| Before wristwatches became ubiquitous in our | | | | of abrasive materials like emery. |
| society, pocket watches were the standard for | | | | Gemstones like garnet, rubies, sapphires and |
| personal timekeeping. The first pocket watch is | | | | diamond. Garnets would be cut with diamond |
| thought to have been made in Germany towards | | | | points into tiny disks and would then be set in tiny |
| the end of the fifteenth century. Bearing a close | | | | plates of gold. |
| resemblance to the traditional clock, early pocket | | | | The intricate process of assembly the works |
| watches operated in very much the same | | | | required precisely made screws and other |
| manner as their clock cousins. | | | | components that would often be plated or heat |
| A deviation from traditional clock designs, pocket | | | | treated by hand. The small gears were stamped |
| watches used the combination of a mainspring, | | | | from brass using very precisely made dies and |
| hairspring and a balance wheel. This is in contrast | | | | springs were formed from fine spring wire. |
| to traditional clock designs that used a swinging | | | | Dial faces were similarly stamped out of a base |
| pendulum and counter weights. | | | | metal, enameled and the markings stenciled in |
| Like today's wristwatches, pocket watches | | | | place and the dial would be fired again. Once fully |
| consist of two main components, the inner works | | | | assembled, the finished watch was subjected to |
| and a metal case. Many different metals were | | | | cold temperatures of around forty degrees |
| used for early pocket watchcases including gold | | | | Fahrenheit and then exposed to higher |
| and silver. The case was usually of a two piece | | | | temperatures up to around one hundred degrees |
| clamshell design. The cases of early watches | | | | Fahrenheit. This process was undoubtedly used to |
| were impervious to dirt and moisture, which | | | | test the watch in different temperature |
| meant the watches, needed a good bit regular | | | | extremes to ensure consistent operation. |
| cleaning. As time went on, other less expensive | | | | Like countless other consumer products, the way |
| metals were used for case works including mild | | | | in which modern wrist watches are manufactured |
| steel and pot metal. | | | | has undergone incredible changes since the |
| The inner works of the early pocket watch | | | | Industrial Revolution that broke during the turn of |
| contained a number of gears and wheels held in | | | | twentieth century. This important period in world |
| place between two metal plates. The lower plate | | | | history ushered in entirely new ways to mass |
| or pillar plate rests next to the dial while the upper | | | | produce products for a growing world population. |
| plate might have come in two pieces though the | | | | In every facet of manufacturing there were |
| best made watches utilized a single piece upper | | | | incredible technological advances that improved |
| plate. The plates were precisely drilled and bored | | | | efficiencies and helped reduce production costs. |
| to hold the other components in the proper place. | | | | Most of us have heard about the way Henry |
| To prevent wear of the moving parts, hard | | | | Ford changed the way automobiles were built by |
| gemstones were used with the moving pegs or | | | | developing the production line assembly method. |
| axles. There were four wheels in the works | | | | Cars would constantly roll off the Ford assembly |
| known as the barrel wheel, the first wheel, the | | | | line, as workers would fit various parts to the |
| second wheel and the third wheel. The barrel | | | | chassis in a precise order and within a |
| wheel is used as the attachment for the | | | | predetermined time. |
| mainspring. | | | | What few of us think about are the other |
| The motion is transmitted by the uncoiling of the | | | | changes that made this type manufacturing |
| spring and is regulated by the escapement that is | | | | operation possible. Critical to the success of the |
| kept moving by the combined action of the | | | | mass production line was the development of |
| mainspring and the hairspring providing an | | | | standardized parts, components that are nearly |
| oscillating movement. The wheel that has sixty | | | | identical to each other. |
| gear teeth around the circumference engages the | | | | Prior to the development of mass production |
| escapement wheel and transmits motion to the | | | | assembly lines, most mechanical assemblies, |
| minute hand. It also meshes into the pinion of the | | | | including watches were built from components |
| center wheel that transmits motion to the hour | | | | that were made individually most often by |
| hand. | | | | different producers. This meant that very often, |
| Movement is controlled by a lever that is | | | | parts from one machine be it a car, locomotive or |
| connected to the hairspring. By moving the lever | | | | sewing machine, could be not be used on another |
| to the left or the right, the tension of the | | | | machine. |
| hairspring is increased or reduced. | | | | As other watch producers adopted the practice |
| The plates of the works were made from plate | | | | of parts standardization and integrated quality |
| stock of steel or brass and would go through a | | | | control, the reliability of wrist watches was greatly |
| series of machining operations that would include | | | | increased. The use of standardized components |
| being placed on a pantograph machine which | | | | meant that those parts that subject to wear did |
| would exactly copy dimensions from a master | | | | so in more consistent and predictable way, |
| part to the part being machined. After machining, | | | | requiring far less maintenance and repair than |
| the plates would be polished using several types | | | | those timepieces assembled as one of kind items. |