The watch; its construction, its merits and defects, how to choose it, and how to use it.

Front matter

i LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. #

\ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

m

Preface

No one doubts that it requires a certain skill to make or mend a watch, yet many doubt that it requires certain knowledge to choose one, and when chosen, certain care to use it.

Care will go a long way, but not all the way ; to care must be added some knowledge to give the right direction to its exercise.

My lengthened experience has taught me that numbers of valuable watches are often ruined by the want of care or skill in their use, and then the blame is laid at the door of the watchmaker.

A man buys an expensive watch, and naturally expects it to perform well ; he misuses it, and it either stops altogether, or performs badly ; he exclaims, u I have been duped in buying that watch." He takes it to a third party to set it to rights ; that done, he again misuses it, or some unavoidable disarrangement hap* pens to it, he then declaims against all watches and watchmakers.

Thus a watch which should be an article of use and ornament to its owner, is too often only a source of vexation and expence.

PREFACE.

Now I propose partly to remedy tins, not by attempting to make every one his own watchmaker, but by imparting, in a familiar manner, such practical hints of the construction, and the use of a watch, as will enable them to use it properly, and guard against some of the annoyances and expenses, which without such information they are liable to incur, as well as prevent the watchmaker or repairer being frequently erroneously blamed.

The inexperienced in the trade will also find many suggestions which may be useful to them, for they must know that a good watchmaker is not always a good repairer ; for owing to the variety of different kinds of watches that pass through his hands, practice must be added to knowledge and skill, to properly repair a watch. My life having been devoted to my profession, I have had neither the time nor opportunity to cultivate the graces of phraseology. The following is my first essay at authorship, and I ask for it the indulgence as to its literary merits, always so benignly extended to maiden efforts. I have endeavored to put down what I had to say plainly and intelligibly, striving rather to state useful facts, in a manner to make myself clearly understood, than to manufacture a mass of nicely worded sentences, signifying nothing ; for be it known " I am a plain blunt man, who only speak right on, and tell but that which I myself do know."

REMARKS Otf TIMEKEEPERS

Toward the middle of the sixteenth century springs were applied instead of weights as the maintaining power to timepieces, thus enabling them to be made small and portable ; but these pieces, now called watches, were imperfect machines, going with even less precision than an old clock ; they had only an hour hand, and most o± them required winding twice a-day. Scarcely more than a century has elapsed since watches were nearly completed, with the exception of the external parts, by individual labor alone.

The art of watch making is now divided into more than thirty or forty different branches, according to the different kind of watch made. By machinery and a division of labor, watches are now made at a much lower price than formerly ; but for their greater perfection we are indebted to improved principles. The English were the first successful manufacturers of watches; all the escapements applied to good ones, whether at home or abroad, were invented by them. It is true that many ingenious contrivances have been introduced at different times by French and Swiss artists, but they themselves have ceased to apply them ; and with the exception of the vertical (the inventor of which is unknown), they generally adopt those principles only, which were first devised by English watchmakers. The horizontal, or cylinder escapement, by Graham, the lever escapement by Mudge, the duplex, invented by Dr. Hook and perfected by Tyrer, while the detached or chronometer escapement, although, invented by Berthoud, is indebted for its accuracy to the improvements by Arnold, Earnshaw and Dent.

The discovery of the art of piercing holes in rubies for pivot-holes to watches, is attributed to M. Fazio, a native of Geneva, who having failed in his attempt to get his plan adopted in Paris, went to London in 1700, where the art of watchmaking was rapidly advancing. He was well received, and his plan being very generally adopted, added greatly to the reputation of English watches. The rubies are still used in good watches ; they are the hardest stones that can be drilled ; but at the present time cheap watches are jewelled with all kinds of stones, as chrystals, garnets, &c, they being cheaper : English and American watches have however usually the jewel over the upper part of the balance made of diamond, it does not require to have a hole through it, the pivot resting on the end instead of a shoulder, as in the wheels, on account of the extreme freedom required. The English, being a maratime nation, their attention was early directed to the improvement of marine chronometers, and their researches enabled them to give an accuracy to pocket watches, which rendered them preferable to all others. The

French have never been able to establish a large or permanent manufacture of watches, although from the exertion of several eminent men, as Le Roy, Breguet, and Lepine, they have produced them of a very superior class. They were the first to reduce the size of the old watch, and from the high price not unfrequently given, they could afford to bestow much care and time upon the construction, so as to produce astonishing precision in the small watches, The Swiss have become the largest manufacturers of watches in the world ; this arises partly from the absence of other branches of industry, but principally from the low price of labor, and also from the number of females and children who work at the business, (the writer commenced when only seven years old,) enabling them to be produced at so low a rate as to have entirely superceded the French watch. The cheap and showy watches which inundate the windows of jewelers, dealers in trinkets, &c, in every country, as well as those advertised as so cheap, are principally of Swiss manufacture ; but if English, they are generally of an inferior quality.

In the reign of William III, of England, it was considered necessary to pass an act obliging watch makers to put their names upon all their watches, to prevent the discredit to which the manufacture was exposed from the bad watches sold abroad as English.

Different governments have endeavoured to enforce protecting duties. Twenty years ago, all foreign watches imported into France for the purpose of sale, had to be stamped, to show that they were not of French make, and that the duty had been paid ; — this stamp (a bull's head) could be seen on nearly all watches sold in Paris at this time. It was generally put upon the pendant, but occasionally on other parts of the case. In England there was a duty of twentyfive per cent, on the importation of foreign watches for sale. Those for private use were admitted on a fine of five shillings each ; and a recent law enacts that they shall have the maker's name and place of abode engraved upon the movements.

There is, however, no stamp, as there is in France, and smuggling is carried on to such an extent as to render the. duty ineffective as a protection to trade, and of little value to the revenue ; while in many instances, where the duty has been paid, fresh names are engraved upon them, and they are sold as having been made in England, For the protection of the American manufacture of watches, some plan should be adopted to be enabled to distinguish the genuine from the false, for the American watch is at the present time imitated abroad, and many persons may yet be deceived when they think they are encouraging home manufacture, are wearing watches (the case perhaps excepted,) of foreign make,

"Watches and movements are imported in this country, particularly the cheap kinds, which have the name of some celebrated maker engraved on ; others, with the names of makers long extinct, or of some which never existed. This can only be prevented by applying to an honest and upright watchmaker or dealer, who will not deceive you, if he values his reputation.

More rapid production and better workmanship in the detached pieces or parts, are the natural results of a well matured system of division ot labor; but subdivision for cheapness alone, is destructive to the unity necessary to produce a good watch ; hence while lowness of price is a point of competition, (and to meet the demands of society it always will be,) the greater number of watches must be of an inferior kind.

The great difficulty of establishing this manufacture, even under the most favorable circumstances, has been amply shown by the failure of those in France ; while those in Germany have been equally unsuccessful.

There are manufactories of watches in this country which make a very good time-keeper, and are continually improving ; but a great help to them would be a heavier duty on foreign watches and movements. This I hope will be done, and that the American watch will be successful. The English and Swiss are now the sole exporters of watches, and they may be said to supply the world. Swiss watches are handsome — their size also in perfect accordance with the present taste — and did the production of the two countries differ in price only, this manufacture would be lost to England as it has been to France.

THE CO^STKUCTION" OF WATCHES.

A clock has a combination of wheels to mark the number of oscillations made by a pendulum. A watch is a similar combination to mark the number of vibrations made by a balance. The wheels of a clock may be impelled by a weight, and the time measured by a pendulum ; but as the watch must go in all positions, neither the weight nor the pendulum can be applied to it.

The power of motion in a watch is produecd by means of a spiral spring, usually called the main spring, placed in a drum or barrel, which when wound round a centre will from its elasticity cause the barrel to make as many revolutions as there are turns made by the spring. Time is measured in a watch by the vibrations of a balance, which if mo- Main Spring. ^» D g - n e q Ua ] S p ace? w [\\ make all

the vibrations in equal time.

The escapement is the name given to that part of the watch which transmits the power from the wheels to keep up the vibrations of the balance; the escapement also prevents acceleration of the wheels, by holding them in check until the balance has completed its vibration. If the force exerted by the unfolding of the spring be equally transferred through the wheels to the escapement, and if the impulse given by the escape ment to keep up the vibration of the balance be equal, then will the motion of the balance be also regular, and the watch will measure equal time. But the force of the spring is unequal — it is strongest when fully wound, and becomes weaker as it uncoils. To compensate this inequality, a cone is employed with a spiral groove, called a Fuzee, to which is attached the first wheel.

The wheels of a watch are thus called : — The wheel on the fuzee is the first wheel ; the centre wheel, the pinion of which carries the minute hand; the second, or centre, the one which in ordinary watches carries the second hand ; the fourth, and the next, the escape wheel. In the old rack-lever watches there is one wheel less, the second hand being carried on the pinion of the escape wheel ; the second hand then went very fast round, hut these kind of watches are nearly out of use, many of them having been altered to the present lever escapement.

The going ftizee, invented by Harrison, to make a watch continue to go while being wound up, and used in all good English watches, has an auxiliary spring, through wLich the force of the main spring is carried to the wheels.

While the watch is being wound, a ratchet and click prevent the ref action of the auxiliary spring which therefore continues to act during the

Auxiliary Spring.

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Barrel. Fuzee and Chain.

of the main spring is then taken off. The fuzee is connected with the barrel containing the spring, by a chain, with hooks at each end. In winding the watch, the chain is wound off the barrel and around the fuzee. "When the watch is fully wound, the spring is at its greatest power, but the chain being then around the smallest part of the cone of the fuzee, the influence of the spring is at the smallest.

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As the watch goes down, the power of the springrelaxes, hut as the cone enlarges, its influence increases, and when the spring is down, the chain is upon the- "base of the cone, where the influence of the spring is the greatest. Upon the shape of the cone of the fuzee r therefore, depends the quality of the maintaining power. There is usually about half a turn of the weakest part of the spring left without action, to enable it to draw all the chain to the end, otherwise the watch would not run quit^ down ; that is regulated by a click and ratchet upon the barrel arbor..

Ratchet and Click.

In some watches the ratchet and click are placed'under the dial, and cannot be seen by the wearer ; in others they are placed on the bar that holds the barrel,, and are easily seen on opening the watch.

The fuzee, or cone, can not be introduced into very flat watches. The barrel therefore, instead of the fuzee, is attached to the first wheel, by the barrel having teeth cut at the sides, and is called the going barrel.

Going Barrel, English Stop "Work.

Stop works are necessary to every watch, particularly to those with chains, as to those without, the chain would be almost sure to break, particularly in

thick English watches. In Swiss watches, and in all with going barrels, or without a chain, they are indispensable, (to a good watch) as by them the spring is regulated as near as possible in its action ; not to be too strong when fully Sw^oTwork. wound, nor too weak when nearly run down. A watch without stop works, " or one with imperfect ones," will be in danger of having the spring or some of the teeth of the barrel broken in winding.

If the spring is wound up too tight it is much more liable to break v and when broken, if there are no stop works, the strain of the key comes on the teeth of the barrel, and if forced will frequently bend or break them.

[f the spring to a going barrel be well made, and! the wheels so constructed that only the middle turns of the spring are required to be in action, and not those turns of the spring in which it is at its greatest or least power, the force may be sufficiently equal for ordinary purposes ; but where the fuzee can be applied it is preferable and certainly the best.

The power of the spring is conveyed to the escapement through the wheels, and the arrangement is nearly the same in all watches, therefore their comparative value in this part of the construction depends entirely upon the skill of the workman and the quality of the materials. The power of the spring being equal, and the wheels and pinions properly constructed and placed correctly to act with each other, which is called " pitching the ^depths." (This is a term used in wheel work, and it is necessary that the wheels and pinions be placed at proper distances from each other, or there is friction, cutting and noise in the action, which should not be in a good watch.) to convey the power to the escapement, and to keep up the vibration of the balance, constitutes the essential difference between one watch and another.

A watch is described by the form of its escapement : there is the vertical, or verge watch, but as they are neady out of date for good watches, I shall not here describe them.

Verge Escapement

'The horizontal, or cylinder watch, has the impulse given by the teeth of a horizontal wheel acting on a hollow cylinder, which forms the axis of the balance.

Horizontal Escapement.

A lever, or anchor watch, has the impulse given by .-.a lever attached to anchor pallets.

Lever, or Anchor Escapement.

A -duplex watch is so called because it receives its impulse from a double wheel.

Duplex Escapement,

A chronometer watch is that which has the vibration of the balance free, or detached from the influence of the maintaining power, except at receiving its im pulse and unlocking.

Chronometer Escapement.

Several escapements, such as the verge, the vergule, the rack lever, &c, had to be abandoned. My uncle, who was one of the most ingenious workmen in Switzerland and London, and maker of musical watches and repeaters of every kind, and with whom I worked fifteen years, spent upwards of five years in inventing and trying new escapements, but had to abandon the idea of making anything better. It was his opinion, and is also mine, from experience, that it will not be possible to get escapements with less friction, and that will maintain their accuracy better than the chronometer, duplex, or even lever, if properly made. Still I may be mistaken, as many things have been achieved within a quarter of a century, which would then have been thought fabulous.

The balance of a watch is a wheel nicely poised upon its axis, having its greatest weight at its periphery.

A balance properly placed, with its pivots in their holes, but resting on the points or ends, would, when put in mo- Balance fjBUfr. tion, revolve on its axis ; but if a spring so constructed as to bend in either direction in which the balance will turn, was to have one of its ends fastened to a point independent of the balance, while the other end was attached near to its axis, an impulse then given to the balance would only cause it to move as far as the force given was able to overcome the resistance of the spring, when the resistance becomes equal to the impulse given ; the balance stops for an instant, and then is driven back by the elasticity of the spring to a distance nearly double to that through which it passed in its first motion, and thus continue to vibrate until the friction and the resistance of the air bring it to rest.

A spring thus applied is called the balance or hair spring, This spring has been frequently noticed as illustrating the great value a small piece of steel may acquire from manual labor ; it is perhaps more remarkable for its extreme delibalance and Hair Spring. Cacy, four thousand of them

■weighing scarcely more than an ounce, while the cost frequently exceeds four thousand dollars when used for fine work.

When the balance is at rest the spring is inclined neither way, this position is called the point of rest ; and the motion of the balance when influenced by the hair spring, is called vibration,

The application of the balance or hair spring is the greatest improvement ever made in a watch ; since it rendered a comparatively useless machine capable of going with accuracy ; and now that the principle can be more easily applied, although perhaps not better understood, it offers the means of measuring time equal to Ot pendulum.

The first watches were made without any balance spring, but with a vertical wheel which moved the balance backward and forward • and instead of the chain now used, there was only a piece of cord, like a very fine violin string, to convey the motive power of the main spring to the wheels. This balance spring can produce astonishingly varied effects from difference in the length and tapering, the principle being the stronger and shorter the spring the quicker will be the vibrations.

T-he hair spring of watches are made flat on account of the small space for them to work in ; but where there is room, the isochronal spring is applied. In marine chronometers for the use of ships, they are made in a spherical form ; the thickness of the spring being the same the whole of its length instead of tapering, as they are easier of execution and better adapted for the regulation of time.

Marine Chronometer Balance and Spherical Spring.

These remarks will not be thought too detailed if we consider that the correctness of the watch as a measurer of time, is mostly dependent on the correct principle of the escapement and of the hair spring.

The curb or regulator, is the part used for regulating the watch. The purpose is to shorten or limit the motion of the balance to make the watch go faster, and to lengthen it to make the watch go slower.

When a good watch has been produced, with the main spring acting with equal power from the instant of being fully wound to the termination of its time of going, the wheels and pinions perfect in all their parts, the escapement on a good principle and properly executed, and the balance spring so perfect as to make all its vibrations in equal time, even then the watch will vary in the time. It will show a variation upon every change of temperature, unless it be compensatory.

A watch may be said to be a metallic thermometer, for the slightest change in the temperature affects its going in proportion to the charge: heat enlarging the balance and lengthening the hair spring, (independently of the effect produced upon all the other parts) which will make a watch lose, while contraction from cold will make it gain. An action upon the balance, bringing the weight at its extremity nearer to the centre, will cause it to gain, and the same effect will be produced by an action on the hair spring, which will either shorten its length or limit its motion ; and both of these means are made use of to make watches keep equal time in different degrees of temperature.

When this effect is produced it is called compensation, and is obtained from the different degrees of expansion in metals, and for this purpose the compensating balance is applied to good watches. The compensation balance has its circumference composed of two metals, brass at the extremity and steel within : and as the rim is cut in two parts will expand or contract with every Compensation Balan . change of temperature. When heat causes expansion of the spring and balance, it also cts on the brass at the extremity, and causes that part of the rim which is cut, to be brought nearer the centre, and this motion is so regulated by means of screws or weights, as to compensate tor the expansion, and enable the watch to measure equal time, under the different degrees of heat and cold.

But compensation balances should not be used unless the other parts of the watch are perfect, otherwise they are not so good as the plain gold or steel round rim balance. I have always found the latter kinds to keep very good time, and where the price is limited, are to be preferred, as a bad compensation balance is but a detriment to an otherwise good watch. The compensation curb is frequently applied to watches. Its use is to limit or extend the motion of the balance spring, by a self moving action caused by change of temperature. The principle is the same as in a compensation balance, the motion being produced by the inequality of expansion in the two metals, (brass and steel,) of which it is made.

There are many who expect an accuracy incompatible with the nature of the machine ; indeed, positive accuracy can never be obtained, until an unchangeable material is discovered, of which the work can be constructed.

One of the best time keepers and finely finished watch that I ever saw, was one made in Geneva, or Locle, which a friend of mine purchased in California, and I had it to clean. It had the plates and bars for the wheels made of nickle, the wheels were made of gold, it had a compensation balance, with isochronal hair spring ; in short it was a (chef d'ceuvre) for a Swiss watch, with an anchor escapement.

It is frequently forgotten that time differs in every spot east or west of the place at which the watch is set. At the present speed on rail roads, two hours travelling may make the travellers watch show some two or three minutes faster or slower, than the local time of the place at which he arrives. In this case, the difference must he added or subtracted 10 avoid disapointment when travelling. It has been said u that no man ever made a true circle or a straight line except by chance," and the same may be said of any machine which measures time exactly. These remarks neither lessen the perfection or usefulness of watches. They are among the highest specimens of human ingenuity, and indispensable in the present state of society.

THE SELECTION OF WATCHES.

Were it possible to give rules for the selection of watches, society might be benefited, as the yonng man who has a bad watch is less likely to obtain habits of punctuality, than he who has a good one. I once heard an anecdote of two young persons who were allowed to select watches for themselves. One chose a plain watch, from being told that its performance could be depended upon. The other, attracted by the elegance of the case, decided upon one of inferior construction. The possessor of the good watch became remarkable for punctuality, while the other, although always in a hurry, was never in time, and discovered is a celebrated writer justly observes, u that next to being too late, there is nothing worse than being too early.'" Unfortunately, no efficient instruction can be given, as none but a workman possessing the highest knowledge of his art, is capable of forming a correct opinion, and a watch must be bad indeed for an inexperienced eye to detect the defects, either in its principle, or its construction. Even a trial of a year or two is no proof, for wear seldom takes place within that time ; and while a good watch if in order can but go well, a bad one may by chance occasionally do so.

I have myself seen some of the old rack lever watches that were more than fifty years old, and worn constantly, nearly as good as new, by having been properly attended to, and in time. It is not sufficient that a watch be well constructed, and on good principles.

The brass must be hard, and the steel properly temper-* ed. The several parts mnst be in exact proportion, and •well finished, so as to continue in motion,, With the' least possible friction. It mnst "also be made so that when taken io pieces, all its parts may be replaced as* firmly as before.

A watch thus constructed and properly adjusted,, will continue its motion and correct performance for years without trouble, and with little expense, except occasionally cleaning. A bad watch is one to which no more attention has been paid to the proportions of the parts or durability of materials, than was necessary to make it perform for a time. It is either the production of inefficient workmen, or of those who being limited in price, are unable to give sufficient time to perfect their work. There is a great fault, in many watches and movements, sent both from England and Switzerland — they are not properly examined, adjusted, and regulated before exported.

Formerly, and it is still the case in many instances, the most eminent watchmakers were all practical workmen. At present there are but few manufacturers who work themselves, and if they do, have not time to see to every watch sent away. Those who value the reputation of their watches, have a practical workman, one who understands thoroughly every branch of the business, who is called the examiner, whose duty it is to take every part, and see that it is properly made, adjusted, and put together on correct principles ; for where a piece of mechanism like a watch is made in so many parts or pieces, it is next to impossible but some slight oversight or imperfection may occasionally occur.

T?he examiner or manufacturer then regulates every watch or movement, (if correct,) before being sold.

But latterly, the competition for cheapness has been so great, that in many cases the examiner is dispensed with, as good examiners are paid very high wages. It being necessary for him to have considerable skill and experience before being entrusted with such an important position. Also many watch manufacturers have not the opportunity of examining every watch, in order to fulfill their orders in time at the busy season, and many watches, particularly cheap ones, are merely going machines, and not timekeepers.