IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATCHES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Rötig, of Havre, in the Empire of
France, Watch and Chronometer Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATCHES."
Sealed the 19th July 1870, and dated the 21st January 1870..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Froderic Rötig at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents; with his Petition, on
the 21st January 1870.
I, FREDERIC Rötig, of Havre, in the Empire of France, Watch and
› Chronometer Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said.
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATCHES," to be as
follows: : —
Watches known as stop seconds watches, which are daily used by
seamen, engineers, medical men, and others, are composed of complicated
mechanism by the combination in the same case of a special arrange-
ment of wheels for the stop seconds besides the ordinary wheelwork of
the watch. Instruments intended to work with such accuracy must be
made with very great care, and their price is necessarely high by reason.
of the care and time required in their manufacture.

page_text: Now by my improvements I dispense with the special arrangement of
wheels for the stop seconds, and I obtain this by means of a particular
arrangement, as hereafter described, very simple and easy of maņu-
facture, enabling me to produce the parts of my system at a price but
very little above an ordinary watch of similar quality.
These improvements I have represented in the annexed Drawing,
wherein Fugure 1 is a view of the work or movement from beneath, and
Fig. 2 a view of the opposite side or the hand side, the hour and minute
hands being not represented. The small hand t, Fig. 2, indicates the
seconds on a dial, and the great one V the stop seconds.. The latter may
be operated by the end of a lever g, one small part of which protrudes
out of the case, see Fig. 2. The other Figures are details which will be
explained herein-after.
A brass disc a, the outer edge or circumference of which is smooth, is
fitted on the arbor of the third wheel, a little ruby disc b, Fig. 1 and 2, 1
with a rough edge is fitted on the centre spindle which carries the
minute hand v. The diameter of the ruby disc is equal to that of the
fourth or seconds wheel, and the diameter of the disc a is the same as
that of the third wheel, or these two diameters are proportionately more
or less.
The centre spindle is held under the dial by a small stationary 1
bridge i, Figs. 2 and 3, serving at the same time to support the two
minute wheels (termed in French chaussee) and the hour wheel, whilst
on the top the same is held by the small bridge d, Fig. 1. This bridge d
is so held by the screw that its end may be somewhat displaced towards
the right or the left; the spring e, Fig. 1, which is very flexible presses
slightly against one side of the small bridge d, Fig. 1, and so serves to
bring the small ruby disc b in contact with the metal disc a.
The lever g, Figs. 3 and 4, has at one end a vertical spring h, which
going through the thickness of the watch protrudes through the opening
x, Fig. 1, sufficiently so as to press against and close to one end of the
small bridge d, Fig. 1. By pushing the lever g, Fig. 3, to the left the
vertical spring will press slightly against the bridge d, Fig. 1, and
thereby cause the latter together with the ruby dise 6 to move off from
the wheel a and consequently the hand of the stop seconds to stop
instantaneously. By pushing the lever g to the right the vertical
spring will recede from the bridge d, Fig. 1, the action of the spring e
being sufficient for causing such pressure to cause contact between the
small rubý disc and the disc a and thus producing instantaneously the

page_text: start of the hand v of stop seconds. A small pin or pivot, Fig. 1,
containing a piece of spiral spring is so fitted on the bridge d as to
prevent by its pressure on the centre axis the needle it carries from
turning when inactive.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederic Rötig in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st July 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERIC
RÖTIG, of Havre, in the Empire of France, Watch and Chronometer
Manufacturer, send greeting.
'
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth.
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Frederic Rötig, Her special licence that I,
the said Frederic Rötig, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Frederic Rötig, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATCHES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederic Rötig, 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 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 Frederic Rötig, 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 accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that is to
say:

page_text: Watches known as "stop seconds" watches, which are daily used by
seamen, engineers, medical men, and others, and are composed of com-
plicated mechanism by the combination in the same case of a special
arrangement of wheels for the stop seconds besides the ordinary wheel-
work of the watch. Instruments intended to work with such accuracy.
must be made with very great care, and their price is necessarily high
by reason of the care and time required in their manufacture.
Now by my improvements I dispense with the special arrangement of
wheels for the stop seconds, and I obtain this by means of a particular
arrangement, as hereafter described, very simple and easy of manufacture,
enabling me to produce the parts of my system at a price but very little
above an ordinary watch of similar quality.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a back view of the stop seconds mechanism; Figure 2 is a
front or face side view of the same, the hour and minute hands being
omitted; Figures 3 and 4 are detail views which will be herein-after
explained. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in
the several Figures.
:
The front end of the centre axis or spindle c which carries the stop
second hand is held in place under the dial of the watch by means of
a small stationary bridge i, which is shown in place in Fig. 2, and is
shown in axial section and in plan in Fig. 3, and its back end is sup-
ported in a small lever d which is arranged to oscillate slightly on à
pink which is screwed into the back plate m of the watch, the said lever
being outside of the said plate. The bridge i also serves to carry the
minute and hour wheels and hands, and is provided with a long socket
or tube for that purpose. On the centre spindle c just inside of the
lever d there is secured a small rough-edged ruby disk, the diameter of
which may be equal to that of the ordinary seconds pinion, and on the
pinion arbor of the "third wheel" there is a smooth-edged disk à, the
diameter of which may be equal to that of the "third wheel." Attached
to the outside of the plate m there is a thin steel spring e which presses
against the lever d with sufficient force to keep the ruby disk 6 in close
enough contact with the disk a to enable the latter to give rotary motion
to the disk and the stop seconds hand v. g is the stop lever arranged
to work on a stationary fulcrum pin n. One end of this lever protrudes
through the rim of the watch case, as shown in Fig. 2, and the other
end carries a vertical steel spring h, the end of which protrudes through

page_text: a small opening x (see Fig: 1) in the back plate m sufficiently to press
against the outer end of the lever d. By pressing the protruding end of
the stop lever g in one direction the vertical spring is removed from
contact with the lever d, and the pressure of the spring e is made to
press the ruby disk 6 in contact with the disk a, and the stop seconds
hand is thereby caused to start instantaneously and afterwards allowed
to operate freely. By pressing the protruding end of the stop lever in
the opposite direction the vertical spring is made to press upon and so
displace the lever d that the ruby disk b is brought out of contact with
the disk a, and the stop seconds hand then stops instantaneously, its
movement being prevented by the friction of a small spring f, shown in
Figs. 1 and 3, which presses against the centre axis c.
What I claim as my Invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent
is, the combination of the disks a and b and the oscillating lever d with
the axis of the stop second hand and the pinion arbor of the third wheel,
substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederic Rötig, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.