CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON WATCHES AND CLOCKS
Year: 1834

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
LITTLEWORT, of Rahere Street, Goswell Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Watch and Clock Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventeenth day of October, in the fourth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
George Littlewort, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said George Littlewort, my exors, adñiors, or such others as I, the
said George Littlewort, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON WATCHES AND CLOCKS;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said George Littlewort, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that, in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George Littlewort, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists, first, of an improvement on what is called the palette;
and, secondly, in an improvement in hanging the spindle or axes of the balance
wheel.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood and carried into effect,
I will describe the Drawing hereunto annexed, in which Figure 1 repre-
sents the palette of a watch or clock constructed according to my Invention;
a, a, being the safety edges, which it will be seen stand at right angles to the
stems or legs which carry then. Figure 2 shows an ordinary palette, the safety
edges of which may be said to be two hooks, as at b, b. Now it is well known
to watch and clock makers that it is highly desireable that the surface of the
safety edges should be as nearly as possible a portion of a circle in order to
insure equality of action, and this object can only be imperfectly obtained when
the palette is constructed according to the shape heretofore practised, owing to
the difficulty of removing the metal of the inner surface c of the metal so as
to produce a true or correct portion of a circle, the same being done by the
hand with a file; but when made according to my Invention, the safety edges
standing up from the legs or stems which carry them, the face c may be turned
into true portions of the required circle, and which will be readily accomplished
by placing the palette in a lathe; by this means, the safety edges being cut and
polished of true portions of a circle, their action on the teeth of the wheel will
be at all times correct and uniform.
Figure 3 shows the second improvement; d being the ordinary balance
wheel, its spindle or axle being, as usual, supported at one end at the point e;
but in place of the other end of this spindle being supported by the main
potance f, as heretofore, I apply a support g, which being independent of the
main potance may be got at with great facility when desired, and by this
means of banging the spindle or axis of the balance wheel the holes which
carry this spindle may be jewelled much easier than when the one end of the
spindle was carried by the main potance. f is the main potance, the upper
part being removed in order to show the wheel d and the bearing or support g,
the main potance being precisely the same as heretofore, excepting that it
has no connection with the spindle of the wheel d, all which will be clearly
understood by a watchmaker. Figure 4 is the bearing or support g, shown
separately.
I would remark that I have not thought it necessary to show more of the

page_text: parts of a watch or clock than is necessary to explain the nature of my
Invention, and it will be evident that in applying these my improvements
no other changes in the construction thereof are required than are shown
explained.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of carry-
ing the same into effect, I would have it understood that I confine my claim of
Invention,-
First, to the improvements in the palettes of watches and clocks shown in
Figure 1.
And, secondly, I claim the application of the bearing or support 9 for one
end of the axle or spindle of the balance wheel, and thus hanging the same
spindle independently of the main potance.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Littlewort, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.
GEORGE (L.S.) LITTLEWORT.