CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON OR ADDITIONS TO WATCHES OR CHRONOMETERS IN GENERAL, WHEREBY THEY MAY BE RENDERED CAPABLE OF MARKING OR INDICATING THE PRECISE MOMENT OF ANY DESIRED OBSERVATION, OR RAPID SUCCESSION OF OBSERVATIONS, AND WITHOUT THE NECESSITY OF STOPPING THE REGULAR MOVEMENT OF THE WATCH, AS IN ORDINARY STOP-WATCHES
Year: 1822

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
LOUIS FATTON, of New Bond Street, in the County of Middlesex, Watch-
maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-seventh day of
September, One thousand eight hundred and twenty-two, in the third year of
His reign, give and grant unto me, the said Frederick Louis Fatton, my
exors, adiñors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Frederick Louis Fatton, my exors, adññors, and
assigns, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, during
the term of years therein mentioned, within England, Wales, and the Town-
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON OR
ADDITIONS TO WATCHES OR CHRONOMETERS IN GENERAL, WHEREBY THEY MAY BE
RENDERED CAPABLE OF MARKING OR INDICATING THE PRECISE MOMENT OF ANY
DESIRED OBSERVATION, OR RAPID SUCCESSION OF OBSERVATIONS, AND WITHOUT THE
NECESSITY OF STOPPING THE REGULAR MOVEMENT OF THE WATCH, AS IN ORDINARY
STOP-WATCHES;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso,
that if I, the said Frederick Louis Fatton, shall not particularly describe and
ascertain the 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

page_text: 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Frederick Louis Fatton, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the annexed Drawings or plans, and in the following
description thereof, that is to say:
Fig. 1 represents the external appearance or face of a watch or timekeeper
constructed according to my improvements, shewing the hour and minute
hands, which are similar to a common watch. The small are of divisions
marked R, A, is intended for the regulator. It communicates with the hair
spring upon the axis of the balance wheel in the usual manner. Fig. 2 repre-
sents the back or opposite side of the same watch, it has a dial divided into
sixty, and numbered every 10. This circle of divisions represents the seconds
of time, and the hand or index S in the centre is adapted to make one entire
revolution in a minute. The small circle of divisions seen below, which are
numbered from 1 to 10, is furnished with a short index or hand M, and is
adapted to make one entire revolution in ten minutes. This dial of the watch
is intended to be used in marking or registering the precise moment of any
desired observations, being furnished with an apparatus which is mounted upon
the index bar S in such manner that the observer may be capable of marking
a distinct and visible dot upon the surface of the dial at any required moment
(or a succession of marks or dots at any required periods of time during the
space of one minute), and without interrupting the regular motion or rotation
of the said index. These marks or dots are effected without looking at the
watch, by simply pressing the finger upon the small button B, included within
the ring or pendant, and communicating with the mechanism situated beneath
the dial, as will be herein-after explained by reference to the Fig. 3, which
represents the watch, supposing the back or seconds dial to be removed,
together with the index S. C shews the axis or arbor of the mainspring
barrel; it is furnished with a ratchet wheel c and click, in the usual manner.
The click of the said ratchet is connected with a wheel D, having notches or
pointed teeth formed on its circumference, as shewn in the Fig. 3. E, e, repre-
sents a small double catch or detent, which moves on a fixed centre pin or
stud e (rising up from one of the plates of the watch). The small hook at

page_text: one of the ends of this detent is engaged with the teeth of the wheel D, so as
to prevent its turning round by the action of the mainspring of the watch,
which would be the case if it was unrestrained. The hook of the detent E is
kept down into the tooth of the wheel D by the action of a steel spring F,
bearing under a projecting arm or tail at the opposite end of the detent. G
represents an arm or lever, which moves upon two small screws as centre pins
at i, i. This lever has a piece projecting from its side, which is formed like a
wedge, and lies immediately beneath the teeth of the wheel D, as seen at k
in Fig. 3. The extreme end f of the lever G is cut with a square notch, so
as to admit the arbor of the seconds index to pass up freely through the centre
of the watch. The small centre screws i, i, of the lever G works through pro-
jections rising up from a plate of metal or carriage, which is situated beneath
the said lever, as shewn in Fig. 4, and is secured to the plate of the watch by
a screw m, seen in Fig. 3, upon which it has liberty of motion in a small
degree, for the purpose of. disengaging or withdrawing the piece of the lever
G from beneath the teeth of the wheel D. This motion is communicated by
a small arm n, which projects from the upper part of the carriage through the
outer case of the watch, near the pendant, so as to be moved at pleasure by
the finger nail being held in either situation by the action of a small spring p,
having two notches in its end, into which the back or short arm o of the
carriage is adapted to fall. The lever G has an oval opening made through
it near its axis, in order to gain access to the centre screw m of the carriage.
Fig. 4 represents an elevation of the watch, drawn in such a situation as to
shew the chief part of the wheel work, as also the seconds under S, with its
appendages, to explain how the said index is caused to produce the dots or
marks upon the surface of the dial, as before mentioned. S, s, represent a slight
bar of metal, which has a small steel tube fixed firmly in its centre, projecting
downwards. This tube is adapted to fit upon the upper end of the arbor of
the seconds motion in the same manner as the seconds hand of ordinary
watches, except that the centre tube in this watch is much longer. The index
bar S, s, has an oblong opening formed in it, through which a slight arm of
metal T, t, v, is allowed to pass freely, so that the part T, t, is above the bar s,
whilst the end v is formed to a delicate spring, and is firmly fixed by a screw
to the under side of the bar at S, leaving the end T at liberty to rise and fall by
the flexibility of the spring part.
The ends of the index bar as a conical
hole or small perforated cup formed in it; through the centre of this cup an
exceedingly fine steel point passes, which is fixed on the end of the arm T.
The small cup is adapted to contain a minute quantity of colour (being ground
with oil to prevent its drying away quickly; a store of this colour I carry for

page_text: .convenience in a small reservoir, formed in the key used for winding the-watch,
.so as to be always at hand.). Thus when the end of the arm-T is depressed
or drawn down, its small steel point passes through the colour and deposits a
speck or dot of colour upon the surface of the dial plate H, H, over which the
index is passing in its revolution. The part t of the arm is furnished with a
joint, having a very slight steel spring fixed above it, in order that the fine
steel point which carries down the colour may have liberty to yield in case the
dial plate should not be quite flat, or even at the same time it would allow the
point to come down low enough to mark or deposit its colour, if the dial
plate should be somewhat hollow, or further from the surface of the index
arm S, s, at one point than at another. The arm T, t, v, has a steel tube w
fixed in its centre, which passes freely over the small centre tube of the index
bar (before mentioned). The tube w is furnished with a projecting rim at
the lower end, upon which rim the end f of the lever G is adapted to bear,
as represented in Fig. 4; the round part of the tube w being encompassed
on three sides by the square notch formed at the end of the said lever, as
shewn at fin Fig. 3; thus, when the end f of the lever G is depressed, it
causes the extremity of the arm T to descend and deposit a dot of colour
upon the dial.
I shall now describe how the depression of the lever G is effected. When
the watch is wound up, the wheel D, connected with the arbor of the main
spring, has a tendency to turn round in the direction of the arrow shewn in
Fig. 3, but it is retained by the hook of the small detent E. The under surfaces
of the teeth of the wheel D are cut in inclined or wedge-shaped, so as to act
upon the small projection of the lever G as they pass in succession over the
inclined surface of the said projection during the revolution of the wheel D,
thereby depressing the extreme end of the lever G, and causing a dot of colour
to be deposited upon the surface of the dial, as before mentioned. The wheel
D is permitted to advance one tooth every time that the button B is pressed
inwards, which operates upon the tail of the small double detent E, e, and
raises its hook out of the teeth of the wheel at the same time that the tail
end of the detent is depressed sufficiently to intercept one of the teeth of
the wheel D, and thereby prevent its farther advance until the button B is
released, and the spring F has returned the detent E to its former position,
with its hook bearing against the succeeding tooth of the wheel D, ready to
repeat the action by again depressing the button B; the lever G is raised or
thrown up again by the the operation of a spring L, screwed to the main plate.
If it should be desired to make a small circle of seconds on the same dial with
the hours and minutes, as in the generality of seconds watches (instead of
9

page_text: making a separate dial for the seconds), it could be easily effected without
making any material alteration in the above-described mechanism; it would
only require the marking apparatus to be made smaller, and that the position
of the lever G should be altered, so that the square notch formed at the end f
of the said lever should be adapted to correspond with the centre of the seconds
arbor wherever it might happen to be situated; but since the watch above
described, with separate dials for the hours and seconds, would require a some-
what different arrangement of the wheelwork, in order to bring the seconds
motion into the centre of the watch on one side, and the hour and minute
hands into the centre on the opposite side, I have given or laid the callipre to
shew the situation of the various wheels and pinions as adapted to a watch or
.timekeeper with an anchor escapement.
Fig. 5 upon the Drawing represents the wheelwork for moving the hour and
minute hands. Note.-The number of their teeth are marked upon each
wheel and pinion.
Fig. 6 shews the positions of the various cocks or supports for the wheel-
work; it also explains the manner of constructing the stop movement, which
enables the watch to be set in motion at any particular instant, in order to
commence a series of observations. The stop consists of two slight springs.
which are mounted upon axis a, a, in such manner that both the said springs
may be brought into contact with the balance wheel N at one time, and
thereby stop the motion of the balance wheel by pressing the small button V;
but on pressing the other button W, the two springs are removed sufficiently
from the rim of the balance wheel to allow it to vibrate freely, as shewn in the
Fig. 6. This contrivance does not constitute a part of my Invention.
Fig. 7 represents the position of the various wheels constituting the train of
the watch. I. shews the mainspring barrel upon the axis, upon which is
a wheel of ninety-six teeth engaging in the teeth of a pinion of twelve leaves,
having the wheel II. fixed to it of sixty-four teeth, giving motion to a pinion of
eight leaves, upon the axis of which is a wheel III. having sixty teeth; this
wheel engages with a pinion of eight leaves fixed upon the arbor of the
seconds motion, being in the centre of the watch, and making one revolution
p minutes; upon the same arbor is fixed the wheel IV. of sixty teeth,
engaging with a pinion of six leaves upon the axis of the escapement wheel V.
of fifteen teeth. The motion for the small index M, upon the ten minutes
circle, as seen in Fig. 2, is performed as follows:-The arbor of the wheel III.,
seen in Fig. 7, projects through the plate of the watch, and has a wheel of
twelve teeth fitted upon it, engaging with a wheel of sixteen teeth, as seen
in Fig. 3, upon the arbor of which is fixed the small index M, making

page_text: one entire revolution in ten minutes. The motions for the hour and minutes
hands upon the face dial O, O, seen in Figs. 1 and 4, are performed in the fol-
lowing manner :-The arbor of the wheel II., seen in Fig. 7, has a pinion of
eight leaves engaging with a wheel of ninety-six teeth carrying the hour hand.
The arbor of the wheel II. has also a wheel of forty teeth fixed upon it, which
gives motion to another wheel of forty teeth carrying the minute hand in
the centre of the hour hand, as in the ordinary construction of watches, and as
represented in the Figs. 4 and 5. The mechanism above described is only
adapted to the marking such a series of observations upon the dial as may
occur during the space of one minute, after which the marks must be cleared
off, in order to prepare the watch for making a new series of observations,
otherwise the marks made during the first minute could not be distinguished
from those made afterwards. To obviate this inconvenience, I have introduced
another improvement into the watch, which renders it capable of marking
distinctly and without interruption during the period of five or ten minutes, if
required. This improvement will be explaned by reference to the Figs. 8, 9, and
10 upon the Drawing hereunto annexed. The movement for causing the dot
of colour to be brought down and deposited upon the dial is exactly similar to
the one already described, and is therefore omitted in the Fig. 8; the place
of the notched wheel being shewn by the circle C, D, and that of the small
minute circle by the letter M. The index bar S, s, is furnished with a small
steel tube, which fits upon the upper ends of the seconds arbor, as before
explained by the Figs. 2 and 4; but the extreme ends of the index bar, which
carries the colour is made with a hollow cavity, having a fine oblong slit cut
through to the under side in the direction of its length, so that the delicate
steel point at the end of the arm T, t, (which marks upon the dial) may pass
through freely, although its radius or distance from the centre of the bar S
varies as it revolves, so that the marking point moves in a spiral line over the
dial, and may therefore perform several revolutions, and deposit a number
of dots in each revolution without the risk of their being intermixed. This
spiral motion of the marking point is effected in the following manner :-The
arm T, t, is made to slide in a groove formed in the index S, and is kept in its
place by a slight spring d, screwed to the said bar underneath, as represented
in Fig. 9, and dotted in Fig. 10. This spring has the external steel tube w
fixed to it, upon the projecting rim of which the lever G. (described in
Figs. 3 and 4) is adapted to bear, so as to bring the marking point down upon
the dial. The spring d has two small prongs rising up at its ends, which pass
up through the groove in the index bar S, s, and serve as a guide for the
narrow part of the arm to move between; a groove is made through the

page_text: centre part of the arm T, t, as seen at x in Fig. 10, which groove slides freely
by the small steel tube fixed to the index bar S. A slight spiral spring vis
applied to the arm T, t, being wound round a thin wire, which slides through a
hole, and allows the spring to press against the end of the groove in the index
bar in such a manner as to force the marking point towards the outside of the
dial, at the same time permitting it to be brought towards the centre by
a slight force, which is applied in the following manner:-A small steel spring
projects downwards from the arm T, t, as shewn at y in the detached view of
the bar, Fig. 10. This pin enters into a fine spiral groove or channel formed
upon the round stationary plate Y, situated beneath the arm T; t, having a hole
through its centre sufficiently large to allow the tube w to pass through without
obstruction; thus, when the index bar S, s, revolves it causes the marking
point at the end of the arm T, t, to form a spiral course by the operation of its
pin y travelling round in the spiral groove of the plate Y, until the pin arrives
at the smallest turn of the spiral groove upon the plate Y, in which case it
will continue to revolve nearly in a circle. The number of minutes which this
watch will be capable of marking, without interfering with each other, will be
determined by the number of turns of the spiral which are cut in the surface
of the plate Y. This plate is fixed upon one end of an elastic lever, marked 2,
the other end of which is screwed to the watch plate. The lever 2 has an
arm 3 lying across it, being furnished with an enclined plane, and turning upon
a fixed centre screw 4 in such manner that the lever 2, with its plate Y, may
be depressed (by moving the small arm 5 outside the watch case) until the
surface of the plate Y is clear below the end of the pin y, thereby allowing
the spiral spring v to react and throw the arm T, t, with its marking point, out
from the centro to its greatest radius, after which the arm 5 may be moved the
contrary way, in order to bring the plate Y up again, so that the pin y
may enter the outermost part of its spiral, and be in a situation to commence
new series of observations. The arm 3 is furnished with a curved branch 6,
which enters beneath the lever 2, and bears it up firmly to its position, where
it is further retained by the action of the notched spring 7 bearing against a
short beak projecting from the centre part 4. The pin y has a shoulder
formed on it, which bears against the under side of the spring d, situated
beneath the index bar S, s, as seen in Figs. 9 and 10, so that when the spring
dis drawn down by its tube w, it throws the marking point down suddenly
upon the dial. The spiral grooves in the plate Y are made sufficiently deep to
allow the pin y to come down a short distance without obstruction.
I have now described the nature of my improvements in such a manner as
to enable persons conversant with similar works to put it in practice, but must

page_text: observe that the form and proportions of the different parts may be varied
according to the discretion of the workman, still keeping in view the object of
my improvements, as herein-before explained and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Frederick Fatton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-two.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-seventh day of
November, in the year of our Lord 1822, the aforesaid Frederick Louis Fatton,
through the interpretation of Joseph Farey, the said interpreter being first
sworn that he had distinctly, truly, and audibly interpreted the contents of the
above Specification to the said Frederick Louis Fátton, and that he would
truly interpret the acknowledgment about to be administered, 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 Twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and twenty-two.