SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN POCKET WATCHES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Antoine. Jean Redier, of 2, Rue Sainte
Appoline, Paris, France, and of. 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, for
1.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Antoine. Jean
Redier at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 10th December 1861.
•
I, JOSEPH ANTOINE JEAN REDIER, of 2, Rue Sainte Appoline, Paris,
France, and of 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN POCKET WATCHES,
to be as follows:
My improvements consist in the construction of the watch case, and in the
mechanical arrangement for winding up the watch, and setting it to the hour
by means of a projecting stud placed above or in the bow of the watch. This
watch is formed of a plate, on the edge of which two grooves are made, one
for receiving the lunetted ring for holding the watch glass, the other for
receiving a bottom; the watch case is constructed without hinge. On the
side of the plate is fixed by two feet a pipe, in which the rod of the winding-up
pinion passes, and on this barrel a projecting stud is fixed with its bow. The

page_text: winding-up pinion takes into a wheel having two teeth, one edgeways, which
catches with the winding-up pinion, the other flat, which takes into a wheel
mounted on the ordinary square of the watch, which has a second ratchet
wheel, in the teeth of which a catch enters forming part of the wheel above-
mentioned, and mounted concentrically; with this ratchet, when it is turned
to the left the catch gives way, and no effect is produced, but when it is turned
to the right the watch will be wound up. The same winding-up pinion serves
also for setting the watch to the hour. For this purpose, on the square of
12 o'clock a small wheel is adjusted, and on-a bascule another wheel, having
the same number of teeth and of the same diameter, is placed, which catches
with the first wheel, and which will be then ready to catch into the winding-up
wheel of the barrel.
In pushing forward the balance lever, the wheel which it carries will
catch into the centre wheel and the winding-up wheel. Thus, if the pro-
jecting stud of the left hand winding-up wheel--be turned, it will cause the
hands on the right to turn by the successive catching of the winding-up
pinion, the double toothed wheel; the catch wheel mounted on the barrel; the
small wheel mounted on the bascule, and, the small wheel mounted on the
square for setting the hour.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 2
by the said Joseph Antoine Jean Redier in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th June 1862:]
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
ANTOINE JEAN REDIER, of 2, Rue Sainte Appoline, Paris, France, and of
South Street, Finsbury, London, send greeting.
4,
2
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letter's
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of December, 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 Joseph Antoine Jean Redier, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph 3
Antoine Jean Redier, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, 'the said Joseph Antoine Jean Redier, my executors, adminis-
-trators, 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 3
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an

page_text: Invention for SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN POCKET, WATCHES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Antoine Jean Redier, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly 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 Joseph Antoine Jean Redier, do hereby
declare the nature of iny 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 Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
My improvements consist in a new construction of the watch case, and in
the mechanical arrangement for winding up the watch, and setting the hands
to the hour by means of a projecting stud or knob placed above or in the ring
or handle of the watch.
.
To make my: Invention better understood, I will proceed to describe. the
same by reference to the accompanying Drawing,, in which Figure 1 shews
general arrangements of the parts of my improved mechanism for winding up
the watch, and putting the hands to the hour, and shewn as applied to the
usual form of case and movement of an ordinary cylinder watch, Figure 2
being a sectional edge view of the case of the watch; Figure 3 is an entire
section of a new form of case to a larger scale, showing the projecting stud
or knob for winding up the watch, and setting it to the hour, required.
Figures 4, 5, and 6, represent details of the several working parts of the
watch; Figure 7 is a view of a watch, shewing another arrangement for
setting, the hands to the hour...
'
In Figure 1, B indicates the barrel, G the main wheel, P. the bridge or sup-
port for the barrel provided with its ratchet wheel, R. the bridge or support for
the main wheel G: On the cylindrical part of the ordinary winding-up
square-and against the bridge a wheel U is adjusted to move by friction;
this wheel is kept in its position by a ratchet wheel H fixed by a screw V.
It will be easily understood that if the wheel X, moved by the pinion N, cogs
with the wheel U, that the watch may be wound up by means of the pro-
jecting knob M, by turning it to the right or to the left. By turning the
knob-M to the right, the catch K will act on the ratchet wheel H, and will
give way on turning the knob to the left. The wheel X is provided with a
second.set of teeth-set edgewise to cog or work with the pinion N, which has

page_text: its bearing half in the thickness of the plate and half in the bridge or
support D. The arrangement for putting the hands to the hour with the
'same knob is as follows:-I fix on the communicating square a wheel of
small diameter c, and on a small grooved steel bar s a second wheel F, which
always cogs with the wheel U adjusted on the axle of the barrel. When it
is desired to put the hands to the hour, I push with the nail the projection A
in the direction of the arrow, which causes the wheel F to approach the
wheel C and cog with it, and by turning the knob M to the left, the hands
can be made to move to the right as long as required. The advantage of this
arrangement is, that it can be applied to all ordinary kinds of watches without
'any important alteration. To facilitate the taking to pieces of the works, I
cut off the stem of the pinion N at the line a and b, Fig. 1. I make á
square opening at that extremity, and furnish the end of the stem of the knob
with a square projection. To keep the knob in its place, I employ a screw,
as shown at Fig. 6, the lower extremity of which is engaged in a notch a; and
its head sunk in the knob of the watch. The works being thus constructed,
may be contained in an ordinary case, but as it is not necessary to open it, it
may be simplified thus:-I can apply a brass ring round the plate of the
watch to form a case, and the two raised edges are formed on that case suffi-
ciently close together for the bottom and the ring or frame for the glass
adjusted on the raised edges to cover entirely the brass ring, a flat part or seat
imay even be left either in the bottom or in the upper ring or frame to
represent the ordinary case, as shewn at Fig. 3. The ordinary pendant of
watches may be soldered to the stem N, which is extended and wound up by
the ring or handle, the ordinary position of which would be fixed by a screw
nut fitted on the stem N. The case may be dispensed with by employing a
plate hollowed out to receive the raised edges, as shewn at Fig. 2; which
Figure is on a larger scale to enable the parts to be better seen. This
arrangement can be employed for all kinds of watches. If required to protect
the presser A, by placing it near the ring, this may be effected by means of-a-
double lever placed in a hollow in the plate on the dial-side, as shewn by
dotted lines in Fig. 1. The spring Y pushes back the small bar s, when
the presser A' acts on the first lever L, and the second lever L' completes the
action, which is effected in a direct manner, leaving the presser at A.
Fig. 3 shows, on a large scale, a new form of case, and the adjustment of
the pendant and winding-up-pinion. V represents..the glass; L, the ring.or
frame for the glass; c, the dial; P, the plate provided with its two raised
edges; F, case bottom of one piece adjusted to one of the raised edges of the
plate; N is the bridge or support on which works the pinion O of the winder-

page_text: up and the edge toothed wheel H, which cogs with it. This bridge is elbowed
at N', and a notch made in the edge of the plate receives this elbow." The
Knob B is screwed on at the part B into this bridge, so as to form part of
the works; and is not soldered to any part of the case; I can, therefore,
remove the bottom "F; the ring or frame L, the knob B, and ring A remaining
fixed to the works. The advantage of this arrangement, besides the facility
for examining the different parts of the watch, is, that the pinion and wheel
being mounted on one piece, the working or gearing is much safer., The
pinion O has only one long pivot adjusted into the knob, into which it is fixed
with facility, it being placed in the hole X before the knob is screwed on.
The knob N may be adjusted in various ways on the extremity of the stem
of the pinion. If desired, a hinge may be employed for opening the bottom
and the ring or glass frame placed in front of the pendant, and one of the
knuckles of the hinge is fixed or moveable according as the ring or frame or
the bottom is to be opened. Watches witli this arrangement may be made in
the form of hunters, in which case the raised edges are turned to a smaller
radius than that of the plate receiving the internal ring or frame, and the
external hinged frame is held only by the hook of the bolt, which is released
by pressing the knob M. This arrangement is applicable to all kinds of
watches, viz., to repeaters, by placing the knob or presser on the side, and to
dead seconds, by employing an extra knob for winding up the train'; any
description of escapements can be applied to these watches.
I will now describe an arrangement for putting the watch to the hour. By.
reference to Figure 1, it will be seen that the winding-up pinion N´is held
between the plate and a small bar, on which is mounted the wheel H catching
with it, so that one half of the hole in which this pinion is adjusted is in the
plate and the other half in the ring or frame.
:
Figure 4 shows a bridge or support s on the plate, and on the edge the
projection S, which catches as well as the pinion into a notch made in the
plate. In this case the knob M of the watch, as before stated, is fixed to
the pipe C, either by pins or by solder, and if raised edges on a plate be used,
ás before described, the pendant forms part of the works. On the stem T,
Figure 4 of the pinion is adjusted the knob M of the winder-up, which being
placed on the square of the stem, I adjust a brass cylinder, and on this end I-
screw a gold or silver cap piece which entirely conceals the cylinder, and thus
economises the material; to prevent the cap from being unscrewed, I fix it
in-its position by a small screw under the brass cylinder. The double-toothed
wheel H, which cogs with the pinion N and the wheel U of the winder-up, is
secured to the plate by a strong flanged screw V, Figure 5, which serves at

page_text: the same time as a pivot, and a brass washer keeps it at a suitable height for
catching.
.
$
Figure 7 represents another arrangement for setting the hands to the hour,
also shown at Figure 5; L, K, crank lever, having jointed to its extremity K
a metal pin. N, which passes through the case to serve as a presser when it is
required to put the hands to the hour. The other extremity L carries a
wheel r, which.cogs.with another wheel n, having the same number of teeth
placed on the communicating square; by pushing the lever K, the wheel r is
brought nearer to the wheel R, thus enabling the hands to be put to the
hour, but only by turning to the right, as before stated. A spring placed
under the dial pushes back the lever into its place. The lever L, K, works
like a bolt, as is shewn by the dotted,arm B, and thus permits of moving to the
right or left without turning its calibre. The advantage of this arrangement
is, first, that the presser for putting to the hour is protected by the pendant of
the watch, and as the lever K, L, cannot turn much, it fixes the position of
the screw V, and prevents it from unscrewing in winding the watch, which a
mere washer could not always prevent. The arrangement of the gearing is
such that the wheel, instead of moving away from the wheel R when being
put to the hour, tends towards it. According as the calibre of the watch is
made on the right or left, the presser for putting the hands to the hour will be
on the right or left of the pendant. This arrangement is applicable to all
kinds of cases; and one of the advantages of this mode of mounting the pinion
by giving it play is, that it serves also as a piston for opening the cases of
hunters, for instance; thus I can make a square-edged case with two raised
edges on the plate, and the knob B pinned to the pipe of the winding-up
pinion, as shown in the first three Figures. A square-edged case may be
made with one hinge without cover, and with a glass ring or frame without
hinge; in this case the knob being soldered to the square edge,, is perforated
with a hole large enough to admit the pipe of the winder-up to pass in, and
an ordinary screw fixed to the case.
I would remark, that the small-presser-for-putting to the hour may be done
away with, and the knob made use of for putting in gear the wheels for setting
to the hour. Let it be supposed that the winding-up pinion has a certain
play in the direction of its axis, and the action of a spring pushing that axis
so as to separate the winding-up knob from the knob of the watch about the
twelfth part of an inch -the winding up of the watch would be effected, as
herein-before described, provided the pressure be not so hard as to force in
the knob.
If it be desired to put to the hour, the knob must be pressed so as to act

page_text: on the gearing lever for putting to the hour; the small wheels will be brought
closer to the winding-up wheel, and the hands will turn, as above described.
By releasing the knob the ungearing will take place alone, and the mechanism
will return to a state of rest. By these means I do away with the opening in
the case and the presser.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim,-
First, the mode of mounting and adjusting the winding-up pinion and the
knob, together with the employment of the wheel with two sets of teeth,
as herein-before described and represented in the several Figures of the
Drawing.
Secondly, the putting the hands to the hour by means of a lever, as herein-
before described and represented in Figure 7 of the Drawing.
Thirdly, the means by reversing the calibre to put the presser to the hour
on the right or left, and close to the pendant, as herein-before described and
represented in Figure 6 of the Drawing.
'Fourthly, the using of the knob as a presser in hunting watches without
the gearing wheels of the winder being altered, as herein-before described.
Fifthly, making cases without squaring, the arrangement of the presser
for putting to the hour, adjusted by a single notch made in the case in any
desired position, as herein-before described and shewn in the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Antoine Jean Redier, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
REDIER.
J. A. J. REDIER.
(L.S.).