Improvements in "Split Seconds" Chronographs.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Feb., 1890-Accepted, 29th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in "Split Seconds" Chronographs.
We JOSEPH ARTHUR BAUME and LOUIS CELESTIN ALEXANDER BAUME trading as
Baume & Co., and CHARLES VICTOR CHATELAIN, all of 21 Hatton Garden, in the
County of Middlesex, Watch Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The invention has for its object improvements in that class of chronograph known
as "split seconds," and relates to a novel arrangement of parts whereby the manipula-
tion of the same is greatly facilitated.
This is effected by the addition of a driving lever and ratchet wheel communicating
motion between the moveable star wheels. The operation of this lever enables the
two seconds bands of the chronograph to return together to zero from whichever
points they may have been stopped at, and that by a single pressure on the main or
chronograph push piece.
For example, the chronograph being at O, the first pressure upon the main or
chronograph push piece, will cause the two chronograph seconds hands to start
travelling together; the first pressure on the supplemental push piece or button will
cause the "split" seconds hand to stop, leaving the main chronograph seconds hand
still travelling; the second pressure on the main or chronograph push piece will stop
the chronograph, and the third pressure on the main or chronograph push piece will
cause the return of both the chronograph seconds hands to zero, without any pressure
being required, as heretofore, on the supplemental push piece or button.
By these means the entire mechanism is again ready for use, without the risk
which heretofore existed of the split seconds hand remaining behind on account of the
supplemental push piece or button not having been pushed.
The teeth of the split seconds star wheel are calculated so as to leave the mechanism
free to stop the split seconds hand, and to bring the latter back to the main seconds
hand at will and as often as the operator desires it; the new lever only acts to return
the chronograph hands to zero when the main or chronograph push piece is pressed.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1889.
JOSEPH ARTHUR BAUME.
LOUIS CELESTIN ALEXANDER BAUME.
CHARLES VICTOR CHATELAIN.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in "Split Seconds" Chronographs.
We, JOSEPH ARTHUR BAUME, and LOUIS CELESTIN ALEXANDER BAUME, trading as
Baume and Co., and CHARLES VICTOR CHATELAIN, all of 21 Hatton Garden, in the
County of Middlesex, Watch Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The invention has for its object improvements in that class of chronograph known
as split seconds," and relates to a novel arrangement of parts whereby the manipula-
tion of the same is greatly facilitated.
This is effected by the addition of a driving lever and ratchet wheel, communicating
motion between the moveable wheels, acting to start, stop, split, and readjust the two
seconds hands, and consequently to stop and readjust the minute hand or counter.
The operation of this lever enables the two seconds hands of the chronograph to

page_text: Figure 1 is a front view, and figure 2 is a back view, representing the chronograph
mechanism only of a watch to which our invention is applied, and Figure 3 is a back
view showing our improvements alone.
In all the figures like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference.
We will describe all the chronograph mechanism in order that our invention may
be the more clearly understood.
a is a lever mounted on an axis at a*, and operated at the end a¹ by a pusher
connected with the stem winder A; the other end a² of this lever carries a pawl a³,
which is kept in gear with the ratchet wheel b by means of a spring a, whilst the
lever a is kept. in its. normal position ready for use by a spring a. The ratchet
wheel b, in the example of chronograph mechanism illustrated, has 18 teeth and the
star wheel b¹ fixed thereto or formed thereon has 6 teeth and 6 spaces, but other
numbers of teeth and spaces may be employed so long as the proportion of teeth in
the ratchet wheel in relation to those in the star wheel is maintained.
A spring detent 2 acts to adjust and hold the wheels b, b' in proper position after
each motion thereof. c is the axis of the chronograph wheel c³, the front end of which
carries the chronograph seconds hand; this axis also carries at one end the heart
shaped cam cand the snail or scroll wheel c³, and at the other end the heart shaped
cam c and disc or wheel c of the split seconds hand cannon spindle. d is the axis
of the watch movement seconds wheel, or in other words, of the "4th wheel," upon
which the chronograph wheel d¹ is fixed; this latter consequently makes one revolution
per minute; e is an arm or lever centred at e¹ and carrying the intermediate chrono-
graph wheel e; the free end of this arm or lever e is acted upon by the star wheel 61, 4
and said lever is also acted upon by a spring ea to keep its free end in contact with
such star wheel.
The wheels c¹, d', e² are formed with serrated edges as usual to enable motion to
be communicated from one to the other thereof.
fis the readjusting lever of the chronograph seconds hand; it is mounted on the 5
axis f* and it is acted upon by the star wheel 61 and the spring f₁ to keep it in
contact with said star wheel, and to bring its free end, when permitted by the star
wheel, against the heart shaped cam c³, to return the chronograph seconds hand to
zero.
The snail wheel c³ and the spring g¹ act upon the pawl lever g to cause the pawl g³, 5

page_text: once in every minute, to move the ratchet wheel on the axis of the chronograph
minute hand or counter, the distance of one tooth and a spring detent h¹ acts to
hold such ratchet wheel h firm, except when it is. being acted upon by the pawl gª ;^
i is the readjusting lever of the chronograph minute hand or counter; it is acted
upon in one direction by the readjusting lever fand in the other by the spring i¹,.
and it acts when permitted in combination with the heart shaped cam ² to return
the chronograph minute hand or counter to zero simultaneously with such action on
the chronograph seconds hands.
The readjusting lever i is formed with an arm to act upon the pawl g² to remove
it from the ratchet wheel h, and thereby release the latter just before the readjusting
lever i comes into contact with the heart shaped cam h².
The supplemental push piece ; acts upon one end of a pawl lever k, the other
end of which is acted upon by a spring and by its pawl k² acts to rotate the
ratchet wheel acting as a star wheel. This ratchet wheel acts upon the split
seconds hand stop lever m, which in its turn acts upon a similar stop lever m³,
which latter is acted upon by a spring m² to keep it in contact with the stop
lever m, and to keep the latter in contact with the ratchet wheel 1; is a spring
detent to hold the ratchet: wheel firm, except when the latter is being acted
upon by the pawl k².
'
The stop levers m, m', when permitted by the ratchet wheel 1, act to clip the
split seconds stop wheel or disc c between them, and thereby stop the motion of
such wheel and consequently of the split seconds hand. The wheel c, when not
gripped by the stop levers m, m³, is readjusted to travel with the chronograph
seconds hand, by means of a ruby wheel at the end of the arm n', running into the
hollow of the heart shaped cam ct, such arm n being acted upon by a spring n²
connected to the wheel or disc c*.
The chronograph mechanism, so far as it is thus described, is of the character
ordinarily in use and therefore forms no part of our present invention, and it is
described only as an example for the purpose of enabling the application thereto of
our invention to be readily understood.
When, in split seconds chronographs constructed as heretofore, the split seconds
hand has been stopped and the main seconds hand has been allowed to continue its
motion, it has been necessary to operate both the main push piece and the supple-
mental push piece to bring both seconds hands back to zero, and this fact in the
hurry and bustle of a race, is likely to result in only one of the push pieces being
operated, thus leaving the chronograph in an unprepared state for a fresh use and
thereby prevent a proper record being obtained of a new event.
Now according to our invention we remedy this evil by adding to the aforesaid, or
other description of "split seconds" chronograph mechanism, a driving lever o, one
end of which is operated upon in one direction by the star wheel 6, and in the other by
the spring o¹ to cause a spring pawl o' at its other end to give motion to a ratchet
wheel p, fixed on the axis of the ratchet or star wheel 1.
By the use of the supplemental push piece j, the wheel is at each action advanced
a tooth, and the teeth thereof are so calculated that at each alternate motion, the
end of the short arm of the stop lever m is supported on the top of one of the teeth,
thereby leaving the wheel or disc c free and consequently permitting the split
seconds hand to return to the main seconds band, whilst at intermediate motions, the
end of the short arm of the stop lever m falls between the teeth of the wheel 1, thereby
causing the stop levers m, m¹ to grip the wheel or disc c and thereby stop the motion
of the same and of the split seconds hand. It will thus be seen that by the use of
the supplemental push piece i, the split seconds hand can be stopped and brought
back to the main seconds hand at will, whilst when the split seconds hand has been
stopped and the main chronograph seconds hand has been allowed to proceed, the
latter can be stopped and both chronograph seconds hands can be brought back to
zero by the depression alone of the principal push piece.
We would here observe that our invention is not limited to the precise form of
split seconds chronograph herein shown and described, nor is it confined to the exact

page_text: form and arrangement of the lever o, spring o¹, and spring pawl o², as such will be
varied to suit the peculiarities of construction of the split seconds chronograph to
which our invention is to be applied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
In "split seconds" chronographs, the employment of a lever and ratchet wheel to
communicate motion from the wheel acting to start, stop, and readjust the seconds
and minute hands, to the wheel acting to stop and readjust the split seconds hand,
thereby enabling both seconds hands and minute hand or counter to be returned to
zero, from whichever points they may have been stopped at, and that by the use
alone of the main or chronograph push piece, substantially as herein shown and
described.
Doted this 92nd day of February 1890
JOSEPH ARTHUR BAUME.
LOUIS C. A. BAUME.
CHARLES VICTOR CHATELAIN.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.