CH709366B1 - Analog watch with universal time display. - Google Patents

Abstract

Analog watch with universal time display (1), comprising: a watch movement (22); a ring of time zones (2) rotatable by the user to select the main time zone, said ring of time zones with indications of time zone identification; a twenty-four hour ring (3) rotated counterclockwise by said watch movement to display next to each said time zone identification the time of said time zone; a disc or ring of minutes (4) to display the current minute.

Description

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to an analog watch with universal time display.

State of the art [0002] Analog watches are watches that display the time by means of needles or other moving indicators that move continuously, including indicators that turn jerkily.

It is known in the state of the art watches to display the time in two different time zones, for example by means of two hour hands. These watches are for example useful to the traveler who wants both to check the time of his country of origin and the country visited. However, they do not allow to quickly determine the time of any time zone.

In order to simultaneously display the time of the 24 major time zones, we also know watches with universal time display. The most common watches of this type include a telescope bearing twenty-four names of cities each representing a time zone, and a ring of hours that carries twenty-four numbers from 1 to 24. The ring of hours rotates right of a turn in twenty-four hours and therefore indicates in each moment the current time in each zone opposite the corresponding city. These watches must be reset if there is a change in the main time zone.

[0005] EP-A2-1 058 166 (Patek Philippe SA) further describes a universal time display in which the names of the cities are displayed on a rotating city disk. During a change of time zone, a pusher can be actuated so as to make i / 24th of a turn to the disc of the cities and to a disc of twenty-four hours indicating the current time in each zone, and to increment the hour hand position of one hour. In this way, the angular position of the city disc indicates in each moment the selected time zone, and the time of each time zone is kept during a change of reference time zone.

[0006] EP-A1-2 455 823 (Breitling AG) describes another watch with universal time display in which the position of the disc of the cities can be modified by turning the time-setting rod in intermediate axial position. . At the same time, a differential allows the hour hand to be incremented by one hour and the twenty-four hour disc i / 24th of a turn. The time of the selected time zone is displayed using hour, minute and second hands in the center of the movement, and a series of indexes on the dial inside the twenty-four hour disc.

Watches with universal time display generally have the disadvantage of difficult reading of the time in each time zone. One of the difficulties comes from the size of the dial in the center, the diameter of which is reduced by the telescope or disc of the cities and by the rotating ring of twenty-four hours. The size of the indexes on this dial, and the length of the needles, are therefore reduced which makes the reading of the current time uncomfortable. In order to keep a dial of sufficient size, it is therefore necessary to use discs of cities and twenty-four hours as fine as possible. The result is, however, indications of city names on the telescope or external disk, and hour numbers on the twenty-four hour disk, which are very small and therefore difficult to read.

On the other hand, these watches universal time display are often quite thick because of the display mechanism, different discs, needles that move in a plane above these discs, and ice.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a watch with universal time display free from the limitations of known watches.

In particular, an object of the invention is to provide a watch to display the universal time more readable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a watch to display the universal time finer.

According to the invention, these objects are achieved in particular by means of an analog watch with a universal time display, comprising: a watch movement; a ring of time zones that can be rotated by the user to select the main time zone, said ring of time zones with indications of time zone identification; a twenty-four hour ring rotated counterclockwise by said watch movement to display next to each said time zone identification the time of said time zone; a disc or ring of minutes to display the current minute.

The display of the current minute by means of a ring of minutes allows to remove the minute hand. On the other hand, the current time in each time zone is displayed by the position of the twenty-four hour ring, which also removes the hour hand. As a result, a watch in which the hour and minute of each time zone can be displayed only by means of disks or rings, for example disks or concentric rings. No space in the center should be reserved for the dial or indexes, these different discs or rings can have a large width, which allows to place indications particularly readable.

On the other hand, the removal of the needles possible through this arrangement reduces the thickness of the watch. This feature also makes it possible to eliminate parallax problems due to the distance between the needle and the indexes.

A reduced thickness may in particular be obtained in the case where the rings or discs are all coplanar.

The removal of the needles also allows the ice to be placed at a very short distance above the discs or rings, which further reduces the thickness of the watch, and to avoid the optical deformations or aberrations caused by a convex mirror away from the dial or discs.

In a preferred embodiment, the distance between the ice and the rings or discs is less than 0.5 mm, preferably less than or equal to 0.3 mm. This extremely small distance allows a better reading by avoiding the problems of parallax.

In a preferred embodiment, all the time indications of the watch is carried by rings and / or concentric discs. The watch therefore has no needles. The watch therefore has only circular or annular indicators that rotate in the center of the watch. The result is a flat layout and intuitive reading.

As the center of the watch is not used for the hands and the dial, it is possible to optimize the space available for the various rings, including the time zone rings and twenty-four hours.

In order to optimize the space available for indications of cities on the ring of time zones, this ring is preferably placed outside with respect to all other indicators. In addition, the diameter of the inner ring which carries the minute indications is preferably less than or equal to 60% of the outer diameter of the ring of time zones, for example between 50 and 60%. The result is unusually wide time zone and twenty-four hour rings, which allows for larger and more legible time readings.

The watch may include an ice with a mark on its underside to indicate the selected time zone and / or the current minute. This marker may consist of a metallization.

The time zone correction can be performed by means of the winding stem, for example by pulling it in the intermediate axial position and turning it, so as to change the city names incrementally by strokes of l / 24th of a turn.

In an advantageous embodiment, the watch has a pull tab actuated by the winding stem in the pulled position, for example in the intermediate axial position, to allow the correction of time zone. This zipper can be housed between the box and the movement. The time zone correction can thus be added as an additional function actuated by the winding stem of a basic movement, without modifying the components within this basic movement.

The watch may comprise a second puller actuated by the winding stem in the pulled position, for example in the external axial position, in order to perform the setting time of the movement. The second zipper can be housed inside the movement. It is therefore not necessary to modify the existing movement to perform the time setting.

The watch may comprise a winding stem, a time zone correction mechanism actuated by the winding stem in a first drawn position to cause the simultaneous rotation of the ring of the time zones and the ring of twenty- four hours, and a time setting mechanism actuated by the winding stem in a second drawn position to cause the time setting of the disc or minute ring and the ring of twenty-four hours. Preferably, the time zone correction as well as the time setting can be done in both directions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES [0026] Examples of implementation of the invention are indicated in the description illustrated by the appended figures in which: FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of an example of a watch according to the invention; fig. 2 illustrates a front view of a watch movement according to an example of the invention, without ice; fig. 3 illustrates a front view of a watch movement according to an example of the invention, without the rings or discs; fig. 4 illustrates a front view of a watch movement according to an example of the invention, without the drive gear of the rings.

Example (s) of embodiment of the invention [0027] An example of a watch according to the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 illustrates the front face of the completed watch 1 as seen by the user. It comprises a rotating ring of the time zones 2 bearing 24 city indications 6, each indication representing a time zone. Graphic patterns can separate these illustrations that can be divided into two concentric circles. In this example, the main time zone is indicated by a fixed reference mark 9, for example a metallized mark under the watch ice, for example a marker at 12 o'clock.

The current time and the time of the twenty-four time zones is indicated by a rotary ring 24 hours concentric inside the ring of time zones and coplanar to this ring. Ring 3 carries twenty-four numbers from 1 to 24 and rotates counterclockwise by performing a turn in 24 hours. The number next to each city in ring 2 indicates the current time in the corresponding time zone. The time of the main time zone is indicated by 9, here at noon.

The minute of the current time is displayed by a disc or concentric minute ring 4 inside the twenty-four hour ring 3 and coplanar to this ring. In this example, the ring 3 bears 12 digits from 05 to 55, and sixty minute marks. The minute of the current time and all time zones is also indicated by 9.

The watch 1 is thus devoid of needles. In a variant, needles may be added, for example to display the second, or auxiliary functions such as a chronograph, a power reserve, etc.

The watch is also devoid of dial; the entire surface under the ice is occupied by the discs or rings 2, 3, 4 and by an optional flange. This feature maximizes the width of the rings 2, 3.4 for a particularly readable display. In a preferred embodiment, the minute disc is placed near the center of the watch, for example less than 60% of the outer diameter of the ring 2, so as to maximize the width of the ring 2 bearing the names of town.

Position 5 indicates the winding and setting time, which will be described below.

FIG. 2 represents a variant of the same watch, but without the ice and therefore without the reference 9.

FIG. 3 illustrates the movement of the same watch, in which the discs and rings 2 to 4 have been removed. The movement may comprise a base movement and an auxiliary module superimposed by this basic movement which drives and corrects it. The auxiliary module makes it possible to drive the ring 3 from the wheel of the hours of the main movement, and to correct the position of the rings 2, 3 during a change of time zone. Stones not shown can be used to guide the rotation of the different rings or discs.

As seen in FIG. 3, the intermediate ring of twenty-four hours 3 is driven by the twenty-four-hour reference 13, which itself is meshing with the hour wheel of the basic movement. The twenty-four hour ring thus turns counterclockwise by performing a turn in twenty-four hours during the normal running of the watch. A star of the hours 11 mounted on the same axis as the hour wheel 10 collaborates with a jumper 12; the hours are dragging.

The disc or ring minutes 4 can be driven directly by the pavement of the main movement.

The outer ring 2 of the time zones is driven by the toothing 15 which is rotated by the star 16 when the winding stem 5 is rotated in the intermediate axial position shown. A jumper 17 maintains the position of the star 16 and allows the toothing 15 and the ring of time zones to rotate in steps of i / 24th of a turn, in both directions of rotation. As can be seen in particular in FIG. 4, the star 16 is mounted on the same axis as the wheel 20 driven by the pinion 21 when the winding rod 5 is rotated to the intermediate position. The pinion 21 in this position simultaneously causes the return 24 hours, which causes the toothing 14 of the twenty-four hour ring. Thus, in this position of the rod 5, the disks 2 and 3 rotate simultaneously in the same direction. The time in each time zone is therefore not changed when the reference time zone is changed.

By pulling the winding rod 5 completely in the external axial position, the pull rod 18 is rotated, which drives, after a sufficient stroke, the selection rocker 19 carrying the pinion 21. The pull tab 18 and the rocker 19 are advantageously mounted. apart from the basic movement 22, in the space between this movement and the watch case.

The rotations of the winding stem 5 are then no longer transmitted to the star 16 time zones, and no longer directly transmitted to the reference of twenty-four hours 13. In this position, the winding stem 5, however, operates a pull tab not shown within the base movement 22, so as to allow the setting time of the movement. The rotations of the winding stem are then transmitted to the minute disc 4 and, via this disc, to the 24-hour ring 3, so as to correct the hour and minutes of the current time.

Reference numbers used in figures [0040] 1 Watch

Claims (9)

2 Time zone ring 3 Twenty-four hour ring 4 Minute disc 5 Winding stem 6 City indications on the time zone ring 7 Time indications on the 24-hour ring 8 Time indications on the minute disc 9 Mark under the ice 10 Hour wheel 11 Hour star 12 Hour collector 13 Referral 24 hours 14 Denture of the twenty-four hour ring 15 Dentition of the time zone ring 16 Coaching star of the day Time Zone Ring 17 Time Zone Ring Collar 18 Time Zone Compensation Pin 19 Time Zone Correction Selector Switch 20 Time Zone Ring Trainer Wheel 21 Pinion Gear 22 Clock Movement 23 Space between the movement and the watch case Claims An analog universal time display (1), comprising: a watch movement (22); a ring of time zones (2) rotatable by the user to select the main time zone, said ring of time zones with indications of time zone identification; a twenty-four hour ring (3) rotated counterclockwise by said watch movement to display next to each said time zone identification the time of said time zone; a disc or ring of minutes (4) to display the current minute. 2. Watch according to claim 1, said ring of time zones (2), said ring of twenty-four hours (3) and said disk or ring of minutes (4) being coplanar. 3. Watch according to claim 2, comprising an ice, the distance between said ice and said rings or disk (2, 3, 4) being less than 0.5 mm, preferably less than or equal to 0.3 mm. 4. Watch according to one of claims 1 to 3, said ring of time zones (2), said ring of twenty-four hours (3) and said disk or ring minutes (4) being concentric. 5. Watch according to claim 4, the outer diameter of the disk or ring minutes (4) being less than or equal to 60% of the outer diameter of the ring of time zones (2). 6. Watch according to one of claims 1 to 5, comprising an ice, the ice having a mark (9) on its underside to indicate the selected time zone and / or the current minute. 7. Watch according to one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: a watch case, a winding stem (5), a pull (18) arranged to be able to be actuated by said winding stem (5) in position pulled to allow a time zone correction, said pull tab being housed between said box and said movement (22). 8. Watch according to claim 7, comprising a second puller arranged so as to be actuated by said winding stem in the pulled position and so as to allow setting the time of movement, the second pull being housed inside said movement (22). 9. Watch according to claim 1, comprising: a winding stem (5); a time zone correction mechanism (18-21) arranged to be operable by said winding stem (5) in a first drawn position to cause the simultaneous rotation of the ring of the time zones (2) and the twenty-four hour ring (3); a time setting mechanism arranged so that it can be actuated by said winding stem (5) in a second drawn position to set the time of the disk or ring of the minutes (4) and the ring twenty-four hours (3).