,transcribers note3 ,possible printer errors have been retained as they appear in the original book4 ,,contributions ,,from ,,the ,,museum ,,of ,,history ,,and ,,technology3 ,,paper #d ,,the ,,auburndale ,,watch ,,company ,edwin ,a4 ,battison ,,the ,,invention #ea ,,developing ,,the ,,invention #ec ,,the ,,new ,,sponsor #eg ,,success ,,and ,,failure #fd ,,the ,,lesson #fg ,by ,edwin ,a4 ,battison ,,the ,,auburndale ,,watch ,,company3 ,first ,american ,attempt ,toward the ,dollar ,watch ,the life of the pioneer has always been arduous4 ,not all succeed1 and many disappear leaving no trace on the pages of history4 ,here1 painstaking search has uncovered enough of the record to permit us to review the errors of design and manufacture that brought failure to the first attempt to produce a really cheap pocket watch4 ,this paper is based on a study of the patent model of the ,auburndale rotary and other products of the company in the collections of the ,national ,museum1 and of other collections1 including that of the author4 ,the study comprises part of the background research for the hall of timekeeping in the ,museum of ,history and ,technology4 ,,the ,,author3 ,edwin ,a4 ,battison is associate curator of mechanical and civil engineering1 ,museum of ,history and ,technology1 in the ,smithsonian ,institution's ,united ,states ,national ,museum4 ,the idea of a machine-made watch with interchangeable parts had been in the minds of many men for a long time4 ,several attempts had been made to translate this conception into a reality4 ,success crowned the efforts of those working near ,boston1 ,massachusetts1 in the #ahej's4 ,the work done there formed the basis on which ,american watch making grew to such a point that by the #ahgj's watches of domestic manufacture had captured nearly all the home market and were reaching out and capturing foreign markets as well4 ,in spite of this great achievement there remained a large untapped potential market for a watch which would combine the virtues of close time keeping and a lower selling price4 ,only a radical departure in design could achieve this4 ,rivalry between the several existing companies had already produced an irreducible minimum price on watches of conventional design4 ,the great obstacle to close rate in a modestly priced watch is the balance wheel4 ,this wheel requires careful adjustment for temperature error and for poise4 ,of these two disturbing factors poise is the most annoying to the owner because lack of it makes the watch a very erratic timekeeper4 ,a watch in which the parts are not poised is subject to a different rate for every position it is placed in4 ,this position error1 as it is called1 can and often does cause a most erratic and unpredictable rate4 ,abraham-,louis ,breguet1 the celebrated ,swiss-,french horologist of ,paris is credited with the invention1 in #ahja1a of his tourbillon1 a clever way to circumvent this error4 ,illustration3 ,figure #a4--;,,breguet',s ,,tourbillon4 ,at ,c is shown the carriage which revolves with pinion ,b carrying the escapement and balance around the stationary wheel ,g4 7,after ,g4 ,a4 ,baillie1 ,watches1 their history1 decoration1 and mechanism1 ,london1 ,methuen1 n4d47 ,his solution was to mount the escapement in a frame or chariot which revolved1 usually once a minute1 so that with each revolution all possible positions were passed through 7fig4 #a74 ,this gave the watch an average rate which was constant except for variations within the period of revolution of the chariot4 ,only a very skillful workman could1 however1 work with the delicacy necessary to produce such a mechanism4 ,the result was that few were made and these were so expensive that it continued to be more practical to poise the parts in a conventional movement4 ,the idea of revolving the entire train of a watch1 including the escapement1 seems to have evolved surprisingly slowly from ,breguet's basic invention of the revolving escapement4 ,in constructing a watch wherein the entire train revolves1 no such delicate or precise workmanship is required as in the tourbillon4 ,due to the longer train of gears involved the period of revolution is much slower4 ,position errors average out as certainly if not as frequently4 ,in ,bonniksen's ,karrusel watch of #ahicb the duration of a cycle is #eb4e minutes#c while in the ,auburndale ,rotary which we are about to discuss the period of each revolution is #b-a_/b hours4 ----- #a ,paul ,m4 ,chamberlain1 ,it's about time1 ,new ,york1 #aidg1 p4 #cfb4 #b ,british patent #badba1 granted ,january #ba1 #ahic4 #c ,chamberlain1 op4 cit4 7footnote #a71 pp4 #bbi1 #bcj4 ,the ,invention ,the patent model of ,jason ,r4 ,hopkins' revolving watch1 now in the ,u4 ,s4 ,national ,museum1#d was not the first in which the entire train revolved but it was a very novel conception intended to reduce greatly the number of parts usually associated with any watch4 ,this may be seen from figures #b and #c1 where everything shown inside the ring gear revolves slowly as the main spring runs down4 ,this spring is prevented from running down at its own speed by the train pinion seen in mesh with the ring gear4 ,through this pinion motion is imparted to the escape wheel and balance1 where the rate of the watch is controlled4 ,the balance1 being planted at the center of revolution1 travels around its own axis1 as in the tourbillon1 at the speed with which the entire train revolves around the barrel arbor4 ,this arbor turns only during winding4 ,no dial or dial gearing is shown in the patent or exists in the patent model4 ,the patent merely says1 casually1 ,by means of dial wheels the motion of the barrel may be communicated to hands and the time indicated in the usual manner4 ,no fine finish or jeweling has been lavished on the model1 the only jewels present being in the balance cock which was utilized as it came from its original watch with only minor modification to the shape of its foot4 ,apparently the balance wheel itself is also a relic of the same or a similar conventional watch4 ,there is no jeweling in the escapement or on the other end of the balance staff4 ,in spite of this the model runs very actively and will overbank if wound up very far4 ,the beat of the escapement is two per second and the movement revolves once in #bj minutes4 ,there are two great faults in the model4 ,first is the lack of an adequate bearing for the barrel to turn on4 ,there is only one very short bearing a long way removed from the point of engagement between the pinion and internal gear1 and no adequate support is given the barrel1 with the result that it tends to deflect from the ideal or true position and to bind4 ,this condition is aggravated by the fact that the ring gear was made by cutting its teeth on an angle to the axis around which it is to revolve1 using only a saw of appropriate width4 ,the teeth were then rounded-up to form by hand in a separate operation which by its very nature means that the teeth are not exactly alike4 ,this lack of uniformity of the ring gear coupled with an entirely inadequate bearing for the barrel contributes to rather erratic transfer of power4 ,these irregular teeth would not1 of course1 be a factor in factory-made watches where suitable machinery would be available for the work4 ,illustration3 ,figure #b4--,,patent ,,drawing ,,of ,,the ,,hopkins ,,watch4 ,the mainspring barrel ,e1 of a very large diameter in proportion to the diameter of the watch1 occupies nearly the full diameter of the movement4 ,the spring itself1 narrower and much longer than usual1 is made in the patent model by riveting two ordinary springs together end to end4 ,over this barrel and attached to the stationary frame of the watch is placed a large thin ring ,a1 cut on its inner diameter with #abj teeth4 ,near its edge the barrel ,e carries a stud g on which runs a pinion of #aj in mesh with the ring gear ,a4 ,on this pinion is a wheel of #hj driving a pinion of #f on the escape-wheel arbor4 ,the #ae-tooth escape wheel locks on a spring detent and gives impulse to the balance in one direction only1 being a conventional chronometer escapement4 ,the intermediate wheel and pinion1 balance wheel1 and balance cock have been adapted from a ,swiss bar movement of the time4 ,the second fault is in the ratio between the time of one revolution and the number of revolutions necessary for a day's run4 ,three turns of the spring are1 of course1 required to run the watch for an hour1 since the barrel and train revolve three times in that length of time4 ,if we choose to have the watch run for #cj hours on a winding1 and this leaves but a small safety factor1 then we see that this will require #ij turns of the main spring1 a manifest impossibility in view of the space available4#e ,illustration3 ,figure #c4--,,original ,,patent ,,model ,,of ,,the ,,hopkins ,,watch1 ,u4 ,s4 ,patent #afaeac1 ,july #bj1 #ahge1 now in the ,u4 ,s4 ,national ,museum 7cat4 no4 #cjijbe74 ,illustration3 ,figure #d4--;,,drawing ,,from ,u4 ,s4 ,,patent #afehca1 showing ,hopkins' first design improvement1 an arbor for the barrel and train to turn on and the balance displaced from center4 ,probably no attempt was made to produce a finished and practical watch at this time1 although ,hopkins1 the inventor1 was an actual watchmaker as well as a retail jeweler1 with premises virtually in the shadow of the ,patent ,office4 ,he was a native of ,maine#f and had been established in ,washington since #ahfc1 or perhaps some time in #ahfb4g ,illustration3 ,figure #e4--;,,hopkins' ,,balance ,,arresting ,,device1 the subject of ,u4 ,s4 patent #afehcj4 ,this and the device illustrated in figure #d originally were submitted together to the ,patent ,office on ,june #i1 #ahge1 and later were divided into two patents4 ----- #d ,cat4 no4 #cjijbe2 ,u4 ,s4 patent #afaeac1 ,july #bj1 #ahge4 #e ,those who have seen the ,waterbury watch1 which developed from this design1 may be drawn to the conclusion that this explains why it took so long to wind the ,waterbury4 ,such is not really the case2 in the ,waterbury the winding wheel 7which is on the outer rim of the barrel7 was nearly as large as the inside diameter of the case while the pinion engaging with it was of only nominal diameter4 ,this meant that one turn of the winding crown wound the barrel a much smaller fraction of a revolution than in a watch of conventional design4 #f ,district of ,columbia death record #ade1jac4 #g ,hopkins is not in the ,washington and ,georgetown directory of #ahfj or #ahfb1 and #ahfa was not available to check4 ,starting with #ahfc he is listed each year through #ahga4 ,starting with #ahgb ,boyd's ,directory of the ,district of ,columbia lists ,hopkins as a resident each year 7including #aijb1 the year of his death at #hd years7 except #ahgg1 when he was out of the city in connection with the exploitation of his rotary watch patents4 ,carl ,w4 ,drepperd1 ,american clocks and clockmakers 7,garden ,city1 ,n4,y41 #aidg71 in referring to ,hopkins1 says1 ,lincoln1 ,me4 #ahdj's-#ahej's3 ,bangor1 ,me41 to #ahfb4 ,inventor of the ,auburndale ,watch4 ,also manufactured pianos and clock cases4 ,developing the ,invention ,edward ,a4 ,locke had long been seeking a simple watch adapted to easy manufacture and a selling price of three to four dollars4 ,while on a trip to ,washington his attention was drawn to the ,hopkins watch by ,william ,d4 ,colt of ,washington4#h ,a result of this meeting appears to have been the issuance to ,jason ,r4 ,hopkins of two patents1#i in both of which half rights were assigned to ,william ,d4 ,colt4 ,patent #afehca1 relates to a barrel arbor for watches4 ,the arbor will be seen 7fig4 #d7 to consist of two parts1 one telescoped within the other and the composite arbor ,b-,c supported at each end by the frame of the watch4 ,the patent text limits itself to a bare description of the arbor4 ,in the light of what we have seen of the shortcomings of the original model1 however1 the patent drawings tell that much more had been accomplished on the general design of a more workable rotary watch4 ,a square on arbor ,c at the back of the watch permits winding the main spring1 which attaches to the largest diameter of ,c1 a ratchet or winding click being supplied just under support ,f4 ,the inner or front part ,b of the composite arbor projects from the front of the movement and revolves at the speed of the barrel arbor1 which speed is not specified4 ,also1 looking at the perspective view1 we see that while the chronometer escapement has been retained1 the balance has been placed eccentrically to make room for the center arbor4 ,the balance now describes an orbit around the center of revolution4 ,no driving train is shown1 it being irrelevant to the patent1 but there seems to be ample room for two intermediate wheels and their pinions between the escape wheel and the train cock boss1 seen at the upper right in the perspective view of figure #d4 ,adding one more wheel and pinion to the train would have the effect of reducing the number of revolutions required of the spring barrel4 ,we have seen from examination of the patent model of the ,hopkins rotary that this was necessary not only to reduce the number of turns of the main spring and barrel but also to reduce the force transmitted to the escapement4 ,there seems little reason from the foregoing observations and considerations to doubt that these modifications had been realized by the time of this patent4 ,again no dial gearing is shown4 ,if the need for special gearing existed at this time it seems strange that it was not covered by patent as was done in the later patent#aj assigned to ,william ,b4 ,fowle4 ,the only way to avoid special gearing would be to revolve the barrel and train each hour so that the minute hand could travel with them as it travels with the center wheel in conventional watches4 ,once this condition was set up1 the usual dial gearing would apply4 ,companion patent #afehcj 7see fig4 #e7 covers a mechanism to prevent overbanking of the balance wheel1 primarily of a chronometer escapement4 ,this1 of course1 was aimed at making it possible to use the escapement in connection with a mainspring of greatly varying power4 ,we have seen that this condition of uneven power existed in the first ,hopkins watch4 ,while the condition was greatly improved in the second model 7seen in fig4 #d71 it was surely present to some extent1 as it is associated with every spring4 ,overbanking protection may well have continued to be necessary1 particularly if the gear ratio between escapement and barrel was low enough to permit hourly rotation of the barrel4 ,the features covered by this patent were originally submitted as part of what later became patent #afehca4 ,examination of the original manuscript patent file#aa shows that the patent application was separated into two on the suggestion of the patent examiner1 who pointed out that two distinct and separate mechanisms were involved1 either of which could be used without the other4 ,illustration3 ,figure #f4--;,,drawing ,,from ,u4 ,s4 ,,patent #agijai showing ,hopkins' device to prevent the tripping of a chronometer escapement4 ,these two patents1 which actually started out as one1 appear to represent the watch as it was when ,hopkins went to ,waterbury1 ,connecticut1 where he again met ,edward ,a4 ,locke4 ,they submitted this improved watch model to the ,benedict and ,burnham ,manufacturing ,co41 which advised not manufacturing it until it was further developed4 ,hopkins went with his watch from there to ,boston1 where he conferred with ,george ,merritt who1 like ,locke1 was interested in getting into the manufacture of a low-priced watch4 ,merritt may have been the senior member of the ,locke-,merritt team or may simply have had more faith than his associates in ,hopkins and his watch4 ,at any rate1 he advanced expense money while further efforts at improvement were made4#ab ,hopkins' absence from the ,washington city directory of #ahgg is perhaps explained by this work he was doing on his patent4 ,while this was completed to ,hopkins' satisfaction1 it still fell short of ,merritt's idea of practicality1 and the latter abandoned the idea of manufacturing the watch2#ac what had started out as a very simple watch of few parts grew1 with every effort to make it workable1 more and more complicated by involved and expensive detail4 ,it appears that ,hopkins did not possess the rare gift of improvement by simplification4 ,this is a rare gift1 and one seldom possessed by an individual very closely and intensely involved in the minute details of a given problem4 ,illustration3 ,figure #g4--,,part ,,of ,,the ,,drawings ,,from ,u4 ,s4 ,,patent #ahfhch1 showing the winding and setting mechanism very nearly as it was applied in the ,auburndale rotary4 ,how long this period of development and experimentation required is unreported4 ,it could hardly have started before early ,june of #ahge1 when application was made for the patent 7#afehcj7 to prevent overbanking4 ,the cash book of ,william ,b4 ,fowle of ,auburndale1 ,massachusetts1#ad tells us that he bought half of ,william ,d4 ,colt's half-interest in the ,hopkins rotary in ,march #ahgf1 partly for cash but including a royalty on each watch made4 ,half this royalty was to go to ,hopkins1 a quarter to ,william ,d4 ,colt1 and a quarter to ,william ,b4 ,fowle4 ,does patent #agijai1 issued ,june #bj1 #ahgf1 to ,hopkins1 who assigned it on ,june #aj1 #ahgf1 to ,fowle1#ae represent the last improvement offered to ,merritt8 ,it covers a device actuated by a spur on a balance staff to lock the detent against tripping when in one position and to permit normal operation of the chronometer escapement when in the other position 7see fig4 #f74 ,another patent applied for on ,january #ab1 #ahgf1 was in prospect and finally issued as no4 #ahfhch on ,january #cj1 #ahgg1 assigned to ,william ,b4 ,fowle on ,november #ba1 #ahgf4af ,this is much the most practical and useful patent in the series4 ,a comparison of these 7see figs4 #g and #h7 with the ,auburndale rotary watch 7see fig4 #i7 shows a remarkable similarity between the inventor's conception and the product eventually manufactured4 ,a practical center arbor to support and guide the entire rotating mechanism is here combined with a stem-winding and lever-setting mechanism and dial gearing in a well thought out arrangement4 ,illustration3 ,figure #h4--,,remaining ,,drawings ,,from ,u4 ,s4 ,,patent #ahfhch1 showing the dial gearing used in the ,auburndale rotary4 ,here1 where the story of the ,hopkins watch diverges from the interests who later brought out the rival ,waterbury watch1 it seems appropriate to call the reader's attention to the basic points of novelty and merit in the ,hopkins watch which carried over to what became the ,waterbury1 somewhat as an hereditary characteristic passes from generation to generation4 ,previous writers have realized that one of these watches led to the other and have grouped them together because of the rotating feature which they shared in common4 ,beyond this point they have treated the watches as though they had nothing in common4 ,actually several basic features of the ,hopkins watch existed in both3 the long narrow spring in a barrel approximately filling one side of the watch case1 a train rotating in the center of the watch and driven by a planetary pinion in mesh with a gear fixed to the stationary part of the watch1 a slow beat escapement1 and probably the hourly rotation of the train and escapement4 ,when these details appeared in the first watches manufactured for ,messrs4 ,locke and ,merritt by the ,benedict and ,burnham ,manufacturing ,co4 and later the ,waterbury ,watch ,co41 they were vastly changed in detail and much better adapted to mass production1 although still basically the same4 ,illustration3 ,figure #i4--;,,auburndale ,,rotary ,,watch ,,movement4 7,in the author's collection47 ,the story of ,hopkins' rotary watch now enters an entirely new setting with new financial backing which1 however1 had no apparent experience or background in mechanical work1 much less watch manufacturing4 ,those with watchmaking experience who were brought into this new organization unquestionably did their best1 based on past experience confined to conventional watches of much higher grade4 ,judging from the products turned out1 however1 they had great difficulty in making a clean break with their past and in producing a satisfactory low-priced watch of new and radical concept4 ,the market for watches1 which had been depressed1 was at this time reviving a little4 ,the ,newton ,journal1#ag referring to the ,american ,watch ,co4 at ,waltham reported3 ,the hands employed in the caseroom and the machinists have been called in4 ,all the works are to be started the first of ,september4 ,illustration3 ,figure #aj4--,,william ,b4 ,,fowle1 sponsor of the ,auburndale ,watch ,co41 after an engraving in ,s4 ,f4 ,smith1 ,history of ,newton1 ,massachusetts 7,boston1 #ahhj74 ----- #h ,chas4 ,s4 ,crossman1 ,a complete history of watch and clock making in ,america1 ,jewelers ,circular and ,horological ,review1 ,january #ahhh1 pp4 #djj1 #dja4 ,this history ran as a continuing series of short articles appearing over a period of years4 ,in his sketch of the ,waterbury ,watch ,co41 ,crossman gives the name as ,william ,d4 ,coates1 a name not found in ,boyd's ,directory of the ,district of ,columbia for #ahge4 ,the directory does1 however1 contain the name of ,william ,d4 ,colt1 a patent attorney4 #i ,u4 ,s4 patents #afehcj and #afehca1 granted ,july #bj1 #ahge4 #aj ,u4 ,s4 patent #ahfhch1 ,january #cj1 #ahgg4 #aa ,patent file #afehca1 records of the ,patent ,office in the ,national ,archives1 ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 #ab ,crossman1 op4 cit4 7footnote #h71 ,january #ahhh1 p4 #cb4 #ac ,ibid41 p4 #cc4 #ad ,william ,b4 ,fowle's ,cash book1 commenced ,january #a1 #ahgc1 and closed ,february #ba1 #ahhb1 plus ,cash ,book #e ,leaves #a to #bj inclusive4 ,all that were used up to my failure on ,august #d1 #ahhc1 are in the author's possession4 ,they contain many entries on the ,watch ,adventure and later ,aub ,watch ,co4 mixed in with other entries referring to everything from killing pigs to extensive stock1 bond1 and real estate transactions4 #ae ,u4 ,s4 ,patent ,office digest of assignments1 vol4 ,h#i,v1 p4 #ac1 stored at ,franconia1 ,virginia1 ,accession no4 #eg;,a#cic4 #af ,ibid41 p4 #gf4 #ag ,august #bf1 #ahgf1 p4 #b41 under the heading of ,waltham ,items1 ,signs of a revival of business at the ,watch ,works in ,waltham4 ,the ,new ,sponsor ,william ,bentley ,fowle 7fig4 #aj71 new partner with ,hopkins and ,colt in the watch1 was born in ,boston1 ,massachusetts on ,july #bg1 #ahbf4 ,his father1 ,william ,b4 ,fowle1 ,senior1 a well-known ,boston teacher and educator1 had variously been a bookseller and conductor of a ,female ,monitorial ,school4#ah ,the junior ,william ,b4 ,fowle we have first located as a ticket master with the ,boston and ,worcester ,railroad in #ahdh1ai and he retained this listing in the directory through #ahea4 ,starting in #aheb and continuing through #ahfb1 with no indication of employer or occupation1 he had an office at #i ,merchants ,exchange4 ,in #ahfj and #ahfb he was a member of the ,boston ,common ,council1 and was president of that body in #ahfe4 ,in #ahfb1 after the second battle of ,bull ,run1 he raised an infantry company for the #dcrd ,massachusetts ,volunteers and was mustered in1 ,september #bd1 #ahfb1 with the rank of captain4 ,from ,december #g1 #ahfb1 to ,march #d1 #ahfc1 he was commandant of the military post at ,beaufort1 ,north ,carolina4 ,he then reported to his regiment4 ,on ,june #bd1 #ahfc1 he was left sick at ,new ,bern1 ,north ,carolina1 by his company bound for ,fortress ,monroe4 ,on ,july #ba he rejoined his company at ,boston1 ,massachusetts1 in time to be mustered out on ,july #cj at the expiration of his nine months' enlistment4#bj ,illustration3 ,figure #aa4--,,the ,,two ,,lever ,,escapements ,,used ,,in ,,the ,,auburndale ,,rotary4 ,note1 in addition to the escapement1 the absence of banking pins and the metal balance jewel in the escapement at the left1 which is from watch ,no4 #agf4 7,both watches in the author's collection47 ,in the #ahfd ,boston directory we find him listed as treasurer of the ,bear ,valley ,coal ,co41 and the ,north ,mountain ,coal ,co41 with an office at #ch ,city ,exchange4 ,this association with the coal business continued with changes unimportant to our story through the directories until #ahgg1 in which year the name is dropped from the ,boston directory1 not to reappear until the directory of #ahhj1 where he is listed at ,herald ,building1 watches and timers4 ,this was apparently the sales office4 ,the ,newton directory of #ahgg drops its previous listing of coal after ,mr4 ,fowle's name and first mentions the ,auburndale ,watch ,co4#ba ,in #ahff ,mr4 ,fowle established his home1 ,tanglewood1 in ,auburndale1 a village in ,newton not far from his boyhood home at ,west ,newton and on the bank of the ,charles ,river about two miles upstream from the ,waltham ,watch ,co4 ,he served the town of ,newton as selectman from #ahfi through #ahga1 was an alderman in #ahgg1 and mayor in #ahgh and #ahgi4bb ,illustration3 ,figure #ab4--;,a #bd-;,,hour ,,dial for the rotary watch4 7,in the author's collection47 ,william ,atherton ,wales of ,new ,york is credited with introducing ,mr4 ,fowle to the ,hopkins watch4 ,no clue has come to light on what connection there was between ,hopkins and ,wales1 who had been a partner in the large watch-importing house of ,giles1 ,wales and ,co41 in ,new ,york and later a large stockholder in the ,united ,states ,watch ,co4 of ,marion1 ,new ,jersey1 which had only ceased operation in #ahgd4 ,a patent#bc had been issued to ,fayette ,s4 ,giles of ,new ,york1 the leading figure in the ,united ,states ,watch ,co41 for an improvement in stem-winding watches4 ,this had presumably been available to his company4 ,in this winding mechanism a crown pinion driven by a clutch on the stem engages with a large ring gear1 having #aaj internal teeth1 which in turn drives a gear on the barrel arbor4 ,the author has seen no watch1 except the patent model1#bd containing this device1 but the pillar plate of many of the ,united ,states ,watch ,co4 movements were cut out1 apparently to receive this ring gear4 ,the expense of cutting so many internal teeth in steel seems reason enough to explain why this patent did not become the basis for all their stem-wound models4 ,steel is far more difficult to cut than brass1 resulting in a much greater consumption of time and cutters1 both of which represent money to the manufacturer4 ,in the patent model these ring-gear teeth have been cut by a milling cutter which did not pass through the ring and across the face of the teeth4 ,this produced a gear somewhat resembling an internal bevel gear1 one which could have only the merest contact with its mating pinion4 ,to make a durable gear for this application it would be necessary to pass the cutter through the ring in line with the gear axis4 ,this would require a special or1 at least1 radically modified gear-cutting machine with a cutter arbor shorter than the inside diameter of the gear4 ,into this short space the spindle bearings and means of driving the spindle would have to be crowded1 along with the cutter4 ,hopkins faced a problem similar to this in cutting the ring gear for his watch1 except that the brass gear needed for the rotary watch could be cut far more easily and quickly4 ,this may be the link which brought ,wales and the defunct ,united ,states ,watch ,co4 into the ,auburndale picture4 ,another plausible link between ,fowle and ,wales involves a patent#be ,wales received for a pulley4 ,this1 the now familiar device of interlocking conical sections so commonly used in variable speed ,v-belt drives1 was assigned to ,g4 ,e4 ,lincoln of ,boston1 ,massachusetts4 ,george ,e4 ,lincoln was treasurer of the ,mammoth ,vein ,consolidated ,coal ,co4 at ,boston in #ahfe1 with an office adjoining that of ,fowle4 ,in addition he boarded for many years at ,auburndale1#bf and he apparently owned the buildings about to be converted into a watch factory4 ,thus we see that ,lincoln may very well have been the one who brought ,fowle and ,wales together4 ,illustration3 ,figure #ac4--,,the ,,auburndale ,,timer with top plate1 balance1 and control mechanism removed to show the train4 ,the conventional barrel has #ff teeth that drive a pinion on the so-called #aj-minute staff4 ,this staff carries on the dial end the pointer1 which revolves in #aj minutes1 as indicated on the dial4 ,also on this staff is an unspoked wheel of #hj driving the center1 or minute1 staff through a pinion of #h4 ,in addition to the sweep hand 7or hands in the case of the split model7 indicating seconds up to a duration of one minute1 there is a wheel of #hj driving a pinion of #h on an intermediate staff4 ,a wheel of #fj on this staff drives a pinion of #aj on the escape-wheel staff4 ,a pointer on this last staff also carries the hand that indicates fractions of a second4 7,in the author's collection47 ,william ,b4 ,fowle's cash book shows1 on ,july #ad1 #ahgf1 payment to ,geo4 ,e4 ,lincoln ,for large building used #bjj and ,for small building used #cj4 ,on ,july #ba is an entry ,milo ,lucas bal4 of ,building ,contract #afje4be4 ,these with an entry on the preceding ,june #cj1 ,milo ,lucas on a_/c ,contract for ,building seem1 with a ,july #be entry ,w4 ,e4 ,c4 ,fowler1 ,painting ,factory #fd4ia1 to cover the expense for the bare factory4 ,the buildings1 two stories high and measuring #dj x #bj and #cb x #bj feet1 respectively1 were located on the ,weston bank of the ,charles ,river1 opposite ,fowle's home1 from which they could be reached by a private ferry4 ,this pleasant bucolic location was not far upstream from that originally sought by the ,boston ,watch ,co4 when that firm was looking for a spot to move to from ,roxbury in #ahed4 ,the situation of the factory was described as a wild and secluded glen4#bg ,another account#bh says3 ,the well appointed little steamer ,white ,swan1 owned and commanded by a ,captain ,gibbs1 veteran of the last war1 now plies regularly between ,waltham and ,auburndale ,bridge1 carrying picnic parties1 etc4444 ,along the banks of the river are located the summer residences of ,messrs4 ,cutter and ,merrill1 the elegant residence of ,r4 ,m4 ,pulsifer1 ,mayor of ,newton1 the splendid mansion of ,ex-,mayor ,fowle1 the ,benyon mansion and others4444 ,at sunset the river is alive with canoes1 row-boats1 shells and sailboats filled with ladies and gentlemen adding1 with the delightful music1 greatly to the natural charm of the scenery4 ,illustration3 ,figure #ad4--;,,escape ,,wheel ,,and ,,pallets of an ,auburndale timer4 ,with four pins in the escape wheel1 this particular one beats eighths of a second4 7,in author's collection47 ,this idyllic pastoral setting surely must have been a joy to all connected with the little watch factory4 ,it seems to typify the atmosphere of wealth and leisure into which the infant industry was brought without adequate study of the problems it would be called upon to surmount4 ,the ,auburndale machinery came from the ,united ,states ,watch ,co4 factory at ,marion1 ,new ,jersey1 which1 as we have seen1 was closed in #ahgd4 ,william ,a4 ,wales1 who was associated with ,fowle in the ,auburndale adventure1 had been secretary1 treasurer1 and director of this company4 ,most of the machinery came from ,george ,e4 ,hart and ,co41 of ,newark1 which had taken over much of the ,company's equipment1 eventually selling it to other factories4 ,warren ,e4 ,ray1 a neighbor of ,mr4 ,fowle's1 commenced as manager of the factory in ,july #ahgf1 and died suddenly of heart disease about ,october #a of that year4 ,he was soon succeeded by ,mr4 ,james ,h4 ,gerry1 who had gone from ,waltham to ,newark in #ahfc to superintend the building of the original machines for the ,united ,states factory4 ,the employees were chiefly drawn from other factories1 principally the neighboring ,american ,watch ,co4 at ,waltham1 and the defunct ,united ,states ,watch ,co41 while some who needed no specific watchmaking skills perhaps never had worked in a watch factory before4 ,names1 not already mentioned1 that have been preserved are3 ,george ,h4 ,bourne1 ,l4 ,c4 ,brown1 ,abraham ,craig1 ,frederick ,h4 ,eaves1 ,henry ,b4 ,fowle1 ,benjamin ,f4 ,gerry1 ,william ,h4 ,guest1 ,jose ,guinan1 ,sadie ,hewes1 ,isaac ,kilduff 7the watchman71 ,justin ,hinds1 ,e4 ,moebus1 ,james ,o',connell 7the stationary engineer71 ,edwin ,h4 ,perry1 ,frank ,n4 ,robbins1 ,john ,rose1 ,thomas ,w4 ,shephard1 ,william ,h4 ,a4 ,simmons1 ,alfred ,simpson1 ,thomas ,steele1 ,oscar ,l4 ,strout1 and ,george ,wood4 ,these1 compiled from several sources1#bi represent only a few of the men who contributed their knowledge and skill to the enterprise2 they are listed in alphabetical order because it has been found impossible to arrange them accurately according to position1 magnitude of contribution1 or length of service4 ,of the five ,hopkins patents#cj the first and the last are the ones covering the essential elements used in the ,auburndale product4 ,the two patents assigned in half to ,william ,d4 ,colt apparently were never used1 nor does the device shown in figure #f seem to have been used1 although these unused patents are listed on the ,auburndale movements4 ,now that the watch was in the hands of men accustomed to making watches1 some modifications dictated by their experience and by considerations of expediency in manufacture were made4 ,the movement that issued was #ah size1 rather thick1 cased at the factory in a nickel case made by the ,thiery ,watch ,case ,co4 of ,boston1 ,massachusetts4 ,in the winding and setting mechanisms1 some changes in details were made with respect to those shown in figure #g4 ,the dial is mounted by means of a rim which snaps over the edge of the movement as on a high-grade ,swiss watch of the same era4 ,the usual dial feet1 if used1 would have interfered with the rotation of the movement4 ,for the same reason1 of course1 there is no dial indicating seconds4 ,illustration3 ,figure #ae4--,,verge ,,and ,,lever for an ,auburndale timer4 ,the one on the left beats eighths of a second2 that on the right beats quarters4 7,in author's collection47 ,five jewels are found in most instances1 two cap jewels and two hole jewels for the balance staff and a jeweled impulse pin4 ,one of the faults of the movement is that the cap and hole jewels on the balance are not separable for cleaning4 ,after the jewels were inserted part of the setting was spun down over them1 making the assembly permanent4 ,a few movements with only one jewel are known1 the cap and hole jewels being metal jewels likewise set under a spun-over rim4 ,whether or not the impulse jewel found in these last-mentioned movements is original or a later intrusion remains undetermined4 ,it is easy to conceive that the factory would see no more necessity for an impulse jewel than for other jewels4 ,the lever escapement is the only one known to have been used1 but two varieties of this are found 7see fig4 #aa74 ,one is a standard club-tooth lever with banking pins1 the other1 much more interesting because unconventional1 has pointed pallets and all the lift on the escape wheel1 which has very short stubby teeth1 very much like the wheel of a pin-pallet escapement4 ,no banking pins are used1 the banking taking place between the pallets and the wheel4 ,an examination of a number of these watches1 with serial numbers ranging from #df to #ejg1ca reveals no correlation between the serial number and the style of escapement1 from which one may conclude that the pointed pallet escapement was originally used2 later four balance jewels were added and the escapement changed to the conventional club-tooth pattern4 ,as complaints came in about the defective running of the watch these changes were apparently substituted at the factory in customers' watches4 ,the movements with the pointed-pallet escapement seldom show much wear2 on the other hand1 watch no4 #bbd1cb which has the conventional escapement and five jewels1 is very much worn and must have run for many years4 ,these watches are stem wound by turning opposite to the usual direction and are set through the winding crown after actuating a setting lever located under the front bezel4 ,the plates1 bridges1 and ring gear are nickel-plated and highly buffed1 making a very showy movement1 the only instances of such a finish on watches in the author's experience4 ,in figure #ab is shown a #bd-;hour dial to fit the movement4 ,special dial gearing would be required for the hour hand to accompany this dial4 ,illustration3 ,figure #af4--;,,dial ,,for #a_/aj-,,second ,,model ,auburndale timer4 7,in author's collection47 ,the first of these watches were placed on the market in #ahgg1 priced at #aj4jj to the trade4 ,soon complaints came in that they were defective in operation and many were returned4 ,we have seen from the specimens examined that there seems to have been no established model produced in quantity4 ,the dial and the number of jewels varied1 as well as the escapement1 suggesting that the owners were groping for a salable variant of the design for which they had tooled the factory4 ,probably the pointed pallet escapement was used first1 it being the less expensive of the two4 ,in addition to the saving effected by not requiring banking pins1 the escape wheel was much cheaper to cut1 as the teeth were very short and strong 7see fig4 #aa74 ,since the banking took place between the pallets and the escape wheel1 there was no adjustment for the amount of slide2 and since the watches were not made to close tolerances1 the slide was necessarily excessive and consequently power consuming4 ,the conventional club-tooth escapement was probably substituted as less troublesome1 although the banking pins were fixed and could only be adjusted by bending them4 ,the pallets remained solid steel1 without adjustable stone inserts4 ,at this stage of affairs approximately #adj1jjj had been invested in the venture1 the market was already glutted with conventional watches which enjoyed the confidence of retailers1 and the ,auburndale ,rotary had won a bad reputation4 ,the success of any watch depends largely on the confidence the retail dealers have in it4 ,they are looking for a product easy to sell at an attractive profit as well as one that will stay sold and create a satisfied customer4 ,fowle was of course very much disappointed2 before going into the venture he had been advised that he could expect to produce #bjj watches per day on an expenditure of #af1jjj4cc ,the watches reached the market at a time1 the fall of #ahgg1 almost coincidental with application by ,d4 ,azro ,a4 ,buck for patents on what was to become the ,waterbury rotary4 ,these patents represented a new and economically sound expression of the basic ideas of ,hopkins4 ,the ,waterbury associates immediately commenced work aimed at getting their watch on the market by ,june #ahgh4cd ,news of this certainly reached ,auburndale where they were not only well aware of the cost of producing their rotary but were also aware of the strict cost and performance studies which ,locke and ,merritt would apply to any watch before they would invest in it4 ,knowledge of this very able and well organized rival1 coupled with the troubles experienced in manufacturing and selling the ,auburndale ,rotary1 seem to account for the decision to abandon it4 ,it was unfortunate that the timing of events happened just as it did for a little more work on the ,auburndale and the tools for making it would probably have placed it on a firm footing in the trade1 although obviously it could never compete with what eventually became the low-priced watch1 really a scaled-down alarm clock minus the alarm mechanism4 ,it is said that about one thousand of the ,rotaries were made4 ,the highest serial number to come to the author's attention1 #ejg1 may indicate that only a part of the watches started were finished4 ,accounts agree#ce that the next product of the factory was a ,timer containing a novel escapement patented on ,may #bh1 #ahgh1cf by ,william ,a4 ,wales4 ,early specimens are marked ,pat4 ,applied ,for1 but one with the serial number #iifcg bears no reference at all to a patent1 presumably because issuance of the patent or patents was imminent4 ,apparently the timer was in full production before the patent was issued on ,may #bh4 ,specimens with higher serial numbers are stamped with three patent dates1 ,may #bh1 #ahgh1ch ,june #bd1 #ahgi1 and ,september #cj1 #ahgi1 as seen in figure #ac1 which also shows the arrangement of the train4 ,in this escapement the escape wheel 7fig4 #ad7 carries in the rim any suitable number of steel pins all on the same radius from1 and parallel to1 the axis of wheel rotation4 ,in all cases the wheel makes one revolution per second4 ,the verge 7figs4 #ad and #ae7 is so proportioned that the distance between the points of repose on the entrance and exit pallets will stop the wheel at intervals equal to half the angular distance between the pins4 ,in other words1 with two pins in the escape wheel the escapement will beat quarters of a second1 because starting from a point of repose the wheel will be arrested on the other point of repose after turning through #ij4 ,with four pins in the escape wheel and a suitably proportioned verge the escape wheel advances in steps of #de and beats eighths of a second4 ,the growing trend in this period to standardize the timing of sporting events in intervals of fifths of a second is reflected in still another model having five pins in the escape wheel and beating tenths of a second4 ,by the nature of the verge in this escapement1 it will be seen that the number of beats must be twice the number of pins in the escape wheel1 leaving no way to secure an odd number of beats per second1 hence the #a_/aj-second model4 ,this must have been a less desirable form because of the much smaller verge required1 plus the problem of accelerating so much mass from a dead stop #fjj times per minute4 ,illustration3 ,figure #ag4--;,a ,,timer ,,dial that is probably either experimental or very early4 ,note that the fractions of a second 7quarters7 are shown on the outside dial instead of on a separate dial4 ,this dial was converted at the factory for use as the base of a hairspring vibrating stand4 ,a dial different from this but having the same arrangement of circles is known4 7,in author's collection47 ,figure #af illustrates a dial for this #a_/aj-second model which the author found in a lot of unused parts left over when the factory closed4 ,the watch had an #ah-size #c_/d-plate movement with grained nickel finish4 ,the escapement is special1 as we have seen1 but the fork1 roller1 and balance action are conventional4 ,there are five jewels1 four to support the balance staff and an impulse jewel4 ,the barrel arbor comes through the top plate with a square1 as in a keywind watch1 but is fitted with a winding handle1 so that a key is unnecessary4 ,this handle appears to be an afterthought1 because on the earlier models 7those with serial numbers below #a1jjj71 the barrel arbor is short1 barely long enough to attach the winding handle2 later this arbor was made longer4 ,patent #bjdbgd issued to ,benjamin ,wormelle of ,brighton1 ,massachusetts1 on ,may #bh1 #ahgh1 the same date as ,wales' escapement patent1 may have suggested this winding handle4 ,on watches with higher serial numbers1 there are two arrows on the handle to show the direction to wind4 ,the earliest of these timers had a slide on the side of the case to stop the movement by means of a piece of thin spring steel applied roughly tangentially to the smooth rim of the three-arm1 solid steel balance wheel4 ,when this action is reversed to start the movement1 the spring1 in retracting from the wheel rim1 starts the wheel swinging4 ,soon this slide on the case was dispensed with by fitting a curved sheet-metal rack into a groove turned in the edge of the balance cock4 ,engaging this rack was a pinion with a square hole through which the square stem could slide to set the hands back to zero as it had from the beginning1 while turning the stem now would actuate the pinion and rack to start and stop the movement1 as the slide in the case had originally done4 ,various minor changes1 dictated by experience and the need for economy in manufacture1 were made in these movements4 ,after about the first thousand the diameter of the balance was reduced from approximately 4#gjj to about 4#ecj inch4 ,this smaller wheel was1 of course1 much more suitable to vibrate at the faster speeds required on the models beating eighths and tenths of a second4 ,at some time between the manufacture of watches bearing serial numbers #cace and #cfbb1 the formerly separate winding pawl and spring were combined into one piece that could be entirely made in a punch press4 ,another economy move was to stamp the name and patents in place of hand engraving4 ,for a long time hand engraving was used1 although stamping had been used from the beginning on the earlier rotary watch4 ,the case was very similar to that used on the rotary4 ,the dial1 of white enamel with snap rim fastened by a screw1#ci carried three graduated circles1 an outer circle graduated in seconds up to sixty surrounding two smaller subsidiary dials4 ,the top one of these smaller dials recorded minutes elasped up to ten and the lower one recorded fractions of a second4 ,the same dial was used on movements indicating quarters and eighths of seconds1 all being graduated in eighths4 ,a dial without provision for indicating the fractions of a second on a separate small dial may be seen in figure #ag4 ,this last has been made into a stand for hair spring work and is shown with balance and spring just as it came from the ,auburndale factory with balance spring and wheel for a timer still in place4 ,illustration3 ,figure #ah4--,,tag ,,displaying ,,directions ,,for ,,use ,,of ,,the ,,auburndale ,,timer4 7,in author's collection47 ,the sweep second hand and the minute register hand are attached to heart-shaped cams friction driven from their respective staffs4 ,they are reset by a bar pivoted beneath the dial and actuated by the stem through pressure on the crown4 ,an original instruction tag as sent from the factory with these timers is seen in figure #ah4 ,figure #ai shows the mechanism of the split-second model as represented in ,u4 ,s4 patent #bbjaie of ,september #cj1 #ahgi1 issued to ,william ,a4 ,wales and assigned to ,william ,b4 ,fowle4#dj ,a split-second mechanism is used to time the finish of two horses in the same race or any other similar event4 ,in usual watches of this nature the watch will run along indefinitely with the extra or split second hand stopped although this hand will not record more than a difference of one minute from the main sweep hand4 ,this was not true of the ,auburndale1 as pointed out in the instructions4 ,the reason for this is that motion is conveyed to this hand through a hair spring which would be damaged if allowed to overwind4 ,to prevent this a stop is interposed which will halt the entire watch unless directions are followed4 ,the serrated wheel ,f1 of hardened steel1 driving the second sweep hand1 is cut on the edge with #abj serrations2 stopping of this hand therefore is only to the nearest half second regardless of how minutely the escapement is dividing time4 ,this is rather a serious defect as1 if timing a horse race as an example1 the time of the fastest horse is taken on this hand which registers a lesser degree of accuracy than the time recorded on the second and less important horse4 ,a general view of one of these watches is seen in figure #bj4 ----- #ah ,stimpson's ,boston directory1 #ahdj4 #ai ,adams' new directory of the ,city of ,boston1 #ahdg-dh1 #ahdi-ej1 #ahea4 #bj ,records of ,veterans ,administration1 pension application #fff #fge1 ,national ,archives1 ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 #ba ,the ,newton directory at this time was issued biennially on odd numbered years4 #bb ,s4 ,f4 ,smith1 ,history of ,newton1 ,massachusetts1 ,boston #ahhj1 p4 #hcc4 #bc ,u4 ,s4 patent #febjh1 issued ,may #bh1 #ahfg1 all rights assigned to ,giles1 ,wales and ,co41 ,march #d1 #ahfg and recorded ,march #h1 #ahfg1 at ,u4 ,s4 ,patent ,office1 liber ,g#i1 p4 #ajj4 #bd ,in the ,u4 ,s4 ,national ,museum1 cat4 no4 #cjijba4 #be ,u4 ,s4 patent #agigdf1 issued ,july #aa1 #ahgf4 #bf ,boston directory1 #ahfe through #ahgb4 #bg ,m4 ,f4 ,sweitser1 ,king's handbook of ,newton1 ,massachusetts1 ,boston1 ,mass41 #ahhi1 p4 #bjc4 #bh ,smith1 op4 cit4 7footnote #bb71 p4 #bj4 #bi ,the sources used were ,crossman1 op4 cit4 7footnote #h71 ,december #ahhg2 ,henry ,g4 ,abbot1 ,watch factories of ,america1 ,chicago1 #ahhh1 pp4 #ic-ie2 ,newton directory for #ahge1 #ahgg1 #ahgi1 #ahha1 #ahhc1 #ahhd-he1 and #ahhe2 ,waltham-,watertown directory for #ahgg-gh1 #ahhj1 #ahhb1 #ahhd2 and ,william ,b4 ,fowle1 ,cash book 7see footnote #ad74 #cj ,u4 ,s4 patents #afaeac1 applied for ,november #ac1 #ahgc1 issued ,march #cj1 #ahge2 #afehcj1 applied for ,july #ad1 #ahge1 issued ,july #bj1 #ahge2 #afehca1 applied for ,june #i1 #ahge1 issued ,july #bj1 #ahge2 #agijai1 applied for ,may #be1 #ahgf1 issued ,june #bj1 #ahgf2 and #ahfhch1 applied for ,january #ab1 #ahgf1 issued ,january #cj1 #ahgg4 ,a ,french patent was issued to ,hopkins on ,september #ab1 #ahgf1 and a ,belgian patent on ,september #cj1 #ahgf4 ,for lack of records neither has been positively identified but presumably they are for the same device covered in ,u4 ,s4 patent #agijai4 #ca ,no4 #df courtesy of the late ,c4 ,a4 ,ilbert 7this watch is now in the ,science ,museum1 ,south ,kensington1 ,london72 #abd1 #agf1 #bbd1 #bda in the author's collection2 #afa ,abbot1 op cit4 7footnote #bi72 #bej ,henry ,ford ,museum1 ,dearborn1 ,michigan2 #cfa ,f4 ,earl ,hackett2 #chg ,dr4 ,alfred ,g4 ,cossidente2 #djc ,dr4 ,w4 ,b4 ,stephens2 #dbc ,crossman1 op cit4 7footnote #h72 and an unnumbered movement illustrated in ,american ,jeweler1 ,december #ahih1 vol4 #ag1 no4 #ab1 p4 #cga4 #cb ,in the author's collection4 #cc ,crossman1 op4 cit4 7footnote #h71 ,december #ahhg1 p4 #djj4 #cd ,crossman1 op4 cit4 7footnote #h71 ,january #ahhh1 p4 #cc4 #ce ,crossman1 op4 cit4 7footnote #h71 ,january #ahhh1 pp4 #djj-dja2 ,abbot1 op4 cit4 7footnote #bi74 #cf ,u4 ,s4 patent #bjddjj4 #cg ,u4 ,s4 ,national ,museum cat4 no4 #bdhfia4 #ch ,u4 ,s4 patent #bjddjj4 ,the text of this patent speaks of dividing the second into halves1 quarters1 eighths1 etc4 and in the summation of claims of an escape wheel1 ,a1 provided with one or more pairs of pins444 showing that measuring tenths of a second with a five-pin escape wheel was not conceived at this time4 ,it is interesting to note that in referring to the drawings shown in figure #ab the text states ,in the present instance two pairs of pins are used to denote quarter seconds4 ,only one pair of pins is shown1 which is correct4 ,this seems1 however1 to reflect carelessness on the part of patent attorneys and examiners1 as the error exists in the original manuscript patent application preserved in the ,national ,archives1 ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 #ci ,u4 ,s4 patent #bafiag1 issued to ,william ,a4 ,wales and assigned to ,william ,b4 ,fowle1 was applied for on ,november #a1 #ahgh1 after the device was already in use on earlier specimens of these watches4 #dj ,the mechanism was also covered by ,british patent #chic1 issued ,september #bg1 #ahgi1 to ,philip ,syng ,justice on behalf of ,william ,b4 ,fowle4 ,success and ,failure ,it would be pleasant to report that after the fiasco of the rotary model these timers were a financial success1 but the facts indicate otherwise4 ,they were well built and reliable1 so that the trade was pleased to stock and promote them4 ,the public responded well when in the market for a timer1 as might be expected1 since no other stop watch with fractional second dial or split-second hand was made in the country4 ,those imported from abroad were many times as expensive4 ,unfortunately the demand was seasonal4 ,sometimes1 during the racing season1 demand would reach #djj per month1 while at other seasons of the year practically none at all were sold4 ,some remained in stock during the remaining life of the company1 as is shown by the following advertisement1#da which was accompanied by an illustration of the watch3 ,the old reliable ,auburndale ,chronograph ,timers1 for sale by ,edward ,h4 ,brown1 ,no4 #af ,maiden ,lane1 ,new ,york4 ,the manufacture of these watches having been discontinued for reasons entirely apart from their value and reliability1 the stock in existence is very limited1 and is now in the hands of ,mr4 ,edward ,h4 ,brown1 ,no4 #af ,maiden ,lane1 ,new ,york ,city1 the well known and reliable dealer in ,watches1 ,diamonds and ,jewelry4 ,the ,auburndale timer has been in the hands of a number of competent judges1 and has always been found to be accurate4 ,it is of convenient size1 and is contained in a ,german silver case1 nickel plated4 ,the timers are manufactured in two qualities1 without split seconds for #ae and with the split second for #be4 ,they all have minute1 second and lightning hands4 ,we recommend all desiring a cheap and reliable timer to apply at once to ,mr4 ,brown1 ,no4 #af ,maiden ,lane1 ,new ,york4 ,a steadier market was sought with the introduction of a low priced #c_/d-plate1 back-setting1 #ah-size watch to compete1 it was hoped1 with the full-plate watches of similar price made by the established companies4 ,nearly all these watches had seven jewels1 some few had more4 ,the majority were key wind and set with a folding winding key permanently attached to the barrel arbor1 as in figure #ba4 ,these were named ,lincoln for ,mr4 ,fowle's son1 ,lincoln ,a4 ,fowle1#db and had a solid steel balance with screws and the general appearance of a compensated balance4 ,a stem-wound1 lever-set edition of the same basic watch was named ,bentley for ,bentley ,d4 ,fowle1 another son4#dc ,this had a cut bimetallic balance and higher finish4 ,conventional gilt finish was used on both of these models1 although one isolated specimen found in factory remainders#dd has a bright nickel finish comparable with the rotary watch4 ,these watches were designed by ,chauncey ,hartwell1#de after ,j4 ,h4 ,gerry had removed to ,lancaster1 where the ,lancaster ,watch ,co41 organized in ,august #ahgg1 was attempting to bring a line of watches onto the market although beset by acute financial woes similar to those building up at ,auburndale4 ,to return to our #c_/d-plate watches1 it may be said that they were well made for the price1 reliable1 and successful from a manufacturing point of view but could not be sold at a figure high enough to return a profit on the manufacture4 ,illustration3 ,figure #ai4--,,split ,,second ,,mechanism of the ,auburndale timer1 as shown in drawings from ,u4 ,s4 patent #bbjaie1 issued ,september #cj1 #ahgi4 ,up to this time1 about ,november #a1 #ahgi1 the ,auburndale ,watch ,co41 had existed as a private company2 now it was incorporated with a book value of #ejj1jjj1 and ,william ,b4 ,fowle1 who at this point had invested about #bej1jjj 7mostly unrecoverable7 in the enterprise1 was elected president1 and ,george ,h4 ,bourne was elected secretary and treasurer4 ,after a quantity of these ,lincoln and ,bentley watches had been manufactured#df and it had become clear that they could not be attractively priced to the trade1 the company sought a product adapted to their factory equipment for which a constant market could be found4 ,the product chosen was a line of metallic thermometers4#dg ,two patents1 #bdjjeh and #bdjjei1 were issued to ,william ,a4 ,wales1 assignor to the ,auburndale ,watch ,co41 of ,weston1 ,massachusetts1 on ,april #ab1 #ahha4 ,whether these patents represent the first thermometers made at ,auburndale or reflect the result of experience gained in making conventional models is not clear4 ,the earliest evidence dating the appearance of the thermometer is the #ahha ,boston directory which appeared on ,july #a4 ,this illustrates the same model of thermometer seen in figure #bb4 ,the patents cover means of eliminating springs of any sort from the mechanism1 so that the hand or dial pointer is entirely under the influence of the fused bimetallic thermal strips4 ,manufacture of the timers was carried along with thermometer manufacture at first1 but production of the timer was finally dropped1 as the stock on hand was constantly increasing1 and for a while the factory was at last operated at a profit1 on thermometers alone4 ,these were furnished in cases from #bj inches in diameter down to the size of a ten cent piece1 according to the advertising4 ,illustration3 ,figure #bj 7left74--,,auburndale ,,timer ,,with ,,split ,,second ,,hand4 ,note the stop and start lever for the split hand at the side of the case4 7,in author's collection47 ,illustration3 ,figure #ba 7above74--,,auburndale ,,three-,,quarter ,,plate ,,watch1 typical of both ,lincoln and ,bentley grades4 7,in author's collection47 ,unfortunately ,mr4 ,fowle had suffered so much loss through the watch venture and from other investments that he was forced to make an assignment of his personal estate4 ,the watch company1 without his support1 was carrying too large a burden of debt to be self-supporting4 ,in the fall of #ahhc a voluntary assignment was made and the equipment was sold in ,february #ahhd4dh ,the ,newton directory of #ahhe lists ,w4 ,b4 ,fowle as a thermometer manufacturer on ,woodbine ,street1 house near4 ,his home1 ,tanglewood1 was on ,woodbine ,street and perhaps the thermometer business was operating in one of the outbuildings4 ,william ,a4 ,wales assigned to the ,auburndale ,watch ,co4 patent #bgfaja1 of ,december #d1 #ahhc1 covering details of a unit counter for keeping score in games1 and for similar work4 ,among the relics in the author's collection is a box bearing the label ,auburndale ,counter1 ,w4 ,b4 ,fowle ,son1 ,auburndale1 ,mass4 ,these counters were packed two in a box1 the box just mentioned being suitable to contain counters the size of the thermometer in figure #bb4 ,figure #bc shows a larger counter measuring #d-a_/b inches in diameter4 ,from this and the fact that ,fowle as late as #ahhg1 is carried in the ,newton directory as a manufacturer of metallic thermometers1 it seems that some attempt was made after dissolution of the watch company to carry on manufacturing1 or perhaps only the assembly on a small scale of parts previously manufactured4 ,the ,directory of #ahhi lists ,fowle as an accountant on ,ash ,street1 ,auburndale4 ,he had bought this property in #ahhg1 presumably after disposing of ,tanglewood which now would be too large for his needs4 ,in the editions of #ahia and #ahic he is listed as ,united ,states collector of internal revenue1 with an office at the ,post ,office building1 ,boston4 ,in #ahie he appears as an accountant at the same address and from then to his death in #aijb he is listed as an accountant at his home address in ,auburndale4 ,illustration3 ,figure #bb 7above74--,,auburndale ,,thermometer1 about #a-c_/d inches in diameter4 7,in author's collection47 ,jason ,r4 ,hopkins1 inventor of the first ,auburndale product1 passed away in ,washington late the same year1 #aijb1 having spent all the intervening years as a watchmaker4 ----- #da ,the ,jewelers ,circular and ,horological ,review1 ,july #ahhd4 #db ,newton directory1 #ahhd-he2 ,crossman1 op4 cit4 7footnote #h71 ,december #ahhg4 #dc ,records of ,veterans ,administration1 pension application ,,we #fff #fge of ,mary ,e4 ,fowle 7widow of ,william ,b4 ,fowle74 #dd ,serial #ibf1 in author's collection4 #de ,newton directory1 #ahgi4 #df ,each model of watch made at ,auburndale was numbered in its own series1 starting at number #a1 contrary to the usual watch factory practice where blocks of serial numbers are assigned to different models4 ,other ,auburndale products seem not to have borne serial numbers4 #dg ,crossman1 op4 cit4 7footnote #h71 ,december #ahhg4 #dh ,ibid4 ,the ,lesson ,the life of a pioneer has always been arduous4 ,the story we have just reviewed illustrates this4 ,hopkins was a successful workman with clever and novel ideas4 ,fowle had been very successful in an entirely unrelated field4 ,wales had been very successful in importing and selling watches but the watch factory which he had owned in part had failed1 the fault more probably that of the times than of the man4 ,the various superintendents and foremen were first-class men with ample background in making conventional watches4 ,at the time no one could have had experience in manufacturing exactly the grade and type of watch being attempted1 for this was the pioneer effort4 ,illustration3 ,figure #bc 7right74--,,auburndale ,,counter4 ,pressure on the projecting stem indexes the inner dial1 showing through the window1 at the same time ringing a bell4 ,this dial is numbered from zero through six4 ,the outside hand is held in place by friction and is manually set as desired4 ,there is no connection with the inner mechanism4 ,the country was in the grip of a long1 lingering depression following the ,civil ,war4 ,money was tight4 ,the ,auburndale ,rotary was conceived as a very low priced watch which would at the same time include the desirable and unusual feature of close timekeeping4 ,could these ideals have been adhered to1 there is little reason to question that it would have found a market1 even in hard times4 ,we have seen that every effort to improve the original watch added to its cost1 and here lies the real reason why it failed to win acceptance4 ,by the time it reached the market it was no longer priced below conventional watches and at least some specimens were not reliable in performance4 ,to make matters even worse1 the best features of ,hopkins' rotary watch had been incorporated by ,locke and ,merritt into a competing rotary watch much better engineered for cheap mass production4 ,at this point the only hope for the factory seemed to be the manufacture of some other watch or similar small mechanism4 ,the ,auburndale timer1 with the exception perhaps of the split-second model1 was a triumph mechanically and it returned a profit1 but not enough to meet the financial needs of its sponsors4 ,much the same may be said of all the later ,auburndale products4 ,the rotary had been of doubtful value when ,flowe bought it1 and the new organization was not able to contribute the necessary manufacturing engineering to make it a successful product4 ,by the time this necessity was recognized1 debts had mounted to the point where later products1 which might have been successful on their own1 were not able to carry the burden4 ,the whole affair can be viewed as a very expensive educational adventure from which the students were not able to salvage enough to put their education to any use4 ,surely they received a clear illustration of how dangerous it can be to engage in an enterprise without sufficient background or a long and careful study of design1 manufacturing processes1 costs1 and market and sales analysis4 ,for although numerous fortunes have been made in watch manufacturing1 many more have been lost1 and often those who put every effort at their command into such ventures came away with only sad experience as their reward4 ,thus ended the story of the ,auburndale ,watch ,company4