IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND CLOCKS
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Juan Nepomuceno Adorno at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 30th June 1875.
I, JUAN NEPOMUCENO ADORNO, of Harley Street, Cavendish Square,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND CLOCKS," to be
as follows:-
The object of this Invention is so to construct watches or clocks that
they may shew at a glance not only the time of the day at any part of
the world, but also the day of the week, the day of the month, and the
month of the year, and indicate at the same time the phases of the
moon, the movement of the zodiac, and the rotation of the earth.
In order to effect these objects I make use of any ordinary watch,,
clock, or chronometer movement, which however must be so arranged
that the hour hand will make one revolution in twenty-four hours
instead of one in twelve hours, as in timekeepers of the ordinary"
construction. This watch or clock I provide with two dials, one on
either side, divided into twenty-four hours. The centre arbour of the

page_text: watch or clock passes right through, and carries on either side the usual
wheels for giving the differential movement to the hands. Upon each
of the hour wheels or those wheels which usually carry the hour hand,
I attach so as to rotate with them a disc furnished with a map, the one
of the northern and the other of the southern hemisphere. These discs
are of such a size that they will allow the figures of the fixed dials to
show round their margin. Two hands are provided for each disc, one of
these is fixed to the map at the meridian of Greenwich, the other is
adjustable so that it may be set to any meridian that may be desired.
It will now be understood that as the maps rotate they will indicate
the hour of the day at any part of the earth's surface.
The arbour of the minute wheel is provided with a hand for
indicating the minutes, as in clocks and watches of the ordinary
construction. On that side of the watch or clock shewing the southern
hemisphere, the map and hands will revolve in the same direction as in
ordinary clocks and watches, that is to say, from left to right. But on
the other side or that which carries the northern hemisphere they will
revolve in the reverse direction or from right or left, the discs will thus
shew correctly the movement of the earth.
Beneath the dial plate on the southern side of the watch or clock I
arrange three discs or dial rings, upon which are severally engraved or
painted the days of the week, the days of the month, and the months of
the year; the latter may also have engraved upon it the signs of the
zodiac. Part of the hour dial is cut away so as to allow of a sufficient
portion of these dials being seen.
In order to give the requisite motion to the dials I cut upon the edge
of each of them a suitable number of ratchet teeth, and into these teeth
engage pawles carried by a bolt fitted to the periphery of the watch or
clock case. This bolt serves to lock the pendant by which the watch or
clock is to be wound up, thus as the pendant cannot be moved without
first slipping back the bolt, the winding up of the watch or clock cannot
be effected without giving the requisite daily movement to the dials.
On the northern side of the watch or clock I engrave upon a movable
annular dial travelling outside the figures indicating the hours the signs
of the zodiac and the principal stars therein; this dial I cause to make
one revolution in a year, by cutting the requisite number of teeth upon
its periphery, and operating it by a pawle upon the same sliding bolt,

page_text: which operates the dials on the other side of the watch or clock. A
second annular dial placed between this one and the hour circle, and
operated in a similar manner serves to shew the phases of the moon.
The moon itself is engraved or painted (one half black and one half
white) upon a small disc, which is made to rotate upon this dial in the
following manner:-A pivot upon which the moon is fixed passes
through the moveable dial plate, and this pivot carries a star wheel
having (say) 28 teeth. Arranged at intervals round the inside of the
case or frame of the watch or clock are also 28 teeth. As therefore the
annular dial is caused to rotate the star wheel will be brought into gear
successively with these teeth, and will with the moon be caused to make
one rotation on its own axis in the same time that it makes one
revolution round the earth.
The maps on both sides of the watch or clock are covered by glasses,
one half of which is tinted or obscured in a manner to indicate night.