Chrome-plated cased centre-seconds jewelled lever wrist-watch with alarm and and stainless steel bracelet

Description — British Museum

Movement with club-tooth lever escapement. Metallic-blue painted dial with minute circle surrounding baton hour markers and alarm setting circle with luminous-painted dots at the hours. Stainless-steel hands; hour and minute hands with luminous-painted stripe; alarm-setting hand with arrow-head pointer and plain centre-seconds hand. Chrome-plated case with screw-on back and separate winding buttons for going and alarm trains; alarm hammer strikes small stud on inside of case-back. Stainless-steel bracelet.

Curator's comments — British Museum

Comment from Richard Good, Catalogue of Watches in the British Museum. Vol. V (Unpublished manuscript) SEKONDA U.S.S.R., c. 1965 Centre seconds alarm wrist watch with a club tooth lever escapement. Signature: On the dial 'SEKONDA USSR 18 jewels'. Case: A chrome plated case with a stainless steel back held in position by a threaded ring. Care must be taken when the back is replaced to correctly align it as there is a post that protrudes inside the back for the alarm hammer to strike. A stainless steel bracelet marked 'STAINLESS STEEL'. There are two winding buttons, one for winding the going barrel and hand setting and the other for the winding the alarm barrel and setting the alarm hand. Dial & Hands: A brushed metal dial finished in a graduated blue colour and with a silvered minute circle, the minute marks in blue. Within the minute circle is an hour circle marked in black with ¼ hours. Applied raised hour batons slotted and filled luminous. Within this are luminous dots also marking the hours. The dial is secured by two screws in the side of the front plate. Silvered baton hands skeletonised and filled luminous. A silvered seconds hand and a silvered alarm hand with an arrow tip. Movement: The nickel silver movement is set into a ring to which it is secured by two screws. The parts finished by graining. Ebauche Marks: None. Frame: A bridge for the going barrel and keyless work with the number 7936759. A bridge for the alarm barrel and train. A further bridge for the train wheels marked '18 jewels'. Cocks for the balance and pallets. Barrel and Mainspring: The going barrel with a recessed cover. Barrel I diameter 9.4 mm., height 1.4 mm. Mainspring: height 1.35 mm., thickness 0.115 mm. Barrel Arbor: diameter 2.8 mm, snailed. Hooking: The spring furnished with a brace which is located in both the cover and the barrel bottom. Alarm Barrel and Mainspring: The alarm barrel with a recessed cover. Barrel I diameter 8.2 mm., height 1.8 mm. Mainspring: height 1.75 mm., thickness 0.09 mm. Barrel Arbor: diameter 2.3 mm, snailed. Hooking: The spring furnished with a brace which is located in both the cover and the barrel bottom. Train: All the wheels gilded, the centre wheel, third and fourth wheels with five crossings. The steel escape wheel with four crossings. Jewelling: Jewelled bearings from the third wheel onwards, all the jewels pressed in. Ruby endstones to the balance jewels. Escapement: A straight line layout, club tooth lever escapement with short lever, double roller and D-shaped impulse pin. The exposed pallet stones have flat acting faces. A steel escape wheel with four crossings. An equal impulse escapement. No. of teeth embraced 3½. Balance & Spring: a monometallic balance with brass screws. Balance diameter 9.9 mm, thickness 0.73 mm. A 'self compensating' flat spiral spring with 13 2/3 turns. Means of Regulation: An index on the balance cock registers against a divided scale with '+' and '-' engraved on the balance cock table. Train Counts and Beat Rate: Great wheel 70 (barrel) Centre wheel 64 pinion 10 Third wheel 60 pinion 8 Fourth wheel 70 pinion 8 Escape wheel 15 pinion 7 Beat rate 18,000 Motion work: cannon pinion 12 minute wheel 32, minute pinion 8 hour wheel 36. Alarm Work: The hour wheel has three raised nibs which allow it to rise when they align with slots in the alarm wheel, thus through a lever releasing the alarm train. The hour wheel is biassed upwards by a long spring whose end impinges on a post in the alarm hammer. A bridge with two spring lugs provides restraint for the alarm wheel whose pipe carries the alarm hand, this wheel has 60 teeth. Great wheel 70 (barrel) Escape wheel 14 pinion 7 The hammer assembly consists of three parts; the pallets, the hammer and the stop post block. These three components are screwed and steady pinned together. Winding Systems: Conventional positive stem set keyless work for the going side. Rocking bar stem set keyless work for the alarm side with the hammer immobilised by a lever which comes into operation when the stem is in the hand set position. Dimensions: Case diameter 34.3 mm., height 11.2 mm., over the glass. Movement diameter 28.8 mm., height 8.2 mm. Provenance: Purchased in 1989 with funds from the Dingwall Bequest.