Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1886
Complete Left, 19th Sept., 1887
Complete Accepted, 21st Oct., 1887
I, ERNEST DE PASS, of 68 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our Invention relates to the mechanism for setting the hands in keyless watches,
and will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 shews our mechanism as it would appear when the dial is removed, and the
position in which it is placed when the hands are to be set by turning the crown.
Fig. 2 shews the same mechanism in the position in which it is placed when the main-
spring is to be wound up, by turning the crown, this latter being in the position shewn
by dotted lines in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shews the working of spring G, placed on the other side of the plate.
The setting of the hands is effected by throwing the crown from the position, shewn
in dotted lines in Fig. 1, into the position, shewn in full lines in the same figure, and
then turning the same. One arm of the knee-lever B, engages in a circular notch A¹,
of the stem A, the other one presses the lever C downwards as soon as the crown is
thrown outwards. The pinion D is thereby caused to engage into the minute-wheel
and the click-teeth D¹, are disengaged so as to allow the hands to be set when the
crown is rotated. A spring bridge E carries the knee B and is fixed to the plate,
(between dial and plate) by means of a screw e.
One arm of the lever B, has a projection a, intended to engage into the circular
notch A', of the stem A, but it only engages therein when a screw e¹, the head of
which is placed on the other side of the plate, draws the spring-bridge E, the normal
position of which is that shewn in Fig. 5, into the position shewn in Fig. 4.
This arrangement allows the stem A to be withdrawn without removing the dial;
the screw e, being turned from the upper side of the plate.
As it might happen that, in turning the crown to wind up the main spring, the
crown might be thrown inadvertently into the position shewn in Fig. 1, that is to

page_text: say, in a position in which the rotating of the crown would cause the setting of the
hands instead of winding up the main spring, we provide the mechanism with a safety
spring G which we place into a sinking of the plate on the upper side of the latter
(Fig. 3). This spring G, plays against a double-bevelled projection 6, of the knee-
lever B, which projection traverses an opening of the plate. The jumping of B, from
the position shown in Fig. 1, into the position shown in Fig. 2, or vice versa, cannot
take place by inadvertence in the mechanism provided with this safety spring.
As the up-and-down motion of the stem A, might allow access of dust to the watch,
we provide a collar or ring H, which is pressed into a recess in the pendant I, by
means of a spiral-spring J, acting like a valve and closing the hollow of the pendant,
dust-proof.
Dated this 28th day of Decomber 1886

page_text: Improvements in Keyless Watches.
I, ERNEST DE PASS, of 68 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement reference being had to the drawings and to the
letters and figures marked thereon that is to say :-
This invention relates to mechanism for setting the hands in keyless watches and
will be readily understood on reference to the drawings which accompanied the
Provisional Specification and in which Fig. 1 shews the mechanism as it appears when
the dial is removed, and the position in which it is placed when the hands are to be
set by turning the crown. Fig. 2 shows the same mechanism in the position in which
it is placed when the main spring is to be wound up by turning the crown, this latter
being in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shows the working of a spring G, placed on the other side of the plate.
The setting of the hands is effected by throwing the crown from the position shown
in dotted lines in Fig. 1, into the position shown in full lines in the same figure, and
thon turning the same. One arm of the knee lever B, engages in a circular notch A'
of the stem A, the other one presses the lever (downwards as soon as the crown
is thrown outwards. The pinion D is thereby caused to engage into the minute
wheel, and the click teeth D² are disengaged, so as to allow the hands to be set when
the crown is rotated.
A spring bridge E, carries the knee B, and is fixed to the plate (between the dial
and plate) by means of a screw e.
One arm of the lever B has a projection a, intended to engage into the circular
notch A¹ of the stem A, but it only engages therein when a screw e¹, the head of
which is placed on the other side of the plate, draws the spring-bridge E, the normal
position of which is that shewn in Fig. 5 into the position shown in Fig. 4.
This arrangement allows the stem A to be withdrawn without removing the dial;
the screw e being turned from the upper side of the plate.
As it might happen that, in turning the crown to wind up the mainspring, the
crown might be thrown inadvertently into the position shown in Fig. 1 that is to say,
in a position in which the rotating of the crown would cause the setting of
the hands, instead of winding up the main spring, the mechanism is provided
with a safety spring G, which is placed in a recess or sinking in the plate on the
upper side of the latter (Fig. 3). This spring G plays against a double bevelled
projection b of the knee lever B, which projection traverses an opening of the plate.
The jumping of B, from the position shown in Fig. 1, into the position shown in
Fig. 2, or vice versa, cannot take place by inadvertence in the mechanism provided
with this safety spring.
In a modified arrangement shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings accompanying this
Complete Specification the safety spring G, instead of being formed as a spring may

page_text: be rigid and may be actuated by a special spring g in order to work more surely.
This spring g consists simply of a steel wire bent into the form of a horse-shoe and
sunk into the plate.
When the watch is a hunting watch the knee lever B, B, carries a small projec-
tion (fig. 7) which bears against the spring of the case, so that the setting of the
hour cannot be worked when the case is closed.
As the up and down motion of the stem or pin A might allow access of dust to the
watch, a collar or ring H is provided which is pressed into a recess in the
pendant I, by means of a spiral spring J, and acts like a valve to close the hollow of
the pendant dust proof.
Having now described the invention and in what manner the same may be carried
into effect I claim, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents;—
1st. The combination of the stem A having a circular notch A' with the knee
lever B and lever C, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose
specified.
2nd. The spring bridge. E, with screws e and e¹ in combination with the
projection a of the knee-lever B, whereby the stem A, may be held or with-
drawn by turning the screw e¹ without removing the dial, substantially as shown
and described.
3rd. The safety spring G, in combination with the double bevelled projection b, of
one of the arms of B, substantially as shown and described and for the purpose
specified.
4th. The dust valve, closing the hollow of the pendant, and composed of a ring H,
surrounding the stem A, and pressed into a recess of the pendant I by means of a
spiral spring J, substantially as herein described & shewn.
Dated this 10th day of Santember 1987