CH672571B5 - - Google Patents

Abstract

The watch casing has a base (3) which includes a seating (4) formed between the lower surface of the base, and the cavity for the watch casing. This v cavity contains a folded elastic tongue (6) forming a spring. -A clasp (10) is attached to the end of the watch bracelet (7) by screws (8). The projecting end of the clasp (12) may be inserted into the seatinq in the watch, and is then retained by the spring acting on a small stop. It is possible for both ends of the watch bracelet to have this same fitting. ADVANTAGE - Safer clasp.

Description

DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to a watch case with a clasp integrated in the back, and more particularly to a watch box, the bottom of which comprises one or two cavities, each cavity constituting the female part of a watch strap clasp, the male part of the clasp being attached to one end or to both ends of a watch strap.

Watch cases comprising clasp elements are known. This design makes it possible to produce bracelets in a single piece and can also allow for executions comprising two clasps to quickly replace the bracelets.

Forms of execution of clasps integrated into watch cases have been known for many years but all have many drawbacks. A known embodiment which consists of integrating clasp elements on the sides of the watch case has several drawbacks, the main of which consists in the need to make sides of large dimensions, which results on the one hand in a significant weight and high material costs.

There is also already known, in particular from US-A-4,006,587, an integrated clasp on top of a digital watch box, the display of which is positioned on one of the sides. With this arrangement, the clasp mechanism is particularly apparent which can affect the aesthetics of the watch and limit the possibilities of applications. In addition, the elements of the clasp occupy a large part of the top of the watch, which has the significant drawback of not allowing a valid application for analog watches.

Also known, from patent CH-B-385,750, is an embodiment which comprises elements for fixing a strap which are arranged in the bottom of the watch case. This embodiment has the essential drawback of not constituting a clasp, that is to say that if it can allow an occasional change of a watch strap, it cannot allow a user to put or to take off his watch. In addition, this embodiment for attaching a bracelet has the drawback of being impractical to use since the removal of the bracelet requires the use of a tool.

The object of the present invention therefore consists in remedying the aforementioned drawbacks of the known forms of execution of integrated clasps. The female part (s) of the clasp are integrated into the bottom of the watch case and one or both ends of the watch strap are provided with the male part. The male part of the clasp is intended to be introduced into the cavity formed in the bottom of the watch case which constitutes the female part of the clasp. This introduction is particularly easy and the locking is automatic. The opening of the clasp is also very easy since the unlocking is carried out by a simple vertical push obtained with the fingers. .The clasp integrated in the bottom has the advantage of not being visible when wearing the watch, that is to say that this design makes it possible to design watch cases with a particularly compact and sober aesthetic. The elements of the clasp are completely protected from shocks and other stresses, which eliminates the risk of inadvertent opening. Another advantage still consists in the fact that the female elements of the clasp can be adapted to a multitude of types of watch case back, without requiring a particular shape of box which can as well be round, square, rectangular or oval.

The objects are achieved with the watch case with clasp integrated in the back, object of the invention, as described in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate schematically and by way of example the principles of the invention.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the assembly of a watch case having an integrated clasp.

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view of the integrated clasp.

Figures 3 and 4 are respectively plan and sectional views, and side of the bottom of a watch case.

Figure 5 is a plan view in section of an embodiment of a box bottom provided with two housings.

Referring firstly to FIG. 1, the watch case has a middle part 1 and a watch glass 2. A bottom of the watch case 3 is mounted in the lower part of the middle part. The bottom 3 has a housing 4 which is closed in the lower part of the bottom by an attached plate 5 which constitutes the clasp element of the box. A clasp element 10 is connected to one end of a bracelet 7 by a screw 8 for example. The clasp element 10 which is connected to the bracelet 7 has a folded tongue 6 which is intended to collaborate with the housing 4 and to cooperate with the insert 5. In this embodiment

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the bracelet 7 is made in one piece, one end of which is connected to the clasp element 10 comprising the tongue 6, the other end being connected by a screw 8 'to a bracelet fixing element 9 which is fixed , for example by welding, at the bottom of the watch case.

Figure 2 shows in detail the integrated clasp of the watch case. The bottom of the box 3 has a horizontal housing closed downwards by an attached plate 5. The plate can be welded to the bottom of the box, for example. The insert 5 has at one of its ends branches folded upwards 11 which constitute the stop of the clasp. The clasp element 10 which is connected to the bracelet 7 by one or more screws 8 for example, comprises an elastic tongue 6, which is intended to collaborate with the housing 4 and to cooperate with the insert 5. The elastic tongue 6 can be made of spring steel for example. The tongue 6 is folded so as to present an upper element which is intended to come into contact with the horizontal face of the housing, and a lower element which is directed downwards. The lower element of the tongue 6 is intended to come into contact with the insert 5, and the end 12 of which is substantially folded upwards so as to abut, in the service position, against the branches 11 of the insert 5, and therefore to keep the clasp in the closed position.

The two elements of the tongue 6 are folded with a pre-tension, that is to say that the two elements of the tongue 6 exert a vertical compression force in the housing 4, this compression force maintains the lower element of the tongue 6 downwards, so as to keep the end 12 in abutment against the arms 11 of the insert plate 5.

The disengagement of the clasp is effected by pulling up the end of the bracelet 7, which has the effect of compressing the lower element of the tongue 6 upwards and consequently of lifting the end 12 above the branches 11, which allows the tongue 6 to come out of the housing 4.

Figures 3 and 4 show the housing 4 which is formed by a countersink in the underside of the bottom 3 and the insert 5 which has an opening 13 and branches folded up 11 and 11 '. The opening 13 is intended to allow the passage of the lower part of the clasp element connected to the watch strap.

Figure 5 shows an embodiment of the bottom 3 which has two housings 4 and 14 arranged on either side. With this embodiment, the strap has a clasp element at each of its ends which allows the watch strap to be completely removed.

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2 sheets of drawings

Claims (5)

1. Watch case with clasp integrated into the bottom comprising a watch strap clasp element which is intended to cooperate with the other clasp element which is connected to one of the ends of a watch strap, characterized by the fact that the bottom of the watch case has a horizontal housing formed by a countersink made in the underside of the bottom and by a plate attached to the bottom face of the case, said plate constituting one of the elements of the clasp, and by the fact that the element of the clasp which is connected to one end of the watch strap is in the form of a tongue which is intended to be introduced into the housing at the bottom of the watch case and to cooperate with the clasp element of the box that constitutes the insert. 2. Watch case according to claim 1, characterized in that the watch case has two housings arranged on either side and by the fact that each of the ends of the bracelet is connected to a tongue. 3. Watch case according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the added plate has a central opening on one of its sides and in that the ends of the branches arranged on each side of the opening are folded up. 3 672,571 G 4. Watch case according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the tongue connected to one of the ends of the bracelet comprises a fork-shaped element intended to connect the end of the bracelet and a folded element which is made of elastic material comprising a substantially horizontal upper part and a lower part directed downwards and the end of which is folded in the shape of a curve, the lower and upper parts being folded so as to exert a vertical compression during the introduction into the bottom case of the watch case. 5. Watch case according to claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the lower element of the elastic element of the tongue is slightly curved upwards at its end and by the fact that the outer faces of this end are intended, in the service position, to come into abutment against the ends folded upwards of the arms of the insert.