IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES, AND IN THE MEANS OF OR FOR WINDING UP AND SETTING WATCHES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Grizard, of Nevers; in the Empire of France,
Watchmaker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES, AND IN
THE MEANS OF OR FOR WINDING UP AND SETTING WATCHES."
Sealed the 4th June 1858, and dated the 4th December 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Grizard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
December 1857.
I, JOSEPH GRIZARD, of Nevers, in the Empire of France, Watchmaker, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WATCHES, AND IN THE MEANS OF OR FOR WINDING UP AND SETTING WATCHES," to
be as follows:-
The Invention consists, first, in the construction of an improved watch, in
which the ordinary spring, the barrel and its appendages, are dispensed with,
and the motor is a simple spring (shaped something like the hammer of a fire-
arm) acting on the lever or arm of a rack, curb, quadrant, or toothed piece
so contrived as to obtain a continuous, equal, or regular action. The watch is
wound up by means of a small bolt or projecting piece, and this may be done
without opening, looking at, or drawing out one's watch. In this watch the
inconvenience' arising from fracture of mainspring and side spring, loss and
wear of key, and winding-up square, &c., is avoided. The ratchet may con-
veniently be placed on the centre wheel, as being less liable to damage in that

page_text: position. The rack or toothed piece acted on by the motor spring is in gear
with a pinion, free to turn on the axis of the centre wheel, and carrying a
very small ratchet contrivance; the motor spring has on its longer branch a
roller, which acts on the curved arm of the toothed piece. The winding up
is effected as stated, by means of a piece or bolt projecting a little beyond the
elge of the case, to which is attached a stud which presses or acts on one
of the arms of the toothed piece or rack, so that by the pressure of the pro-
jecting piece acting on this stud the watch is wound up. The hands are set
by means of a stud on the pendant, to which a rod is fixed, retained in position
by a spring, and carrying a serrated or toothed pinion, which on drawing back
the stud gears into a double set of teeth under the return minute wheel. Tho
balance is placed under the dial, as being less liable to injury, and to save one
escapement. The wheel work may be covered by a half plate.
My improvements further refer to the winding up and setting of watches, in
which a "barrel is used. According to this my improved mode, the ordinary
winding-up square is dispensed with, and the barrel arbor is formed with a
ferrule or ring cut or notched into two projections or teeth, and two spaces,
with a central stud on which the key fits, being formed for the purpose with
n round orifice or pipe, and a correspondingly formed ring (with two pro-
jections and two spaces). The barrel arbor, or its cap or bar, may also have
a similarly formed ring for setting the hands. A toothed wheel may bo
mounted on the barrel arbor. The "bits" of the key and arbor ring may be
bevilled off at one part, to allow of a partial back action.
This mode of winding up and setting may be applied to various descriptions
of watches.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Grizard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th June 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
GRIZARD, of Nevers, in the Empire of France, Watchmaker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of December, in the year of our. Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for. Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Grizard, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Grizard,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said

page_text: Joseph Grizard, 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
WATCHES, AND IN THE MEANS OF OR FOR WINDING UP AND SETTING WATCHES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Grizard, 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 per-
formed, 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 Joseph Grizard, 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:-
In order to render the following description more clear and intelligible, the
subjoined Drawings are appended; it is not intended, however, that these
Drawings shew the exact or only form, since not only the configuration and
relative proportions of the toothed gear and pinions, but even the arrangement
of the different parts may be varied in their position so long as the main
principles of the Invention as herein-after described are retained.
The first and main distinctive feature of my improvements consists in the
substitution of a main spring, entirely differing in form from any heretofore
applied, in so far that the box, fuzee, and ordinary appendages are wholly
dispensed with. In Figure 2, a is the spring, the extremity of its longest
limb terminating on a crank roller a', which moves in the slot a, and acts
upon the lever y of a quadrantal rack or toothed piece 6 (Fig. 1) in such a
way as to give it a continuous regular motion.
The teeth of this rack gear into a pinion mounted on the axis of the main
central wheel c (Fig. 1); the central part of this toothed wheel c is partly
hollowed out to receive the ratchet or click and spring motion, which consists
of a small ratchet wheel mounted upon the same axis as the pinion; a small
cog or ratchet stop is fixed moveably on the same hollowed bed as the ratchet
wheel itself, and acts against its teeth; Fig. 3 shews the plan and section
of this arrangement. Motion is communicated to the wheels 1 and 2 by
means of the great wheel acting upon pinions fixed on their axes; the escape
wheel 3 acting upon the escape movement is fixed upon the axis of and

page_text: drives the balance wheel x. Motion is conveyed to the wheel 4 by wheel 2
acting upon it, and a pinion upon wheel 4 gearing into wheel 5 drives it;
these last two wheels regulate the motion of the pointers, which, in their turn,
are adjusted that is, put forward or backwards by means of the lever or rod f
one extremity of which terminates a stud in the head of the pendant, the
other extremity having a toothed pinion mounted on it, which, upon the rod
being drawn out, is pulled into gear with a double set of teeth under the
return minute wheel; this rod is retained in position by means of the spring f
It will be seen that the action of the watch is as follows:-When the spring
has its two limbs brought close together, the crank head will move to the
right-hand end of the slot ; the tendency of the spring to relieve itself will
urge the roller and crank along the slot, and operate upon tho quadrantal
toothed piece, which, in its turn, operating upon the pinion of the large central
wheel c, produces motion in all the other parts by means of one another, as
before described.
When the watch is run down, it is only necessary to urge round the head
of the slide k on the outside of the case; a stud h attached to this slide in the
inside of the case acts against the arm y of the quadrantal piece, and causes
the latter to rotate round the point 6 and force the head of the rolling crank
of the mainspring back along the slot x', thus bringing the limbs of the spring
together again and inducing within it a power to release itself, which keeps
up the motion of the watch. It will be seen from this, that no key is required
to wind up the watch, while, from the increased size and form of the main
spring, the chance of fracture is avoided, and the effects of temperature also,
in a great measure. By placing the balance wheel under the dial, not only is
it less liable to damage, but saves one escapement. The wheelwork may bo
covered, if thought requisite, with a half plate.
Furthermore, another of the said improvements relates to the winding up of
watches in which a barrel is used, the object being to dispense with the
arrangement for having the barrel of the key square; the barrel arbor is
formed with a ferrule or ring cut or notched into two projections or teeth
having two spaces with a central stud, on which the key fits, this latter being,
formed to correspond, having a round orifice with a ring and similar indents
and teeth. A ratchet wheel may be applied to the barrel arbor, if thought
advisable. The arrangement and form of the key and of the barrel arbor is
shewn at Figs. 5, 6, 7. Fig. 5 shews the key; Fig. 6, the arbor, with
ratchet; Fig. 7, that without. The same appliances and construction may
be applied to keys for setting the hands.
Having now described my Invention, and how it is to be carried into effect,,
:

page_text: I wish it understood that what I claim and wish secured by the before in part
recited Letters Patent are the form and arrangement of the various parts
before described, for the purpose of being applied to the construction, working,
and regulation of watches, also to the mode of winding up and setting the
hands substantially as described in the Specification, and set forth and illus-
trated in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Grizard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
JOSEPH GRIZARD. (L.B.)