WAT 



drawer, who draws the wire for tlie penduUim-fprings, 

 which is almoll a diftinft trade. 



The above are the principal workmen employed in the 

 manufafture of a plain watch ; in the manufafture of a re- 

 peater, the fame workmen are employed, with the addition 

 of the repeating motion-maker, in the place of the maker 

 of the plain motion, who makes the brafs edge and motion, 

 and joints and locks or fixes in, which ever way it is done, 

 the watch into its cafe ; and when the repeater is made to 

 ftrike on bell-fprings, the motion-maker makes the fprings. 

 Formerly, repeaters were made to ftrike what was termed 

 dumb ; that is to fay, a dead blow againft the cafe or cap, 

 or elfe on a bell, which bell was made by a feparate work- 

 man, entitled the bell-maker. But the bell-fprings have 

 now entirely fuperfeded the old bells. The fame fpring- 

 maker who makes the main-fpring of the watch, alfo makes 

 the main-fpring of the repeating train of wheels. 



The fprings of a hunting-cafe are made by a feparate 

 workman, called a fecret fpring-maker. Single cafes (not 

 hunting-cafes ) are frequently made to open with fprings : 

 pairs of cafes (the old-fafhioned box and cafe) are fprung, 

 lined, and polifhed by a workman called a fpringer and, 

 liner ; the better defcription of fingle cafes and hunting- 

 cafes are polifhed by a perfon fimply called the polifher ; 

 this is fometimes done by women, particularly by the wives 

 of fome of the cafe-makers ; and this is the only branch of 

 the trade, probably, in which women are employed in this 

 country. 



The compenfation-balances for chronometers are fome- 

 times made by the efcapement- maker, and fometimes by a 

 feparate workman, who confines himfelf entirely to making 

 compenfation -balances . 



Plain watch-movements are made of all prices, from 2s. dd. 

 to 2/. I2s.6i/.; but repeating movements coft from 2/. to 

 47. 4^. each, according to their quahty. There are many 

 inferior movements, made as low as 21s. a dozen. The 

 loweft prices at which the movements called Lancafhire 

 movements are fold, is js. for plain, and il. los. for re- 

 peating movements. 



The principal London watch-makers order the move- 

 ments, as above defcribed, of the movement-makers of 

 Prefcot, who make them according to the callipers they re- 

 ceive from each maker with their orders. But the ordinary 

 defcription of movements may be pnrchafcd at moft of the 

 watch-tool (liops in London ; one of the chief of whicli is 

 Fenn's, N^ 105, Newgate-ftreet, where every defcription 

 of clock and watch-makers' tools and engines may alfo be 

 procured at moderate prices. 



At and near Geneva, but chiefly at Locle and Chaux 

 de Fond, in the principality of Neufciiatel, the Swifs 

 watches are manufaftured in great numbers. In thcfe 

 manufadlories women are very generally employed, and the 

 fubdivifion of labour is carried dill further than in our's ; 

 and this concurs with the poverty of the workmen, and 

 other caufcs, to render thefe watches cheaper than the 

 Englifh manufatturens can make them. The Swifs watches 

 have accordingly fupplanted the Englifh in many countries 

 of Europe. In general, tiie workmandiip of the Swifs 

 watches is exceedingly (light. 



Watch ■Milling is the art of making watciics. See 

 W \TCii-Mider. 



Vf ATCii-Too/s are the tools witii which watches arc ufually 

 made, fucii as vices, pliers, files, hamrners, drills, gravers, 

 turning-tools, broaches, turn-benches, balance-tools, fpring- 

 toifgs, gauges, fpring-tools, fufee-ndjufting tools, pitching- 

 tools, calHpers, fcrew-plates, burniflicrs, wire-nippers, fcrcw- 

 drivefs, and various others, whicii would require feveral 



WAT 



plates to reprefent them, but which greatly rcfemble the 

 clock-tools that we have dfefcribcd and explained by a refer- 

 ence to Plates XIX., XX., and XXI., of Horology. 



W ATcu-Gla/s, the concavo-convex portion of a glafs- 

 fphere ufually employed to cover the dial of a watch. The 

 fpheres out of which the watch-glaffes are cut are blown of 

 various dimenfions, according to the degree of convexity- 

 required : the edges are then ground to fit the groove of the 

 cover of the watch-cafe. There is a fuperior defcription of 

 watch-glafles, technically called bottoms, which are not por- 

 tions of fpheres, but are flat on the top, the edges only 

 being concavous. Each of thcfe is cut from a feparate 

 piece of hollow glafs, blown in the (hape of a cone, of 

 which the watch-glafs forms the bottom ; whence it takes 

 its name. The wade of glafs is, therefore, confiderable, 

 and the flat glafles are confequently much more expenfive 

 than the fpherical. The method of converting a circular 

 piece of plain glafs into a concave, by a heated convex 

 piece of iron, as recommended by Boyle, (fee Works Abr. 

 vol. i. p. 135.) is no longer praftifed in the conflruftion of 

 wdtch-glaffe* ; but large convex glaffes for clock-faces are 

 frequently made in this way. 



Watch and Ward, in Latu, conftitute one of the prin- 

 cipal duties of conftables, who, by the ftatute of Winchef- 

 ter, 13 Edw. I. cap. 4., are appointed to keep watch and 

 ward in tlieir refpeftive jurifdiftions. Ward, guard or cuf- 

 todia, is chiefly intended of the day-time, in order to appre- 

 hend rioters, and robbers on the high-ways ; the manner of 

 doing which is left to the difcretion of the juftices of the 

 peace and the conftable ; the hundred being, however, an- 

 fwerable for all robberies committed therein, by day-light, 

 for having kept negligent guard. 



Watch is properly applicable to the night only (being 

 called among our Teutonic anceitors luachl or •wada), and 

 it begins at the time when ward ends, and ends when that 

 begins ; for, by the ftatute of Wiiichefter, in walled towns 

 the gates fliall be clofed from fun-fitting to fun-rifing, and 

 watch fliall be kept in every borough and town, efpecially 

 in the fummer feafon, to apprehend all rogues, vagabonds, 

 and night-walkers, and make tiiem give an account of them- 

 felves. The conftable may appoint watchmen at his thfcre- 

 tion, regulated by the cuftom of the place ; and thefe, 

 being his deputies, have for the time being the authority of 

 their principal. Blackll. Com. book i. 



Watch Point, in Geography, a cape on the E. coaft of 

 Rhode ifland. N. lat. 4 1 ° 1 3'. W. long. 7 1 ° 50'. 



WATCHER, North, or Sev^n IJlands, a clufter of 

 fmall iflands, in the ftraits of MacafTar, near the W. coaft of 

 Celebes. S. lat. 0° 27'. E. long. 1 19° 33'. 



Watcher, South, a fmall ifland in the ftraits of Ma- 

 •affar, near the W. coaft of Celebes. S. lat. o^ V- E. long. 

 .■9° 24'. 



WATCHET, an ancient borough, market, and foa-port 

 town, in the parifli of St. Decumans, hundred of WiUiton 

 and Freemanors, and county of Somerfet, England, is fitu- 

 ated in a fruitful vale on the verge of the Brillol cliannel, 

 at the diftance of five miles E. from Dunfter, 20 miles W. 

 from Bridgewater, and 157 miles W. by S. from Lon- 

 don. In tlie year 918, tile Danes under Ociitor and 

 Rhoald landed here, but were .ntt;icked by the inhabitants, 

 and routed with immenfe flangliter. The fccne of this 

 victory is marked by three large barrows, called Grab- 

 barrows, in which have been difcovcred feveral cells, con- 

 taining human bones, and a variety of weapons anciently 

 ufed in war. In 987 the Danes returned, and fuccecded in 

 laying wafte the town, but did no furtiier injury : about ten 

 years afterwards they madt a third tlefccnt ; and in order to 



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