Patent Application
20170150790
This application claims priority of Swiss Patent application CH1726/15 filed on Nov. 26, 2015, the contents of which is hereby enclosed by reference.
The present invention relates to a wristwatch comprising a watch case, a bracelet and a clasp connected to the watch case.
The bracelet straps of wristwatches generally comprise a clasp to enlarge the bracelet or open it in order to allow the watch to be put on or taken off. The clasp is generally provided on the opposite side to the watch case and is thus intended to be worn against the inside of the wrist. These clasps are therefore uncomfortable, particularly for sport or when the wrist is resting on a table or a desk top.
In order to avoid this problem, the prior art also knows wristwatches comprising a bracelet clasp that is incorporated into or secured to the watch case. One example of such a construction is described for example in
CH156174 describes a wristwatch the case of which is combined with an unfolding clasp that allows the length of the bracelet to be varied.
A similar solution is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,604 and in DE4303173.
In all of these solutions, the watch case incorporates a deployable clasp that allows the bracelet to be enlarged but not opened up completely. It is therefore difficult, particularly for individuals with reduced mobility in their hand, to put these watches on or take them off. In addition, these watches cannot be laid out flat for display in a window display for example.
A deploying clasp under the watch back also makes the back more difficult to access, for example when the back needs to be opened in order to access the movement or replace a battery for example.
In addition, the components that allow the clasp to be manipulated in order to open or close it are generally situated near the back of the watch, in a plane below the plane of the dial. They are therefore difficult to manipulate.
It is an object of the present invention to propose a wristwatch with a case connected to the clasp but which does not have the limitations of the known wristwatches of this type.
According to the invention, these objects are notably achieved by means of a wristwatch comprising:
The bracelet is considered to be opened up when it no longer forms a closed ring, namely when the clasp is connected to the case only by the bracelet, without being fixed directly to this case.
This solution notably offers the advantage that the watch can be put on or taken off without the need for a clasp on the inside of the wrist.
The use of a single-stranded bracelet means that the bracelet can be opened up completely and makes putting the watch on or taking the watch off easier, particularly for individuals with reduced mobility in their hand.
The clasp is closed over the top of the watch case and can therefore be manipulated with ease.
The clasp may comprise manipulating members, for example studs or even push-buttons, which lie above the dial plane when the clasp is locked to the watch case.
The frame can clip over the top of the watch case in the closed position. The dial and the hands of the watch can be seen through an opening in this frame when the clasp is closed.
In one embodiment, the watch comprises at least one dial, the frame comprising a central opening, at least one dial being visible through said central opening.
The clasp thus forms a watch case bezel, namely a member on top of the watch middle and completely surrounding the glass.
The wristwatch comprises a locking member connected to the watch case. The locking member can be pivoted between a position that allows it to be inserted into the opening of the clasp when the clasp is being closed or opened, and a locking position that allows the opening or closing of the clasp to be blocked.
In the open position, at least one portion of the locking member may be longitudinal, which means to say parallel to the bracelet. In the locking position, at least one portion of the locking member may be transverse, namely perpendicular to the bracelet.
The manipulatable portion of the locking member advantageously lies above the watch glass.
The locking member may have a T-shape with a pivoting shaft connected to the watch case, and a head that can be oriented either in a first direction that allows insertion of the clasp or in a second direction pressing against said frame.
In one embodiment, the shaft of the locking member can be lifted above the dial in order to pivot it.
The watch case may comprise spring-loaded balls able to collaborate with notches in the clasp in order to keep said clasp closed.
It is possible to provide balls only on the distal side of the clasp. It is possible to provide balls both on the distal side and on the proximal side of the clasp.
In one embodiment, the wristwatch comprises two dials and a separation between the two dials, the shaft of the locking member being mounted on this separation.
The wristwatch may comprise a first movement for displaying time information on a first dial. A second movement may be provided for displaying time information on the second dial.
In order to improve security and reduce the risk of unwanted opening, the clasp may comprise a push-button with a return spring. This return spring pushes the push-button back into the locking position when the push-button is not being pressed, the opening of the clasp being blocked in this locking position.
To this end, the push-button may be provided on lateral faces of the clasp, so as to move in a plane above the bracelet. The push-button thus does not dig into the wrist.
It is also possible to provide two push-buttons on the two longitudinal faces of the clasp, and which need to be actuated simultaneously in order to open the clasp.
The push-button may be guided by means of rods engaged in through-holes through the clasp, each rod collaborating with a pivot or another element engaged in the watch case in order to lock or unlock the clasp. The rods may for example push this element back into the case in the unlocking position.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are indicated in the description which is illustrated by the attached figures in which:
One embodiment of a wristwatch 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in
The wristwatch 1 comprises, on the one hand, a watch case 2 and, on the other hand, a clasp 3 that can be locked over the top of the watch case, or unlocked for opening. A first end 120 of the single-stranded bracelet 12 is connected to one side of the clasp (for example in the 12-o'clock position) while the second end 121 of the bracelet is connected to the other side of the watch case 2 (in the 6-o'clock position). In the unlocked position, the bracelet can therefore be opened up completely and the watch laid out flat with the watch case 2 and the clasp one at each end of the bracelet.
The clasp 3 comprises a base 6 that can be clipped onto the case 2, around the glass or glasses, in the manner of a bezel. A frame 4 on this base defines an opening 40 through which the dial or dials of the watch can be seen when the clasp is closed onto the watch case 2.
The watch case 2 comprises a watch middle 8 around which the frame 4 can clip. Elastic elements, for example two spring-loaded balls 80, are provided on the external face of the watch middle, in the 6-o'clock position, to hold the frame 4 in the closed position. Notches or housings may be provided at the 6-o'clock position in the internal face of the frame 4 to house the head of these balls when the clasp is closed. Spring-loaded balls may also be provided in the 12-o'clock position on the external face of the watch middle, along with corresponding notches in the 12-o'clock position in the internal face of the frame 4.
The watch case 2 further comprises, in this example, two glasses separated from one another by the base 51 of the locking member 5. The two dials 7, 9 are visible behind these glasses through the opening 40 of the frame 4 when the clasp 3 is closed. One dial may be visible behind each glass. In one embodiment, the watch middle 8 houses two movements 10, 11; the movement 10 is able to display a first piece of time information in front of the dial 7 while the movement 11 is able to display another piece of time information in front of the dial 9. The two pieces of information may, for example, correspond to the time in two different time zones or to a time and a timed duration. It is also possible to display information not connected with the time behind one of the glasses, for example data from temperature, altitude, location, heart rate sensors, messages, calendar information, etc. It is also possible to display time information behind one of the glasses and a decoration or non-time information behind the other glass.
In the case of a skeleton watch, the dial may consist of the mainplate or a bridge. In the case of a watch with an electronic display, the dial may consist of a display.
The base 6 of the clasp 3 is positioned above the watch case 2 by means of shapes 81 of the watch middle which are housed in notches 60 of the base 6 in the closed position. In one embodiment, one or more shapes are provided at the 12-o'clock position and one or more shapes are provided at the 6-o'clock position.
In the closed position, the clasp 3 can be locked on top of the case 2 using the locking member 5. The locking member 5 comprises a rod-shaped shaft 50 passing through the base 51 at the center of the watch case 2, and a head which can be pivoted by lifting the shaft between the longitudinal position of
The clasp described above is locked only by means of the locking member 5; if this locking member is not closed, for example as the result of an oversight or it becoming snagged, the closure of the bracelet is assured only by means of the spring-loaded balls 80 on one or both faces of the watch middle 8.
The second embodiment described in conjunction with
The position of the push-button 52 on one of the longitudinal faces of the clasp 3 makes it possible to avoid the disadvantages of push-buttons projecting on the lateral faces, which carry the risk of digging into the wrist. The push-button 52 moves in a plane above the bracelet and cannot therefore come into contact with the wrist. This solution is advantageous for all clasps, even clasps with a deploying buckle which are not connected to the watch case.
With reference to
The end of the rods 522 presses against pivots or pins 83 engaged in blind holes 82 through the watch case 2. A spring 84 pushes each pivot back outward, while at the same time preventing it from completely exiting the blind hole. In the locking position illustrated, the pivots 83 protrude out of the lateral face of the watch case 2 and enter the through-holes in the clasp 3; they thus oppose the opening of the clasp 3 which cannot be lifted. By pressing the push-button 52, the rods 522 push the pivots 83 back flush with the watch case 2, thus releasing the clasp 3.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| CH 01726/15 | Nov 2015 | CH | national |
