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