IMPROVE- MENTS IN WATCHES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Powell, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Watch Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WATCHES."
Sealed the 1st September 1871, and dated the 9th March 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Powell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th March 1871.
I, CHARLES POWELL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Watch Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES," to be as follows:-
These improvements consist principally in the manufacture of watches
to wind up and set hands with no other external appliance than a knob
or rose at the pendant, and being best adapted to my former Invention
(Patent No. 3144, A.D. 1862), I name it Powell's Patent Stem-winding.
going Arbor Watch.
The winding parts consist of a shaft fitted through the stem,. this
shaft first carries a pinion that works or gears at right angles into a

page_text: wheel (the gathering-up wheel); this wheel is attached to a slide or
radial arm and is pressed thereto by a spring for adhesion so that
the said wheel on the rotation of the pinion is moved sidewise or radially
before a rotatory motion commences; this radial motion brings it into
gear with the winding-up wheel, which is compounded by a maintaining
power spring, by which said spring the two wheels are made to gear
and harmonize together; the disconnection is aided by a detent spring,
the flexible end of which is connected with or bears against a pin or
peg on the radial slide. The winding-up wheel is attached to the going
arbor and in its progress winds up the main spring. The set hands
work is accomplished by a sliding pinion which is tongued on the shaft
and is conveyed in and out of gear with a light steel pinion or wheel
riveted on the cannon pinion; this connection is made by compound
levers put into action by the sliding of the shaft outwards; when the
hands are set, the rose at the pendant is pressed inwards and is then
ready for winding up.
The compound levers consist of two right-angled cranks connected
together by a ball and socket (or similar) joint, and the extent of their
action is regulated by an arm to one of the levers working in the notches
of a detent spring.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Powell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th September 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
POWELL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Watch Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Powell, Her special licence
that I, the said Charles Powell, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Powell, 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

page_text: vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WATCHES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles.
Powell, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE,. that I, the said Charles. Powell, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say :-
These improvements consist principally of the manufacture of watches
to wind up and set hands with no other external appliance than a
knob or rose at the pendant; and being best adapted to my former
Invention (Patent No. 3144, A.D. 1862), I name it "Powell's Patent
Stem-winding going Arbor Watch."
The winding parts consist of a shaft fitted through the stem, this
shaft first carries a pinion that works or gears at right angles into a
wheel (the gathering-up wheel), this wheel is attached to a slide or
radial arm, and is pressed thereto by a spring for adhesion so that the
said wheel on the rotation of the pinion is moved sidewise or radially
before a rotatory motion commences, this radial motion brings it into
gear with the winding-up wheel, which is compounded by a maintaining
power spring by which said spring the two wheels are made to gear.
and harmonize together; the disconnection is aided by a detent spring,
the flexible end of which is connected with or bears against a pin or
peg on the radial slide.
The winding-up wheel is attached to the
going arbor, and in its progress winds up the main spring. The set
hands work is accomplished by a sliding pinion which is tongued on
the shaft and is conveyed in and out of gear with a light steel pinion
or wheel rivetted on the cannon pinion; this connection is made by
compound levers put into action by the sliding of the shaft outwards;
when the hands are set the rose at the pendant is pressed inwards and
is then ready for winding-up.

page_text: The compound levers consist of two right-angled cranks connected
together by a ball and socket (or similar) joint and the extent of their
action is regulated by an arm to one of the levers working in the notches
of a detent spring.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, I next proceed
to explain the same, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a plan of one side of a pillar plate shewing those parts
of my Invention in connection with the winding-up mechanism. a is
the shaft connected with the rose b, which are shewn partly in section ;
c is the pinion in connection with the gathering-up wheel d; in winding
up the shaft is turned in the direction of screwing, this causes the
pinion c to rotate and the gathering-up wheel d to move sidewise and
gear into the winding-up wheel c, the teeth of the wheels adjust
themselves together by the maintaining power spring f. The plate or
radial arm by which the gathering up wheel radiates is shewn at
Figure 2, the part where it is fastened or centered to the pillar plate
is at g, the ears h, h, slide under the clips j, j, on releasing the rose b,
the wheel d returns to its former position (shewn in the Drawing)
by the springs f and k. Instead of the spring f on the winding-up
wheel, I sometimes use the spring and plate shewn at Figures 3 and 4,
the plate Figure 5 and ring Figure 6 are used to keep down the wheel d
to the plate (which said plate is more clearly shewn at Figure 2) and
yet allow it (the wheel) to rotate when in gear with the wheel e for the
purpose of winding up the watch.
4
The set hands mechanism is on the reverse side of the pillar plate,
and shewn at Figure 7; the rose is drawn outwards, the pinion c
is also disconnected from the wheel d (Figure 1); the pinion m is (by
the said outward movement of the shaft) forced towards the centre
of the watch and into gear with the wheel n (Figure 1), which said
wheel is in connection with the hands in the usual manner. o is a collar
fastened to the pillar plate, and serves to steady the shaft a in its sliding
and rotatory movements; the action of the levers y, y, is so simple,
it will easily be seen that when the spear point p is in the notch shewn
of the detent spring the shaft is in connection with the hands, and
when the rose bis pressed inward the pinion c is connected with the
wheel d (Figure 1), and the pinion m recedes from the wheel on the
cannon pinion by sliding along the shaft a, which said shaft has a flat

page_text: or tongue filed upon it, and to which said shaft the pinion mis
fitted.
Having, now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of carrying it into effect, I declare that I do not confine myself to the
exact form of the parts shewn and described, but what I claim is the
manufacture of keyless watches, to wind up and set hands simply by
one external appliance, namely, the rose or knob at the pendant, in
the manner shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Powell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of September One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-one.
CHARLES POWELL. (L.S.)