The present invention relates to backs for timepieces and more particularly to such backs including a pattern or a logo on the external face thereof and wherein said pattern or logo can be oriented as desired.
This application is a Utility Application, claiming priority based on European Patent Application No. 19151038.7 filed Jan. 9, 2019.
It is often the case that, when screwing a watch case back onto the middle part thereof, it is observed that, when the back is fully screwed in, the decorative patterns or inscriptions that may have been, for example, stamped or etched on the face of the back situated on the same side as the wrist of the individual wearing the watch, are not properly aligned relative to the 12 o'clock-6 o'clock vertical axis of said watch which, it goes without saying, is detrimental to the aesthetics of this watch.
This aesthetic defect, which may be tolerable for low-cost watches, constitutes a very significant drawback for more expensive watches.
In order to overcome this drawback, the only known solution to date consists of pairing a back with a determined watch case during machining, so as to ensure that once fully screwed in, the back is perfectly aligned with the 12 o'clock-6 o'clock axis of the watch. However, this solution is not very satisfactory since this creates problems in the event that the original back of the watch is lost or damaged and must be replaced by another back, for which it cannot be guaranteed that once screwed on the middle part, it will be properly aligned with the 12 o'clock-6 o'clock vertical axis.
The purpose of the present invention is to overcome this drawback, in addition to other drawbacks, by proposing a system enabling, after screwing a back onto the middle part of a watch case, the orientation of the back to be adjusted in a simple and effective manner relative to the watch, so as to guarantee the proper disposition of the inscriptions and other decorative patterns that have been inscribed on the face of the back of the watch directed towards the wrist of the individual wearing this watch.
For this purpose, the present invention relates to a back for a watch case, the back comprising a first element arranged so as to be screwed onto the watch case, and a second element including an end face bearing a pattern, the second element being mounted such that it can move in rotation about an axis passing through the centre of the case, characterised in that the second element comprises braking means arranged so as to hold same relative to the first element in different angular positions about the rotational axis, the braking means being disposed between the first and second elements.
Thanks to these features, the present invention provides a device for fastening a watch case back which enables the full screwing of this back to the middle part of the watch to ensure the sealing thereof and to prevent, as far as possible, any risk of losing said back, then, even though the back is fully screwed in place, which enables a movable element of this back to be pivoted relative to the middle part in order to make up for a potential misalignment of the inscriptions or patterns applied to the visible face of said back.
According to other advantageous alternative embodiments of the invention:
The invention further relates to a timepiece comprising a moon phase mechanism according to the invention.
The purposes, advantages and features of the striking watch will appear more clearly in the following description which is given on the basis of at least one non-limiting embodiment shown by way of the drawing, in which:
More specifically, the back 1 comprises a first element 10 arranged such that it is screwed onto the watch case 50, and a second element 20 including an end face 21 bearing a pattern such as a logo or a trademark, the second element 20 being mounted such that it can move in rotation about an axis passing through the centre of the watch case.
The first element 10 is intended to be screwed onto the watch case 50 and has, for this purpose, on the rear face thereof, i.e. the face oriented inwards relative to the case, an annular shoulder 11 comprising a threading 110 on the outer circumference thereof. The shoulder 11 thus screws onto the bottom of the watch case 50 which comprises a complementary threading provided for this purpose.
The first element 10 further comprises, on the front face thereof, i.e. the face oriented outwards relative to the case, a base 12 with a wall 13 inclined outwards relative to the case such that said base 12 has a substantially trapezoid-shaped cross-section.
The second element 20 comprises a cavity 22 with a complementary inclined wall 23 at the base 12 in order to be able to forcibly interlock or clip, and thus assemble, the two elements 10, 20. In order to facilitate the forced introduction of the second element 20 on the first element 10, the rims of the base 12 and of the cavity 22 are bevelled.
Advantageously, the base 12 of the first element 10 comprises recessed portions 13′ and an annular slot 13″ formed behind the wall 13 so as to facilitate the deformation of the wall during the forced interlocking of the second element 20 onto the first element 10.
As can be observed, the diameter of the base 12 and of the cavity 22 are less than the diameters of the first and second elements 10, 20.
The second element 20 is mounted such that it can move in rotation on the first element 10 about the rotational axis C passing through the centre of the case 100, the interlocking or the clipping providing sufficient clearance to cause the second element 20 to pivot.
As can be seen in
It can be seen in
According to the invention, braking means are provided, which act by friction and which are arranged so as to hold different angular orientations of the second element 20 relative to the first element 10, and thus relative to the middle part. Thus, when the first element 10 is screwed such that it abuts against the middle part, the second element bearing the pattern M can be easily displaced angularly into a desired position against the frictional force generated by the braking means and held in the desired position. The second element 20 is thus axially clamped between the rear face thereof and the front face of the first element 10. Preferably, the respective dimensions of the second element 20, in particular the thickness thereof, and those of the first element 10 are chosen such that the edge of the second element 20 lies flush with the front face of the first element 10 in order to thus form a continuous surface.
According to one preferred embodiment, the braking means comprise at least one elastic annular element 30 which in particular has an elasticity in a direction parallel to the rotational axis C. Typically, the annular element can be formed by a gasket made of a natural or synthetic compressible material. The annular element 30 is disposed between the first element and the second element. According to the invention, the one or more elastic annular elements 30 are disposed in the first and second annular slots 14 and 16 which are made in the front face of the first element. A person skilled in the art could, without particular difficulty, reverse this assembly and place the elastic annular elements 30 on the rear face of the second element 20, having previously formed the slots 14 and 16 therein. The annular slots 14 and 16 are disposed on either side of the annular groove 15, which allows for better distribution of the friction forces generated by the elastic annular elements 30.
Advantageously, the second annular slot 16 has two levels, a first level forming the bottom of the slot arranged so as to receive an elastic annular element 30, and a second level forming the opening of the slot arranged so as to receive the edge of the second element 20. The second level has dimensions that are greater than those of the first level such that the edge of the second element 20 can undergo translational displacement in the direction of the axis C.
It should be noted that the desired braking force can be controlled by adapting the compression ratio of the annular element during manufacture.
It should also be noted that the use of a second element mounted on a first element enables the manufacturer to procure a stock of replacement backs as well as to use backs bearing different patterns. This type of back further allows various materials to be easily combined in order to produce the various elements thereof.
Thus, in order to orient the back, the manufacturer (or the wearer) exerts pressure on the second element 20 towards the watch case so as to compress the elastic annular elements 30. Then, while maintaining pressure on the second element, the manufacturer pivots the second element relative to the first element 10 so as to orient the back into a desired angular position such that the pattern M is, for example, aligned with the 6 o'clock-12 o'clock axis of the watch.
In order to facilitate the disassembly of the second element 20 from the first element 10, the second element 20 comprises a notch 26 capable of receiving a tool for exerting leverage and thus for dislodging the second element.
The timepiece 100, for example of the wristwatch type, provided with the back 1 according to the invention, is partially shown in
It is understood that various modifications and/or improvements that would be obvious to a person skilled in the art can be made to the embodiment described herein, while still remaining within the scope of the present invention as defined by the accompanying claims. In particular, the use of an undulated spring ring instead of the ring gasket 30 could be considered, provided that it has compressible elasticity along the axis C. In yet another alternative embodiment, the braking means could be associated with indexing notches in order to position the substrate in a plurality of predefined angular positions.
It should be noted that an O-ring 31 is conventionally inserted into an annular groove 59 made in the bottom of the middle part 51 in order to guarantee sealing between the first element 10 of the back 1 and said middle part 51.
The first element and the second element can be made of metals, a metal alloy, ceramic, composite material or plastics material.
It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and that various simple alternatives and modifications can be considered while still remaining within the scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1915103 | Jan 2019 | EP | regional |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5923622 | Chung | Jul 1999 | A |
7324410 | Ziv | Jan 2008 | B1 |
8142069 | Muller | Mar 2012 | B2 |
20030016591 | Meyrat | Jan 2003 | A1 |
20080043577 | Mavilla | Feb 2008 | A1 |
20120311862 | Knuchel | Dec 2012 | A1 |
20180032034 | Vuille | Feb 2018 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
243389 | Jul 1946 | CH |
1734375 | Feb 2006 | CN |
101126914 | Feb 2008 | CN |
101258451 | Sep 2008 | CN |
204287754 | Apr 2015 | CN |
105278317 | Jan 2016 | CN |
1278108 | Jan 2003 | EP |
1 760 556 | Mar 2007 | EP |
1 890 203 | Feb 2008 | EP |
11-118954 | Apr 1999 | JP |
2008-46131 | Feb 2008 | JP |
Entry |
---|
Luthy, Edouard, English Translation of CH 243389, originally published on Jul. 15, 1946, retrieved from Espacenet on Oct. 12, 2022, full document (Year: 1946). |
Communication dated Nov. 4, 2020 by the Japanese Patent Office in application No. 2019-233841. |
Communication dated Jan. 26, 2021, from the China National Intellectual Property Administration in application No. 202010017655.5. |
European Search Report for EP 19 15 1038, dated Jul. 23, 2019. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20200218201 A1 | Jul 2020 | US |