Patent Application
20240407506
The present invention relates to the horological or jewellery field. More specifically, it relates to an interchangeable buckle device.
Bracelets are typically made of leather or metal and have a buckle attached to them by means of a bar.
In the watchmaking industry, solutions have been proposed to allow users to easily change the bracelet on their watch, particularly in the case of replacement when it has become too worn, or to interchange a leather bracelet and a metal bracelet, for example. A great deal of effort has been devoted in recent years to improving these systems for disconnecting the bracelet from the case, and many solutions have been proposed.
However, the same effort has not been devoted to detaching the buckle, resulting in a lack of advantageous solutions. The value of a precious metal buckle or clasp is such that the wearer would like to be able to swap a bracelet without changing the buckle and in a simple, quick and safe manner, without the use of tools.
Another need that the invention addresses is that of allowing this bracelet to be replaced by bracelets that have not been modified in any way, i.e. standard bracelets, which is not the case with most of the solutions proposed to date.
More specifically, since the bracelet touches the wearer's wrist on this side of the strand, whereas it is most often at a distance therefrom on the side nearest the case because of the height of its assembly in relation to the watch, the latch piece of the bar rubs against the skin, which, apart from the resulting discomfort, exposes the pump bar system (made of a plurality of different metals) to the wearer's perspiration. The result is not only problems with product deterioration (oxidation or the like) but also increased allergy risks for the wearer, as materials containing nickel or other allergens are most often used.
Patent document U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,193 describes a method for assembling a buckle on a strand in which the bar cooperates with two resilient elements assembled in the bracelet, allowing the bar to be attached by sliding it into an elongated opening in the bracelet. This solution has a number of drawbacks when used to achieve universal interchangeability, since it requires a bracelet that has been modified in order to incorporate these assembly elements. This solution thus does not allow a buckle to be assembled on a standard bracelet, and thus limits interchangeability with commercially-available bracelets. Moreover, as the positions for assembling and removing the buckle in relation to the attachment element are in the direction of the bracelet's operating position, the buckle could come off when the watch is worn, particularly if it is worn fairly loosely or, in the case of a watch worn while diving over a neoprene-type wetsuit, when the thickness thereof shrinks and the bracelet becomes loose. Finally, the width of the hole receiving the bar is such that part of the hole remains visible after assembly, which is not only unsightly, but can also form a recess in which detritus can collect and disrupt the operation of the system.
Patent document CH714409 describes an interchangeable buckle and its assembly method in which the tongue must be moved along the axis of the bar in order to remove it, which requires the bracelet to be modified so that the opening intended to receive the tongue is wide enough to allow this movement. This solution is thus not universal, as it is only compatible with bracelets whose opening is wider than usual. Moreover, when the buckle is assembled and removed, the force exerted by the user on the tongue to compress the pump bar, which force is always exerted on the same side of the bracelet strand, results in deformation of the strand part, which increases the radial movement play of the tongue to the detriment of the security of the buckle and the aesthetics of the bracelet. Lastly, the buckle assembly/removal process does not provide a signal informing the user of correct assembly, such as a haptic and/or audible signal, which can present risks of incorrect assembly and thus unintentional detachment.
Patent document CH713108 describes a buckle device intended to be easily assembled and removed by clipping according to a rotation of a first element of the buckle relative to a second element of the buckle. This document presents an application for a folding clasp buckle, no embodiment for a tongue buckle being described or illustrated. However, it is advantageous to propose a device that can be applied to both a tongue buckle and a folding clasp buckle.
The fastening devices described are typically used for interchangeable bracelets, which can be replaced at the wearer's discretion. However, they are not without their drawbacks. In particular, they require major structural modifications to the bar, such as, for example, making an opening in the tube, or transforming the pistons. These changes lead to significant additional manufacturing costs.
The main aim of the invention is to overcome the various drawbacks of prior art devices.
More specifically, the aim of the invention is to provide a buckle that is easy to remove, easy to handle and applicable to new products, while remaining retro-compatible with existing products in order to adapt to standard, commercially-available bracelets.
To this end, the invention relates to an interchangeable buckle device comprising a buckle comprising a bar around which a tongue is articulated, the device comprising an insert provided with a channel arranged to receive the bar, and a latch arranged to cooperate with the insert so as to close the channel, the latch being arranged to slide from a locked position in which the bar is held in the channel to an open position in which the bar is free, the latch being held in its locked position by resilient return means.
According to other advantageous alternative embodiments of the invention:
The invention further relates to a watch provided with an interchangeable buckle device in accordance with the invention.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which is given by way of example and is by no means limiting, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The interchangeable buckle device 1 is intended to attach and detach the end of a first bracelet strand to a watch buckle 3 fitted with a tongue 4 for attachment to a second bracelet strand.
Although only the example of a tongue buckle is described, such a device is also adaptable to stud buckles. A stud buckle is a buckle which resembles a tongue buckle but has no tongue, in which case a stud is used to secure the strand with which the tongue typically interacts.
The bracelet is fastened to the buckle by means of an interchangeable fastening device comprising a buckle 2 and a bar 3 around which a tongue 4 is articulated, the device comprising an insert 5 provided with a channel 50 arranged to receive the bar 3 by guiding it in the direction of its own axis (X). The “axis” of the bar is understood to refer to its own axis (X) of revolution or, if the body is not a perfect axisymmetric body, the axis along which the bar extends.
The device further comprises a latch 6 arranged to cooperate with the insert 5 so as to close off the channel 50. The latch 6 is arranged to move from a locked position in which the bar 3 is held in the channel 50 to an open position in which the bar 3 is free.
The latch 6 is held in its locked position by resilient return means 500, 510, a force opposing the return action of the springs enabling the latch to be moved to the open position, and thus constituting removable assembly means capable of making the buckle interchangeable.
As can be seen in
Thus, when the buckle system is assembled on a bracelet strand, the bar 3 is inserted into the channel 50 of the insert 5 and does not need to be modified.
The insert 5 comprises a recess 51 arranged to receive the latch 6, the latch moving from the locked position to the open position in the recess 51. The recess 51 is parallelepipedic in shape and has two inner side walls 52, 53, a rear wall 57 and a back. The recess 51 also opens into the channel 50 so that the latch 6 can hold the bar 3 in the channel 50 when the device is in the locked position.
The rear wall 57 comprises two blind holes 56 facing the latch 6 and arranged to receive the resilient return means, the resilient return means taking the form of helical springs 501, 502 and resting partially in the blind holes 56.
The internal side walls 52, 53 of the insert 5 have longitudinal guide grooves 54 arranged to cooperate with pivot clicks 62, 63 integral with the latch 6 and housed in the side walls of the latch 6. The length of the grooves makes it possible both to define the length of travel of the latch 6 and to hold it in the recess 51.
The recess 51 also acts as a stop when the latch 6 is in the open position. More specifically, the recess 51 has a shoulder 58 which forms a platform against which the latch 51 rests in part, the platform thus forming both a guide surface and a stop for the latch 6 when it is actuated.
The latch 6 has a first end comprising a beak 60 arranged to close the channel 50 and hold the bar 3 in the channel 50, and a second end resting against the platform of the shoulder 58. Advantageously, the beak 60 has a concave surface in order for its surface to complement the surface of the bar and limit contact points when the bar is pivoted. The beak 60 further includes a passage 61 for the tongue 4 so that it can pivot when the device is in the locked position.
It should be noted that the latch 6 comprises gripping elements 64 to increase grip and make it easier for the user to handle.
When the device is in the locked position, i.e. a position in which the bar rests in the channel 50 and is held there by the latch 6, the channel is closed off by the beak 60 of the latch as shown in
When moving to the open position, the latch 6 is displaced and translates in the direction of the length of the device, the latch 6 being guided by the displacement of the pivot clicks 62, 63 in the grooves 54 as shown in
Once the channel 50 is open, or free, the bar 3 can be unhooked from the device as shown in
In the embodiment described above, the device is described for a so-called flexible bracelet made of leather, synthetic fabric or an elastomer material.
Thanks to these various aspects of the invention, a safe, interchangeable buckle device is obtained, which device allows bracelets to be changed easily and quickly without the need for tools.
It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the example illustrated and that various alternative embodiments and modifications which will become apparent to those skilled in the art may also be conceived.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23177457.1 | Jun 2023 | EP | regional |
