece S will be saved.
By this construction, the hammer tails do not require to be placed to the
centre line as I have marked, but can be placed with the hammers in the
common and well-known way. I can save the detached hamnier tails, and
can make the hammers with their tails out of one piece, it will act the same,

page_text: when I make two more levers to the shifting piece o, which moves first the
hammer so much inside that the ratchet wheel may pass, and then the third
lever will lift out the clicket N.. I can save the hammer and bell springs
entirely, and put in their place small tone springs, like those, in musical
watches, the shifting piece must then be made upon the same principle as just
mentioned. I can save the hammers by placing in their stead stricking springs
B, in Fig. 2; the quarters I can make strike with one, two, or more blows,
upon the same principle as the repeating watches now in use; on the same
principle I can adopt half, quarter, and minute pieces, or make the hammers
strike on bells, the watch case, or the finger piece, and make them move little
automaton figures. Upon the same known principles the shifting piece o can
be made to shift to the right or the left, to push in or to pull out. Another
way of turning the wheel Q can be procured by changing the cantwright wheel
in a pinion or endless screw, and wheels adapted to their proper action on well-
known principles; and even the shifting piece, the mainspring, the click, and
clicket wheel may be saved, and their action produced by turning the varrel u
first one way and then the other; or if the shifting piece, the mainspring, the
click, and clicket wheel be used, then the arbour may be made with double
clicket wheels, similar to Drunkert's keys. To lessen the friction of the jumper
I, K, and the varrel (9), a roler (b) may be made in R, like in Figure 3.
The jumper and the varrel may be left out, and this action supplied by a
common, jumper and a click, which clicks in and is lifted out by the action of
the racket, like (c, d,) Figure 2.
Conformable to this Invention, hour repeating watches may be made
without quarters, by leaving out the quarter snail, quarter piece, and quarter
hammer, by changing the number of the teeth of the star wheel from
twenty-four to twelve; and by altering the repartition of the rachet wheel
to this action, a common click in the star wheel will answer the purpose.
To repeating, watches with running wheels, the same description of the new
arrangement and construction of the wheels Q and R is applicable, it
requires only a lever C, as named in Figure 2; one end is pushed in by
the pendant, the other will wind up the mainspring of the repeating motion,
by the, common way of chain and varrel, and as much as it will be
wound up it will of course run off, and in the meantime strike the hour and
quarters; hammers with detached levers are hereto required by repeating
clocks; a simple string will wind up the mainspring of the repeating
motion by means of a varrel. To clock watches the same construction of the
wheels Q and R is applicable, as will be seen in Figure 3, Plate 2; the main-
spring and the running wheels and hanımers, the hammer ratchet; and the bell

page_text: springs, are to be supposed to be between the plates. A is the arbour of the
hour hammer, and the lever to be supposed on it; B is the spring; C the
arbour of the quarter hammer without lever; H, its spring; D is the place of
arbour, with the quarter lever under the pump piece E; F, the square of the
arbour of the pallet wheel, with its gathering pallet; G; the place of the flying
pinion. The watch is going to lift out the lift-up piece I, by the pin (a)
underneath the quarter snail K; by this motion the other end of I presses the
tail of the rack hook L, and at the same time enters, with a thin spring M,
the flying pinion G. The roller (6) in R drops in the varrel N; the star wheel
o gets free from the jumper; the rack hook L is lifted out of the ratchet
wheel P, the mainspring underneath turns its arbour to the left, that the pin
(d) passes the pin c, and meets with the pin (7) and rests here. By this
motion the star wheel o will move one tooth forward, and shift the pin f with
the shifting piece and the varrel N; the jumper will get at rest again in the
same time the quarter piece S gets free, and drops in full; the gathering pallet
gets free from the other side of the quarter piece S; the lift-up piece I drops
off from its pin a; the spring M gets out of the flying pinion by this, the
running wheels finding no hindrance will set off. In running, the pallet wheel
with the gathering pallet will make twelve rounds, and having made the
reparation with the pallet wheel & pin wheel, the latter will strike one blow
with the hour hammer; whilst the former goes one round it will strike twelve,
the gathering pallet F will have taken twelve teeth of the ratchet wheel P,
and by the last tooth will have lifted the quarter piece S in rest; by this means
the other end of the quarter piece is drawn so much to F, that the gathering
pellet runs on it and stops, the rack hook. L drops in by every tooth and passes,
and by the last the running wheels are set at rest again; every successive hour
it will lift out and strike according to it, because the ratchet wheel P meets
with the star wheel o upon the same principle as the ratchet wheel Q and the
star wheel R in Fig. 1. The curved bars of the star wheel dont show in
Fig. 3, they are underneath the star wheel, and turn in their pivots in g and h,
and are regulated by a pin, their pins (c) and (e) go from underneath through
the star wheel. If the watch is to repeat, it wants only touching the pin, T,
which is shewn in the open pendant, it will shift the pull picce u, the other
end will shift the lift-up piece I, and lift out the rack hook L, the greater
piece will drop in its quarter, the hour hammer will strike the hours, and as
soon as the quarters begin the shifting plate V, fastened on the ratchet wheel
P, will lift the pump piece E, the other end will push the arbour D with the
quarter lever in the ratchet of the pin wheel, the other end of the quarter lever
comes parrallel with the tail of the quarter hammer C, and the watch will strike

page_text: the quarters with double blows. The pump spring under the arbour D keeps
it upwards, and the lever out of the ratchet; it is pushed in by the action of
V and E. This construction is applicable to clocks, and requires only a string,
to move the pull piece u. The directions which I have specified to workmen
by the explanation of the repeating motion, to repeat watches without
running wheels, will apply in a great part to those watches and clocks with
running wheels, and of course will not require repetition. To make the
before-mentioned clock or clock watch strike the quarters by itself requires
only three more pins like (a), but a little nearer to the center in K, and the
five first teeth of the ratchet wheel P must be a little shorter.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick William Seyffert, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of February, One thousand eight
hundred and nineteen.
FREDERICK WILLIAM (L.s.) SEYFFERT.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Third day of February, in the year
of our Lord 1819, the aforesaid Frederick William Seyffert came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Third day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and nineteen.