Van der Woerd, Charles—A prominent man in connection with watch manufacturing in this country. In 1864 he invented an automatic pinion cutter; in 1874 an automatic screw machine. From 1876-1883 he was superintendent of the Waltham factory.
Verge—The pallet axis of the verge escapement. See diagram of Verge Escapement. It carries the balance at its top.
Verge Watch—A watch with a verge escapement.
Vick, Henry de. See [De Vick].
Volute—A flat spiral.
Volute-Spring—A flat metallic spring coiled in a spiral conical form and compressible in the direction of its axis.
Wallingford, Richard—An English mechanic and astronomer of the fourteenth century. He made a clock which is supposed to have been the first that was regulated by a fly-wheel. Several authorities, however, claim that Wallingford's "clock" was actually a planetarium.
Waltham—A town in Massachusetts—the site of the first successful watch factory in America. At present a great watch making center.
Watch—In modern parlance, a small timepiece to carry about on the person. Formerly a timepiece which showed time in distinction to clock which struck time. Derham (1734) uses the term to indicate all timepieces driven by springs. The term may have been derived from the Swedish vacht, German wachen, or Saxon woecca. The spaces of time between the fillings of a clepsydra were also called "watches."
Watch Collections—For list of principal collections, past and present, see Jewelers' Circular files August to December 1915. List compiled by Major Paul M. Chamberlain of Chicago. For list of principal present collections, see Appendix to this volume derived from the Chamberlain Compilation.