AN IMPROVEMENT IN REGULATING THE BALANCE SPRING OF TIME-PIECES
Year: 1885

page_text: I ARTHUR JUNGHANS of the firm of Gebrüder Junghans, of Schramberg in the
Kingdom of Würtemberg, German Empire Manufacturer do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for " AN IMPROVEMENT IN REGULATING THE BALANCE
SPRING OF TIME-PIECES" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The invention relates to the regulating device of the hair-spring of the balance
of watches, and other time-pieces, and its object is to produce a simple device
which allows the balance or hair spring to be placed in the movement quickly and
easely without injuring the balance or the spring, and to regulate within wide
limits the differences in the rate of the time-piece without either elongation or
cutting of the spring and without taking the movement out of the case.
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a view and vertical section through the regulating device.
Fig. 2 is a side view.
Fig 3 is a plan, Figures 4, 5, 6 are different views of separate parts.
Upon a sleeve of the plate A, through which sleeve passes the balance cock i is
mounted, with capability of turning, the eccentric g the periphery of which corre-
sponds with the turns of the hair or balance spring a that is to say it has the same
pitch as the latter. Upon a projection of the eccentric is journalled the crank /
bearing the conical split pillar or pine which can be turned in its socket and which
clamps within its slit the spring a by means of the ring f sliding along the cone of
the pin e and compressing thereby its split portion.
Sometimes it is necessary to cut or break off a portion of the spring even one or
more turns, for the purpose of giving to the spring the proper force. Hitherto
when using the well known stationary pillar, the spring had to be bent after each
of such operations to make it again true and to bring it to the proper diameter for
reaching the pillar. By the present invention this bending of the spring and its
detrimental effects are entirely evaded, as the pillar e by turning the crank h is
drawn nearer to or further away from the centre of the spring a. The position of
the spring a in regard to its proper plane vertical to the axis of the balance wheel
is regulated by shifting the spring fore or aft between the split parts of the
pillar e and refixing it by the clamping ring f.

page_text: In case after this descripton of cross regulating and in due consideration for the
position of the anchor lever, the anchor is out of beat, this is easily remedied by
turning the eccentric g to the right or to the left, as required.
The eccentric g is afterwards fixed in its position by a set screw m provided on
the plate A.
For the regulation of the minute irregularities of the rate a peculiarly constructed
curb pin is made use of. Upon the balance cock i and behind the eccentric ga
crank k is fixed which can be turned by a key applied to the square front end of
the cock which protrudes for this purpose through the dial, not shown in the
drawing. Into this crank k is fastened the crooked spring d provided with the
closed eye p and the finger q which latter slides upon the circumference of the
eccentric g. The external turn of the hair spring a is passed through the eye p
which is guided parallel to the turns of the spring a by means of finger q and the
eccentric g when the crank k is moved. By this arrangement it is possible to
regulate rate differences up to 30 minutes. To prevent the crank k to be turned
too much, the two stops n and o are provided on the eccentric g.
The spring arranged in front of the plate A and round the cock i holds the
whole regulating device against the plate A.
It must be remarked that my new balance or hair spring regulating device can
be used as well in clocks as in watches or other time pieces with those little
alterations, which persons skilled in the art are well acquainted with and can
readily execute.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In a balance or hair spring regulating device of time pieces the eccentric g
mounted on a sleeve, through which passes the balance cock i and bearing the
spring clamping pillar e which can be drawn nearer to or further away from the
centre of the spring a.
2. In such balance or hair spring regulating device the curb pin k d with the
eye p and the finger q in combination with the eccentric g. for the purpose
explained and constructed substantially as described and shown.
3. The eccentric g the periphery of which corresponds with the pitch of the hair
spring a in combination with the crank and the spring clamping pin e to work
in a balance or hair spring regulating device as explained and constructed sub-
stantially as described and shown.
4. The conical split pillar e for clamping the balance or hair spring of the time
piece by means of the ring f sliding along the cone of the said pillar e and com
pressing thereby the split portion of the said pillar e substantially as shown and
described.