Improvements in Watches.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 4th Aug., 1894
CUMI DID
Improvements in Watches.
I, CHARLES ARTHUR ALLISON, of 52 Chancery Lane, London, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which
has been communicated to me from abroad by The Star Watch Company,
Incorporated of No. 75 Nassau Street, in the City and State of New York,
United States of America), and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
This invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements in watches
and has for its object the production of a watch, all the parts of which are strong,
durable and positive in operation.
It is well known that in the manufacture of cheap or inexpensive watches, it is
not only highly important, but absolutely necessary, to dispense with thin pivots,
bighly polished pinions and nicety of escapement; and hence the rougher the
escapement and general make-up of the movement, the greater the power required
for driving such movement.
With these objects in view, the invention consists of a watch movement having
a wide barrel for the main spring, said barrel being open at both ends and provided
with teeth with which to engage a spur-gear mounted on the stem which projects
beyond the watch case.
The invention further consists of a watch movement having the minute
pinion and hour wheel engaged by an intermediate dial wheel and pinion, respec-
tively, said dial wheel and pinion being held to their engagement by spring
pressure, said dial wheel being engaged by a pinion loose on the main driving
arbor.
The invention further consists of a watch movement having its regulator provided
with a toothed segment which fits in and encloses a slot in the watch case, only a
portion of said segment being exposed by said slot.
The invention also comprises the details of construction, combination and
arrangement of parts, substantially as hereinafter fully set forth and particularly
pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings,-
Figure 1 represents a face view of my improved watch.
Figure 2 is an inside view of the case, after the movement has been removed.
Figure 3 is an edge view of portions of the interior mechanism, the case and other
parts being in section with the main spring and train of the watch removed.
Figure 4 is a face view of the movement after the dial plate and hands have been
removed.
Figure 5 is a detail view showing the hand-setting wheel and its rod in position
for setting the hands.
Figure 6 is a detail view of a modified arrangement for setting the hands, and
Figure 7 represents the spring barrel.
Referring to the drawing, A designates the watch case, in one side of which is a
short, narrow slot, a. B is a barrel for the main spring, the outer end of which
latter is secured to said barrel, its inner end being attached to an arbor b journalled
in watch plates 2 and bridge D. This barrel is made very wide, is open at its
ends, and is provided with a circumferential row of teeth, 63, with which latter is
designed to engage a spur-gear, b, on the lower end of stem . This stem is
provided on its outer end with a crown C. By thus making the barrel of

page_text: maximum size, I am enabled to employ a widened and thickened spring, whereby
the necessary power is obtained. The teeth of the barrel B move in a circular
plane between watch plate and the bridge D, said plate serving to keep said
teeth of the barrel in engagement with spur-gear . The backward movement of
barrel Bis prevented by pawl d. E is an arbor or spindle projected through
bridge D and supported by watch-plates b', 2. Said arbor is rotated by the main
spring through the agency of common watch train. A pinion, E', on this arbor is
engaged by main-wheel E2 fast on arbor b. On this arbor is also a pinion e
frictionally fitted thereon, so that it can be rotated independently when it is desired
to set the hands. This pinion meshes with a dial wheel e' mounted on stud e², and
a pinion e, also on said stud, meshes with the hour wheel e, while dial wheel el
engages the minute pinion es (see Figure 4). On the respective arbors of the latter
the hour and minute hands are secured. The dial wheel e¹ and pinion e are held
in proper engagement by a spring F, which serves to prevent the minute pinion e
from having any play or shake. To the pinion e is suitably connected a wheel f
which when turned, will rotate pinion e and thus, through gearing e', e³, e and e³,
set the hands. The wheel is adapted to be engaged, when it is desired to set
the hands, by a suitable wheel G, shown in Figure 4 in the form of a worm or
screw, carried by a rod 9 suitably supported in the case A.
The rod y passes
through a suitable opening or slot G in case A and is preferably arranged to slide
between plate b₁ and bridge D. The opening or slot G¹ in Figures 4 and 5 is of
such a size and shape as to permit the rod g to be moved laterally or sideways to
permit the wheel G to be disengaged from and engaged with wheel f. 3 is a
stop or stud suitably carried by the movement in such position that rod g can rest
on it when wheels and G are in mesh. A spring g² carried by the movement
presses upon the rod g to keep wheels and G in engagement, and the rod y against
stop or study³. The rod 9 carries a milled head, g', on its outer end to permit it
to be actuated.
To set the hands, the rod g is lifted to bring the wheels and G into engagement,
the rod g in Figure 5 then resting on stud 93. To disengage the wheels fand G
the rod g is moved sideways to pass rod y from stud and disengage wheels f
and G, the metal at the side of slot G' then acting as a fulcrum for rod g. The
rod is then pressed down as in Figure 4. With this arrangement, the hands
can be quickly and easily set, the parts being simple in construction and effective
in use.
In Figure 6 the wheelf is in mesh with pinion e, a stud f1 supported by
bridge D carrying said wheel f. The wheel G is in the form of a crown wheel,
aud carried at the end of rod g, engaging the wheel when said rod is lifted, the
spring g acting on wheel G to depress rod y to keep wheels and G in normal
disengagement.
H is the regulator mounted on plate and free to move concentrically with the
hair-spring of the movement. The outer end of this regulator is a segment of a
circle and is provided with small notches or teeth h. A small portion of this
toothed segnient projects into and fills up slot a of the watch case. A few teeth
of the segment are projected through said slot and by means thereof the regulator
can be readily adjusted, the teeth being moved from one end of the slot toward the
other.
To fasten the movement into the case, the latter is provided with three posts, h²,
to which plate is secured by screws h³.
The advantages of my invention are apparent to those skilled in the art to which
it appertains. It will be seen that by reason of my improvements, a simple and
inexpensive watch can be constructed; that the strength of the parts is not
impaired, and that adjustment of the regulator, as well as the hands, can be easily
accomplished without opening the watch case. It will also be seen that the segment
of the regulator fills the slot in the watch case so that the latter is rendered dust
proof.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a watch movement, of a wide barrel for the main-spring
open at both ends, and means for turning said barrel to wind the spring substan-
tially as described.
2. The combination with a watch movement, of a wide barrel for the main-spring
open at both ends, with a watch plate having an opening for said barrel and arranged
to keep the barrel in position, while it is being rotated to wind the spring,
substantially as described.
3. The combination with a watch movement, of a wide barrel for the main-spring
open at its ends and provided with teeth on one of said ends, and the spur-gear
engaging said teeth, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination with a watch movement, of a wide barrel for the main-spring
open at its ends and provided with teeth on one of said ends, the watch plate
having an opening for said barrel, and the stem having a spur-gear engaging said
teeth, as set forth.
5. The combination with a watch movement, of the minute and hour pinion and
wheel, the dial wheel and pinion in engagement therewith, and the spring bearing
on said dial wheel and pinion, substantially as set forth.
6. The combination with a watch movement, of the minute and hour pinion and
wheel, the spring held dial wheel and pinion, the pinion f, the spring held sliding
rod carrying a crown wheel, and the wheel with which said crown wheel is designed
to engage, substantially as set forth.
7. The combination with a watch movement and the enclosing case having a slot
therein, of a regulator having a segment projecting into said slot, substantially as
set forth.
8. In a watch movement, hand-setting wheels combined with a pinion or wheel,
a worm or screw for turning it, and a rod carrying said worm or screw and arranged
to be moved to cause engagement and disengagement of said wheels, substantially
as set forth.
9. In a watch movement, hand-setting wheels, combined with a pinion, a wheel
to turn it, a worn or screw for engagement with said wheel, a rod carrying said
worm or screw and a support for said rod, whereby said rod may be moved from
said support to disengage said worm or wheel, substantially as described.
10. In a watch, a case having an opening or slot G¹ combined with a movement
having hand-setting wheels, a pinion to turn said wheels, a wheel to turu said
pinion, a rod carrying said wheel and pressing through said opening in the case,
said opening being arranged to permit side movement of said rod to engage and
disengage the parts, substantially as described.
11. In a watch, a case having an opening or slot combined with a movement
having hand-setting wheels, a pinion for turning said wheels, a wheel to turn said
pinion, a rod carrying said wheel, a support for said rod, said rod passing through
the opening in the case, said opening being arranged to permit side movement of
said rod to disengage the parts, and a spring acting on said rod, as and for the
purposes specified.
12. The herein-described improvement in watches, consisting of the combination
with a watch movement and a case therefor, having a slot, of a barrel having teeth,
a spur-gear in engagement with said teeth, a stem for said spur-gear, the loose
wheelf, the dial wheel in engagement therewith, the pinion carried by said dial
wheel, the minute and hour pinion and wheel, the worm or wheel G, and the sliding
red carrying it, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 20th day of March 1894
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.