IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND CHRONOMETERS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ADOLPHE
NICOLE, of Dean Street, in the County of Middlesex, Watch Maker; send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of October, in the eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
ne, the said Adolphe Nicole, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Adolphe Nicole, my exors, adiñiors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Adolphe Nicole, my exors, adñiors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND
CHRONOMETERS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I,
the said Adolphe Nicole, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said

page_text: Adolphe Nicole, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say):-
My improvements consist in winding up and moving the hands of a watch
by means of the handle and suitable wheels, as will be more fully described,
by which arrangement the watch may be kept at all times closed, which is of
great advantage in keeping out the dust which gets in through the keyhole,
and in a mode of arranging to the second hand of a watch an additional hand,
and also in a means of arranging the escapement of watches, and in a mode of
applying banking pins to watches where banking pins are used.
In Figures 1 and 2 the Invention is applied to a fusee watch. a is a knob
or button fixed on to a rod a', at the end of which rod is a bevilled pinion b,
which takes into another wheel c. This wheel c is fixed to a plate of steel d,
and takes into another wheel e, which is also fixed to the steel plate d; this
plate is fixed by screws, but is capable of being moved on its axis d¹ in such
manner as to cause the wheel e to communicate movement either to the wheel
fixed upon the fusee for the wheel h, which communicates movement to
the hands by means of the wheels i and k. The steel plate is retained in such
position as to keep the wheel e out of gear with the wheels f, h, by a
spring 9. The plate d'embraces the pinion in such manner that in with-
drawing or pushing in the button a, to which the necessary play has been
left, the watch is either wound up or the hands are turned as may be
required. By depressing the button a the wheel e will take into the
wheelf, and then by turning the button the watch will be wound up,
and by raising the button a the wheel e will take into the wheel h, and
allow of the hands being moved by turning the button a.
tion can also be applied to a watch with a going barrel.
applied at Figure 3, where the piece d under which the wheels c turns is fixed
to the plate of the watch, and at the same time fixes the plate to the case of
the watch. The wheel c is bevilled and takes into the pinion 6 (like the
Figure 2) which is in front of the barrel, and which takes into the wheel f.
The wheel has a ratchet and catch g, by which it can be turned from the
left to the right without producing any effect upon the barrel; but in turning
from the right to the left it carries with it the ratchet wheel m by the catch g.
The wheel h, although moveable with the lever i, takes into the wheel k which
carries the hands. The wheel h is put in motion by the wheelf being brought
into gear with it, which is done by moving the lever i by means of a sliding
The Inven-
It is shewn so

page_text: button placed in the side of the watch, or any other convenient way. In this
arrangement it must be observed, that when the watch is entirely wound up
the hands cannot be moved back; but this inconvenience may be easily avoided
by the employment of the system described above for the fuseo watches, or by
having a piece to take hold of the catch g at the same time as the wheels h
and f take into each other; but the employment of these means would reduce
the character and simplicity of the Invention in remedying what, after all, is a
matter of very little consequence.
"
I will now describe a means of adding to the ordinary second-hand. an
additional one, which may be stopped and moved on as required, and may also
be made to arrive at and start from a given point instantaneously.
The figures 4 and 5 shew a part of the pinion of the second-hand," with the
bearing, upon a scale ten times its natural size.
The Figure 6 shews part of the plate of the watch twice the natural size. a
(Figure 4) is part of the pinion with the second-hand affixed thereto; b is the
plate with the jewel hole c passing through it; d is a small steel wheel fixed
upon the axis; e is a cam wheel moving freely upon the axis, and carrying the
additional hand f; g is a spring which presses the cam wheel e slightly against
the fixed piece h, when the hand f is to be stopped; at other times the spring
g make the cam e press on the wheel d, by which the cam and the wheel or
surface & travel round together by the rotation of the axis. The lever l, which
can be moved from the outside of the watch, has a projection on it, which,
coming under the spring g, lifts it, and the cover is raised off from the surface
d. The moving back the lever or disc 2 will allow the spring 9 again to press
the cam on to the surface d. The cam wheel e is heart-shaped, and by means
of the lever i shewn at Figures 5 and 6, moves upon its axis , Figure 6, acts,
on the heart-shaped cam, and, consequently, the band f, Figure 4, is brought
to the starting point seen in Figure 4; f' is the ordinary second-hand fixed;
upon the pivot, which continues always its course. The dotted lines in the.
Drawing, Figures 5 and 6, shew the natural position of the parts e and i, and
the lines shew them in the position after the parts have been moved by hand..
The lever i as well as the lever may be moved from the exterior of the case,
or by any other means. The lever k in rising or lowering the spring 9 retains.
or releases the cam wheel.
Description of the escapement of constant force :-That is to say, that the
impulsion which is given to the balance is always the same, and independent
of the variations of the spring of the friction and imperfections of the wheel.
work.
The Figure 7 represents the first of these escapements, which may be called.

page_text: a lever escapement, from its resemblance to the ordinary lever escapement.
is the axis of the balance; b, a similar wheel to the lower escapement; c is a
lever turning upon an axis, having two notches p..p', to keep the wheel in its
movement; but the forked arms and short palette are like to an ordinary
lever; d is a spring which is raised and held up by the teeth of the wheel q;
the tooth presses upon a jewel r, which is fixed to the spring d; e is a
similar palette to those used in the duplex escapement, but turns the contrary
way. This palette is fixed upon the axis of the balance, and receives the
impulsion of the spring d. The Figure 7 represents the moment at which the
palette receives its impulsion and turns from left to right. To commence its
movement p releases 71, 911, comes and strikes against p', which releases
and enables it to give its impulsion, and the spring d stops against a screw s
(placed in front of the arm of the escapement wheel), and leaves a small
distance between the paletter and the tooth q¹. When the balance comes
back to the starting point from right to left the point of the lever p releases
the tooth of the wheel q", the tooth q' brings back the spring d to its first
position.
The second escapement is like to the first with regard to the spring and the
manner of giving the impulsion to the palette, and only varies in the mode of
stopping the wheel; it is somewat similar to the duplex escapement as regard
the wheel and roller. The Figures 8 and 9 represent it at the moment that
the spring gives off its impulse, the palette goes from the right to the left, the
tooth of the wheel g enters into the notch of the roller i and gives motion to
it; the upright tooth 7' releases the paletter of the spring d, gives its impul-
sion to the palette e, and then presses against a screws and out of the circle
which describes the point of the palette e, and near the upright tooth q.
When the balance returns to its course from left to right the notch of the
roller allows the tooth 9 to pass the tooth 9', and forces the spring d to its
primitive position.
The Figure 9 represents a perspective view of the escapement, Figure 8,
and the manner of fixing the spring d in Figure 9 is the same as is to be
used in Figures 7 and 8. a is the axis; b, the wheel; d, the spring; u is a
spiral spring to regulate the force desired to be given to the spring d, the same
being regulated by the hand v. In these two escapements springs may be
placed which give the impulsion in opposite directions if desired. The duplex
escapement which is generally applied to good watches has the objection that
when moving the watch about suddenly it is very likely to catch. To obviate
this many modes of using what are called banking pins have been adopted, but
with little success. I place upon the arms of the balance a, Figure. 10, a pin

page_text: b, which will be at the time when the balance is at rest opposite to the part d
of the spring which opens the most, so that this pin would touch it if the
friction was not sufficient to stop the balance in impulsion. I bend the spiral
spring to come against the pin in the arm of the balance 6', to act as a stop in
d', which stop does not give (as with other banking pins) a second impulsion,
which is so injurious to the well going of the watch.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the precise details herein described, provided the peculiar character of either
part of my Invention be retained; but what I claim is,-
First, the so arranging apparatus in connection with the handle a that by
turning the same the watch may be wound up or the bands set as herein
described.
Secondly, I claim the mode of applying apparatus to an additional or second-
hand of a watch, as herein described.
Thirdly, I claim the mode of constructing and arranging the escapements of
watches herein described. And,
Lastly, I claim the mode herein described of arranging the banking pins
of watches by bending the spring.
In witness whereof, I, the said Adolphe Nicole, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.