IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES OR TIMEKEEPERS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of
Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN WATCHES OR TIMEKEEPERS."-A communication from abroad by Merrick
Price of Philadelphia, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 17th April 1860, and dated the 8th November 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 8th November 1859.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES OR TIMEKEEPERS," a communication from abroad
by Merrick Price, of Philadelphia, in the United States of America, to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of watchi
or timekeeper, wherein an independant seconds hand is capable of being
stopped or set in motion as desired without in any way interfering with the
ordinary train of the watch or timekeeper. According to this Invention, the
independant seconds hand is driven from the same main spring which actuates

page_text: the going train of the watch (supposing it to be applied to a timekeeper of
that class) and on its axis which is of the tubular kind, so as to revolve outside
of and concentric with the hours and minutes hands, is fitted a spur wheel
turning loosely thereon. This wheel is driven either from the ordinary
seconds hands or by other trains of wheels, and is constantly revolving so long
as the watch is going. To the under side of the wheel last referred to are
fitted two or more springs which grip the tubular axis or arbour of the
independant seconds hand, and transmit a rotary motion thereto from the
wheel by simple frictional contact alone, provided there is not too much
resistance offered by the arbour itself. The upper part of this arbour turns
in, and is supported by a forked lever arm, which turns on a centre, and
projects slightly outside the casing of the watch. By moving this arm in one
direction or the other, its forked end in which the arbour turns will either put
a certain amount of pressure or friction upon the same enough to overcome
the friction of the springs in the spur wheel, and thereby stop its movement,
or it will release it from undue friction, and allow it to rotate freely under the
frictional action of the springs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th May 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, and
of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said
John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or
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 WATCHES OR TIMEKEEPERS," a communication from abroad

page_text: by Merrick Price, of Philadelphia, in the United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
watch or timekeeper, wherein an independant seconds hand is capable of being
stopped or set in motion as desired, without in any way interfering with the
ordinary train of wheelwork of the watch or timekeeper. According to this
Invention, the independant seconds hand is driven from the same mainspring
which actuates the going train of the watch (supposing it to be applied to a
timekeeper of that class,) and on its axis, which is of the tubular kind, so as
to revolve outside of and concentric with the hours and minutes hands, is
fitted loosely a spur wheel. This wheel is driven either from the ordinary
seconds hand or by other trains of wheels, and is constantly revolving so long
as the watch is going. To the under side of the wheel last referred to are
fitted two or more springs, which grip the tubular axis or arbor of the inde-
pendent seconds hand, and transmit a rotatory motion thereto from the wheel
by simple frictional contact alone, provided there is not too much resistance
offered by the arbor itself. The upper part of this arbor turns in, and is
supported by a forked lever arm, which turns on a centre, and projects slightly
outside the casing of the watch. By moving this arm in one direction or the
other, its forked end in which the arbor turns will either put a certain amount
of pressure or friction upon the same enough to overcome the friction of the
springs in the spur wheel, and thereby stop its movement, or it will release it
from undue friction, and allow it to rotate freely under the frictional action of
the springs.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.

page_text: Figure 1 represents a face view of an ordinary lepine watch, with part of
the dial removed in order to illustrate these improvements; Figure 2 is a
transverse section of sufficient of the watch to show the parts of novelty;
Figure 3 is an inverted plan view of the wheel from which the independent
seconds hand derives its motion; Figure 4 is a detached view of the indepen-
dent seconds hand with its hollow arbor; and Figure 5 is a detached view of
the hours hand, with its hollow arbor.
A represesents the cover or dial plate of the watch, and B the dial; the
spindle C, which carries the minutes hand D, is driven in the usual manner.
On this spindle is the usual "cannon" pinion E, gearing into a wheel F, on
which is formed a pinion G, gearing into a wheel H, the latter being attached
to or forming part of the hollow arbor I, to the top of which is secured the
hours hand J (see Figure 5); this hollow arbor turns in a tube projecting
upwards from the plate or bridge K, which is secured to the dial plate, and on
this projection turns the hollow arbor L, which carries the independent seconds
hand M, the arbor resting on the top of the bridge K, and being prevented
from rising by means of the stop arm N, which will be more particularly
alluded to hereafter. On the hollow arbor L are two collars forming a groove a,
(Figure 4), in which is hung the cog wheel P, the latter has two projections e,
on the under side, and to each projection is secured a spring f, one spring
bearing on one side and the other on the opposite side of the hollow arbor L,
as shewn clearly in Figure 3. These springs form the only medium through
which motion is communicated from the wheel to the arbor on which it is
hung. The stop arm N has its fulcrum on a pin n, screwed into the dial
plate A, and the inner end of this arm is forked, the forked end fitting over the
hollow arbor L and, as before remarked, serving to maintain this arbor in its
proper vertical position. A limited lateral play is allowed to the arm N, so
that when it is moved in one direction its forked end bears sufficiently hard
against the hollow arbor to overcome the friction of the springs f, against the
said arbor, which is thus prevented from turning with the wheel P. When
the arm is moved in a contrary direction, the forked end ceases to bear hard
against the arbor, which thus released is carried round with the wheels by
means of the springs f, f. The forked end of the arm, however, continues to
perform the duty of maintaining the arbor in its proper vertical position, no
matter what may be the position of the said arm.
R is a cog wheel turning in the bridge U on the dial plate, and this wheel
gears into the cog wheel S, which carries the ordinary seconds hand T; V is a
spring secured to a stud W on the dial plate, one end of the spring bearing on
the wheel P, and the opposite end on the intermediate wheel R. This spring

page_text: by bearing on the two wheels obviates that rebounding or reaction, which
would have a tendency to cause the seconds hand to rotate with an uncertain
and irregular movement. The works which constitute the time train are
similar to those of ordinary lepine watches; the minutes hand D, the hour
hand J, and seconds hand T, being driven by the mainspring through the
usual system of wheels and pinions.
Watches have been heretofore furnished with independent seconds hands,
which by suitable mechanism can be stopped and started without interfering
with the regular movement of the time train; this end, however, has hitherto
been accomplished by using a barrel and train of wheels independent of the
usual "time train," thus involving the necessity of complicated and costly works.
In these improvements the independent seconds hand M is driven by the
usual time train, the stopping and starting of this hand being accomplished by
the arm N, in conjunction with the springs f,f, on the wheel P, which operate
to accomplish the desired end without disturbing the movements of the time
train.
Although I have illustrated and described this independent seconds hand as
being driven by the wheel S on the spindle which carries the usual seconds
hand, through the intermediate wheel R; and although this mode of driving
the independent seconds hand is to be preferred on account of its simplicity, it
may be driven from other moving parts of the works without interfering with
these improvements, which are applicable to watches of every description.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hercin-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general construction and arrangement of watches or timekeepers,
as herein-before described.
Second, the application and use of the independent seconds hand M, adapted
to a watch, substantially in the manner herein set forth, so that by means of
the devices herein described, or their equivalents, the said hand may be con-
nected to or disconnected from the time train of the watch or timekeeper
without interfering with the movements of the latter, for the purpose specified.
Third, the application and use of the stop arm N, with its forked end so
adapted to the hollow arbor L, as to stop and release the said arbor, and at
the same time serve to maintain it in its proper vertical position, as herein-
before described.
Fourth, the application and use of the wheel P, with its springs f, f, in

page_text: combination with the hollow arbor L of the independent seconds hand, the
wheel being hung loosely to, and the spring bearing against the said arbor, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)