# The Best Digital Watch Of The 19Th Century?



## Chascomm (Sep 9, 2005)

I have this old piece lying around so I thought I'd photograph it.










That's actually just a mock-up with the digital module in the case without the base movement. That's why I accidentally aligned it the wrong way. D'oh! It's supposed to be savonnette, not lepine.

And here's why. The 0-9 minute wheel needs to be adjacent to the setting mechanism.










You will also note that the movement is not entirely clean. I've been informed that the rust, though extensive is not terminal, and all the parts are present and unbroken.

But fixing it is going to be costly, which is why it is still in pieces.


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## Mikrolisk (Jan 23, 2008)

Really amazing, although this was not the upper end of quality. Just search for IWC Pallweber, as an example.

But quite cool, how this mechanism works!

Andreas


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## Chascomm (Sep 9, 2005)

Mikrolisk said:


> Really amazing, although this was not the upper end of quality. Just search for IWC Pallweber, as an example.
> 
> But quite cool, how this mechanism works!
> 
> Andreas


Interesting how Thommen and IWC both started production of jump-hour/jump-minute watches in 1885. Both had patents. I wonder how they differed enough for both patents to be accepted.

Never mind, I figured it out. IWC has the hours reading from the top of the disk and GT reads from the bottom.










ah, those Swiss...


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## Mikrolisk (Jan 23, 2008)

Certainly,

jump-hour-watches are built from much more manufacturers, mainly from 1885 to 1910:

- IWC - Patent Pallweber - 1884

- Cortebert - Patent Pallweber - 1885

- Gedeon Thommen - Patent Thommen - 1885

- A. Lange & Soehne - Patent DÃ¼rrstein - 1885

- Aeby & Landry

- Louis Brand & Fils

- (unknown) - Patent System A. Kaiser - 1883

- Wittnauer - Patent Pallweber

Pallweber had a german patent on his jump hour mechanism, DE-25042, from 1883.

Andreas


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