A watch ls realty quite a pimple mathint, cosnaining as average of about 150 distinct pests. By actual count it has been found that the ion of all these parts requires over distinct operations. It will, therefore, be readily understood that the manufacture of watches on an extensive scale is one of the most complex and exacting manufacturing problems ever undertaken. It calls for high grade talent in almost every direction, and involves an intricacy of detail which can he mastered only by years of study and ex perience.
This being the fact, it will be hopeless to attempt more than a brief and fragmentary description of a few of the manufactunng proc esses involved; and it should be understood that the methods employed and the means used are not identical in all American watch fac tories, but doubtless they are as diverse as the factories themselves. It win, therefore, be best to indicate the most advanced methods only. which in the nature of the case can be found only in a large factory, possessing the absolute requisite of plenty of capital; for high grade automatic machinery is of necessity quite ex pensive, while at the same time its productive capacity exceeds the requirements of a small factory.
Beginning then with the foundation of the watch movement — the °pillar plate' — it should be said that these larger parts (which in the cheaper grades of watches are of brass, and in the better grades are of nickel alloy) are made at brass mills, from dies furnished by the watch factories, and are received in the form of blank 'punchings.' After these blanks have been carefully cleaned they are placed in a tubular magazine located at one extreme of a 'facing machine' directly beneath a 'carrier," which is attached to the extremity of a swing ing arm. When the machine is put in motion the carrier descends and grasps one of the plate blanks and lifts it clear of the magazine and swings around to a point directly in front of a suitable chuck or holder on a running spindle of the machine, which at that instant is not in motion. The carrier then descends until the blank is in exact line with the axial centre of the spindle. When in this position the chuck is opened to receive the blank. which is pushed into the waiting chuck, which imme diately closes tightly upon it. The empty car rier then rises and swings to a position mid way of its excursions. The spindle then begins to revolve at a suitable speed, and at the same time moves forward so as to bring the revolving blank into the path of a suitable cut ting tool which at once commences to move toward the axial centre, cutting away a definite portion of the blank and leaving it with a per -fertly flat and smooth surface. As soon as the
cutting tool readies the centre of the blank, it is withdrawn from contact and returns to its former position. ' At the same time a second carrier swings around from the opposite side and places itself directly in front of the chuck containing the faced blank; the grasp of the chuck is relaxed and the blank is pushed out of it and into the second carrier which at once swings around and deposits it in the chuck of a second running spindle— a duplicate of the first In this second position the other side of the blank is' thee a third carrier takes the sow blank and deposits it in a receptacle at one end of the madune.
As the movements of the three carriers are simultaneous, and the cutting tools move in unison also, it will be seen that notwithstanding the numerous operations which succeed etch other, a completed blank is deposited at• one end of the machine at the same instant that another one as taken at the other end. Slight modifications in parts of the machine provide for desired recesses on. either one or both sides of the blanks. These ma chines do their work on plates at the rate of 1,800 per day, so• that it will be seen that they are far too productive for any watch factory which is not organized for a keg, °twist.
Succeeding the facing operations, just de scribed, comes that of drilling most of the numerous holes in the plate needful to receive the screws, pins, etc., for attaching the stop, plate,* 'balance cock, pallet bridge,* etc. The ordinary method or drilling has •been to clamp the blank watch plate to a master plate or `drill jig,* in which were the required holes of proper she and accurately •located, which holes served as guides to the various drills required. But inaannch as the number and location of holes in such a jig were necessarily quite limited there was involved the use of several jigs to complete the drilling on each and every watch plate. Of course also an operative was re quired to insert and remove the plates and manipulate the drills. Following the opera ions of drilling there is required the 'thread ing' or tapping of certain holes for the recen non of screws. This operation involved the repeated handling of the plates.