US1576120A - Wrist watch and other watch - Google Patents

Description

March 9 1926.

J. HARWOOD WRIST WATCH AND OTHER WATCH Filed Oct. 8, 1923 atented Mar. 1926.

JOHN HARWOOD, 0F BALDRINE, LONON, ISLE OF MAN.

' wzars'r WATCH AI\ID OTHER wa on.

'- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I vJOHN HABWOOD, a subject of the King 0 Great Britain, and resident of Baldrine, Lonon, Isle of Man, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Wrist Watches and Other Watches,- of which the following is a. specification. f a v This invention relate aw ,wristlet and other watches, its 'object bein'g-to provide a watch 'with a self-winding movement whereby the need forany protruding parts through the case such as the usual winding stem is eliminated, the'case being thus rendered practically dust and waterproofl. Overwinding of the watch is'al'so prevented, the likelihood of main springs being. broken being thus .reduced, and by-reason of the fact that the spring a under ordinary conditions would -,only run down say 9 to 12 hours, a more even torque is'given'to the train. -As the setting of the 'handsin ordinary watches is effected from the usual winding stem which protrudes through the case and-which in this invention is eliminated means are provided .in the present invention for setting the tionally connected to the weight which plate I hands otherwise than by means of such stein.

"According to this invention, the winding of the main spring is .e-fiected by an oscillat ing weight pivoted within the watch, the oscillation of thisweights when' the watch is being worn turning a plate or member fricacts by means of a spring controlled click or pawl to wind the main spring, the frictional drag between the weight and the plate being inefiective to move the'plate, and con- ,sequently further to wind up the main spring, spring to winding becomes greater than the.

frictional grip on the plate and in this way overwindingis prevented. Tlie hands or set .by turning the bezel in one or other direciton, crown teeth on the underside of the bezel engaging and rotating a plnion, a pin on the stem of which engages a cam face on a. crowngear which first brings the crownafter the resistance of the mainv the case no ports or apertures are 1n the wall of the case.

In the accompanying necessary drawings which illustrate the invention by way of ,examlple,

Fig. 1 is arear view showing the osci ating weight 'andvfriction plate for winding thewatch, Fig. 2 i's a'front view under the dial showing the means for setting thehands andthe front axis of the weight, Fig; 3 0

being a fragmentary detailed view of the crown ring teeth in the bezel, and Fig. 4 is a detail of the crown gear showing the cam face and friction spring for holding the crown gear. Fig. 5 is a radial section through the 5 oscillating weight, friction plate and control spring, the parts being separated in order to show them 'clearly.

The watchis fitted with a weight A of any suitable form butpreferably more or less semi-circular, pivoted atvthe rear on an extension of the set hands arbor or centre pinion pivot B, spring buffers A being fitted at each end of the weight to prevent knocking or shock .to .the watch movement during the oscillatory movement of the weight which movement is limited by the stops 0 and G A plate D pivoting about the same axis as the weight is frictionally connected to the weight 'A by means of a-control spring, E

which is secured to the weight by two screws,

one of which F serves to adjust the pressure of the control spring on the friction plate D and in this 'waythe frictional drag between the weight A and plate D may be adjusted. The friction plate D carries on its underside a pawl or click G which engages a ratchet'wheelI, the spring H keeping the pawl- G in engagement -W1th the ratchet.

Rotating with theratch et' I is a pinion U which engages and drives the first toothed "wheel of the winding train. It will be seen, therefore, that if the movement be held on edge and turned clockwise looking from the hack as in Fig; 1, the weight A being at the bottom and at its left extremity, an anticlockwise movement wi1l be given to the ratchet wheel I and its pinion U, the wheel I being held from returnin after movement by a second pawl or click Jplvoted on the pinion K. In this manner the whole winding train is turned each time the wearer drepshis hand and raises it again in the case of a wristlet watch.

Overwinding is prevented by the action of the friction plate Dwhich carries the pawl- G, inasmuch as when the main spring is wound and-its resistance to further winding thus increases the friction plate D will be driven clockwise until ultimately it meets the cock C and as the-wound spring offers resistance in the other direction, the friction plate willnot return under the drag of the s ring E but will remain stationary, alt ough the weight may continue to oscillate under the movement of the wearer, the spring E riding idly to and fro over the. friction plate D. The weight is carried atthe back by a radial arm A and at the front by an arm A Fig. 5 screwed to the weight. The frontaxis about which the weight pivots is shown in Fig. 2, an eye A in the arm A engaging a'bush A on a plate X which bridges the hands motion work. In this way as the watch is being worn the weight oscillates to and fro about its pivots and by the frictional drag of the spring E on the plate D the pawl G is moved to and fro.round the ratchet Wheel I and so-winds up the main spring until such time as the further resistance of the main spring to windingpermits the weight to oscillate idly, the spring E then merely riding frictionally over the stationary plate D. No protruding winding stem is thus required and the watch movement is thus completely enclosed.

As, however, the winding stem has been eliminated some other than the usual means must be provided for setting the I hands. This is effected by making the usual bezel a rotary it and turning it angularly forwards or backwards. Normally the set hands gear is out of mesh in the position shown in Fig. 2. On the inside face of the bezel, as shown in Fig. 3, is a gear ring formed of crown teeth J When the bezel is in position on the case these teeth J engage a pinion K mounted on a stem L, and

, loose on the stem L is a crown gear M which is ca able of longitudinal sliding movement on t e stem L as well as rotary movement thereon. On the upper edge of the crown gear is a slope or cam face M engaged by a pin P in the stem L and from the higher portion ofthe cam face M a stop Q, projects. Resiliently gripping a groove in the crown'gear M is a mug spring R, the radial end B of which is inserted into a hole in a a return lever S pivoted at S and pressed out by a spring T. The action of this return spring is normally to hold the crown gear out of engagement with the intermediate wheel 0 which engages and drives the motion wheels for setting the hands. When it is desired, therefore, to set the hands the bezel is rotated in one or other direction, the

gear which rotates the. motion wheels to set the hands. After setting the hands, in order that the crown gear M may disengage from the intermediate wheel 0, the bezel is backwardly rotated through an angular distance corresponding to five minutes on the dial, this movement being sufiicient to bring the pin P back to the lowest point of the cam face M and permit the spring T to return the. lever S taking with it the crown gear M by means of the spring R which engages the lever 'S.

Considerable advantages accrue from such a construction of watches, for instance, owing to the fact that no parts protrude through open ports in the case the latter re mains dust and waterproof. The watch shall be kept wound up. Overwinding cannot take place by reason of the merely frictional. connection between the weight and the plate D, and, therefore, all usual breakages caused through o'verwi'nding such as pulling out of barrel hooks, main spring breakages, breakages of keyless wheel teeth and barrel teeth are avoided. I

The prominent weakness in present day watch construction namely the need for bevel or crown winding gear is eliminated, while by eliminating any necessity for aper tures in the watch case, at least 50 per cent of the stoppages usual in watches will be avoided, such stoppages in most instances being entirely due to the presence of dust, grit, or to overwinding. I claim: v

'1. A self winding watch comprising, an oscillating weight, a pawl carrying plate frictionally connected to the weight, and a pawl on said plate'adapted to be moved by the oscillations of the Weight to turn the winding train.

2. A self winding watch comprising,.an oscillating weight,a pawl carrying plate frictionally connected to the weight, said weight and plate being pivoted about the same axis, spring buffers onthe weight engaging stops ateach end of its travel, and

'the bezel then positively turns the crown 1 'and plate being 'iv'oted pbout' the same axis, is normally sufiicient to wind the maina. 'pawl on said jp ate adapted to be moved by spling the weight may voverride the member the oscillations of'the wei ht to .turn the when-the main spring resistance-reaches a 10 winding train, and an n justable springcertain limit. 5 frictional-11yconnecting the wight to' the .In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' pawl carrying member wherebyalthoughthe' frictional drag of the weight on the-member i 1 J OHN HARWOOD.

Images