Improvements in Watches.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Nov., 1888:
Complete Specification Left, 21st June, 1889-Accepted, 27th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Watches.
1 WILLIAM EHRHARDT of Barr Street Hockley Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Chronometer and Watch Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this
Invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to make watches more thoroughly dust proof than
watches as ordinarily made and to improve and simplify the method of fastening the
works in the case of the watch.
According to my first improvement I make the dust cap of keyless watches cover
the whole of the works that is to say the said dust cap has no openings in it excepting
where it is required to regulate the watch without removing the dust cap in which
case 1 make a hole in the dust cap which hole fits tightly around the balance cock and
regulator. In watches which are wound up and set by means of keys I make the
dust cap cover the whole of the works but I make in the cap holes for the pipes in
which the winding and setting hand arbors are situated. These pipes fit tightly in
the holes in the cap and any dust passing through the said holes in the cap has no
access to the finer imechanism of the watch but is deposited in the said pipes. The
dust cap may have an aperture for the balance cock and regulator the said aperture
being made to fit dust tight round the said part. In fixing the dust cap in position I
dispense with the ordinary curved bolt on the exterior of the cap and the studs with
which the said bolt engages and I fix the cap in its place at two or more points
by spring snap fastenings engaging in recesses in the inside of the edge of the
сар.
According to my second improvement I fix the works in the case of the watch
in the following manner. I slot out the pillar plate so that it may hold the bolt
without having the slot made through the said pillar plate and without having the
usual hole cut in the rim of the cap. I make the bolt and spring of one piece of
steel so shaped that it performs the functions both of spring and bolt or I form
the spring and bolt separately the piece constituting the bolt being fixed by screwing
or otherwise to the free or acting end of the spring.
Dated this 26th day of November 1888.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Watches.
I WILLIAM EHRHARDT of Barr Street, Hockley, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Chronometer and Watch Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my
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 has for its object to make watches more thoroughly dust proof than
watches as ordinarily made and to improve and simplify the method of fastening the
works in the case of the watch.
According to my first improvement I make the dust cap of keyless watches cover
the whole of the works; that is to say, the said dust cap has no openings in it
excepting where it is required to regulate the watch without removing the dust cap,
in which case I make a hole in the dust cap which hole fits tightly around the
balance cock and regulator. In watches which are wound up and set by means of
keys I make the dust cap cover the whole of the works but I make in the_cap,
holes for the pipes in which the winding and setting hand arbors are situated. These
Price B

page_text: pipes fit tightly in the holes in the cap and any dust passing through the said holes
in the cap has no access to the finer mechanism of the watch but is deposited in the
said pipes. The dust cap may have an aperture for the balance cock and regulator
the said aperture being inade to fit dust tight around the said part. In fixing the
dust cap in position I dispense with the ordinary curved bolt on the exterior of the
cap and the studs with, which the said bolt engages and I fix the cap in its place at
two or more points by spring snap fastenings engaging in recesses in the inside of
the edge of the cap. The cap fits easily on the top plate but .bas no side or lateral
motion.
According to my second improvement I fix the works in the case of the watch in
the following manner. I slot out the pillar plate so that it may hold the bolt without
having the slot made through the said pillar plate and without having the usual hole
cut in the rim of the cap. I make the bolt and spring of one piece of steel so shaped
that it performs the functions both of spring and bolt; or I form the spring and bolt
separately the piece constituting the bolt being fixed by screwing or otherwise to the
free or acting end of the spring.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in plan a dust cap for a keyless
watch made according to my invention and Figure 2 represents the said dust cap
applied to the works of the watch; Figure 3 represents in plan and section a dust
cap for a key watch and Figure 4 represents the same applied to the works of the
watch Figure represents a plan of another dust cap for a key watch made according
to my invention. The Figures of the drawing are drawn to a large scale for the
purpose of the better exhibiting my invention.
The dust caps are marked a in the several Figures and they cover the whole of the
works of the watch excepting that for a keyless watch where it is required to regulate
the watch without removing the dust cap, a hole 6 Figure 1 is made in the dust cap
which hole fits tightly around the balance cock and regulator c as represented in
Figure 2. Or for key watches the dust cap a has holes d d made in it as represented
in Figure 3 which holes d, d when the said cap is placed on the works of the watch
fit tightly around the pipes e e in which the winding and setting hand arbors are
situated as represented in Figure 4. These pipes e e fit so tightly in the holes d d in
the cap that no dust can pass between the said holes and pipes, any dust falling upon
the cap a at the parts d d being deposited in the pipes e e (see Figure 7). The dust
is thereby prevented from passing to the finer mechanism of the watch.
In the key watch Figure 5 the cap a has a hole f for fitting closely around the
balance cock and regulator ċ and also a hole for fitting around the pipe i containing
the winding arbor.
In the dust caps both for key watches and keyless watches the rim of the cap is
not perforated or slotted.
My method of fixing in position the dust caps either for keyless or key watches is
represented in plan of the pillar plate in Figure 6 and section of the dust cap and
pillar plate connected together in Figure 7. On the pillar plate k of the watch I
place at opposite points a spring snap fastening the acting end of which is V shaped
as seen in Figure 7 and at opposite points in the inside of the unperforated rim of the
cap a a recess m is made the shape of which is best seen in the sectional view of
Figure 3. When the cap a provided with the recesses m, m is placed on the works of
the watch and pressed down the lower edge of its rim bearing against the bevilled
top edges of the acting ends of the snap fastenings 11 presses the said ends inwards
and after the cap a has seated itself on the pillar plate & the said ends of the spring
fastenings
snap into the depressions m, m in the cap and fasten the cap to the
works of the watch as represented in Figure 7. To remove the dust cap a it is pulled
upwards or from off the works. The upward pressure on the dust cap causes its lower
edge to act upon the lower bevils of the shaped ends of the spring snap fastenings l
so as to press back the said ends and release the cap as will be understood by an
examination of Figure 7. The cap a is prevented from moving sideways by the slight
internal protuberance a² in Figures 3 and 7 the said protuberance fitting easily against
the top plate k³.

page_text: My method of fixing the works in the outer case of the watch is represented in
plan in Figure 8; edge view partly in section in Figure 9 and elevation in Figure 10.
The combined bolt and spring which I use is marked p q and is carried by the pillar
plate k. The face of the pillar plate k is slotted out at r for receiving the spring q
and in the edge of the pillar plate is a T shaped slots for receiving the bolt p the
said bolt having a T shaped head or acting end as best seen in Figure 10 where also
the shape of the T shaped slots in which the said head works is seen.
The cross piece of the Ṭ shaped head of the bolt p acts as a stop and guide the said
bolt being capable of an inward or outward motion parallel to the plane of the pillar
plate for fastening the works to or releasing them from the case but is incapable of
motion at right angles thereto. The end of the T shaped bolt is double bevilled. It
will be seen by an examination of Figure 10 that the slots in the pillar plate does
not pass to the underface of the said plate and consequently the cap a is without the
usual hole cut in its rim.
The combined spring and bolt p q may be made of one piece of steel as
represented in the Drawing; or the spring and bolt may be made separately and
the two parts screwed or otherwise fixed together. The bolt p of the combined
bolt and spring snaps into the recess in the watch case to fix the works in the
said case and is released therefrom in the ordinary way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my
invention of "Improvements in watches" :-
First Making the dust caps of keyless watches without any openings in them
or with an opening for fitting tightly around the balance cock and regulator sub-
stantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly Making the dust caps of key watches without openings in them
excepting holes fitting tightly around the pipes of the winding and setting arbors
or substituting in place of the hole for the pipe of the setting arbor an opening
for fitting tightly around the balance cock and regulator substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly Fixing dust caps in position on the works by means of spring snap
fastenings on the pillar plates engaging in recesses in the rims of the said
caps substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
Fourthly-Fixing the works in the case of the watch by means of a combined
bolt and spring made in one piece or of separate pieces as described and illustrated
the said bolt and spring being situated and working in a slot in the pillar plate
of the kind described and illustrated, whereby the usual hole cut in the rim of
the dust cap is dispensed with.
Dated the 19th day of Inno 1880
WILLIAM EHRHARDT.