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