THE KEY
The official badge of the Association is a watch key
in the form of the bent of a trestle, engraved on the reverse side with
the member's name, chapter, and class. The colors of the Association
are seal brown and white. The official quarterly magazine is THE BENT
of Tau Beta Pi. The name of the Association, its badge, and the title
of its magazine are registered in the United States Patent Office.
The word key describes the insignia of many
organizations. It comes from the fact that it was first designed to, in
the late eighteenth century, to include a pocket watch winding feature,
hence key. The bottom stem, added to the basic insignia, had a tapered
square hole fitting the common sizes of watch-winding shafts. The top
stem and ring were added so that the key could be worn as a pendant
from a chain, rather than as a pin or badge, thus easily used to wind
watches. The "stem-winder" watch was introduced in the late
nineteenth century; it replaced the key-winder. But the insignia key
remained, although with a vestigial hole now round for manufacturing
ease and economy. Images and specifications for the bent are available
below.
THE
BENT
The official badge of the Association is a watch key
in the form of the bent of a trestle, engraved on the reverse side with
the member's name, chapter, and class. The word key describes the
insignia of many organizations. It comes from the fact that it was
first designed to, in the late eighteenth century, to include a pocket
watch winding feature, hence key. The bottom stem, added to the basic
insignia, had a tapered square hole fitting the common sizes of
watch-winding shafts. The top stem and ring were added so that the key
could be worn as a pendant from a chain, rather than as a pin or badge,
thus easily used to wind watches. The "stem-winder" watch was
introduced in the late nineteenth century; it replaced the key-winder.
But the insignia key remained, although with a vestigial hole now round
for manufacturing ease and economy.
 
The dimensions of the bent are as shown above; click
on either image for a larger version.
ADDTIONAL
INFORMATION
Tau Beta Pi History
Tau Beta Pi Association History
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