CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN WATCHES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Silveston, Watch Manufacturer, of Coventry,
in the County of Warwick, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WATCHES."
Sealed the 4th February 1862, and dated the 6th August 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Silveston at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th
August 1861.
I, FRANCIS SILVESTON, Watch Manufacturer, of Coventry, in the County of
Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES," to be as follows (that is to say):-
My improvements are applicable to chronometers, central second watches,
as well as to watches of the ordinary construction, and consists in so arranging
the works as to allow the balance to work below the surface of the top plate.
This, in my improved construction, allows the works and movements to be
more compact and flatter than the ordinary watches, and yet to be much
stronger and less liable to derangement or injury, and admits of increased
facility to the watch finisher in springing the same, as I am enabled to increase
the space, and thereby facilitate that object without interfering with the thick-
ness of the balance, as an aperture may be cut out of the top or pillar plate or
formed in it for the balance wheel to work in. Underneath the top or pillar
plate, I fix a cock beneath the circular hole in which the balance wheel works,

page_text: upon which the escapement and fourth wheel works; by which arrangement
they are not so likely to get deranged as the ordinary, or what are technically
called "three-quarter plate" watches are; and, as an additional advantage, this
cock can be taken from its position for the purpose of removing the escape-
ment and fourth wheel without removing or taking any other part of the watch
to pieces. And I will further state as another advantage, that after many
years' use, the part that I term the cock can be replaced at a trifling cost,
rendering the watch again equal to new. For the purpose of economising
space in combination with my general construction, I form a hole through my
top or pillar plate, for the barrel to work through flush with its upper surface,
which allows me the advantage of additional strength of spring according to
the size of the watch desired; over this I secure a name bar or plate, which
for definement I call plate No. 1, through which the axis of the barrel works;
this outer name plate I secure to the top or pillar plate in the ordinary way,
and upon this plate or bar a click or ratchet is to be arranged or placed upon
the opposite side of the pillar or top plate, and upon the upper surface of
which, and against the edge of the name plate or bar No. 1 a plate No. 2 is
secured, which plate I purpose finishing flush with plate No. 1. The use of
this second plate or cock is for supporting the axis of the balance, which may
be jewelled or otherwise as preferred, and for carrying the regulator. And
underneath this cock or bar plate No. 2 is so formed that the pendulum stud
may be fixed in the same or otherwise, as preferred; this plate I fix in
position by a fixed stud and screws in the ordinary way. Plate No. 2 is also
secured in the same way. Watches constructed as here described are capable
of withstanding the injurious concussive effect of a fall or blow without injury,
or putting the balance staff out of its proper position, and generally not so
liable to injury or derangement as watches of ordinary construction. And my
improved arrangement enables me to place the works right or left handed, a
term well understood in the trade; I mean by this that the barrel may be
placed on the left or right-hand side of the balance, the fusee being placed as
a matter of course in an opposite direction, the smaller works being well
secured from accidental injury, which sometimes occur from the breaking of
the chain or otherwise; but to prevent over winding I prefer using an outside
stop, applying it upon the lower pillar plate, between its outer surface and the
dial, as it is safer in its action and not so liable to injury.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Francis Silveston in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th February 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
SILVESTON, Watch Manufacturer, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Francis Silveston, Her special license that I, the said Francis Silveston,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis
Silveston, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN WATCHES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis
Silveston, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 Francis Silveston, 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 (that is to say) :-
My improvements are applicable to chronometers and central second
watches, as well as to watches of the ordinary construction, at all times giving
the preference to the description of watches known as lever watches, and
which consist in so arranging the works as to allow the balance to work below
the surface. of the top plate. This, in my improved construction, allows the
works and movements to be more compact and flatter than the ordinary
watches, and yet to be much stronger and less liable to derangement or injury,
and admits of increased facility to the watch finisher in springing the same, as
I am enabled to increase the space and thereby facilitate that object without
interfering with the thickness of the balance, as an aperture may be cut out of
the top plate, or formed in it for the balance wheel to work in. Underneath

page_text: the top plate beneath the circular hole in which the balance wheel works, I
fix-an escapement bar, between which and the pillar plate the escapement and
fourth wheel work, by which arrangement watches so constructed are not so
liable to get deranged, as the ordinary or what is technically called "three-
quarter plate" watches, are. And, as an additional advantage, the escape-
ment bar can be taken from its position for the purpose of removing the
escapement and fourth wheel, without removing or taking any other portion
of the watches to pieces, excepting the removal of the balance. And I will
further state as another advantage that, after many years' use, the part that I
term the escapement bar can be replaced at a trifling cost, rendering the
watch again equal to new. For the purpose of economising space, in com-
bination with my general construction I form a hole through my top plate for
the barrel to partially work through, so that the top of the barrel shall be flush
with its upper surface, which allows me the advantage of additional strength of
spring, according to the size of the watch desired. Over this I secure a name
bar or plate, through which the axis of the barrel works; this top or outer
name plate I secure to the top plate in the ordinary way, and upon this plate
or bar a click or pall and ratchet may be placed for regulating or preventing
the running back of the spring; but which click or pall and ratchet may also
be placed on the opposite side of the watch or face side of the pillar plate, and
upon the upper surface of the top plate and against the edge of the name plate
or bar the cock as before observed is placed; which plate or cock in its upper
surface I purpose finishing entirely flush and parallel from end to end with the
name plate or bar. The use of this plate or cock is for supporting the axis of
the balance wheel, and for which purpose in all cases I prefer jewelling the
cock for the axis of the balance wheel to work in. The cock also may be used
for carrying the regulator, and underneath this cock or bar the top plate is so
formed that the pendulum stud and regulator may be fixed in the same or
otherwise, as preferred. This top plate I fix in position by fixed steady pins
secured to the pillar plate and screws, in the ordinary way.
Watches constructed as here described are capable of withstanding the
injurious concussive effect of a fall or blow without injury or putting the
balance staff out of its position, and are not generally so liable to injury or
derangement as watches of ordinary construction. And my improved arrange-
ment also enables me to place the works right or left-handed, a term well
understood in the trade. Also, the barrel may be placed on the left or right-
hand side of the balance, the fusee being placed, as a matter of course, in an
opposite direction, care being taken that the smaller works are well secured
from accidental injury, which sometimes occurs from the breaking of the chain,

page_text: characters and advantages of my Invention. The regulator in this case I pur-
pose placing above the cock in connection with the balance wheel, and placing
the index as here shown.
Fig. 2 is simply the reverse side of Figure 1, showing the circular opening
in the plate A, for the barrel to work through, and which opening is principally
covered over by the name bar or plate B and the cock C.
Fig. 3 represents a détached flat and edge view of the cock, showing that it
is perfectly flat on the top side, but slightly reduced at the end that carries the
balance wheel, for the purpose of affording additional room for carrying the
hair spring and regulator when required to be so placed; but in a general way
I purpose forming my top plate as shown in a flat view at Fig. 4, marked
A', 'A'; this affords me the important advantage of removing or replacing the
escapement bar, marked D, which also carries the fourth wheel and escape-
ment; and as these parts are the most sensitive and delicate in watches, it
affords the finisher as well as the cleaner and repairer the great advantage of
removing and resetting these parts without taking the watch generally to pieces.
This does not in any way interfere with the advantages as to the flatness or
compactness of the cock and other parts described at Figure I. But in the
arrangement as shown in Figure 4, I have represented the index for the regu-
lator placed on the escapement bar, a position I much prefer to that described
in the former Figure, as it affords more protection to the regulator, and econo-
mises the cost of production. The provision made for the removal of the
escapement bar D, necessarily slightly alters the form of the name plate or
bar B', where it terminates with the plate A', for the purpose as before stated
of enabling the escapement bar to be removed.
Fig. 5 represents the interior of a watch constructed with my improvements,
with the top plate and its attendant parts, as at Figure 4 or 5, removed;
showing the escapement bar D, spring barrel E, and fusee F; and this view
enables me to show the manner I purpose winding the chain off the barrel on
to the fusee, and which chain is here exhibited as being fully wound on to the
last-mentioned part, the chain being marked h, h. From this it will be seen
that I am enabled to make my chain thicker and stronger in proportion to the
size of the watch than can be adopted with watches of ordinary construction,
and that in every instance one edge of the chain passes around the periphery of
the barrel, while the other edge comes in contact with the spiral groove of the
fusee. This is an important improvement, as the chain is not liable while
under the strain of the spring to twist down, so as to present its flat surface to
the periphery of the barrel, which is an unnatural position for it, as it stops the
watch, strains the joints, and renders the chain liable to break.

page_text: Fig. 6 is the reverse side of Figure 5, showing the face side of the pillar
plate, marked H, H, and ratchet and paul, marked k, for holding the axis of
the spring, also the plate marked G, for supporting the fourth wheel, which
works in a hole cut through the pillar plate, which is represented detached in
a flat and edge view at Fig. 7.
Fig. 8 represents a flat and edge view of the escapement bar, with projecting
studs or steady pins, marked n, n, n, for assisting to hold this part firmly and
steadily in position.
Having now given a general description of my improvements, and the way
in which the same may be generally carried into effect, nevertheless, it will be
apparent to any one connected with the manufacturing or making of watch
movements, that great diversification in the general details herein described
and exhibited may be made without affecting the general nature and character
of my improvements; but what I claim and believe to be new in the manu-
facturing of watches, and wish to protect by these my in part recited Letters
Patent is, the general arrangement of the plates, bars, and cock, as herein
described and exhibited, which enables me to greatly increase the compactness,
strength, and facility of springing, adjusting, or repairing such watches, as also
the winding, so as to allow one edge of the chain to work around the spring
barrel, and the other edge against the spiral groove of the fusee. Without
purposing to confine myself to the use (as combined in one watch) of the
various improvements herein described, as the principle of winding may be
used generally where sufficient space is afforded, for the required thickness of
chain or the other several improvements may be used, and the arrangement of
the barrel and fusee as ordinarily constructed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Silveston, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
JAMES S. COCKINGS,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.
FRANCIS SILVESTON. (L.B.)