Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B37/00—Cases
  • G04B37/0008—Cases for pocket watches and wrist watches
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B37/00—Cases
  • G04B37/08—Hermetic sealing of openings, joints, passages or slits
  • G04B37/081—Complete encasings for wrist or pocket watches also comprising means for hermetic sealing of the winding stem and crown
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B37/00—Cases
  • G04B37/22—Materials or processes of manufacturing pocket watch or wrist watch cases
  • G04B37/223—Materials or processes of manufacturing pocket watch or wrist watch cases metallic cases coated with a nonmetallic layer

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a watch case of composite middle comprising an outer portion and an inner portion.
• the outer part is made of a hard mineral material chosen both to provide protection against external aggressions such as corrosion, friction or scuffing, and to participate in the overall aesthetics of the watch.
• the inner part is made of an easily machinable material and allows the assembly of all other components of the watch.
• the document CH 517 963 describes, according to one embodiment, a case-type bezel build-up based on a metal carbide hardness close to that of the topaz, emphasizing that there would be great difficulties in forming threads in such material to assemble all other components of the watch. The same difficulties would be encountered if the material used was topaz or any other natural or synthetic mineral material. To solve this problem of assembling the components, it was then proposed to use a metal inner case on which one comes to fit the bezel-middle, compensating by gluing any dimensional variations and ensuring tightness. US 4,620,798 also discloses a construction having an inner middle and an outer middle.
• the metal inner case allows both to fix a bottom by screwing and a bezel by gluing which also includes an adhesive seal for fixing the ice.
• the bottom and the bezel extend slightly radially beyond the inner middle and allow to maintain in place the outer middle made of a natural or synthetic mineral material.
• the first is the proper choice of glue for two different materials, such as metal and ceramics.
• the second is related to the aging of the adhesive which can lead to loss of adhesion, or cracking may over time reduce the sealing of the housing. Such disadvantages are not acceptable for timepieces of medium or high range intended to have a long life.
• the present invention therefore aims to overcome the disadvantages of the aforementioned prior art by providing a housing having an outer middle made of a natural or synthetic mineral material such as ceramic, assembled without undergoing mechanical stresses.
• the invention relates to a watch case of composite middle formed by two essential parts, one constituting the outer middle made of a mineral material, the other constituting the inner middle made of a metal easily machinable to allow the assembly of all components of the watch.
• the invention is characterized in that the inner middle is itself made in two parts consisting of two rings designed and assembled mechanically with each other to allow to lock the outer middle part with little play.
• each ring has a radial peripheral extension whose bearing faces opposite allow the locking of the outer middle, for example by screwing the two rings one in the other.
• FIG. 2 is a partial section at 12 o'clock according to the IMI line of Figure 1;
• FIG. 3 is a partial section at the right of a pusher along line III-III of FIG. 1, and
• FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the casing corresponding to the chronograph watch of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 1 represents, by way of example, a chronograph watch comprising, in a known manner, a winding / setting crown 3 and two pushers 5a, 5b whose rods controlling the watch movement 4 necessarily traverse the middle part 1, provided with horns 2 for fastening the bracelet strands.
• the current time and the timing data by means of counters are conventionally displayed on a dial 9. It is obvious that the concept of an outer middle part of a natural or synthetic mineral material which will be described below also quite applicable to a watch having simply a crown, or to a timepiece having on the contrary a greater number of pushers.
• the outer middle part 20 is somehow sandwiched by a metal inner caseband 10, for example steel or brass.
• the inner caseband is made in two parts constituted by an upper ring 12 and a lower ring 14, the two rings 12, 14 intended to be mechanically assembled with each other.
• this mechanical assembly is made by screwing the upper ring 12 into the inner wall of the lower ring 14. It is obvious that, in an equivalent manner, the screwing can be carried out in the outer wall of the ring lower 14.
• the upper ring 12 has a radial peripheral extension 13 extending beyond the wall of the lower ring 14. It also comprises an axial annular extension 16 abutting on a corresponding shoulder 18 of the lower ring 14. ring formed by the shoulder 18, the upper ring 12 has a groove 22 allowing the establishment of a seal 23 between the two rings 12, 14. - AT -
• the upper ring 12 is also arranged to allow the attachment of a bezel 7, which is made in two parts 7a, 7b in this example, an ice 8 and a dial 9.
• the bezel 7 is fixed on the ring upper 12, the ring 7b for example to vary the aesthetics of a given model, or report inscriptions.
• the lower ring 14 also has a peripheral extension 15 extending substantially at the same distance as the extension 13 of the upper ring 12.
• outer middle 20 is very simple: we put the outer middle 20 on the lower ring 14, then screw the upper ring 12 until its axial extension 16 abuts on the shoulder 18 of the lower ring, the extensions radial rings 13, 15 of the rings 12, 14 then resting on the upper and lower edges of the outer middle part 20. In such a way that there is no mechanical stress on the ceramic of the outer middle part 20, the distance between the litters facing the extensions 13, 15 must be slightly greater than the height of the outer middle part 20.
• the outer wall of the lower ring 14 has an annular groove 19 in which is housed a sleeve 17 allowing a radial centering of the outer middle part 20.
• the lower ring 14 is arranged for the assembly of other components of the watch, such as bottom 6 and the watch movement 4.
• the lower ring 14 comprises at its base a obviously annular 24 for housing a seal 25 between said ring 14 and the bottom 6 clipped.
• any other assembly means known to those skilled in the art for the bottom is possible, such as screwing.
• the movement 4 as shown in Figure 2, one can use a technique known in this field by performing a countersink 30 in the inner wall of the lower ring 14, in which is engaged a flange 31 fixed by a screw 32 Referring now to FIG. 3 showing a section at a pusher 5b, as well as in FIG.
• the lower ring 14 is provided with through-passages 26, arranged opposite through passages 28 of the outer middle part 20.
• the through-passages 28 have a semicircular shape open downwards and that the through passages 26 each comprise a bead 27 which can engage in the through passages 28 and allow unambiguous angular orientation of the outer middle 20.
• the through passages 26 comprise a thread for screwing the sleeve 29 having a pusher mechanism which will not be described as being well known to those skilled in the art . It would be the same for the other pusher and for the winding rod.
• the lower ring 14 is larger and plays a "dominant" role. It is obvious, without departing from the scope of the invention, that the roles could be reversed: the upper ring 12 could have the dominant role in making the necessary adaptations to the scope of the skilled person.
• the example described relates to a circular housing, but the invention is not limited to this form.
• the case could have an oval or rectangular shape.
• the only adaptation to be made would be to modify the mechanical assembly of the rings 12, 14, for example by using a clipping-type device, which could have the advantage of making the housing completely indémontable.
• the technique of "clipping" could obviously be used for a circular case.
• rings 12, 14 could be assembled rings 12, 14 by a bayonet device.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Electric Clocks (AREA)
• Sliding-Contact Bearings (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=38055321

Family Applications (2)

Family Applications Before (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (23)

Family Cites Families (33)

• 2006
  • 2006-09-27 EP EP06020199A patent/EP1906268A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2007
  • 2007-09-05 CN CN201410322799.6A patent/CN104090479B/zh active Active
  • 2007-09-05 WO PCT/CH2007/000439 patent/WO2008037097A2/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2007-09-05 EP EP07800630.1A patent/EP2069870B1/de active Active
  • 2007-09-05 CN CNA200780035819XA patent/CN101517494A/zh active Pending
  • 2007-09-05 JP JP2009529482A patent/JP5086354B2/ja active Active
  • 2007-09-05 US US12/443,430 patent/US7988350B2/en active Active

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events