In the summer of 1999, I purchased a small assortment of horological tools from Mr. Randall Goff of Weston, CT. Mr. Goff stated that the tools were passed down from his great-grandfather, Joseph Luther (1834-1919) of East Providence, RI. A farmer and dentist, Joseph Luther also did clock and watch work. The tools were for watch work and were dated to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. A brass Swiss mandrel was one of the nineteenth century tools of Mr. Luther, retained by Mr. Goff, an engineer, because he liked lathes.

One of the small tools among the group was the watch mainspring winder shown at left. Figure 1 shows the front end of the winder mounted in a wooden block of my making. In use, the tool would be mounted in a vice. The long arbor in the middle of the tool (with the large knurled ring) is almost exactly 4" long. It slides left or right about a quarter of an inch. Near the very left end of the arbor (the front end) is a hook that engages the hole in the end of the mainspring. Slightly to the right of the hook, approximately half of a typical watch mainspring width, is a flat, Y-shaped plate against which the spring to be wound butts. About half an inch to the right of the plate can be seen a 21-tooth gear wheel on the arbor. Into this gear wheel rides a double-ended click that permits the long arbor to rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on the position of the click. The click is held in the desired position by the long, thin straight spring seen engaged with the click and anchored by a screw near the middle of the tool. The spring can be rotated up or down to reverse the action of the click. The three long arms that extend to the left beyond the Y-shaped flat plate are hinged near the middle of the tool. They can be opened or closed to a diameter to fit just inside the watch barrel requiring mainspring insertion or removal. Obviously the three small knurled thumb screws adjust the arms to the desired radius. The three arms restrain the coiled watch mainspring as it is pushed into or withdrawn from the barrel.

In the early eighteenth century and for a time thereafter, many tools had parts of hexagonal construction. Examples are the hinged ends of compasses and calipers and the arbors of small lathes or turns. Nicolas Bion, in 1709, shows compasses, calipers, and a scientific instrument with the hexagonal shape. By 1800 the style was dying out. The watch mainspring tool shown here has an hexagonal arbor of the very early style.

Another feature of seventeenth and eighteenth century tools was the elaborate shaping of turned steel and brass components. Such artistry tended to be abandoned in the nineteenth century. The watch mainspring winder illustrated here exhibits the pre-1800s type of fancy turnery.

To my knowledge there are no illustrations of this type of mainspring winder in any books of the seventeenth century and thereafter. I believe Moxon, in 1678, was the first to show some watch tools. No tool catalogue of any period shows even a remotely similar mainspring winder.

John Wyke produced the first ever horological tool catalogue in 1759-1760. That catalogue shows, on plates 55 and 56, engravings of two mainspring winders typical of the style with which most horological tool collectors are familiar. They have no resemblance to the winder shown here. In the same 1760 catalogue, plate 56, Mr.Wyke shows three small tools with the hexagonal arbors.

The lack of illustrations of this type of mainspring winder in mid-nineteenth century European catalogues could be that the tool had not yet been developed or produced in quantity, or had not been marketed widely and wisely, or was not found superior to the other winders available.

Knurling of thumb screws and other small items commenced shortly after 1700. By 1725 it was not uncommon to find knurled knobs and thumb screws on many scientific instruments. That would suggest that the watch mainspring winder of this article was made after the 1725-1730 period, as it has some fine knurling. One party named below offered that the small knurled nuts were more French in style.

Adding up these stylistic features and its lack of appearance in the literature, I would venture to guess that this watch mainspring winder could be as early as the late eighteenth century. However, several knowledgeable horologists, including David Thompson of the British Museum; Paul Baker, retired engineer of England and student of horological tools; and Daniel Nied, Director of the NAWCC School of Horology, all came up with the thought that the winder is of continental Europe (France, or Germany), circa 1850 or so.

Whatever the date and place of production, it is a delightful, unique, and interesting tool. If you have definitive information or have seen another example of this winder, the author, located at 131 Shore Side Trail, Hawthorne, FL 32640, c8609@alltel.net, 352-475-1609, would love to hear from you.

About the Author

Theodore R. Crom holds an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of Maryland, is a Silver Star of the NAWCC, and is a Fellow of the British Horological Institute. In 1990, he received the BHI Silver Medal; and in 1994, Ted was program chairman for the NAWCC National Convention in Orlando, putting together an international slate of speakers. Ted founded, named, and was the first president of Suntime Chapter 19; he also served as a national director and museum trustee.

Ted is a retired engineering contractor with an interest in antique clocks, watches, tools, and books. He has written six books on horological subjects, as well as many articles for the Bulletin, and he has lectured at NAWCC seminars, presenting the James Arthur Lecture at the 1991 Seminar in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky.