History of timing machines

[steve1811uk]

Hi, I'm interested to know when the first watch timing machines were invented and used by the watch manufacturers. I tried Google without much luck. I did find information about a Greiner Chronografic Record on eBay suggesting that it used thermionic valves that would probably date that to pre 1960s. Steve.

[RichardHarris123]

50 minutes ago, steve1811uk said:

Hi, I'm interested to know when the first watch timing machines were invented and used by the watch manufacturers. I tried Google without much luck. I did find information about a Greiner Chronografic Record on eBay suggesting that it used thermionic valves that would probably date that to pre 1960s. Steve.

Interesting question, I'm looking forward to the answer. 

[Jon]

Me too!

 

[Sirius]

ok.

just checked and found out that Greiner built at least 1950 the Greiner Comparateur. found a PDF describing the Restauration of one...

 

regards,

Ernst

[JohnR725]

9 hours ago, steve1811uk said:

I'm interested to know when the first watch timing machines were invented and used by the watch manufacturers.

Watch manufacturers Or watch makers? Although conceivably both of watch manufactures and makers were using the same things at the same time.

 to get you started 1934 device that compares a master watch with the watch your timing.

Then in the evolution of timing machines we get into things that move like spinning discs with lights

Then I believe almost simultaneously you end up with two types of paper machines. The paper tape machine that were probably more familiar with and the drum type. Drum type machine has the paper hiding in the drum itself. Also when it's printing you can't tell what it's doing because the drum is spinning minor inconvenience. But I did include image of the drum print out straight  across the watches keeping time angling one direction or the other one is fast one is slow. Then if you are super off in timekeeping it can actually spiral on the drum you use have to keep track of where you are.

Then I have something from the Elgin watch company research Department they were investigating timing machines the drum type in 1943.

 

[RichardHarris123]

Interesting, some watches have electronically tested on the dials.

[steve1811uk]

8 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

Watch manufacturers Or watch makers? Although conceivably both of watch manufactures and makers were using the same things at the same time.

 to get you started 1934 device that compares a master watch with the watch your timing.

Then in the evolution of timing machines we get into things that move like spinning discs with lights

Then I believe almost simultaneously you end up with two types of paper machines. The paper tape machine that were probably more familiar with and the drum type. Drum type machine has the paper hiding in the drum itself. Also when it's printing you can't tell what it's doing because the drum is spinning minor inconvenience. But I did include image of the drum print out straight  across the watches keeping time angling one direction or the other one is fast one is slow. Then if you are super off in timekeeping it can actually spiral on the drum you use have to keep track of where you are.

Then I have something from the Elgin watch company research Department they were investigating timing machines the drum type in 1943.

 

Hi John, that's so interesting and great research. I love the idea of the time balance. That probably pre-dates the quartz crystal oscillator, so in effect the master watch becomes the reference instead. The reason I asked in the first place is that I am currently restoring a LONGINES pocket watch from 1935. It's really well made and has a temperature compensating balance. I wondered how it could be adjusted in positions back then when such a task would be so simple today with a low cost timegrapher. I think static poising, mathematical knowledge and manufacturing accuracy all played a big part.

[JohnR725]

5 minutes ago, steve1811uk said:

I wondered how it could be adjusted in positions back then when such a task would be so simple today with a low cost timegrapher. I think static poising, mathematical knowledge and manufacturing accuracy all played a big part.

You'll notice how I came up with the images fast? Long time ago I gave a lecture on timing machines and I started with the history including the question you have here. Somewhere lurking in this computer is a PDF or snipped out a few pages were somebody talked about taking a American pocket watch and bringing it in the time and I believe it took several weeks. But I think even if I could figure out what the title of the book is which I doubt because I have so many PDFs lurking in the computer it would be a bad influence on you.

Okay why is it a bad influence? Because before timing machines existed they would introduce errors they cancel out other errors something that we typically would never think of doing today. Understand that here's other images that Explain that. CS something that we can do with a timing machine relatively quickly although you still have to let the watch run to make sure it really does keep time the timing machine will give you kind of a prediction of yes it should do this but. Oh and I assume you're going to time properly in other words when the watches fully wound up in 24 hours later you still need 24 hours into separate timings of the timing machine to make an adequate prediction of what the watch will do. Then you need to let the watch run for several days to see if it really does keep time. But without the timing machine yes you're probably looking at weeks.

[RichardHarris123]

Redundancy for the watch adjuster.