EP0072350A1 - A protecting device for information visible on part of a watch case - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Arrangement to protect descriptive information appearing on one of the parts of a watch case comprising a transparent plate which is fastened to that part of the case and through which said information is readable, characterized in that said transparent plate (8, 14, 20, 25, 31, 32) is made from sapphire, is glued in an indissoluble manner to said part (1, 15, 27, 28, 30, 33) and stands out in relief on the latter.

Description

The information that the known devices, in accordance with the preamble of claim 1, are intended to protect, consists of advertisements which it is intended to include on sheets of paper and each of which is placed in a recess in the bottom of a watch case protected by a one-way crystal set in this back (CH-A-29191).

Obviously, watches equipped with these known protective devices are intended for merchants, for example of coffee, who distribute them free of charge, as gifts, to their best customers. These are therefore relatively inexpensive watches, the protective device of which clearly does not aim to prevent fraudulent copies.

Similar devices have also been associated with the movement of the watch, essentially with the aim of simplifying the numbering. They include a plate glued into a recess in the plate of the watch movement. If the plate is transparent, the serial number of the movement is applied to its reverse; if it is metallic, it is applied to the obverse (US-A-3,982,386)

The information provided in this way is intended exclusively for dressers. It allows them to identify the part being repaired, if they have to order spare parts from the factory. Furthermore, this known device is practically not applicable to a watch glass. in sapphire and the case backs are not thick enough to make a hollow capable of receiving a plate.

There are also known devices associated with clocks, which protect an advertising image, for example on a postcard, by sticking a thin sheet of celluloid on the image (FR-A-702812). If a tel protective device is sufficient for a clock, it would not last long on a watch intended to be worn every day.

All of these known devices give a certain mechanical protection to an indication. The ease with which they can be made, however, makes them unsuitable for protecting the indications of origin of a watch to the point of giving its buyer the guarantee of acquiring a product really emanating from the desired origin.

So far, manufacturers of top quality watches generally indicate this origin by applying their trademark on the dial of their watches.

However, the proliferation of the means of production of the pieces of the clothing of the watches, in particular of the dials, was precisely followed by a parallel production, constantly growing, of counterfeits disguising junk watches of prestigious brands, to the chagrin buyers. The traditional way of indicating the origin of a watch has, it is true, facilitated these counterfeits because, to be able to apply a mark on a dial, there is no need to consider large investments for which already has the equipment needed to manufacture dials.

Thus, a simple external examination, which the general public must be satisfied with, no longer allows us to deduce that the indication of origin appearing on the watch is authentic.

The device defined by claim 1 puts a brake on counterfeits. The transparent plate of hard material - normally sapphire - which it includes is not a common product. For those who are not seriously installed in the sector, obtaining it would represent a big investment. Ensure an indissoluble bonding to a part of the the watch case without compromising 12 trauspareoce does not enter the ropes of those who try, at low cost, to pass their junk for pieces by famous brands. Thus, the indications of origin, which appear through such a brochure, give the general public a serious guarantee of their authenticity.

The special forms of execution defined in claim 2 offer an additional guarantee. It is necessary, in fact, that the indications sandwiched between the glued plate and its support are applied with care, so that the indissoluble glues used do not alter them.

The features defined by claim 3 allow the manufacturer or its distributors to individualize each watch produced or sold, thereby making it possible to quickly distinguish them from counterfeits.

Only companies which do not balk at the investments necessary for their equipment are able to make use of the features defined by claim 4.

The trademarks, respectively of the producer or of the distributor, may form part of the indications of origin authenticated by the glued label, in accordance with claim 5.

As the glued plates will preferably be made of sapphire, therefore flat, the area of the parts of the boxes intended to receive them will also be so, as defined in claim 6.

It finally appears from claims 7 to 9 that the authentication plate can, at the discretion of the producer, be glued to practically any of the parts of a watch case.

• la Fig. 1 est une vue en plan partielle d'une pièce de la première forme d'exécution;
• la Fig. 2 est une coupe transversale de la pièce représentée à la Fig. 1;
• la Fig. 3 est une vue de dessous de cette première forme d'exécution;
• la Fig. 4, analogue à la Fig. 1, est une vue en plan partielle d'une pièce de la deuxième forme d'exécution;
• la Fig. 5 est une coupe radiale partielle de cette deuxième forme d'exécution;
• la Fig. 6 est une vue en plan d'une pièce de la troisième forme d'exécution, dont
• la Fig. 7 est une coupe transversale;
• la Fig. 8 est une vue en plan d'une pièce de la quatrième forme d'exécution, dont
• la Fig. 9 est une vue en coupe diamétrale;
• la Fig. 10 est une vue en plan partielle d'une pièce de la cinquième forme d'exécution, dont
• la Fig. 11 est une coupe partielle;
• la Fig. 12, analogue à la Fig. 10, est une vue en plan partielle d'une pièce de la sixième forme d'exécution, dont
• la Fig. 13 est une coupe partielle;
• la Fig. 14 est une vue de dessous de la septième forme d'exécution;
• la Fig. 15 est une vue en élévation d'une partie de la Fig. 14;
• la Fig. 16 est une vue de dessous de la huitième forme d'exécution, et
• la Fig. 17 est une vue en élévation d'une partie de la Fig. 16.

Eight embodiments of the device according to the invention are shown schematically and simply by way of example in the drawing in which:

• Fig. 1 is a partial plan view of a part of the first embodiment;
• Fig. 2 is a cross section of the part shown in FIG. 1;
• Fig. 3 is a bottom view of this first embodiment;
• Fig. 4, similar to FIG. 1 is a partial plan view of a part of the second embodiment;
• Fig. 5 is a partial radial section of this second embodiment;
• Fig. 6 is a plan view of a part of the third embodiment, of which
• Fig. 7 is a cross section;
• Fig. 8 is a plan view of a part of the fourth embodiment, of which
• Fig. 9 is a view in diametral section;
• Fig. 10 is a partial plan view of a part of the fifth embodiment, of which
• Fig. 11 is a partial section;
• Fig. 12, similar to FIG. 10 is a partial plan view of a part of the sixth embodiment, of which
• Fig. 13 is a partial section;
• Fig. 14 is a bottom view of the seventh embodiment;
• Fig. 15 is an elevational view of part of FIG. 14;
• Fig. 16 is a bottom view of the eighth embodiment, and
• Fig. 17 is an elevational view of part of FIG. 16.

The first four embodiments (Fig. 1 to 9) relate to watches in which the glass completely covers the case, which is designed as described in European patent application No. 82810187.3 of the applicant. The ornamental, non-transparent elements, which constitute the visible face of the box surrounding the dial, therefore form a one-piece assembly with the glass, to which they are permanently attached and this assembly is fixed by screws engaged from the bottom side of the box in sockets integral with said assembly and located under its ornamental elements, these screws serving at the same time for fixing the bottom.

Thus, in the first embodiment (Fig. 1 to 3), the glass 1 itself, made of sapphire, has the general shape of a rectangle. Its angles are cut. Its upper face 2, flat, is framed by bevels 3, 4, 5. The periphery of the glass 1 is opacified by ornamental elements (not shown) permanently fixed to the flat lower face 6 of the glass 1 and extending up to at the edge 7 of the transparent area of the glass, through which the watch face appears. A rectangular plate 8, also in transparent sapphire, is indissoluble glued to the face 2 of the glass 1.

There are, in fact, on the market glues which are absolutely transparent, produce an adhesion of several kilograms-force per square millimeter and resist all the chemical agents to which a watch risks being exposed. Under these conditions, it is clear that the wafer 8 or the glass 1 will break before we have managed to separate them from each other.

The adhesive must however be applied with care, in order to ultimately form a thin film, absolutely compact, that is to say free of air bubbles under the entire surface of the wafer 8, but without overflowing this last. The adhesives which can be used for this purpose are relatively fluid in the latent state. Some take only under the action of ultraviolet rays; others under the effect of heat at a determined temperature, but this then very quickly. When the wafer 8 has thus been glued to the glass 1, no difference in transparency can be discerned between the area of the glass 1 covered by the wafer 8 and the rest of the glass 1.

In order not to damage the clothes and to avoid scratches as a result of impacts, bevels 9 are formed along the upper edges of the plate 8.

Fig. 1 shows that indications 10, 11 appear through the plate 8. One of them, 10, is constituted by the trademark of the watch. This can be applied to the face 6 of the glass 1 by vacuum spraying, for example at the same time as such a layer is formed on this face to opacify a peripheral zone. The mark 10 can also be applied in the same way on the face 2 of the glass 1. Preferably, this mark 10 will however be applied in the manner described on the reverse of the plate 8. In this way, the mark 10 will always be well centered in the plate 8, even if the latter should not be glued to the glass 1 in the exact desired position.

By itself, this mode of application of the trademark on a watch already offers the public a serious guarantee of the authenticity of the origin of the watch, since the equipment of most of the brown companies, which make industry the illegal application of reputable brands on poor quality watches does not allow them to work the sapphire crystal 1 and the plate 8 or to carry out vaporizations under vacuum. Moreover, the cost of these operations, which does not have a significant influence on the cost price of a high-end watch, fitted in any case with a beveled sapphire crystal, would be out of proportion to the price cost of counterfeits flooding the market.

The reverse of the plate 8 can also serve as a receptacle for other indications than the trademark, like it, of a nature to authenticate the origin of the watch. Thus, the indication 11 in FIG. 1, composed for example of specific letters and numbers, can constitute, in combination with the analogous indication 12, engraved on the bottom 13 of the watch case (Fig. 3), a code making it possible to individualize each watch produced. To do this, it suffices to modify at least one of the indications 11, 12 from one watch to another. In this way, a determined pair of indications 11, 12 will only be found on one of the watches produced. By listing these pairs of indications For the agencies representing the brand, they can immediately distinguish a watch whose origin is authentic from a counterfeit.

By vacuum spraying, it is possible to form very small numbers and letters, which are no longer readable with the naked eye. This means allows the buyer to verify for himself the authenticity of the origin of a watch using a simple magnifying glass. It is, in fact, practically impossible for brown companies, producing watches at low prices, to pay for the equipment necessary to form letters and numbers of this size.

The application of the device according to the invention is not limited to rectangular watches. It can be used with the same advantages, for example in the case of round watches, as shown in the second embodiment (Fig. 4 and 5). In this case, it is a plate 14, also circular, which is bonded to the round glass 15 covering the entire upper face of the watch case. Indications 16, 17, of the same nature as indications 10, 11 of the first embodiment, are applied to the reverse of the plate 14. Preferably, the latter is stuck in the zone 18 of the glass 15, which is opacified by the ornamental elements 19 glued under the periphery of the glass 15 (Fig. 5).

It is not necessary that the dimensions of the plate glued to the watch glass be reduced to those of the brand and possibly of the numerical indication. The third embodiment (Fig. 6 and 7) shows in particular a plate 20, of the same shape as the glass 1 and which is just a little smaller than the flat upper face 2 of the latter. The plate 20 thus extends to above the zone 21 of the glass 1, which is opacified by the ornamental elements (not shown) that the flat lower face 6 of the glass carries at its periphery. In this embodiment, the plate 20 not only has the effect of enriching the relief of the glass, by making it appear with a well-worked external face, but also that of enhancing the appearance of the ornamental elements of the area. 21, due to the refractions produced by the bevels 22, 23, 24 of the wafer 20, which are added to those due to the bevels 3, 4, 5 of the glass 1, this while considerably increasing the resistance of the glass to mechanical forces (pressure, shock) that can be exerted on him by wearing the watch regularly. We Note also that the bubble-free and overflowing gluing of such a large plate is also likely to avoid easy counterfeiting.

The round plate 25 of the fourth embodiment (Fig. 8 and 9), glued to the round glass 15, shows that a large plate is also usable in the case where the housing is round and has its upper face entirely covered by glass.

The watch glass is not the only support capable of receiving an authentication plate such as those described in the first four embodiments. In the case of a case the edge of the glass 26 of which is permanently bonded to the internal zone of a frame 27 of hard metal, as shown in FIG. 2 of European patent application 82810187.3 of the applicant, the plate 8 can be glued to the part of the frame 27 extending beyond the glass 26, as shown in the fifth embodiment (Fig. 10 and 11 ).

The sixth embodiment (Figs. 12 and 13) shows that the same possibility also exists for the round plate 14, which is glued to the ring 28, itself glued under the glass 29.

The bottom of the housing can also serve as a support for a plate of the kind described above. If it is rectangular, like the bottom 30 of the seventh embodiment (Figs. 14 and 15), the plate 31 that will be glued to it will have a shape harmonizing with that of the bottom, and we will also glue a circular plate 32 on the bottom 33 of a round housing (Figs. 16 and 17).

In all the embodiments described, the flip has _the p-quette sapphire can naturally take place receptacle indications liable to authenticate the origin of the watch, such as brand- manufactures and / or trade and / or an encrypted indication which, in combination with a second indication, also encrypted, but different, applied to another visible part of the watch, will form an identification code of the producer or distributor of these watches, individualizing each these.

The authentication plates described can also be col bonded to materials other than glass sapphire, the hard metal of the frame or ring appearing as a bezel or the steel of the back, for example on a bezel or a plated or chromed back or on precious metal parts .

Although only round and rectangular parts have been described above and shown in the drawing, it is clear that the device according to the invention can be applied to any other shape of part, polygonal with straight or curved sides. The shape of the authentication plate used in these cases can, in fact, always be harmonized with that of the watch.

Claims (9)

1. Device for protecting sign information appearing on one of the parts of a watch case, comprising a transparent plate, which is fixed to this piece of said case and through which said information is readable,
characterized _; - in that this information (10, 11; 16, 17) constitutes at least part of the indications (10-12) establishing the origin of the watch - And in that, to establish the authenticity of these indications in the eyes of the purchaser of the watch, the said transparent plate (8, 14, 20, 25, 31, 32) is made of hard material and is bonded with indissoluble to said part (1, 15, 27, 28, 30, 33) of the watch case. 2. Device according to claim 1,
characterized
in that said part (11; 16, 17) of the indications establishing the origin of the watch is sandwiched between said plate (8, 14, 20, 25, 31, 32) and the part (1, 15 , 27, 28, 30, 33) of the watch case to which this plate is glued. 3. Device according to claim 2,
characterized
in that the reverse of said plate (8, 14, 20, 25, 31, 32) serves as a receptacle for an element (11, 17) of encrypted information forming part of the indications establishing the origin of the watch . 4. Device according to claim 3,
characterized
in that said element (11, 17) of encrypted information is traced in tiny dimensions, illegible to the naked eye. 5. Device according to claim 1 or claim 2,
characterized
in that said part of the indications establishing the origin of the watch includes the trademark and / or trade (10, 16) of the latter. 6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized
in that the part area (1, 15, 27, 28, 30, 33) of the watch case, on which the said plate (8, 14, 20, 25, 31, 32) is glued, is flat , this plate being made of sapphire. 7. Device according to claim 6,
characterized
in that said plate (8, 14, 20, 25) is glued to the glass (1, 15) of the watch. 8. Device according to claim 6,
characterized
in that said plate (8, 15) is bonded to a wide part of the visible face of a bezel (27, 28) of the housing, which surrounds the glass (26, 29). 9. Device according to claim 6,
characterized
in that said plate (31, 32) is bonded to the external face of the base (30, 33) of the watch case.

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