Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1886.
Complete Left, 6th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 6th Feb., 1887.
1. STEPHEN EDWARD GUNYOs of 115 Cannon Street, in the City of London,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
For the last few years many attempts have been made by watchmakers to
manufacture cheap watches, but none of them have been able, up to the present
time, to find a mechanical combination adapted to facilitate the manufacture, and
economise hand labor.
The blanks, now supplied by factories, are all more or less alike, as though they
were capable of no improvement, and no attempts are made to render profit more
certain by a useful simplification of the mechanism, which is the object of this present
invention which comprises certain new and useful improvements in the manufacture
and a considerable simplification in the combination of the movements of watches.
The case Suitable grooves are turned in the frame for receiving the bottom, or
back, and the glass. The pendant is screwed into the frame and the winding stem
passes through it.
This improvement sensibly diminishes the first cost of the watch by the suppression
of the jointing (emboitage) and by the facility of placing the mechanism.
The bottom, or back, and the bezels, are also connected by a single hinge which
leaves the frame perfectly independent, the whole being nevertheless self contained.
The self winder The pieces hitherto employed in the self winding mechanism of a
watch are numerous and of delicate manufacture. A complete self winder can,
however, he produced with a few pieces only, without sacrificing strength and
durability, at the same time improving the means of setting the watch.
A pinion is screwed to the winding stem and actuates a wheel the teeth of which
are inclined and which drives the ratchet wheel which winds up the main spring,

page_text: To set the watch, it is only necessary to draw out and turn the knob of the winding
stem. The aforesaid pinion is thus drawn out of gear with the winding wheel, and is
put into gear with the minute hand train, and the hands can then be easily turned.
A spring lever brings back the winding stem after the watch is set.
The barrel The Barrel is rivetted on to its arbor like an ordinary wheel and has no
cover the barrel has also other advantages besides economical construction, such as
great height for a strong spring, convenience in mounting, and reduction of friction.
A ratchet wheel carries a hollow boss and retains the spring in its drum and turns
upon the axis of the bridge of the barrel when the watch is wound up.
Escapement-The escape wheel arbor has on it a quick threaded screw, gearing
with the seconds wheel. It differs little from the old escapements, but it escapes on
a fork which actuates the balance as in the lever or anchor escapement. An adjusting
serew forms a bearing for one pivot of the escape wheel arbor which is thereby
prevented from approaching the oscillating fork.
The latter screw facilitates the putting together; the moveable parts are pivoted
and put in place by ordinary workmen who leave the care of regulating the vibrations
of the balance to special workmen.
The back and the glass are connected by a single hinge which leaves the frame
dependent, or independent, at pleasure.
These improved parts are susceptible of considerable modification, both as regards
dimensions and forms, without departing from the nature of the invention.

page_text: Improvements in Watches.
I. STEPHEN EDWARD GUNYON, of 115 Cannon Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the 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 accompanying two sheets of
Drawings and to the letters and Figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
For many years past cheap watches have been manufactured without regard to
mechanical combinations whereby the manufacture could be facilitated and hand
labour reduced. The present invention relates to certain improvements whereby
considerable economy is effected in the cost of construction; these improvements
consist as follows:-
The case The usual frame or rim is preferably omitted, and the back and the besil
for the glass are fitted and spring into grooves a and turned in the solid plate P
which carries all the works of the watch, see Figures 1 and 9 of the Drawings hereto
annexed which are sections of so much of a watch constructed with some of the said
improvements applied thereto as is necessary for the elucidation of the said improve-
menis. The pendant is screwed into the plate P and the winding stem m passes
through it.
This improvement sensibly diminishes the first cost of the watch by obviating the
necessity of fitting the body of the watch into the frame of a case, and by the facility
thereby afforded for the placing of the mechanism.
The back d and the glass frame or besil d', forming the case, besides being sprung
into the grooves and in the plate P, as shown in Figures 1 and 9, may be
connected together by a single hinge and be made entirely independent and separate
from the plate P carrying the works as shown at din Figures 10 and 11, in which
Figure 10 shows the watch enclosed in the case, the latter being closed on it, and
Figure 11 shows (in dotted lines) the case open and the watch removed therefrom.
The back d and glass besil being sprung into and held in separate grooves a and b,
either may be opened on the hinged without disturbing the other. If preferred, the
hinge may be formed in the plate P and the back and the glass besil d¹ be
connected thereto permanently in the same way as the back and glass besil are
usually connected to the frame or rim of the case in ordinary watches.
Figures 3 and 4 show a modification in which the plate P containing the works
is surrounded by a frame P¹ into grooves in which the back and glass besils are
sprung instead of into the solid plate P as in Figures 1 and 9. In Figures 2 and 5
the plate P is also shown enclosed in a frame P
The self winder The pieces heretofore employed in the self winding mechanism of
a watch are numerous and of delicate construction. By the present improvements
however a complete self winder can be produced with a few pieces only without
sacrificing strength and durability and at the same time improving the mechanism

page_text: for setting the hands of the watch. For this purpose a pinion n (see Figures 3 and 4)
is placed on the winding stem m and connected thereto by means of a ratchet clutch /,
and when the winding stem is turned in the proper direction, the pinion actuates
a wheel the teeth of which drive the wheel by which the main spring is wound up.
The ratchet clutch enables the winding stem to be turned backwards without
acting on the winding mechanism. is a wheel forming part of the minute hand train
and having side teeth with which the feeth of the pinion gear when the winding
stem is drawn outwards. In its normal position the winding stemm is held pressed
inwards by a spring so that the pinion remains in gear with the wheels in
readiness to wind up the watch. When it is desired to set the hands of the watch
it is only necessary to draw the winding stem m outwards by its knob whereby the
pinion is drawn out of gear with the winding wheels and is put in gear with the
teeth on the wheel of the minute hand train, and then by turning the stem by
its knob in either direction as may be required the hands may be turned into the
desired positions. On letting go the stem it is returned into the winding position
with the pinion in gear with the wheels by means of the spring c.
A somewhat similar arrangement is shown in Figures 1 and 2 but in that case the
crown pinion acts only on the wheels of the winding mechanism a second
pinion being provided for setting the hands by means of the side teeth of the
wheel..
=
The barrel-To enable the simple self winding mechanism above described to be
applied practically the barrel is constructed as shown in section in Figure 5. The
barrel is rivetted on its arbor like an ordinary wheel, and has no cover, and
consequently requires no groove to receive a cover. A toothed wheel carries a
hollow boss to which the inner end of the main spring is attached. This toothed
wheel retains the main spring in its drum or barrel z and turns upon the axis
formed out of the plate P, when the watch is being wound up.
21°
This construction of the barrel, besides being economical, affords great depth for
the reception of a broad and strong main spring, convenience in mounting and
reduction of friction.
Escapement The escape wheel e is mounted on an arbor e (see enlarged views in
Figures 6. 7, and 8) which has on it a quick threaded screw e gearing with the seconds
wheel g which is connected to the ordinary or centre seconds hand in the usual way.
It differs little from the old escapements but it escapes on a forked lever / which
actuates the balance as in the lever or anchor escapement, the impulse being given
to the balance by the inclined faces of the teeth of the escape wheel e acting on the
edge of the forked lever k. An adjusting screw forms a bearing for one pivot of the
escape wheel arbor. This screw forms a substitute for the carriage and serves,
better than it, to adjust the position of the escapement. It serves as a counter pivot
for the arbor of the escape wheel and prevents the latter from being pushed away
from the fork by the pressure of the teeth of the wheel on the thread of the screwe
as the said wheel g turns in the direction of the arrow. It likewise facilitates the
putting together of the escapement. The movement is pivotted and put in place
by ordinary workmen, the adjustment and regulation of the balance being done
subsequently by special workmen.
This escapement may be modified in a variety of ways both as to dimensions and
forms. Any other escapement may be employed if preferred in connection with the
above described improvements in the case, self winder and barrel.
The dimensions, forms and arrangement of the various improved parts above
described may be varied without departing from the nature of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1 claim is:
First The combination of the solid plate P carrying the works with the parts of
the case sprung into grooves formed in the said solid plate P as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in Figures 1 and 9 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
Second-The combination of the sclid plate P carrying the works with the parts of

page_text: the case sprung into grooves formed in the said solid plate P and hinged together
independently of but so as to enclose the said plate and works, as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 of the drawings hereto annexed.
Third The combination of the solid plate P carrying the works with the parts of
the case hinged direct to the said plate as hereinbefore described.
Fourth In combination with the solid plate P carrying the works the mechanism
for winding up the main spring and for setting the hands, constructed, arranged and
operating as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the
Drawings hereto annexed.
Fifth In combination with the mechanism for winding up the main spring and for
setting the hands, the main spring barrel and its winding wheel, constructed,
arranged and operating as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in Figure 5 of the
Drawings hereto annexed.
Sixth The escape wheel arbore having a quick threaded screw thereon gearing
with the seconds wheel the escape wheel e. the oscillating fork and the adjusting
serewall combined, arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described,
and illustrated in Figures 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings hereto annexed.
Seventh-The solid plate P carrying the works, the parts of the case applied to the
said solid plate P by being sprung into grooves turned therein, and hinged or noi to
each other or to the said plate, the improved mechanism for winding the main spring
and for setting the hands, the improved main spring barrel and winding wheel, and
with or without the improved escapement, all constructed, arranged, combined and
operating substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the several figures
of the drawings hereto annexed, for the purpose of producing a watch of economical
construction.
S. E. GUNYON.
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London,
Agent.