Swiss Patent Lever Watches

[MikeB]

Hi -

I have been coming across several Swiss Patent Lever pocket watches from the later half of the 1800's. I don't usually collect these, so my knowledge here is limited. What, exactly, does "patent lever" refer to?

Thanks,
Mike

Mike Bricker

[MikeB]

Hi -

I have been coming across several Swiss Patent Lever pocket watches from the later half of the 1800's. I don't usually collect these, so my knowledge here is limited. What, exactly, does "patent lever" refer to?

Thanks,
Mike

Mike Bricker

[Dr. Jon]

Don't know for sure but my educated guess is that the lever has a shape that was patented. This sort of thing was easy to do and fairly common. ABout 1850 or so the general public began to stronly prefer lever to cylinder escapement and patend laver was a way to emphasize that the watch is a lever type.

Dr. Jon

[bil2054]

Mike, I think you may find this essay of interest:
Watch inventions (http://www.ozdoba.net/swisswatch/history_part2.html)

You need to scroll, (or read), down a bit to find the pertinent passage.
It's too bad they don't have an image of the English lever for comparison. I believe this is the crux of the "Swiss patent lever" importance; that the Swiss lever lies in a line perpendicular to the axis of the escape wheel, and is most like the familiar configuration seen today. The English lever conversely lies alongside the escape wheel, contacting it tangentially.

Edited to add:
English lever illus. (http://www.antique-watch.com/ref/e_leveng.html)

Bill Miller
NAWCC Member #157710

[Greg Crockett]

While the above is excellent info, I have observed the words, "patent lever" on all manner of late 18th Century Swiss watches, esp. cheap ones. Most have the same lever escapement as the next one. Unless the watch is obviously of high quality, I generally dismiss the engraving as puffery.