Contemporary Methods of Watch Production

Abstract

There is at present no written matter in the English language on watch production, the industry having died out in Britain some thirty years ago. The aim of this paper is to provide the engineer who is not a specialist in the subject with a background knowledge of the methods used in the production of watch components and the special difficulties encountered in watch manufacture. In the first part of the paper the historical development of the watch and the general principles of design are briefly reviewed. A fifteen-jewelled man's wrist-watch with lever escapement is taken as a typical example, in which the features commonly encountered are examined in more detail and the small size of the pinions and pivots is emphasized. The latter part of the paper is devoted to the techniques used in the production of the components (the plates and bridges, turned parts, wheels and pinions, escapement, and balance); their final assembly; and the oiling, springing, and timing, of the finished watch. A general note on the three main categories of watches is amplified by figures illustrating the performance actually attained by a wrist-watch of the highest grade.