PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATCHES OR OTHER SIMILAR TIME- KEEPERS."
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATCHES OR OTHER SIMILAR TIME-
KEEPERS." A communication from abroad by Charles Lehmann, Watch
Manufacturer, of Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 6th June 1865, and dated the 14th December 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Garrett Tongue at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th December 1864.
I, JOHN GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue & Birkbeck, Patent
Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATCHES OR OTHER SIMILAR TIME-
KEEPERS," a communication from Charles Lehmann, Watch Manufacturer, of
Paris, in the Empire of France :-
These improvements in the construction of watches or other similar time-
keepers relate to an arrangement of apparatus for winding them up by means
of the "pendant," and the employment of a screw as the prime mover for
actuating the mechanism of the hands, and also of that which winds up the
barrel. In order to move or adjust the hands or pointers, the pendant rod or
bar (to which the winding up mechanism is connected) must be pulled
outwards, there being two grooves or recesses formed on the bar for a spring
catch to enter to act as a stop when the parts are in different positions. This

page_text: spring stop holds the bar in a proper position when it is simply required for
imparting rotatory movement in either direction to set the hands of the watch
to the proper time. By replacing the rod or bar in its original position, the
watch can then be wound up; the mechanism for obtaining this result is
arranged in a similar manner to that of the "Breguet " key, the hands
remaining stationary during this operation.
The winding up bar or rod is furnished with a milled button or head at the
outer end to give motion thereto and to the spring clutch mounted thereon,
part of which is in connection with a screw or worm, which gives movement to
the axis of the barrel by means of an intermediate toothed wheel. The worm
is held by a fixed arm, so that it can only revolve in one direction. The end
of the bar or rod which passes through the worm carries a small toothed
pinion, which transmits motion to a train of wheels for actuating the minute
hand. By turning the milled button in one direction the worm is set in
motion to wind up the watch, but when turned in the opposite direction the
teeth of the spring clutch upon the winding up bar or rod escape over each
other in a similar manner to that of the "Breguet "key, at the same time the
small pinion is disengaged, and the mechanism of the minute hand cannot
suffer any derangement. But when the winding-up bar or rod is pulled
outwards, and is retained in that position by the spring stop, the toothed
pinion will then be in gear with the train of wheels for setting the hands, the
winding up mechanism being stationary or thrown out of action until the
winding up bar or rod is pushed back into its former position.
The winding by means of the worm may be employed either with or
without the mechanism for actuating the hands, which in the latter case may
be set by a key in the ordinary manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Garrett Tongue in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue & Birkbeck, Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant

page_text: unto me, the said John Garrett Tongue, Her special licence that I; the said
John Garrett Tongue, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Garrett Tongue, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATCHES OR OTHER
SIMILAR TIMEKEEPERS," a communication to me from abroad by Charles
Lehmann, Watch Manufacturer, of Paris, in the Empire of France, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Garrett Tongue,
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 John Garrett Tongue, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
These improvements in the construction of watches or other similar timic-
keepers relate to an arrangement of apparatus for winding them up by means
of the "pendant," and the employment of a screw as the prime mover for
actuating the mechanism of the hands, and also of that which winds up the
barrel. In order to move or adjust the hands or pointers the pendant rod or
bar (to which the winding up mechanism is connected) must be pulled
outwards, there being two grooves or recesses formed on the bar for a spring
catch to enter to act as a stop when the parts are in different positions. This
spring stop holds the bar in a proper position when it is simply required for
imparting rotatory movement in either direction to set the hands of the watch
to the proper time without using any other mechanical means. By replacing
the rod or bar in its original position, the watch can then be wound up, the
mechanism for obtaining this result being arranged in a similar manner to
that of the "Breguet" key, the hands remaining stationary during this
operation.
The winding up bar or rod is furnished with a milled button or head at the
outer end to give motion thereto and to the spring clutch mounted thereon,
part of which is in connection with a screw or worm, which gives movement.

page_text: The
to the axis of the barrel by means of an intermediate toothed wheel.
worm is held by a fixed arm, so that it can only revolve in one direction.
The end of the bar or rod which passes through the worm carries a small
toothed pinion, which transmits motion to a train of wheels for actuating the
minute hand. By turning the milled button in one direction the worm is set
in motion to wind up the watch, but when turned in the opposite direction the
teeth of the spring clutch upon the winding up bar or rod, escape over each
other in a similar manner to that of the "Breguet" key, at the same time the
small pinion is disengaged, and the mechanism of the minute hand cannot
suffer any derangement. But when the winding up bar or rod is pulled
outwards, and is retained in that position by the spring stop, the toothed
pinion will then be in gear with the train of wheels for selling the hands, the
winding up mechanism being stationary or thrown out of action until the
winding up bar or rod is pushed back into its former position. The winding
by means of the worm may be employed either with or without the mechanism
for actuating the hands, which in the latter case may be set by a key in the
ordinary manner.
And in order that the Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into practice, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a front view of the winding up mechanism of the watch
drawn to a scale double the real size, the winding up bar 't being shown in
the position it occupies when the spring is wound up; Figure 2 is a transverse
section, taken across the line 1, 2; Figure 3 shows a similar view to Figure 1,
the rod or bart being shown when placed in the proper position to set the
hands, that is simply to move them to the position required; Figure 4 shows
the winding up rod t on an enlarged scale, with the clutch box pinion wheel
&c. attached to it. The rod t, which is surmounted by the milled button or
crown 6, carries a cylindrical collar having grooves or recesses g and g¹ thereon,
together with a toothed ratchet c forming part of a clutch box engaging with
the corresponding toothed ratchet or part c', attached, to the movement screw
or worm h, which gives direct movement to the axis of the barrel by means
of the intermediate wheel d. The screw h and the toothed part c¹ of the clutch
box are fixed; that is to say, they have no motion for reversing, being held
by the arme of the bridge E. The spring r (one extremity of which is fixed
upon the frame) is terminated by a forked piece at the other end to embrace
the groove or hollow formed on the ratchet c, the spring r acting to press and

page_text: return the part c in gear with the part c¹ of the clutch box. The end of the
spring (which is fixed parallel to the winding up bar) is formed with a
stop x, as shown, which enters into one or other of the grooves g, gl, according
as the bar is placed for winding up the spring or for moving the hands. The
extremity of the bart which passes through the screw or worm h carries a
small pinion, the teeth of which engage with those of the wheel which
transmits the rotatory motion it receives to the wheels j, k, l, and m, which
are connected with the mechanism of the minute hand. When the rod t is
in its normal position, the ratchet c thereon is always in gear with the
ratchet c' forming part of the screw or worm h, owing to the constant pressure
exerted by the spring r, as shown in Figure 3. By turning the button or
milled head 6 (in the direction shown by the arrow) the screw or worm h is
set in motion, and being connected with the barrel winds up the watch, but
when it is turned backwards or in the opposite direction the clutch or ratchet c
escapes over the teeth of the ratchet c¹, thus acting in a similar manner to
the "Breguet" key. At the same time the small pinion f being disengaged
the mechanism of the minute hands cannot suffer any derangement. When
the rod t is pulled in such manner that the stop x of the spring r' enters the
groove g¹ (as shown in Figure 1), the pinion f will then be in gear with the
wheel i, and the ratchet c will be at a sufficient distance from the ratchet c'
that the latter cannot receive motion either to the right or to the left. By
turning the button 6 one way or the other the hands can be readily set to the
correct time; it is then only necessary to press the rod t to its original position,
when the gearing for actuating the hands will be disengaged. It will be seen
by the previous description that by this arrangement of mechanism the winding
up is effected by means of the rod or pendant t acting on the screw or worm h,
connecting motion directly to the axis of the barrel. And I would remark
that the mechanism for winding may be employed either in combination with
or without the mechanism herein described for working or setting the hands,
which latter, if desired, may be actuated by a key in the ordinary manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Garrett Tongue, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of June, in the year of our
Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
JOHN G. TONGUE. (L.S.)