American pocket watch beat

[Yasuyuki]

Long time ago, I read an article that told me a story about American pocket watch adopting 18000 beat per second.

Does any body know which manufacture adopted quick train at first?

Does any body also know what watch beat manufacturers used prior to the adoption?

Any information would be very much appreciated.

Yasuyuki
from Michigan

[Yasuyuki]

Long time ago, I read an article that told me a story about American pocket watch adopting 18000 beat per second.

Does any body know which manufacture adopted quick train at first?

Does any body also know what watch beat manufacturers used prior to the adoption?

Any information would be very much appreciated.

Yasuyuki
from Michigan

[Kent]

Prior to the adaptation of a "quick beat" (5 beats per second, 18,000 beats per hour), American watches ran at 4 beats per second, 14,400 per hour.

Kent

That guy down in Georgia :smile:

[Yasuyuki]

Did any company use odd beat?
Does any body know when is the period from 4 beat to 5 beat?

Yasuyuki

[This message was edited by Yasuyuki on September 17, 2003 at 9:05.]

[Yasuyuki]

The reason of the question is "I do not know which push buttons I suppose to push when I use a Vibrograph"

Yasuyuki

[Oliver Mundy]

Michael Harrold (American Watchmaking, a Technical History - NAWCC, 1984) suggests that the 18,000 train was first used by Edward Howard in his earliest independent design (1858). He also says that the intermediate 16,200 train (4.5 beats per second) had been used by the Boston Watch Co. (precursor of Waltham) from the very beginning in 1853. Perhaps those who have first-hand acquaintance with the watches in question can confirm or correct this.

The ‘slow train’ (14,400, i.e. 4 beats per second) seems to be exclusive to British lever watches of the period 1810-1900 or thereabouts.

The Watch Cabinet (http://www.horologia.co.uk)