Year: 1885

page_text: I ROBERT MANN LOWNE of Leicester House, East End, Finchley in the County
of Middlesex, Scientific Instrument Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of
the invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a method of casing up watch or other movements in a
cheap durable and practically dust and air-tight manner and at the same time
providing a means for winding and setting the hands of watches and time pieces.
In carrying my invention into effect I make the case as simple as possible and to
attain this object I preferably employ a piece of tube of any suitable metal and of
a convenient size, for containing the movement to be cased up. At each end
of this tube, is a groove cut in a manner to snap in or receive and hold crystal or
other glasses in order to form the back and front of the case, I preferably employ
a glass for the back of the case but it is not essential as metal may be used instead.
It will be at once understood that a case made of a piece of tube having a glass
accurately fitted and snapped into a groove at each end would be practically air
and dust-tight, this arrangement I preferably employ for watches combined with
the following provisions 1st for opening the case, 2nd for winding, 3rd for setting
the hands.
A case as just described, could be opened by means of "drawing wax" that is
by causing some sticky material to adhere to the glass and to make it possible to
pull the glass out of its groove, but this would be attended with considerable
inconvenience which to avoid I employ the following arrangement. The diameter
of the movement plate is made to fit the inside diameter of the tube or case and
fitted inside the tube or case is a lining of any convenient shape, this lining lies
between the movement plate and one glass, and in such a manner that pressure
being exerted in a line with the axis of the tube or case, will be communicated to
the glass and so cause the glass to snap out or leave its groove. In order to obtain
the required pressure for removing the glass, I form an aperture or hole through
the tube or case for the admission of a screw driver or other suitable instrument
which will act on the movement plate as a lever, the case forming the fulcrum, this
aperture or hole I cover by a pendant preferably constructed in the following
manner. For, a pendant I employ a disc of metal of a suitable size one side of this
[Price S1

page_text: disc is fitted to the outside of the tube or case and the other side has fixed to it
preferably by hard solder a suitable sized ring for receiving a swivel or watch
guard, the disc is fixed to the tube or case in any convenient manner preferably by
two screws, a pendent constructed in this manner is rigid and strong, it covers the
aperture before mentioned and is cheap in its manufacture.
For providing a means for winding watches and time pieces I employ the
following arrangement.
4
Through the glass or other back of the case is a hole drilled for the reception of
a key, the position of this hole corresponds with the "wind-up-square
of the
movement, air and dust is prevented from entering the case by means of a cap 1
pressing practically air tight against the inner side of the glass or other back,
this cap I preferably make in the shape of a hollow truncated cone, the small end
of this cone enters the hole which has a chamfer to receive it, the large end of the
cone presses against a thin disc of metal which has a hole through its centre, this
disc is placed over the wind up square in such a manner as to form a spring to hold
the cone firmly in its position.
In winding the watch, the cone and spring do not revolve, but merely serve to
prevent air and dust from entering the case, the form of cap may be modified and
à cylinder instead of a cone may be employed and it may press against the flat
inner side of the back of the case, or the hole in the case may be bushed and the
cap may be fixed to or form part of the bushing, but for glass backs I prefer the
cone and spring as above described.
For setting the hands I employ sun and planet wheels in manner as follows.
In any convenient part of the glass or other back is a second hole; when the back
is of glass I prefer to bush this second hole with metal and I arrange in this
bushing and within the thickness of the glass a "set-hand-square" similar to the
wind up square, this set hand square has an arbor which passes through the
bushing and enters the case, and is capable of being turned by means of a key
applied to the square. Rigidly attached to this arbor and within the case, is a
toothed wheel, this toothed wheel is connected by a lever to a second toothed wheel
and gears into it, the second toothed wheel revolves on a pin fixed to the lever and
the lever is capable of revolving on the arbor of the set hand square.
Attached to the "centre wheel" arbor of the watch or time piece I employ a
third toothed wheel, this third toothed wheel revolves with the "centre wheel"
arbor and the minute hand, but it is quite disconnected from the first and second
toothed wheels mentioned.
The lever is kept in its position by a spring, and is at such a distance from the
"centre wheel" arbor that it can bring the second toothed wheel into gear with
the third toothed wheel.
The action of setting the hands is as follows:
On turning the set-hand square, the first and second toothed wheels move with
the square, but do not gear together until the second toothed wheel comes into
contact with the third toothed wheel, then all three wheels gear together and
move the hands, the set-hand-square is then turned a short distance the reverse
way, which throws the second and third wheels out of gear with one another, by
this method the hands can be set in either direction, as the second toothed wheel
will operate on either side of the third toothed wheel. If it is desired that the
hands shall be set in one direction only, a stop is placed in such a manner as to
stop the lever from moving in one direction, on moving the square in this direction,
the wheels move with it until the lever comes in contact with the stop, then the
first and second wheels revolve but cannot come into contact with the third wheel
in that direction.
I construct a cheap dial with sunk seconds in the following manner.
I have the dial printed without seconds on enamelled card or other suitable
material and on the same or other card I have a suitable seconds dial printed, I then
fix the dial by any convenient means to thin zinc or other metal. The proper

page_text: position for the seconds being ascertained the whole size of the seconds dial is then
stamped right through the card and zinc leaving a clear space, the seconds dial is
now fixed at the back of the dial so that it is seen through the clear space. By
this arrangement of construction the seconds are well sunk and may be placed in
any position on the dial in order to correspond to the position of the seconds or
fourth wheel of the watch.
It is not essential to fix the printed dial on metal as the card may be sufficiently
thick to form the sunk seconds, but I prefer to fix thin card or paper to metal
as being more durable than the card alone.
I also employ sun and planet wheels for winding, similar to the arrangement
I have just described for setting the hands.
The same wheels that set the hands may without further complication be
employed for winding, but in that instance, they would only set the hands in one
direction, as the other direction would gear into a toothed wheel placed on the
"wind-up-square."
When it is desirable to use sun and planet wheels for winding I preferably
employ a separate set similar to the arrangement for setting the hands but stronger.
Dated November 17th 100R

page_text: I, ROBERT MANN LOWNE of Leicester House, East End, Finchley in the County
of Middlesex, Scientific Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
My invention relates to a method of casing up watch or other movements in a
cheap durable and practically dust and air tight manner also for providing a means
for winding and setting the hands of watches and time keepers.
My invention is represented in the accompanying drawings of which Figure 1 is.
a back view, Figure 2 is a transverse section and Figure 3 is an edge view of a
watch with my improvements applied thereto.
Figure 4 is a section of the arrangement I adopt for excluding dust and air from
the interior of the watch when winding the same by a key applied directly to the
winding up square acting directly upon the spring.
Figures 5 and 6 are respectively a sectional side view and a plan showing the
means I adopt for obtaining access to the interior of the watch case for the purpose
of enabling the glass and movement to be removed therefrom. Figure 7 is a section
on the line A. B. of Figure 1 and Figure 8 is a diagram view of means constructed
according to my invention for setting the hands of the watch in both directions.
Figure 9 is a diagram view showing a slight modification of means for setting
the hands of the watch in both directions.
Figures 10 and 11 are diagram views of means for setting the hands of a watch
in one direction only.
Figure 12 is a diagram view of means for winding and for setting the hands of
a watch by a key applied to a single square.
Figure 13 is a section of the case showing how access may be had thereto for
regulating the watch and Figure 14 is a view of a card illustrating my improved
dial.
In all the figures like parts are marked with similar letters of reference.
In carrying my invention into effect I make the case as simple as possible and to
attain this object I preferably employ a piece of tube a of any suitable metal and
of a convenient size for containing the movement to be cased up. At each end of
this tube, is a groove b cut in a manner to snap or receive and hold crystal or other
glasses c, c² in order to form the back and front of the case, I preferably employ a
glass for the back of the case, but it is not essential as metal may be used instead
in which case it may be a fixture to the tube a. It will be at once understood that
a case made of a piece of tube having a glass accurately fitted and snapped into a
groove at each end would be practically air and dust tight, this arrangement
I preferably employ for watches combined with the following provisions 1st for
opening the case, 2nd for winding 3rd for setting the hands.

page_text: A case as just described could be opened by means of " drawing wax," that is by
causing some sticky material to adhere to the glass and so make it possible to pull
the glass out of its groove, but this would be attended with considerable incon-
venience which to avoid I employ the following arrangement -
The diameter of the movement plate d is made to fit the inside diameter of the
tube or case a and fitted inside the tube or case a is a lining & of any convenient
abape, this lining lies between the movement plate d and one glass c¹ and in such
a manner that pressure being exerted, in a line with the axis of the tube or caŝe,
will be communicated to the glass and so cause the glass to anap out of or leave its
groove b. In order to obtain the required pressure for removing the glass I form
an aperture or hole ƒ through the tube or case a for the admission of a screw driver
or other suitable instrument which will act on the movement plate as a lever, the
case forming the fulcrum this aperture or hole ƒ I cover by a pendant g preferably
constructed in the following manner. For a pendant I employ a disc of metal g¹
of a suitable size one side of this disc is fitted to the outside of the tube or case
and the other side has fixed to it preferably by hard solder a suitable sized ring g
for receiving a swivel or watch guard, the disc g' is fixed to the tube or case a in
any convenient manner preferably by two screws g² (see Figure 6) a pendant
constructed in this manner is rigid and strong, it covers the aperture ƒ before
mentioned and is cheap in its manufacture.
tt
For providing a means for winding watches and time pieces I employ the
following arrangement. Through the glass c¹ or other back of the case is a hole c¹³
drilled for the reception of a key, the position of this hole corresponds with the
wind-up-square" h of the movement, air and dust are prevented from entering
the case by means of a cap c³ pressing practically air tight against the inner side of
the glass or other back, this cap o I preferably make in the shape of a hollow
truncated cone, the small end of this cone enters the hole c which has a chamfer to
receive it, the large end of the cone presses against a thin disc of metal c which
has a hole through its centre, this disc is placed over the wind up square h in such
a manner as to form a spring to hold the cone ca firmly in its position. In winding
the watch, the cone and spring of do not revolve, but merely serve to prevent air
and dust from entering the case, the form of cap c³ may be modified and a cylinder
instead of a cone may be employed and it may press against the flat inner side of
the back of the case c' or the hole in the case may be bushed and the cap c³ may
be fixed to or form part of the bushing, but for glass backs I prefer the cone and
spring as above described.
For setting the hands I employ sun and planet wheels in manner as follows and
as represented at Figures 1, 7 and 8. In any convenient part of the glass or other
back is a second hole ;; when the back is of glass I prefer to bush this second hole
with metal j¹; and I arrange in this bushing and within the thickness of the glass
a "set-band-square" similar to the wind up square, this set hand square has an
arbor which passes through the bushing and enters the case, and is capable of
being turned by means of a key applied to the square 7. Rigidly attached to this
arbor and within the case is a toothed wheel i, this toothed wheel is connected
5 by a lever ¹ to a second toothed wheel ** and gears into it, the second toothed
wheel revolves on a pin fixed to the lever and the lever is capable of
revolving on the arbor of the set hand square 7. Attached to the "centre
wheel" arbor k of the watch or time piece employ a third toothed wheel k¹ this
third toothed wheel revolves with the "centre wheel" arbor kand the minute hand
0 (not shown) but is quite disconnected from the first and second toothed wheels 'i
and . The lever is kept in its position by a spring and is at such a distance
from the "centre-wheel" arbor & that it can bring the second toothed wheel i³ into
gear with the third toothed wheel k¹.
¿³ is a spring which by acting upon the wheel i presses the bevelled shoulder of

page_text: 、 The action of setting the hands is as follows-On turning the set hand square
the first and second toothed wheels i, i move with the square, but do not give
motion one to the other until the second toothed wheel comes into contact with
the third toothed wheel k¹ then all three wheels gear together and move the hands
the required distance, the set hand square is then turned a short distance the
reverse way which throws the second and third wheels i, k¹ out of gear with one
another by this method the hands can be set in either direction, as the second
toothed wheel is capable of operating on either side of the third toothed wheel k¹.
If it is desired that the hands shall be set in one direction only a stop k³ as shown
at Figures 10 and 11 is placed in such a manner as to stop the lever from
moving in one direction, on moving the square in this direction the wheels i and i³
move with it until the lever i comes into contact with the stop k² then the first
and second wheels i, i revolve but cannot come into contact with the third
wheel in that direction.
At Figure 9 I have represented a slight modification in the mechanism for
setting the hands whereby only a slight motion of the lever is required to set
the bands in either direction whilst the gear wheels 2, * are automatically
removed from the toothed wheel k¹ after the setting has been effected and the key
removed from the set hand square thereby obviating the possibility of leaving the
toothed wheel in gear with the toothed wheel k³.
In this modification I extend the lever so as to enable it to carry a toothed
wheel gearing with the toothed wheel i on the side opposite to the toothed
wheel by applying the key to the set hand square ; and turning it in one or
other direction either of the toothed wheels or * can be caused to gear with
and give motion to the toothed wheel revolving with the centre wheel arbor k
thereby enabling the hands to be set in either direction then when the key is
removed from the set hand square j³ a spring 1 acts upon a stud i on the lever 21
to return the toothed wheels 2, to the position shown at Figure 9 in which
position both of such last mentioned toothed wheels are out of gear with the
toothed wheel k¹.
In order to enable access to be had to the regulator I form a hole at any suitable
part through the casing tube a and lining tube e which hole I close by means of a
screw a Thus by removing the said screw a¹ a suitable instrument may be
inserted into the case to move the regulator in either direction.
I construct a cheap dial with sunk seconds in the following manner.
I have the dial m printed without seconds on enamelled card or other suitable
material and on the same or other card I have a suitable seconds dial m² printed,
I then fix the dial m by any convenient means to thin zinc or other metal. The
proper position for the seconds being ascertained, the full size of the seconds
dial m³ is then stamped right through the card and zinc leaving a clear space, the
seconds dial m¹ is now fixed at the back of the dial m so that it is seen through
the clear space.
By this. arrangement of construction the seconds are well sunk and may be
placed in any position on the dial in order to correspond to the position of the
seconds or fourth wheel of the watch. It is not essential to fix the printed dial
on metal as the card may be sufficiently thick to form the sunk seconds, but I prefer
to fix thin card or paper to metal as being more durable than the card alone."
I also in some cases employ the same sun and planet wheels for winding, similar
to the arrangement I have just described for setting the hands. The same wheels
that set the hands may without further complication be employed for winding as
represented at Figure 12 but in that instance they would only set the hands in one
direction as the other direction would gear into a toothed wheel h¹ placed on the
wind up square h and thus enable the winding to be effected When it is desirable
to use sun and planet wheels for winding I preferably employ a separate set similar
to the arrangement for setting the hands but stronger.
Although I have described my improvements as applied to watches they are also
applicable to other time pieces.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The peculiar construction of case and pendant for watches and other time
pieces substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The method of obtaining access to the wind up square hand of making the
case practically air and dust tight at such part substantially as herein shown and
described at Figure 4.
3. The employment of sun and planet wheels for winding and for setting the
hands either conjointly or separately, substantially as herein shown and described.
4. The method substantially as herein shown and described of constructing a
dial with sunk seconds.