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More On The Harwood Watches

cdjswiss

By cdjswiss
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cdjswiss

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For those of you who have read and were interested in my previous post on Harwood watches (the first automatic watch) here is another interesting example. This one was marketed by Blancpain in Barcelona around 1930. The hand setting is now done by turning the watch back and there is a four-cornered screw head (arrow) that turns against a leaf spring to adjust the pressure of the slipping clutch that prevents over winding.

 

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cdjswiss WRT Addict

cdjswiss

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Nice watch Colin, you certainly know how to get my attention. Does the back just snap off and are you going to service this one?

 

The back does indeed just snap off as does the font bezel. The movement is front loaded with two half-head screws to hold it in place. This arrangement makes it less dirt proof than the more conventional Harwood.

I have just done a complete service and it is now keeping time to better than one minute per day. The silver dial with gold numbers is original and has just had a light brush over to remove a little dirt.

Harwoods have a reputation of not running for more than 12 hours, but this is nonsense. The power reserve depends on the Schild movement and is well over 24 h. A mal-adjusted automatic winding system probably accounts for poor performance. But this one I have worn 16 hours per day and taken it off for the 8 hours overnight and it has not stopped since I began to wear it on the 1st January.

The Spanish patent number on the winding bridge is a mystery - some have attributed it to the back-setting feature, but it cannot now be found in any Spanish official record. It is thought that perhaps, although filed, it was never granted. The novel slipping clutch screw adjustment permits easy and stable over-wind protection. I wonder if this was a Blancpain add-on?

 

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