IWC Patents
The most
authoritative publication on the International Watch Co. patents
is "IWC - International Watch Co, Schaffhausen"
by Hans-F. Tolke and Jurgen King and it
provides an explanation of many of the patents listed below. The
book is out of print but does come up for sale quite regularly and
it is worth every cent. This page is not intended to replicate
their explanation but to provide a list for those seeking easy
access to the patent details.
Early US
Patents by, or assigned to F.A. Jones
US 82097 - September 15, 1868:
Improvement in Safety-Attachment to Watches - J.Elson
US 86411 - February 2, 1869: Improvement in Watch-Regulator - F.A.
Jones
US 100511 - March 8, 1870:
Improvement in Watch Regulators - J. Elson
US 104856 - June 28, 1870:
Improvement in Stem-Winding and Hand-Setting Watch - C.L. Kidder
& F.A Jones
US 113281 - April 4, 1871: Improvement in Watch Regulators - J.
Elson
US 140581 - July 8, 1873:
Improvement in Hand-Setting Watches - F.A. Jones
US 144859 - November 25, 1873:
Improvement in Stem Winding and Setting Watches - E.J. Pucaud
US 163161 - May 11, 1874:
Improvement in Mainsprings for Watches
US 168774
- October 11, 1875: Improvement in Watches - E.J. Pucaud
When Florentine A
Jones returned to America he "either worked for, or had a
financial interest in the American Steam Appliance Co. at Sudbury,
near Boston" (Tölke and King, page 18). His profession was given
in 1900 an "a manufacturer of steam tubes.". There are a number of patents (twelve found so far) that relate
to the recording pressure gauges that Jones invented.
Pallweber
Patents
GB 5862 - December 8, 1882:
Chronoscope - J. Pallweber
DE 25042 - May 18, 1883: Anzeigewerk
fur Uhren - J. Pallweber
Dials are
sometimes marked with "Pat. Feb 24 1885" referring to:
US 312754 - February 24, 1885:
Time-Piece - J Pallweber
Non Magnetic
Patents Used for Pocket Watches
The following
patents were used by IWC and their story can be found in Non
Magnetic IWC Watches and Patents
US 382826 - May 15, 1888:
Alloy - H. Ostermann & A. Prip
US 382867 - May 15, 1888:
Alloy - H. Ostermann & A. Prip
GB 11939 -
August 18, 1888 Non-magnetic metallic alloy - H Ostermann & A
Prip (page 1 and page 2).
US 388145 - August 21, 1888:
Metallic Alloy - H. Ostermann & C. Lacroix
US 388146 - August 21, 1888:
Metallic Alloy - H. Ostermann & C. Lacroix
US 388147 - August 21, 1888:
Metallic Alloy - H. Ostermann & C. Lacroix
US 388152 - August 21, 1888:
Non Magnetic Alloy - Alfred Huguenin-Robert, assigned to C.
Huguenin-Thiébaud & Fils
Swiss Patents
Quite often
IWC watch movements are marked with a Swiss cross and a number,
usually 31457 (see image below, right) or 55231 indicating the
Swiss patent number.
CH 1284 - October 31, 1889: Vorrichtung
zum Zeigerstellen für Taschenuhren mit sichtbarem Aufzug, welche
erlaubt, das Werk aus dem Gehäuse zu nehmen, ohne weder
Aufzugkrone noch Kronenstift zu entfernen, und zwar speziell zu
Gehäusen, welche die Vorrichtung zum Stellen des Kronenstiftes
am Bügelhalse tragen
CH 4657 - September 30, 1892:
Uhrgehäuse (à calotte) für Remontoirtaschenuhren
CH 26139 - September 15, 1903:
Dispositif de réglage du spiral des montres
CH 30360 - December 15, 1904: Socle
de micromètre pour pierres de finissage - Louis Tschopp
CH 31457 - April 15, 1905:
Dispositif pour limiter le remontage des mouvements d'horlogerie
à barillet
CH 48245 - October 1, 1910:
Rückervorrichtung
CH 52929 - February 1, 1912:
Unruhbalancier mit Kompensationseinrichtung - Louis Willie
CH 53993 - April 16, 1912:
Rückervorrichtung
CH 54169 - May 1, 1912:
Kompensations-Unruhe
CH 55231 - July 16, 1912:
Zifferblattbefestigungsvorrichtung
CH 59064 - April 16, 1913:
Unruhbalancier mit Kompensationseinrichtung - Louis Willie
CH 62178 - November 1, 1913:
Gehäusefeder für Uhren
CH 205242 - June 15, 1939: Uhrwerk
Automatic
Winding System Patents
CH 254578 - May 15, 1948: Mécanisme de
remontage automatique à masselotte oscillante pour mouvement de
montre à remontoir
CH 284841 - August 15, 1952: Mécanisme de
remontage automatique à masselotte oscillante pour mouvements de
montres à remontoir
CH 297477 - March 31, 1954: Mouvement de
montre à remontage automatique
CH 301866 -
September 30, 1954: Palier double pour masse mobile de
montre à remontage automatique
Outside case
patents used by IWC
Borgel
Some early
IWC watches used François Borgel's patented cases.
CH 4001 - 28 October 1891: Nouvelle
boîte de montre
For details
of François Borgel please see the following excellent article.
Piquerez
Two E. Piquerez patents can be seen on the
inside of early Aquatimer case backs and E. Piquerez was most
probably the case maker.
CH 317537 - 30 November 1956:
Boîte de montre étanche
CH 337462 - 31 March 1959:
Montre munie d'un organe de commande du mécanisme intérieur
Some gold cases contain markings that indicate the case
maker
More recent
Timezone related
Louis Vuitton
DE 3832514 - 2 November 1989: Uhr - Kurt Klaus and USA equivalent US 4945521 - 31 July 1990: Watch - Kurt
Klaus
For details on this watch see Traveling
Time Instruments From Luis Vuitton by Jack Freedman
UTC
DE19815072 - October 7, 1999:
Setting device for timepiece - Juergen Lange & Kurt Klaus
US 6141295 - October 31, 2000: Display
setting arrangement for a timepiece - Juergen Lange & Kurt
Klaus
This page is a work-in-progress and
I'll add more patents as I find them.
Cheers from the cellar
Updated: 20 May 2014
I'd like to
thank Ralph Ehrissmann for the use of the Pallweber image shown
above.
References
European Patent Office
IWC - International Watch Co, Schaffhausen, Tolke, Hans-F., and,
King, Jurgen
La Fédération Horlogère Suisse 1886 - 1947
Patents
for Inventions, Abridgement of Specifications, Class 139,
Watches, Clocks and Other Timekeepers. Period A.D. 1855-1930,
Odmark, Albert
United States Patent and Trademark
Office
United
States Clock and Watch Patents 1790 - 1890, Eckhardt, George H
