The Auburndale Watch Company : $b first American attempt toward the dollar watchBattison, Edwin A.
History
The Auburndale Watch Company : $b first American attempt toward the dollar watch
Battison, Edwin A.
Auburndale Watch Company (Auburndale, Mass.); Clock and watch making -- United States
[Illustration: Figure 15.--VERGE AND LEVER for an Auburndale timer. The
one on the left beats eighths of a second; that on the right beats
quarters. (In author's collection.)]
Five jewels are found in most instances, two cap jewels and two hole
jewels for the balance staff and a jeweled impulse pin. One of the faults
of the movement is that the cap and hole jewels on the balance are not
separable for cleaning. After the jewels were inserted part of the
setting was spun down over them, making the assembly permanent. A few
movements with only one jewel are known, the cap and hole jewels being
metal "jewels" likewise set under a spun-over rim. Whether or not the
impulse jewel found in these last-mentioned movements is original or a
later intrusion remains undetermined. It is easy to conceive that the
factory would see no more necessity for an impulse jewel than for other
jewels.
The lever escapement is the only one known to have been used, but two
varieties of this are found (see fig. 11). One is a standard club-tooth
lever with banking pins, the other, much more interesting because
unconventional, has pointed pallets and all the lift on the escape wheel,
which has very short stubby teeth, very much like the wheel of a
pin-pallet escapement. No banking pins are used, the banking taking place
between the pallets and the wheel. An examination of a number of these
watches, with serial numbers ranging from 46 to 507,[31] reveals no
correlation between the serial number and the style of escapement, from
which one may conclude that the pointed pallet escapement was originally
used; later four balance jewels were added and the escapement changed to
the conventional club-tooth pattern. As complaints came in about the
defective running of the watch these changes were apparently substituted
at the factory in customers' watches. The movements with the
pointed-pallet escapement seldom show much wear; on the other hand, watch
no. 224,[32] which has the conventional escapement and five jewels, is
very much worn and must have run for many years.
These watches are stem wound by turning opposite to the usual direction
and are set through the winding crown after actuating a setting lever
located under the front bezel. The plates, bridges, and ring gear are
nickel-plated and highly buffed, making a very showy movement, the only
instances of such a finish on watches in the author's experience. In
figure 12 is shown a 24-hour dial to fit the movement. Special dial
gearing would be required for the hour hand to accompany this dial.
[Illustration: Figure 16.--DIAL FOR 1/10-SECOND MODEL Auburndale timer.
(In author's collection.)]
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