IMPROVEMENTS IN POCKET WATCHES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Daniel Johnson, of Wilmington Square,
in the County of Middlesex, Watch and Chronometer Manufacturer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN POCKET WATCHES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Daniel Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 1st December 1862.
I, EDWARD DANIEL JOHNSON, of Wilmington Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Watch and Chronometer Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN POCKET WATCHES," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements which may be combined
ór applied separately, as thought desirable. The object of the first improve-
ment is to construct what is known as a blind man's watch, or a watch which
will indicate the time in the dark by the touch without materially interfering
with the movement or appearance of the watch.
To this end a train of wheels is so mounted on the upper plate of a watch
and fitted that the first wheel is carried by the stem of the ordinary cannon.
pinion and its last (revolving in 12 hours) presents a broad steel surface in the
middle of the plate. In this last-mentioned wheel a short slot is cut near its

page_text: edge, one end of the slot being cut square and and the other chamfered so as
to present an inclined plane to a spring bolt to be presently described. The
case of the watch has a false bottom turning on a boss passing through the
real outer bottom of the case, the edge of the false bottom being concealed
within the groove carrying the real bottom. To this false outer bottom is
attached a collett carrying a spring catch or bolt, which on turning the outer
bottom by the fingers enters the slot in. the wheel, slipping out again if moved
in the wrong direction, but being arrested in its motion if turned in the
same direction as the hands of the watch, thereby indicating the time shewn
by them.
Twelve small projections on the outer edge of the case represent the twelve
hours, and one small bead of gold on the false bottom serves the purpose
of an index as well as a means of moving the false bottom. Thus all the
advantages of this mechanism are obtained without alterations either in' the
form of the movement or in the appearance of the case beyond the
beads..
The second improvement relates to an improved mode of making black
dials. The usual mode has been to paint the whole surface of a white enamel
plate and by removing the black where figures, numbers, or other indications
were required to shew the white enamel through, I make the dial as before
a pure white plate and paint the figures in black, finally cutting out in the
lathe the centre of the whole dial and replacing it by a plate of solid black
enamel, thus producing the kind of jet black surface sought to be combined
with a "black upon white" hour circle.
The last improvement relates to the obtaining of what may be called a
"photographic seconds." This is a temporarily operating seconds hand for
the use of the photographer, who requires a seconds hand fixed at zero but
ready to move forward various numbers of seconds but to be found always at
zero unless in use. On the ordinary seconds pivot of the watch I mount a
wheel loosely, the said wheel being a counterpart of the fourth or seconds
wheel of the watch; this wheel carries a fine hair spring, whose. end is pinned
to a stud in the plate of the watch, thus the wheel on being turned round
bends up the spring which returns the wheel to its original position when
released.
A pinion of any number of leaves, the same reaching both fourth.wheels, is
pivotted so as to engage both fourth wheels, the pivot next the secondary
fourth wheel being mounted in a. bar moving on a stud to and from the said
secondary fourth wheel. This bar is acted upon by a spring that keeps it out,
thus when not in action the spring detaches the pinion from the secondary while

page_text: it remains in gear with the primary seconds wheel. A small stud is passed
through the watch case and when pressed upon moves the bar forward and makes
connection with the second wheel, which then starts and moves forward
carrying the seconds hand.
To prevent this stopping the watch by being kept too long in action and so
coiling the small spring too far up, at the proper point two teeth of the wheel
are removed so that it becomes a circular rack whose end determines the motion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Daniel Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st June 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
DANIEL JOHNSON, of Wilmington Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Watch and Chronometer Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edward Daniel Johnson, Her special license that I, the said Edward
Daniel Johnson,my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Edward Daniel Johnson, my executors, administrators, 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 of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN POCKET WATCHES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Edward Daniel Johnson, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal 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 Edward Daniel Johnson, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :—
This Invention relates to certain improvements which may be combined

page_text: :
in the same watch or applied separately, as thought desirable. The object of the
first improvement is to construct what is known as a blind man's watch, or a
watch which will indicate the time in the dark by the touch, without materially
interfering with the "movement" or mechanism of the watch or with the
external appearance of the watch.
In carrying out this object I arrange a train of wheels on the upper plate
of the watch, the last wheel of which shall be situate in the centre of the
watch and revolve once in every twelve hours. This wheel I so construct or
fit that it shall present an obstruction to a catch or stop carried by a moveable
disc, forming a false back to the case. This catch or stop is so arranged that
when the disc is moved round in one direction the catch will strike against
the obstruction and the further movement of the disc will be thereby arrested,
but when moved in the opposite direction the obstruction will not be
presented. By arresting this disc or moveable portion of the case the position
of the hour hand will be ascertained, a stud being provided on the exterior of
the face of the disc to act as an indicator, and a series of studs representing
the position of the hours on the dial being inserted in the rim of the watch case.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews the watch case in back view on
an enlarged scale, a being the moveable disc and 6 the rim. Fig. 2 is an
inverted view of the watch case shewing the inner face of the case as carrying
at its centre a collet c which is secured by screws to the disc a. This attach-
ment is best seen in the cross section, Fig. 3. Affixed to and surrounding the
collet is an annular spring d shewn detached in plan and edge views at
Figures 4. On this spring d is a catch e for taking into a slot cut in the last
of the train of wheels above mentioned. At f, Fig 5, this wheel which I term
the twelve hours wheel is shewn in position on the upper plate of the watch.
It is constructed in the form of a disc, and is mounted on the setting square.
Into the teeth on its periphery gears a pinion g on the boss of a wheel h, which
through an intermediate pinion receives motion from the "first wheel" i
shewn at Fig. 6, which represents the train of wheels with the twelve hour
wheel fremoved from the upper, plate. In this disc wheel a short slot k is
made to receive the catch on the annular spring. This slot terminates at one
end with a square shoulder and at the other end is chamfered off so as to
present an inclined plane to the spring catch. By referring to Fig. 1 it will
be seen that there are twelve small projections on the outer edge of the case,
which projections represent the twelve hour divisions of the dial. There is
also one small bead or stud l on the disc a, which affords the means of turning
the disc as well as serving the purpose of an index. The action of the
parts is as follows:-

page_text: Supposing it to be. required to ascertain the time in the dark it is only
necessary to turn the disc a in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1; the spring
catch will then move forward until it is arrested by the square shoulder of
the slot in the wheel f; then by feeling the position of the stud l. with
respect to the divisional studs on the rim of the case, remembering that the
stud at the top of the case near the loop represents twelve, the time will be
pretty accurately ascertained. The only interference which this arrange-
ment will offer to the free going of the watch is the uniform friction created
between the disc and the twelve hour wheel'f by the opening.catch.
. A modification of the above described arrangement, but embracing the samé
principle of action, is shewn at Figures 7 and 8, Fig. 7 being a view of the inner
face of the case, and Fig. 8 a view of the upper plate of the watch with the
twelve hour wheel mounted thereon. Instead of a slot in the wheelf to receivė
the spring catch, this wheel carries a catch m which is intended to come in
contact with a stud n on the collet c. This catch m is jointed to a coiled
spring which is firmly secured to the wheel f, and it is pressed outwards by
the tail of the coiled spring. The disc a therefore which carries the stud n
will as it is turned be arrested by the catch m, but the catch m will be free to
move round with the twelve hours wheel and slide past the stud n..
The Invention relates, secondly, to the obtaining of what may be called
"photographic seconds." This consists of a temporarily operating seconds
hand for the use of the photographer, who requires a seconds hand stationary at
zero but ready to move forward various numbers of seconds, but always to be
found at zero unless in use. This improvement is shewn in plan view at
Fig. 9, which represents a watch with a portion of the face and underlying
parts broken away to show the arrangement for the photographic seconds.
Fig. 10 shews the arrangement in edge view.
On the ordinary seconds pivot o of the watch a wheel p is loosely mounted,
the said wheel being a counterpart of the fourth or seconds wheel 9 of the
watch. The wheel p carries at its boss a fine hair spring r whose end is pinned
to a stud in the plate of the watch. Thus the wheel on being turned round
coils up the spring which returns the wheel to its original position when
released. A pinions of any number of leaves and of sufficient length to reach
both fourth wheels is pivotted so as to engage both these wheels, the pivot
next the secondary fourth wheel being mounted in a fulcrum bar t to which
a stud u that passes through the watch case is attached. This bar is acted
upon by a spring in such manner that the bar will have the tendency to
hold the pinion s out of gear with the wheel p, but the action of the spring in
detaching the pinion from the secondary does not interfere with its gearing

page_text: into and being driven by the primary seconds wheel. When however the
stud u is pressed upon it will move the bar forward and make connection with
the second wheel, which then starts and moves forward carrying the seconds
hand. To prevent this stopping the watch by being kept too long in action and
so coiling the small spring too far up, at the proper point two teeth of the wheel P
are removed so that it becomes a circular rack whose end determines the
motion.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
Pocket Watches," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I claim,-
First, arresting the movement of the disc or moveable portion of the case
by contact with the twelve hours wheel in the manner and for the purpose
above described.
And, secondly, the mode above described for effecting the temporary action
of the seconds hands.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Daniel Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the First day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
EDWARD DANIEL JOHNSON. (L.s.)