IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND CLOCKS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Juan Nepomuceno Adorno, of Harley Street,
Cavendish Square, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND CLOCKS."
Sealed the 20th June 1876, and dated the 24th December 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Juan Nepomuceno
Adorno at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 24th December 1875.
I, JUAN NEPOMUCENO ADORNO, of Harley Street, Cavendish Square,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND CLOCKS,"
to be as follows:-
-
The object of this Invention is so to construct watches or clocks that
they may shew at a glance not only the time of the day at any part of
the world, but also the day of the week, the day of the month, and the
month of the year, and indicate at the same time the phases of the
moon, the movement of the zodiac, and the rotation of the earth,

page_text: watch or clock case. This bolt serves to lock the pendant by which
the watch or clock is to be wound up, thus as the pendent cannot be
moved without first slipping back the bolt, the winding up of the watch
or clock cannot be effected without giving the requisite daily movement
to the dials.
On the northern side of the watch or clock I engrave upon a
movable annular dial travelling outside the figures indicating the
hours, the signs of the zodiac and the principal stars therein; this dial
I cause to make one revolution in a year by cutting the requisite
number of teeth upon its periphery, and operating it by a pawle upon
the same sliding bolt which operates the dials on the other side of the
watch or clock. A second annular dial placed between this one and
the hour circle, and operated in a similar manner, serves to shew the
phases of the moon.
The moon itself is engraved or painted (onc-half black and one-half
white) upon a small disc, which is made to rotate upon this dial in the
following manner:-A pivot upon which the moon is fixed passos
through the moveable dial plate, and this pivot carries a star wheel
having (say) 28 teeth. Arranged at intervals round the inside of the
case or frame of the watch or clock are also 28 teeth. As therefore the
annular dial is caused to rotate the star wheel will be brought into gear
successively with these teeth, and will with the moon be caused to
make one rotation on its own axis in the same time that it makes ono
revolution round the earth.
The maps on both sides of the watch or clock are covered by glasses,
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JUAN
NEPOMUCENO ADORNO, of Harley Street, Cavendish Square, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Juan Nepomuceno Adorno,
Her special licence that I, the said Juan Nepomuceno Adorno, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Juan Nepomuceno Adorno, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND CLOCKS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Juan Nepo-
muceno Adorno, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Juan Nepomuceno Adorno, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained 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) :-
The object of this Invention is so to construct watches or clocks that
they may show at a glance not only the time of the day at any part of
the world, but also the day of the week, the day of the month, and tho
month of the year, and indicate at the same time the phases of the
moon, the movement of the zodiac, and the rotation of the earth.
In order to effect these objects I make use of any ordinary watch,
clock, or chronometer movement, which, however, must be so arranged
that the hour hand will make one revolution in twenty-four hours
instead of one in twelve hours, as in timekeepers of the ordinary con-
struction. This watch or clock I provide with two dials, one on either
side, divided into twenty-four hours. The centre arbour of the watch

page_text: or clock passes right througn and carries on either side the usual WHIOCES
for giving the differential movement to the hands.
Upon each of the hour wheels, or those wheels which usually carry
the hour hand, I attach so as to rotate with them a disc furnished with
a map, the one of the northern and the other of the southern
hemisphere. These discs are of such size as will allow of the figures of
the fixed dials to show round their margin. Two hands are provided for
cach disc; one of these is fixed to the map at the meridian of
Greenwich, the other is adjustable so that it may be set to any meridian
that may be desired.
It will now be understood, that as the maps rotate they will indicate
the hour of the day in tho meridian of Greenwich, and also at any
othor desired part of the earth's surface.
The arbour of the minute wheel is provided with a hand for
indicating the minutes, as in clocks and watches of the ordinary con-
struction.
On that side of the watch or clock showing the southern hemisphere,
the map and hands will revolve in the same direction as in ordinary
clocks and watches, that is to say, from left to right; but on the other
side, or that which carries the northern hemisphere, they will revolve in
the reverse direction, or from right to left; the discs will thus shew
correctly the movement of the earth.
Beneath the dial plate on the southern side of the watch or clock I
arrange three dial rings, upon which are severally engraved or painted
the days of the week, the days of the month, and the months of the
year; the latter may also have engraved upon it the signs of the zodiac.
Part of the hour dial is cut away so as to allow of a sufficient portion
of these dials being scen.
In order to give the requisite motion to the dials, I cut upon the edge
) of each of them a suitable number of ratchet teeth, and into these
teeth engage pawles carried by a bolt fitted to the periphery of the
watch or clock case. This bolt may also serve to lock the pendant by
which the watch or clock is to be wound up. In such case, as the
pendant cannot be moved without first slipping back the bolt, the
5 winding up of the watch or clock cannot be effected without giving the
requisite daily movement to the dials,

page_text: A, Fig. 4, is the fixed ring upon which the various moving dials
are assembled. This ring A is formed with two annular recesses on its
periphery for receiving two slides B, B* (see Fig. 5), which carry spring
pawles for imparting an axial motion to the rotating annular dials and
the plate which carries the moon. O is a flanged dial formed with
thirty-one ratchet teeth, and carrying thirty-one figures which indicate
the days of the month. This dial is made of such diameter as will
admit of its fitting loosely on to the fixed ring a. D is a similar dial
formed with twenty-eight teeth and provided with four groups of letters,
each group indicating the days of the week. This dial is shewn in
inside view at Fig. 9; its (internal diameter is such as to allow of its
fitting loosely upon the dial C. E is a third flanged dial provided with
three hundred and sixty-five teeth and serving to carry what I term a
“perpetual calendar," that is, the names of the months, and a divided
circle representing the days in each month. This dial fits loosely upon
the dial D, and its toothed flange is made of increased depth, as is also
that of the dial D, to bring the teeth of the three dials C, D, E, into or
near to the same plane. F is a fixed dial showing a double set of
figures for indicating the twenty-four hours of the complete day. This
dial (see the detached view, Fig. 7) is notched or cut away at its upper
part to allow of the three dials E, D, and C, to come into view, and its
centre is removed to give internal space to the differential wheels of the
watch.
The dial is graduated around its central opening to indicate
minutes, and this opening is covered by a map of the southern hemi-
sphere G. This map is carried by the hour hand wheel, on the arbor of
which the two hour hands a and b are fitted; this completes the south
face of the watch.
Referring now to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the fixed ring A is pro-
vided at its right hand or northern edge with rack teeth, the number
of these teeth will be ninety; their object is to impart through
mechanism, presently to be described, the necessary axial motion to the
moon.
The moon is carried by a flanged annular plate H, which is
furnished with ratchet teeth, three hundred and sixty-six in number.
is the moon carried by the arbor of a spur wheel ¹ (see Fig. 8)
having thirty teeth. This spur wheel gears into a pinion of ten teeth
on the boss of a spur wheel ² of thirty teeth, which is itself carried by

page_text: a stud pin on the plate H. In gear with this spur wheel h² is a pinion
of ten teeth on the boss of a star wheel ³, which turns on a stud axle
carried by the plate H, and gears with the rack teeth of the fixed
ring A. This arrangement insures a giving to the moon one rotation on
her own axis for every revolution she performs around the earth. I is
a flanged annular dial fitting over the plate H and having three hundred
and sixty-five teeth cut on its flange. This dial carries the signs of the
zodiac and the divisions for the constellations. K is a fixed dial
carrying the figures of the twenty-four hours of the day, but in this
instance they are arranged in an order the reverse of that shewn on the
hour dial F to correspond with the motion of the northern hemisphere L,
which is fitted like the southern hemisphere G to the hour wheel on the
northern side of the watch.
Referring now to Fig. 5 it will be seen that the slide B carries two
spring pawles, 1 and 2, and that the slide B* [carries three pawles, 3, 4,
and B. The pawle 1 projects in an opposite direction to the pawle 2.
As therefore the slide is moved in its groove the pawle 1 will act alter-
nately with the pawle 2, that is, at every second motion of the slide.
To permit of this the teeth of the dial E which is actuated by tho
pawle 1 is cut in the reverse direction to the teeth of the dials C
and D which are operated by the pawle 2.
To ensure the pawle 1 taking up its proper position for acting on its
ring of ratchet teeth, it is made to override a cam-shaped stud 1*, the
turning of which axially will determine the dip of the pawle and ensure
its dropping in front of each tooth in succession.
The slide B is connected directly with the external sliding thumb
piece B¹ (Fig. 3), from which the motion for all the rotating dials is
derived, and the slide B* is connected by a transverse pin 6 with the
slide B and receives its motion therefrom. This pin 6 (see the enlarged
detached view, Fig. 10) passes through a slot in the slide B*, the
length of which slot is regulated by an adjusting screw.
This arrange-
ment is intended to give a slight differential motion to the slide B*, and
thereby to compensate for the difference between the lunar and calendar
month.

page_text: to be very accurately adjusted so as to ensure its taking up but one
tooth at a time, and for this purpose it is caused to override an adjust-
able cam-shaped stud 5*, as in the former instance.
From the foregoing description it will be seen that no provision has
been made for leap year and for the shorter months. As these come
round it is proposed to reset the dials by the aid of a key or pin; thus,
at the end of February the dial carrying the days of the month will
have to be advanced two or three divisions, as the case may be.
I have described the Invention as applied to a watch, but it will be
obvious that instead of the shape and proportions of a watch, these may
be varied when it is intended to mount the apparatus in a stationary
frame to serve as a clock or chronometer.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of “ Improvements
in Watches and Clocks," 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, the adaptation to watches and
clocks of the arrangement [above described of movable concentric dials
or plates, and maps of the northern and southern hemispheres, with
additional hour hands or indicators, operated in the manner and for the
purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Juan Nepomuceno Adorno, have
horeunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-six.