D. H. Church, the mechanical superintend ent of the American Waltham Watch Factory, in addition to other machines ire. great variety, invented an automatic plate-drilling machine capable of both drilling and tapping practicalall of the holes in the watch plate, in which the only work of the attendant is to fill with blank plates the magazine at one end of the machine and remove them from a sintikur magazine at the other end; where they are automatically deposited, completely drilled and tapped. In some instances the operations per formed on each plate number 135, and the plates are delivered at the rate of one in 90 seconds.
Following the drilling of the plates comes the turning of the required recesses in both sides to snake room for some of the mov ing parts of the watch, such as the main spring barrel and some of the wheels of the 'train.* The automatic recessing machines are also provided with delivering and receiving maga zines located at the extreme ends of the ma chines, and between them are a number of parallel heads each provided with a running spindle and "chuck,* and in suitable relation to each a compound slide rest carrying a cutting tool adapted to the work to be Carrying arms automatically take plates from the magazine and the successive chucks and transfer them to the next in order. But this transfer must be done with the tio, most exactness, for the plates must be so held in the various chucks that the axis of revolu tion shall in each successive operation be in a new but definite part of the plate. Moreover, the ,phttei are located and kept with utmost pronsion in their proper position, by guide pins in• twit of the damping chucks, which pins coiresposiel in relative position with certain of the drilled holes in the plates. It is needful, therefore, that as the plate is presented to each sacceeding chuck, its guide pins shall be ex actly in the preffia position to enter the bole in the plate. The attempt to attain the re quired exactness of movement was regarded at first as a bead one, but complete success justified the hopes and expectations of the in ventor.
The other supporting plates of the watch are treated in the same manner as the pillar plates above described, their differing forms, of course, demanding correspondingly differing chucks and holders.
For numerous succeeding operations of bor ing, turning, milling, etc., special machines are provided, of them being exceedingly in teresting us their intricate movements, but im possible of any brief description.
The American system includes the produc tion of every portion of the watch in one estab lishment, but in very few even of the American watch factories has this ideal been attained. The fact that certain componems of the watch, such as dials, hands, mainsprings, etc., which do not demand extreme exactness in fitting, can be imported from Europe, or produced in special factories, has enabled a number of in complete factories to turn out watch move ments in considerable numbers, without the investment of large capital. But the original American watch factory is equipped for the uniform production of every part of the watch movement, down to the delicate little taper pins used to confine the ends of the hairsprings. By means of special automatic machines these little pins are made at a rate exceeding 50 per minute. Even the fragile enamel for coating the dials is mamifacturel from the raw ma terials; as also the pure gold ornaments used to embellish 'fancy dials.' These things, how ever, do not demand the extreme accuracy which makes watch manufacturing so extremely trying.
It may be proper at this point to speak of one feature of watch manufacturing which might seem to show incompleteness in the "sys tem." Fat mmn years the original American watch company tuanhtfact red watch, cases as well as movements. But as their watches grew in favor, new watch companies were crested, and as those new companies did not attempt the making of complete watches, other factories were organized for the exclusive manufacture of watchcases. As movement making has in creased, case factories also have been multiplied to an extent hardly warranted by the produc tion of movements. All case factories, how ever, of necessity conform to the standards of measurement furnished by the movement mak ers, and those standards are so practically uni form that regular cases of all makers will corresponding movements produced by any of the regular watch companies.
This systematic method of manufacturing to standard dimensions is of exceeding importance to watch dealers, and the purchasing public also, as the customer is thereby enabled to select a watch movement of any desired size or grade, and also to select from a variety of cases one of such style or weight as best suits his taste. The ability to make independent selections of movement and use is one of the advantages of modern watchmaking made pos sible by the American system.