IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES, AND IN THE METHOD. OF AND APPARATUS FOR WINDING UP FUSEE. . WATCHED AND POCKET CHRUNUMETERS, AND SETTING THE HANDS WITHOUT KEY
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Keys, of Craven Street, Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, Watch Manufacturer; for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN WATCHES, AND IN THE METHOD. OF AND APPARATUS FOR WINDING UP FUSEE.
LETTERS PATENT to David Keys, of Craven Street, Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, Watch Manufacturer; for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN WATCHES, AND IN THE METHOD. OF AND APPARATUS FOR WINDING UP FUSEE.
WATCHED AND POCKET CHRUNUMETERS, AND SETTING THE HANDS WITHOUT
KEY."
•
Sealed the 2nd March 1866, and dated the 11th September 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Keys at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
September 1865.
.
I, DAVID KEYS, of Craven Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Watch Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES, AND IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS POR
WINDING UP FUSEE WATCHES AND POCKET CHRONOMETERS, AND SETTING THE HANDE
WITHOUT A KEY," to be as follows:-
According to my improvements in winding and setting watches and
chronometers without the aid of a key, a contrate wheel," the axis of which
passes through the pendant, is caused to gear with an 'outside wheel mounted
on two levers, one above the other; the upper one of these levers brings the
outside.wheel into gear with 'a-wheel fastened on the fusee; the lower one
also brings a small wheel into action: "This small wheel is thrown out of
action by a small spring acting on the lower lever, and into gear with a pin..

page_text: "
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 WATCHES, AND
IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR WINDING UP FUSEE WATCHES AND POCKET
CHRONOMETERS, AND SETTING THE HANDS WITHOUT, A KEY," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said David Keys, 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 David Keys, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following!
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)
.. According to my improvements in winding and setting: watches and
chronometers without the aid of a key, a contrate wheel, the axis of which
passes. through the pendant, is placed in gear with an outside spur wheel
mounted on two levers, one above the other; the upper one of these 'levers'
brings the outside wheel into gear with a wheel fastened on the fuzee; the
lower lever also brings a small wheel or pinion into action: This small wheel
is thrown out of action with the minute.wheel by a small spring acting on the
lower lever and into contact with a pin fixed on the plate; this pinion is also
in gear with the outside wheel (except during the act of winding up). The
outside wheel is always kept back from the fuzee wheel by a strong spring
acting on the top lever, when the ouside wheel is turned the wrong way it
throws the pinion out of gear with the fixed pin, and when turned the right
way the pinion becomes. fixed until the outside wheel is in gear with the
fuzee wheel, the action of the levers then setting it free and enabling the fuzee
to be wound. The small pinion is set in action by a pin passing through the
edge of the case. acting on the lower lever.
According to a second improvement; a contrate wheel passes through the
pendant in gear with the outside wheel mounted upon a lever as before;
this wheel when turned the wrong way is brought! into gear by the lever 'with
a wheel fixed on the fuzee; this lever is provided with a sinall catch taking
into the great wheel...In tuming to the right for winding, this catch presses
the great wheel forward, and keeps the watch going during the rotation of

page_text: the wheel on the fusee axis in winding up by the gearing therewith of the
outside wheel before, mentioned. When the watch is wound up. a stop works
sends it out of action, or it will release itself by the going of the watch: By:
this arrangement the wearer cannot possibly stop his watch, by any pressure
on the button of the pendant; as is often the case in keyless watches: A:
maintaining power is not required for this watch; the hands are set the samo?
as in the above....
"
1
My improvements in watches relate to the arrangement of the independent
seconds work of watches, according to which I employ a wheel and pinion:
acting on an arbor carrying a hand, which is connected by a spiral;spring and
disconnected by another-spring-and-leverage-work-
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS..
Fig. 1 represents a plan of the gear for winding up and setting watches
according to my. Invention, while Fig. 2 represents. the same with the toothed
wheels removed.
:.... 11:
A, contrate wheel, the axis of which passes. through the pendant: B; and
on the opposite end has formed or fixed on it the milled knob C, by which it
may be turned as required; a bow or other substitute may replace knob C.
This said. contrate wheel A gears with the outside, wheel D, which is mounted
on two levers E and F, one being superposed on the other; the upper lever E
conducts the wheel D into gear with a wheel G fixed on the fuzee; the object
is to offer a certain amount of opposition to the gearing wheels. D. and G.
when power is applied; to knob C, and surmount the opposition... The
winding will be effected without any friction or resistance other, than, that
which is required to take it into action. The spring H acts on the lever E;
which offers the opposition: to the gearing of wheels D and G; this spring
may be of any strength thought, necessary, to keep the wheels D and G from
gearing. The lever, F carries a pinion I always in gear with the wheel..D;.
this pinion I is kept constantly in .contact with a pin K fixed on the plate X
by a spring J acting on the lever: F. The levers E and F are in the form of
two discs, the one, E, having one tail, or arm, the other, F, having two tails
or arms. The arm of E is pressed upon by the spring H, while one. of the
arms of Fis, pressed on. by the spring J, the other arm having a stud pin
carrying pinion I; these levers are mounted on_a_fulcrum-pin-a,-which-con-
nects the wheel D. and the two disc levers E and F, leaving them all, free to
move independently on said axis. a. It must be remarked that this axis is not
in connection with any fixed part. A pivot L is fixed on the plate X, ou which
pivot the lever E is mounted and swings, carrying with it the other lever F

page_text: and wheel G. When the knob. C is turned the wrong way the teeth of
pinion I merely slip over the pin K and produce no other effect; when turned
in the right direction: the pinion I becomes fixed against the abutment pin K,
and remains so until the wheel. D is forced to traverse across towards and so
as to gear with the fuzee wheel G. The lever F, in traversing across with
wheel D; by a notch in its periphery effects contact with the pivot E, which
obstacle causes the lever Fito: move on axis a, so as to draw the pinion I
out of contact with the pin. K; thereby allowing the wheels D'and G to-act
freely; and so effecting the winding up of the watch:
In order to render the same apparatus available for setting the hands, the
pivot M passing through the edge of the case is pushed.in, which causes the
pinion I to advance' (by the motion given: to. lever F by M) towards and gear
with the wheel N; the. levers E and F now become fixed by reason of the
pin or fixed in plate:X taking into a notch of the lever F, when by turning
knob C the hands can be set..
$
Fig. 3 represents a plan of the apparatus. for winding up and setting
nccording to the second arrangement of my Invention, while Fig. 4 represents.
the same with the toothed wheels removed.. In winding up a watch by means
of this apparatus, the application of the power to: the milled' knob differs
somewhat from the preceding. apparatus, in which it was only necessary to
turn the knob. in the proper direction to effect the winding; whereas in this
arrangement of apparatus it is necessary. first. to turn the knob slightly in the
reverse direction, which has the effect of throwing. the wheels into gear, and
so soon as this is the case the knob may be reversed in its motion and the
watch wound up
A is the contrate wheel, the axis of which passes through the pendant 'B,
and is turned by a milled knob C or other contrivance, all as before; this said
.contrate wheel A gears with the wheel D, which is mounted on a lever E
pivoted at 6; a small spring F acting on the further end of the lever E causeš
the wheel D to gear slightly with the fuzee wheel G, mounted loose on the
fuzee. árbor. The contrate wheel A is first turned to the left (the reverse
direction to that for winding); this swings the lever E on its pivot b, and
moves the wheel D into. full gear with. the wheel G, continuing to turn in
this direction simply draws the cliek H, which is mounted on wheel G, over
the teeth of the ratchet I, which is fixed to the fuzee arbor.
The movement of wheel D into: full gear. with G, and with it the lever E,
causes the click J, which is mounted on the tail end of lever E, to slip over a
few. teeth of a ratchet L fixed to the great wheel of the watch. On reversing
the motion of the contrate wheel for the winding up the tendency will be. to

page_text: swing the lever E in the opposite direction and the wheel D out of gear. with
wheel-G, but this will be resisted by the action of the pawl or click J on the
great wheel L, which will impart to that, wheel ap amount of. going power
exactly corresponding with the amount of power employed in winding up the
watch, and which will, in fact,. counterbalance each other; thus, when the
force or tension of the main spring is removed from the great wheel by
the fuzee winding up, the power is transmitted direct from the hand. of the
operator through the lever E and click J, and this with a force exactly cor-
responding to the force required to wind up; and which it would maintain for
a few minutes, giving time for the complete winding up of the watch. On
_winding up the-watch-to-the-top-the-finger-piece-M-fixed on the fuzee. arbor
will have turned the. star wheel N sufficiently round to bring the projecting
pin o against a projection on the boss of click J, which will throw it out.of the
ratchet Land allow the lever E to go back to its normal position, that visi.to
say, the wheel D out of gear with wheel G. After the winding up and the
partial running down by the motion of the watch the click J will be held out
of gear, by the spur on its boss coming in contact with the stop K, where it
remains until the lever Eis againi oscillated; so that the wheels: D and G
may gear as before; when it falls on ratchet L and slips over a few teeth, as
and for the purpose before explained. The spring F, in operating on lever E,
does so through the boss of click J pivotted to E, which click it also tends to
keep in gear with L, the power and motion of such spring F being slight;
and so as to keep the wheels Dand G only slightly in gear, as before
mentioned:
f
In order to set the hands by same wheels A and D, the pin P is pushed
inwards, causing ithe spring lever Q to recede; the tail end of Q at same time
lifts the click Jout of the ratchet L. The crank lever R.(pin Pis attached),
which, at same time forces the lever E across, making the wheel D gear with
wheel S, which is, in communication with the gear for setting hands, as seen,
and as will be readily understood.
Figs. 5,6;7; and 8 represent my improvements in the arrangement of the inde-
pendent seconds work of watches; Fig. 5 being a plan and Fig. 6 an elevation
of the parts in position between the plates: A is the independent seconds arbor
carried between two plates B and C, the top pivot of which arbor protrudes
through the plate B, and carriesta centre.seconds hand-D.On-the arbor A
is placed a pinion and wheel E, the arbor running through it perfectly free;
Fris a collet placed on the arbor in the same way as the pinion wheel E, that
it to say, free; this collet F bears a helical spring which is fastened at the
top to the collet F and wound round the body or sleeve down to the bottom

page_text: and a little beyond, so that when the collet G is pushed on and fastened to
the foot of the arbor it forces up the spiral spring, which presses the collet F
against the pinion wheel E, and so connecting the whole by frictional contact.
In this way the seconds hand is actuated by the watch movement with which the
pinion wheel E is in gear. H is a lever mounted on a fulcrum pin D, the one
end projecting through the case of the watch, while the other is disposed near
collet F. When the lever H is moved towards I by the projecting end, the
other end of lever H is thrown in contact with the collet F, and by the
pressure and contact of the two inclined parts of F and H disengages
the pinion and wheel E from the arbor. The lever. H is held in this position
by the end of the spring J falling into a notch of the lever H, as seen in the
plan, Fig. 5; when said lever is moved in the opposite direction (from the
letter I), the spring J falls into a second notch, keeping the lever H free of
the collet F; by this movement the collet F instantly connects the pinion
wheel E with the arbor A, and again puts the seconds hand in motion; in
this way it is connected or disconnected as required. It may be as well to
mention that the arbor A occupies the centre of the tubes or sleeves of the
hour and minute hands, which, with the other parts of the watch, have all
been omitted in the Drawings, the application and arrangement of which being
well understood.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the arrangement of apparatus for winding up and setting the hands.
of fuzee watches and pocket chronometers represented in the Drawings,
Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, and substantially as herein-before described.
Secondly, I claim the arrangement of apparatus herein-before described,
and represented in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, for detaching from the going power,
or connecting therewith, the centre seconds hand of watches.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Keys, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
DAVID KEYS. (L.S.)