AN IMPROVEMENT OR IM- PROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND OTHER TIMEKEEPERS."
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Haseler, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Watchmaker, for the 'Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IM-
PROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND OTHER TIMEKEEPERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Haseler at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th February 1877.
.
CHARLES HASELER, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Watchmaker. "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND OTHER
TIMEKEEPERS."
My said Invention has reference to such watches and other timekeepers as are
actuated by a mainspring connected, through the barrel or case containing it,
directly to the train of wheels of the watch; that is, without the intervention
of a fusee between the said mainspring and the said train of wheels. Watches
and timekeepers of this kind are commonly described as having "going barrels'
or "going main wheels."
Mechanism for preventing the overwinding of the spring is frequently used in
conjunction with the said "going barrels" or "going main wheels," such mechanism
being called stop-work. The said going barrels or main wheels are also used without
stop-work; in which case, when the spring is wound up to its full extent, it is in a
state of extreme tension, and there is a great strain upon the teeth of the wheels,
and for a time, that is, until the spring has slightly relaxed, the watch or timekeeper
works with undue speed.
The object of my Invention is to remedy the defects referred to by rendering it
impossible, after winding up the watch or timekeeper, for the spring to be left in
the state of excessive tension referred to.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a watch. To one end of the axis or
arbor, around which the spring is wound, I attach a ratchet wheel as usual, a pawl
or click being made to engage with the said ratchet-wheel by the pressure of a light
spring. The said pawl or click turns upon a pin or axis, but instead of making the
hole in the pawl through which the said pin or axis passes circular, I make the said
hole of an elongated figure, the direction of greatest length in the said hole being in

page_text: the direction of the greatest length of the pawl. The said pawl has consequently
the power of sliding on the said pin as well as turning upon it as a centre.
The spring by which the pawl is made to engage with the ratchet wheel presses
upon an incline on the under side of the rear end of the pawl, and thus presses the
pawl towards the ratchet wheel, and at the same time presses its front end upon the
teeth of the ratchet wheel.
In winding up the watch the teeth of the ratchet wheel retire from the front end
of the pawl, and there is no pressure exerted upon the pawl by the ratchet teeth,
and the said pawl is pressed forwards by its spring as far as the elongated hole in
it will permit. When the pawl can no longer advance its action is like that of an
ordinary pawl; but when the winding is interrupted the pressure exerted by the
mainspring through the ratchet wheel upon the pawl forces it back as far as the
length of the slot in it permits, and the mainspring consequently unwinds itself, or
is relaxed to that extent. Thus, however tightly the mainspring may be wound up,
immediately the pressure on the key is relaxed the mainspring unwinds itself to a
sufficient extent to prevent the injurious consequences herein-before pointed out as
consequent upon fully winding watches or timekeepers having no stop-work.
Instead of making the pin on which the pawl turns fixed, and making an
elongated hole or slot in the pawl, the pin may be fixed in the pawl and work in a
slot-like bearing in the plate.
"
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Haseler in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th August
1877.
CHARLES HASELER, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Watchmaker. "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND OTHER
TIMEKEEPERS."
My said Invention has reference to such watches and other timekeepers as are
actuated by a mainspring connected, through the barrel or case containing it,
directly to the train of wheels of the watch or timekeeper; that is, without the
intervention of a fusee between the said mainspring and the said train of wheels.
Watches and timekeepers of this kind are commonly described as having "going
barrels" or "going main wheels."
Mechanism for preventing the overwinding of the spring is frequently used in
conjunction with the said "going barrels" or "going main wheels," such mechanism
being called stop-work. The said "going barrels" or "main wheels" are also used
without stop-work; in which case, when the spring is wound up to its full extent, it
is in a state of extreme tension, and there is a great strain upon the teeth of the
wheels, and for a time, that is, until the spring has slightly relaxed, the watch or
timekeeper suffers from undue pressure of the mainspring upon the train and
escapement.
The object of my Invention is to remedy the defects referred to by rendering it
impossible, after winding up the watch or timekeeper, for the spring to be left in the
state of excessive tension referred to.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a watch. To one end of the axis or
arbor, around which the spring is wound, I attach a ratchet wheel as usual, a paw!
or click being made to engage with the said ratchet wheel by the pressure of a
spring. The said pawl or click turns upon a pin or axis, but instead of making the
hole in the pawl through which the said pin or axis passes circular, I make the said
hole of an elongated figure, the direction of greatest length of the said hole being,
preferably, in the direction of the greatest length of the pawl. The said pawl has
consequently the power of sliding on the said pin as well as turning upon it as a
centre.

page_text: The spring by which the pawl is made to engage with the ratchet wheel may
press upon an incline on the under side of the rear end of the pawl, and thus urge
the pawl towards the ratchet wheel, and at the same time press its front end upon
the teeth of the ratchet wheel.
In winding up the watch the teeth of the ratchet wheel retire from the front end
of the pawl, and there is no pressure exerted upon the pawl by the ratchet wheel,
and the said pawl is pressed or pulled forwards by its spring as far as the elongated
hole in it will permit. When the pawl can no longer advance its action is like that
of an ordinary pawl; but when the winding is interrupted or ceases the pressure
exerted by the mainspring through the ratchet wheel upon the pawl forces it back
as far as the length of the slot in it permits, and the mainspring consequently
unwinds itself or is relaxed to that extent. Thus, however tightly the mainspring
may be wound up, immediately the pressure on the key is relaxed the mainspring
unwinds itself to a sufficient extent to prevent the injurious consequences herein-
before pointed out as consequent upon fully winding watches or timekeepers having
no stop-work.
Instead of making the pin on which the pawl turns fixed, and making an
elongated hole or slot in the pawl, the pin may be fixed in the pawl and work in a
slot-like bearing in the plate.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent in plan the back plate of a watch provided with
mechanism, constructed according to my Invention, for preventing the mainspring
of the watch from being left in a state of extreme tension after winding, Figure 1
representing the parts of the said mechanism in their normal position, and Figure 2
the same when the watch is being wound up.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both Figures.
a is the ordinary ratchet wheel on one end of the axis or arbor b of the going
barrel or going main wheels; c is the pawl or clip engaging with the teeth of the
said ratchet wheel a, the said pawl or click being capable of turning upon the pin
or axis d as a centre, and also of sliding on the said pin d. The hole e in the pawl c,
through which the pin d on the watch plate passes, has the elongated figure
represented, the said hole being made in the longer direction of the pawl. It will
thus be seen that the said pawl c, besides having the power of turning on the pin
or axis d as a centre, has also the power of sliding on the said pin; f is the spring
by which the pawl or click, when the pressure of the ratchet wheel is removed
from it, is made to take its advanced position; the said spring also causes the pawl to
engage with the said ratchet wheel. By an examination of the Drawing it will be
seen that the tail or rear end of the pawl c is inclined, and the free end of the
spring presses upon the said inclined end, and urges the said pawl, when at liberty
to move, towards the ratchet wheel a, or into the advanced position represented in
Figure 2. When the watch is being wound up the ratchet wheel a moves in the
direction of the arrow, the teeth of the said ratchet wheel retiring from the front or
acting end of the pawl c, and there is consequently no pressure exerted upon the
said pawl by the said ratchet wheel. The said pawl c being thus at liberty to move
is advanced by its spring f into the position represented in Figure 2, the slot e
advancing on the pin d till its rear end bears against the said pin. When the pawl
occupies the advanced position, Figure 2, it acts during the winding up of the watch
like an ordinary pawl; that is, it turns on the pin d as a centre, its front end
slipping over the teeth of the ratchet wheel a as the latter moves in the direction
of the arrow. When, however, the winding is interrupted or completed, and the
pressure on the key is relaxed, the pressure exerted by the mainspring through the
ratchet wheel a upon the pawl c forces the latter back as far as the length of
the slot e in it permits, as illustrated in Figure 1, and the mainspring consequently
unwinds itself, or is relaxed to a corresponding extent; that is to say, as soon as
the pressure on the key is removed from the axis or arbor b the pawl c is forced
back from the winding-up position, Figure 2, to the normal position, Figure 1; the

page_text: ratchet wheel a is thereby permitted to have a back motion in a direction contrary
to that indicated by the arrow, and the mainspring is thereby slightly unwound,
the pawl, as soon as it reaches the position, Figure 1, preventing the further back
motion of the said ratchet wheel.
The pin or axis d on which the pawl c turns may be fixed on the said pawl,
and the elongated hole or slot e may be made in the watch plate with the same
effect, but I prefer the arrangement of parts described and illustrated in the
Drawing.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention of
improvements in watches and other timekeepers having "going barrels" or "going
main wheels," the construction and arrangements of the parts of mechanism, herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, for preventing the
mainspring being left in a state of excessive tension after the watch or timekeeper
has been wound up; that is to say, making the pawl or click which engages with
the ratchet wheel on the axis or arbor of the going barrel or going main wheels
capable of sliding upon its pin or axis, as well as turning upon the said pin or axis
as a centre, substantially as described and illustrated, the said sliding pawl advancing
by the action of a spring when the watch or timekeeper is being wound up, and
receding, so as to permit the ratchet wheel to have a slight back or return motion
when the pressure on the key or winding part is relaxed, substantially as described
and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Haseler, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Second day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
CHARLES HASELER. (L.S.)