How early pocket watches are powered
In pocket watches, the power is obtained by a spring called the main spring, which is enclosed in a box called the barrel. Now there are two distinct ways of applying the power of this main spring to the first wheel of a watch ; one of them consists in the intervention or agency of a fusee, which is put upon the first wheel ; in the other, the first wheel is put upon the barrel itself that contains the spring, which arrangement is distinguished from that having a fusee by the term ‘ going-barrel.’ Watches having going-barrels are wound up by turning round the barrel arbors ; and watches
How early pocket watches derived their power
having fusees, by the fusee arbors. My invention consists in a new mechanical arrangement, applicable to the winding up of horological works. First, as respects what is termed a going-barrel, the following are the contrivances that I nave invented as applicable thereto : Fig. 1 represents a watch with a goingbarrel, to which my invention is applied ; in which figure a part of the dialplate is represented as broken away, for showing the novel parts, the operation of which will be understood by first describing the separate figures, 2, 3, 4, 5. 6, 7, 8, all the same letters of reference in which refer to similar parts.Fig. 2 is the barrel ratchet with its click and spring, which keeps the maintaining power up ; this ratchet is put on the barrel arbor, which is squared, and the plate is sunk in which it ¡ays—it is on the side of that part of the plate under the dial ; this barrel ratchet is sunk or turned out as fur as the teeth to receive another ratchet with its click and spring, shown at a, Fig. 3, which I call the recoiling ratchet. This recoiling ratchet is fastened on to the barrel pulley 6 ; the upper side of this barrel pulley is sunk to receive a spring, shown in Figs. 1 and 5, which is the recoiling spring ; on the edge of the barrel pulley there is a groove to receive a chain d, shown at Figs. 1 and 8, which is hooked on a nin in the said groove. Kg. 1 gives a perspective view of the stud which keeps the barrel pulley steady and close to the barrel ratchet ; the centre of tinstud is round, and the centre of the recoiling spring is hooked on to it ; the other end of the recoiling spring is hooked on the barrel pulley. Figs. 1 and 8 show the impendent, made of the same metal as the case ; it turns freely on a piece of steel ej, Fig. 8 ; this steel arbor has a small knob on one side, Л, shown at Figs. 1 and 8, to prevent the impendent from slipping off; on the other end it is split to receive the end of the chain which is pinned on ; the pendent of the case is perforated, through which the chain passes. I shall next describe the manner it is to operate, and how it is to be put on the winding up arbor. When the barrel ratchet before mentioned is put on the square arbor, the recoiling spring ¡a put on the barrel pulley, and placed over the barrel ratchet, so as to act on its click ; the chain, which is no longer than to produce one revolution of the pulley, is put through the pendent, and hooked on to the pulley : the stud is then hooked on to the recoiling spring ; by this stud the recoiling spring is set up one turn, more or less, and the stud is screwed on the plate. To wind up the watch, the impendent is drawn from the pendent as far as the chain will permit it ; the recoiling spring will bring the impendent back again to the pendent ; and this operation is repeated till the impendent remains on the pendent, and cannot be more drawn from it, which indicates that the main spring is wound up. When the works are to be wound up by a fusee arbor, the ratchet, which keeps the maintaining power, is on the fusee itself; the fusee arbor, squared, is on the same side of the plate as the goingbarrel under the dial. The recoiling ratchet, Fig. 4, is put on the fusee arbor ; its click and spring are on the barrel pulley, Fig. 6. Here it is to be observed, that when any works are to be wound up by a fusee, the fusee with the first wheel and its arbor returns back again, which is not the case with a goingbarrel. h is the relieving click, which has a double action ; first, it acts as the recoiling click, by its action in the ratchet ; secondly, it acts as a reliever of the said click ; it is planted on the under side of the barrel pulley, Fig. 6, with its spring, and must be made in the form shown in the drawing. That part wluch is near the edge of the barrel pulley has a small pin, which pin goes through an aperture of the barrel pulley into the groove where the chain lies. When the works are wound up, the impendent rests upon the pendent, and the chain lays round the pulley, which is the same as with the going-barrel. The pin of the relieving click, which goes into the groove of the barrel pulley, receives a pressure from the chain ; it brings the click part out of the ratchet, and gives free action to the ratchet on the fusee arbor to return back again without any drag or incumbrance of the click. /, Fig. 1, is the finger touch : it is made of gold, or some metal which will not rust. By referring to the drawing, it will be seen that it is a kind of cup with a milled edge, and the minute-hand is fastened to it : when the hands are to be set, a slight pressure with the end of the forefinger is required to turn the hands. In case it is desired to have a watchor clock wound up in one pull, the multiplying of the turns of the chain round the barrel pulley will have that effect.
