Essay on Repeater Watches
1804, 100 pages, ill
Des Arts quarter repeater mechanism, circa 1780.
First published in 1804, this book gives detailed information on making and repairing continental quarter repeaters.
The book is in two parts. The first part is an introduction (by me) which explains in detail the action of quarter repeaters, half-quarter repeaters and alarms. The second part is the complete translation of Crespe's "Essai sur les Montres a Repetition". The introduction was added for two reasons:
First, Crespe assumes the reader is a competent watch maker, and he does not mention things that such a person would know and the book has no illustrations!
Second, every book that I have read describes the quarter repeater incorrectly. Because a detailed understanding of it is essential before you read Crespe, I had to include my explanation.
This book is provided as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file:
Illustration: Des Arts quarter repeater mechanism, circa 1780.