1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to watches, and more specifically to a watch having a watchcase that encloses a movement, a stem, and a crown.
2. Description of Related Art
On an analog watch, the crown and stem of the watch are used to wind the movement (for mechanical watches) and to change the position of the hands to set the time. One end of the stem is attached to the movement, and the other end of the stem is attached to the crown. Typically, to set the time, the stem and crown must be extended outwards from the watchcase prior to rotation in order to disengage the hands from the movement.
For most people, the stem and crown are rarely needed. The time is infrequently reset and today, relatively few watches require winding. Even so, the crown is typically readily accessible, allowing the crown (and stem) to be easily extended from the watchcase.
This accessibility comes at a price. The crown may be inadvertently extended, thus stopping the watch and potentially moving the hands into an incorrect position. An extended stem is at risk for breakage, because it is thin and delicate. Furthermore, the opening through which the stem and crown protrude provides a path for water to enter the watchcase and potentially damage the movement.
To address the latter concern, current water-resistant watches may use a screw-down crown that screws into the watchcase, thus reducing susceptibility to water encroachment. To set the time, the screw-down crown must typically first be unscrewed from the watchcase, then pulled out and operated as normal. However, this approach still leaves the crown partially exposed, and may require seals or gaskets around the crown to prevent water incursion. An alternative approach is described below in which the entire stem and crown are enclosed with the movement within the watchcase.
This disclosure describes a watch for keeping time that comprises a watchcase for housing a movement, a stem, and a crown. The watchcase comprises a lid having a crystal and a body configured to mate with the lid, the body comprising a floor that supports the movement and a wall surrounding the floor, wherein the wall has a notch into which the crown protrudes and wherein the watchcase formed by mating the lid with the body encloses the movement, the stem, and the crown on all sides. In some embodiments, the body and the lid are threaded to enable them to be screwed together to form a water-resistant enclosure around the movement, the stem, and the crown. In some embodiments, the watch comprises a dial with an opening to allow access to the crown while the dial, movement, stem, and crown are installed in the body. In some embodiments, the threads on the watchcase are located above and/or below the level of the movement of the watch to enable the same design to be used for a watch with an enclosed crown and a watch with an exposed crown.
A method is provided for setting the time on a watch with an enclosed crown having a watchcase comprising a body and a lid, where the body and lid are threaded to enable them to be mated together. The method comprises unscrewing the body and lid from each other and accessing the crown through an opening in the dial. The crown is moved away from the movement to extend the crown and stem to disengage the hands from the movement, and the crown is rotated to set the position of the hands. In some embodiments, the crown is accessed from the back side of the dial. The crown is then moved back towards the movement to re-engage the hands with the movement. The body and lid are screwed back together to form a water-resistant enclosure around the movement, the stem, and the crown.
The following description is presented to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the various embodiments. Descriptions of specific devices, techniques, and applications are provided only as examples. Various modifications to the examples described herein will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other examples and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the various embodiments. Thus, the various embodiments are not intended to be limited to the examples described herein and shown, but are to be accorded the scope consistent with the claims.
Various embodiments are described below, relating to a watch having a watchcase that encloses a movement, a stem, and a crown. In some embodiments, the watchcase comprises a body and a lid that are configured to mate together to form an enclosure for the movement, stem, and crown. In some embodiments, the watchcase comprises a body, a lid, and a back piece that are configured to mate together to form an enclosure for the movement, stem, and crown.
The body 100 has a floor 108 on which the movement may rest when it is installed inside the watchcase. The floor 108 is surrounded by a cylindrical wall 104 with a diameter that is somewhat smaller than the diameter of the base 102, thus leaving a ledge 112 between the cylindrical wall 104 and the perimeter of the base 102. In alternative embodiments, the wall 104 may be flush with the perimeter of the base 102 such that there is no ledge 112. In some embodiments, the wall 104 may not be cylindrical. For example, if the base is rectangular, the wall may also be rectangularly shaped.
In exemplary body 100, the wall 104 has exterior threads to enable the body 100 to be screwed together with a lid to form a watchcase. In alternative embodiments, the wall 104 may have interior threads. In some alternative embodiments, the wall may not have threads at all; for example, if the body and the lid are configured to mate together by snapping in place or by using small screws.
The wall 104 has a notch 110 into which the crown protrudes when the movement, the stem, and the crown are installed in the watchcase. In exemplary body 100, the notch 110 surrounds the crown on three sides. The notch 110 thereby engages with the crown to inhibit the movement from rotating around the plane of the floor 108 within the watchcase. In some embodiments, the height of the floor 108 is designed such that when the movement is installed, the stem and crown extend horizontally from the movement into the notch 110. This configuration may allow the movement to be installed within the watchcase without requiring the use of spacers.
The notch 110 is configured to allow the crown and stem to be fully extended while the movement, stem, and crown are installed in the body 100.
In exemplary body 100, the notch 110 is rectangular. In other embodiments, it may be a different shape; for example, the notch 110 may be semi-circular. In some embodiments, the notch 110 may extend through at least a portion of the wall 104 to form an opening.
The wall 104 has a flat upper surface 114 that is configured to be flush with the surface of the corresponding lid when the lid and the body 100 are screwed together. The height of the wall 104 is less than the diameter of the crown such that a portion of the installed crown is accessible above the wall 104, thereby enabling the crown to be accessed while installed in the body 100. As previously discussed, the notch 110 is sufficiently long to allow the crown and stem to be fully extended while installed in the body 100; that is, the movement, stem, and crown need not be removed from the body 100 to set the time or wind the watch.
The body 100 includes two lugs 106 attached to the base 102. The lugs 106 are used to attach straps or other attachments to the body 100. In some embodiments, the body 100 may not include lugs; for example, if the body 100 is intended for use with a pocket watch. In some embodiments, the body 100 may have an opening that allows a strap to be inserted through the openings instead of attaching straps to lugs 106. For example,
Exemplary lid 300 includes interior threads 306 to enable the lid to be screwed onto the exemplary body 100 depicted in
In alternative embodiments, as described earlier with respect to body 100, the lid may not include threads, and instead may be mated with the body by snapping together, by mechanical interlock, or by other suitable approaches. In some embodiments, the lid and the body may be joined by a hinge. In embodiments where the notch 110 of the body 100 extends through the wall 104 to form an opening, the movement, stem, and crown are still enclosed when the watchcase is assembled by mating the lid 300 with the body 100.
Exemplary body 800 also has an opening 804 that penetrates through the body 800 to allow a strap or other feature to be threaded through the body 800.
In some embodiments, the watchcase may be configured such that the threads do not cross the level of the movement and therefore, do not cross the level at which a stem and crown would be attached to the movement. In such embodiments, the threads may be above the movement, below the movement, or both.
In some embodiments, the watchcase is formed of a body having a first set of threads above the level of the movement and a second set of threads below the level of the movement, a lid with threads that is configured to mate with one side of the body, and a back piece with threads that is configured to mate with the other side of the body.
In the embodiments depicted in
The watchcases depicted in
3. Setting the Time on Watch with Enclosed Crown
A method for setting the time on a watch with an enclosed crown using the exemplary body and lid depicted in
The body and the lid are unscrewed to allow access to the crown through a rectangular opening in the dial. The crown may then be extended away from the movement by moving it towards the exterior of the case. The crown may be moved using a finger, for example.
After the stem and crown are extended to disengage the watch hands from the movement, the crown may be rotated to set the position of the hands. This rotation may be accomplished by rolling the crown with a finger, for example, since a portion of the circumference of the crown is accessible above the dial. In some embodiments, the crown may be accessed and rotated from the back side of the dial; that is, from the side of the dial away from the hands. In some embodiments, the time may be set by manually rotating the minute hand. Once the hands are properly set, the crown may be pushed back towards the movement to resume keeping time. The lid may then be screwed back onto the body, forming a water-resistant enclosure for the movement, the stem, and the crown.
4. Materials and Manufacturing
The body and the lid of the watchcase may be manufactured using a variety of techniques. These may include traditional watchmaking processes such as milling, drilling, soldering, and polishing, or newer industrial processes such as metal injection molding, powder injection molding, laser sintering, laser welding, or 3D printing.
The materials used to fabricate the body and the lid of the watchcase may include metals, plastics, ceramics, or other materials with appropriate durability. For embodiments in which the lid and the crystal are fabricated as a single piece, the lid and the crystal may be fabricated of, for example, sapphire crystal, glass, plastic, or other material that provides sufficient durability and visibility. In some embodiments, the lid and crystal may be transparent or translucent. If the lid and the body have threads that enable them to be mated by screwing them together, the threads may be coated with a flexible or adhesive material to provide a better seal and increase water resistance.
For embodiments in which the threads in the watchcase body are located above and/or below the level of the movement, such as depicted in
Although the invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible, as will be understood to those skilled in the art. Various exemplary embodiments are described herein. Reference is made to these examples in a non-limiting sense. They are provided to illustrate more broadly applicable aspects of the disclosed technology. Various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the various embodiments. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt to a particular situation, material, composition of matter, process, process act(s) or step(s) to the objective(s), spirit or scope of the various embodiments. Further, as will be appreciated by those with skill in the art, each of the individual variations described and illustrated herein has discrete components and features which may be readily separated from or combined with the features of any of the other embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the various embodiments.
This application claims priority to provisional application No. 61/833,856 filed Jun. 11, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61833856 | Jun 2013 | US |