CH710881A1 - Timepiece with a time zone indicator and a time indicator. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a timepiece comprising: a time zone indicator comprising a marking with designations of several time zones; a movement with a regulating member and a kinematic chain; a local time indicator driven by the driveline to display the local time in at least one designated time zone with said time zone indicator; a local time zone correction mechanism (5, 27, 13, 20, 16) for simultaneously correcting the time zone indicator and the local time indicator; a home time correction mechanism (31, 32, 33, 16) for correcting the position of the time zone indicator without moving the local time indicator.

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to a timepiece with a time zone indicator and a time indicator.

State of the art

It is known in the state of the art watches capable of simultaneously displaying the time in several time zones.

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 home time zone.

[0004] EP-A2-1 058 166 (Patek Philippe SA) also describes a universal time display in which the names of the cities are displayed on a rotating city disk. During a time zone change, a pusher may be operated in such a way as to cause the city disc to perform a 1/24 <è> <me> turn and a twenty-four hour disc indicating the current time in each spindle, and to increment the position of the hour hand by 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 home time zone.

[0005] A similar solution is also described in CH 690 205 (Patek Philippe SA).

[0006] EP-A1-2 455 823 (Breitling AG) discloses another watch with a 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 makes it possible to increment the hour hand by one hour and the twenty-four hour disc by a twenty-fourth 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.

[0007] The Louis Vuitton Escale Worldtime watch includes a ring of cities whose angular position can be modified by means of the crown in order to select a time zone. The local time of this time zone is displayed by means of a ring of hours driven by the movement, so as to make a turn in 24 hours. The change of time zone by means of the crown causes the rotation of this ring of hours, so as to display the time of the new time zone chosen. It is also possible to set the watch on time by correcting both the home time (ie the internal time of movement) and the local time displayed with the hour ring.

In this type of watches, the time zone is changed by moving the angular position of the local time indicator (time of the time zone visited) relative to the home time ("home time"). as measured by motion. Rotating the city ring therefore affects only the local time display, but not the home time.

The time zone corresponding to the time of residence is determined during the manufacture or assembly of the watch. For example, if the home time is Paris, the time displayed in front of New York on the city ring is offset by -6 hours.

It is certainly possible to correct the home time, for example to put the watch on time. The user can thus select the Tokyo time, for example, as home time. However, the applied correction is automatically applied to the local time indicator, so that the time displayed in front of New York is no longer correct.

This particularity proves particularly problematic in the case of ringtones watches. A big-bell watch, for example, has a feeler to determine and sound the time of the basic movement. If the watch is scheduled for the time zone of Paris, it will always ring the time of Paris. A user who moves with his watch in New York does not have the opportunity to ring the time of New York without disrupting the position of the ring of cities: either it disturbs the time of residence so that the time of New York, but the time displayed in front of New York will be incorrect, or it turns the ring of cities to select New York as time visited, but the watch will continue to ring the time of Paris.

To remedy this problem, EP 1 770 453 A1 describes a timepiece to ring, at the choice of the user, either the home time (hour HT) or the time of the time zone visited (GMT time). The manipulation is however complex because the user is faced with a choice. On the other hand, in the example above, it is not natural for a user living in New York to have to select the "GMT time" option when he actually wants to hear the time of his home.

[0013] CH 704 623 A describes a timepiece provided with a repetitive ringing mechanism for playing different ringtones for a first and a second time zone. This piece has the same problems as that described in EP 1 770 453 A1.

EP 1 396 765 A1 relates to a timepiece providing analog time information of a time zone and comprising a wake-up mechanism. The alarm time is indexed to the local time of the place where a user is temporarily staying. When changing the time zone, the user does not have to worry about setting the waking mechanism of his watch: by correcting the time of the time zone, the triggering device of the waking mechanism will be automatically adjusted at the new time zone time. Unless you disturb the watch, however, it is not possible to ring the alarm clock at the user's home time.

[0015] WO 2014/095 728 (Chopard Technologies SA) describes a timepiece comprising hands to indicate the local time, as well as a disc of the cities and a disc twenty-four hours to indicate the time in different time zones. In operation, the hands are driven in a clockwise direction while the twenty-four hour disc is driven counterclockwise next to the city disc which remains stationary. A correction of the local time is possible, in both directions, by means of the control rod which makes it possible to turn both the needles and the disk of twenty-four hours. Finally, a universal time setting is possible by means of an additional crown to simultaneously drive the city disc, the twenty-four hour disc and the hour hand. All correction or adjustment operations therefore change the internal time of the watch and it is not possible to simply correct the time difference between the home time zone and each of the other time zones.

A similar solution is described in CH 703 258.

Brief summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is therefore to propose a timepiece comprising a local time indicator and a local time zone correction mechanism which is free from the limitations of known timepieces.

Another object of the invention is to provide a timepiece that allows to change the domestic time zone associated with the movement.

According to the invention, these objects are achieved in particular by means of a timepiece comprising: a time zone indicator including a marking with designations of several time zones; a movement with a regulating member and a kinematic chain; a local time indicator driven by the driveline to display the local time in at least one designated time zone with said time zone indicator; a local time zone correction mechanism for simultaneously correcting the time zone indicator and the local time indicator; a home time correction mechanism to correct the position of the time zone indicator without moving the local time indicator.

The domestic time zone correction mechanism thus makes it possible to move the time zone selector indicator, without changing the displayed local time, so as to reduce or increase the time difference between the home time and the time zone. the time of each time zone.

The domestic time zone is the "internal" time zone of the movement, for example that of the city where the watch was purchased, and the one on which the movement is set. In the case of a minute repeater watch, the domestic time zone is the one whose time is sounded by the minute repeater. In the case of a watch for displaying the time of two time zones, the domestic time is generally referred to as "home time".

This characteristic is particularly useful in the case of a bell watch, for example a minute repeater, a large ring, a clock watch, and so on. It is thus possible to ring the domestic time (for example in the case of a minute repeater), or to sound an alarm at a preset domestic time in the case of an alarm clock. It is also possible to change the domestic time that must be sounded or to which the alarm must be sounded, without disturbing the watch and keeping a correct display of the time in each zone displayed.

The time zone indicator may be a ring bearing time zone designations. The user can correct the angular position of this ring by means of the local time zone correction mechanism (in order to choose another visited time zone). The user can also correct the angular position of this ring using the home time correction mechanism (to change the time difference between the domestic time zone and each other time zone).

[0024] The local time indicator may be a hand or a disc or ring performing a turn in 24 hours and bearing time designations opposite the time zone designations of the time zone selection ring. It is thus possible to simultaneously indicate the time in several time zones.

The timepiece may include a minute indicator and a time-setting mechanism to correct the position of the minute indicator and that of the local time indicator, without moving the indicator of time zone. It is possible to set the watch on time by simultaneously correcting the domestic time and the time of each time zone.

The time zone indicator is decoupled from the kinematic chain during the normal running of the watch, so as to remain stationary. It only runs during a local time zone correction or during a domestic time zone correction.

The different indicators can be concentric.

The local time zone correction mechanism may include a ring arranged to allow selection of the local time zone by placing it in a predetermined axial position and then pivoting it.

The domestic time zone correction member including a push button.

The home time zone correction member is advantageously accessible from the outside of the watch case.

The domestic time zone correction member is advantageously discrete because it is not intended to be handled very frequently. In one embodiment, the domestic time zone correction member is constituted by a push button mounted in the axis of a winding crown and setting time; the push button is then actuable when the ring is in a predetermined axial and radial position, and locked when the ring is in another axial position or in another radial position, so as to limit the risk of unintended modification of the time zone domesticated.

In one embodiment, the domestic time zone correction mechanism allows domestic time zone correction only when the crown is in the winding position of the barrel.

[0033] The watch movement may include: a training mobile of the local time indicator, a driving mobile of the time zone indicator, and a member for coupling the driving wheel of the local time indicator with the driving wheel of the time zone indicator to allow time zone correction, and decoupling the driving wheel from the hour indicator of the time zone indicator when walking the watch.

Brief description of the figures

Examples of implementation of the invention are indicated in the description illustrated by the appended figures in which: <tb> Fig. 1 <SEP> illustrates a view of the upper face of an exemplary watch according to the invention. <tb> Fig. 2a <SEP> and the enlargement of FIG. 2b illustrate the movement in the winding position. <tb> Fig. 3 <SEP> shows the movement in the local time zone change position. <tb> Fig. 4 <SEP> shows the movement in the time setting position. <tb> Fig. 5 <SEP> illustrates the movement in the home time zone correction position.

Example (s) of embodiment of the invention

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 has a rotating ring 2 forming a local time zone indicator. This indicator carries 24 city indications 6, each indication representing a time zone. It is possible to indicate a number of different time zones, for example by including half-time zones or quarter-time zones. Graphic patterns can separate these illustrations that can be divided into two concentric circles. The local time zone (corresponding to the current time displayed) is in this example indicated by a fixed marker 9, for example a metallized mark under the watch ice, for example a marker at 12 o'clock.

The current time of the selected local time zone, as well as the time of the different time zones marked is indicated by a rotary ring of twenty-four 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 local 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 the minute of the domestic and local time, or auxiliary functions such as a chronograph, a power reserve, etc.

The watch may include a home time indicator to display the home time corresponding to the time zone on which the movement is set (internal time).

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

[0041] Normal walk of the watch; reassembly

As seen in Figs. 2a and 2b illustrating the movement 40, the local time indicator 3 is mounted on a disc twenty-four hours 14 driven by the twenty-four hour reference 13, itself geared by the hour wheel 10 of the movement of based. The local time indicator 3 thus rotates 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 so dragging.

In this position, the twenty-four hour return 13 is detached from the pinion 27 driving the time zone indicator 2 through a kinematic chain. The time zone indicator 2 is therefore not driven by the movement.

In this position, the rotation of the winding rod 5 by means of the ring makes it possible to raise the barrel. The sliding pinion 28 is clear of the pinion 29 and therefore has no effect on the position of the local time indicator 3 nor on that of the indicator of the local time zone 2.

The disk or minute ring 4 can be driven directly by the floor 19 of the main movement.

Correction mechanism of the local time zone.

A local time zone correction mechanism simultaneously corrects the time zone indicator 2 mounted on the ring 26 and the local time indicator 3 when the winding stem 5 is pulled axially in the intermediate position, in the position illustrated in FIG. 3. In this position, the rotations of the crown rod 5 are transmitted via the sliding pinion 28 to the pinion 29 and then, via a kinematic chain, to the pinion 27. This pinion drives both the wheel 20 mounted on the same axis as the star 16, and the return of twenty-four hours 13.

The star 16 drives the toothing 15 of the city disc 26 on which is mounted the time zone indicator 2. The twenty-four hour return 13 causes the toothing 14 of the twenty-four hour ring. 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 1/24 <è> <me> turn, in both directions of rotation.

Thus, the discs 2 and 3 rotate simultaneously in the same direction when the winding stem 5 is pulled outwardly in the intermediate axial position shown and is rotated to change the local time zone.

The time of each time zone is not changed in case of change of local time zone.

[0051] Mechanism for setting the time

FIG. 4 illustrates the movement with the winding stem 5 completely drawn in external axial position, for setting the time.

In this position, the rotations of the winding stem 5 are then no longer transmitted to the star 16 time zones, and are no longer directly transmitted to the return of twenty-four hours 13. The rotations of the winding rod 5 are however 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.

[0054] Domestic Time Zone Correction Mechanism

FIG. 5 illustrates the home time correction mechanism for correcting the position of the time zone indicator 2 without moving the local time indicator 3.

This mechanism acts when the ring is depressed, in the axial position of winding already described in relation to FIG. 2. In this position, as indicated, the rotations of the winding stem are not transmitted to the pinion 29 and therefore do not influence the position of the rings 2, 3.

A push button not shown to move the latch 31, 32. The latch 31, 32 is advantageously made in two parts to increase the stroke produced by a given displacement of the push button; it is articulated to the axes 34 and 35.

A tooth 33 on the latch 31, 32 acts directly on the star 16 to rotate it; the jumper 17 rotates in increments. The rotations of the star 16 are transmitted to the city disc 26 which is rotated in increments of 1/24 <è> <me>. The pinion 27 rotates with the star 16, but it is detached from the reference 13 and therefore does not act on the position of the disc of twenty-four hours 14.

It is thus possible to change the position of the local time zone indicator 2 without changing the local time displayed. This operation amounts to changing the time difference between the local time displayed by means of the indicator 3 and the "internal" time of the movement, that is to say the domestic time.

The movement advantageously comprises a ring, for example a minute repeater, to ring the domestic time (the internal time of movement).

By correcting the difference between the domestic time and the local time of each time zone, it is therefore possible to change the domestic time that is sounded, without disrupting the watch and without disturbing the local time displayed for each time zone. In this way, a user who buys the watch in Paris before moving to New York can correct the discrepancy between the internal time of movement and the position of the disc 2, in order to sound the New York domestic time to a watch bought in France.

The push button acting on the latch 31, 32 is advantageously coaxial with winding rod 5, and mounted in the center of the crown on this rod. In an advantageous embodiment, it is locked in all the rotational positions of the crown, except for a particular marked position.

Claims (13)

1. Timepiece comprising: a time zone indicator (2) having a marking with designations of several time zones; a movement (40) with a regulating member and a kinematic chain; a local time indicator (3) driven by the driveline to display the local time in at least one designated time zone with said time zone indicator (2); a local time zone correction mechanism (5, 27, 13, 20, 16) for simultaneously correcting the time zone indicator (2) and the local time indicator (3); a home time correction mechanism (31, 32, 33, 16) for correcting the position of the time zone indicator (2) without moving the local time indicator (3). 2. Timepiece according to claim 1, comprising a home time indicator (4) for displaying the domestic time and / or minute corresponding to the time zone on which said movement is set. 3. Timepiece according to one of claims 1 or 2, comprising a ring arranged to ring the home time corresponding to the time zone on which said movement is set, or to ring at said domestic time. 4. Timepiece according to one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a minute repeater arranged to ring the domestic time or arranged to ring the local time. Timepiece according to one of claims 1 to 4, said time zone indicator (2) being a ring bearing time zone designations (6) and whose angular position can be corrected by means of said correction mechanism local time zone and using said home time correction mechanism. The timepiece according to claim 5, said local time indicator (3) being a ring making a turn in 24 hours and bearing time designations opposite said timezone designations so as to simultaneously indicate the time zone designation. time in several time zones. 7. Timepiece according to one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a minute indicator (4) and a mechanism (5) for setting the time to correct the position of the minutes indicator and that the local time indicator (3), without moving the time zone indicator (2). 8. Timepiece according to one of claims 1 to 7, said time zone indicator (2) being decoupled from said kinematic chain during the normal running of the watch, so as to remain stationary except during a local time zone correction or domestic time zone correction. 9. Timepiece according to one of claims 1 to 8, said local time zone correction mechanism including a winding rod (5) arranged to allow the selection of the local time zone by placing it in a predetermined axial position and by swiveling it. 10. Timepiece according to one of claims 1 to 9, said domestic time zone correction member including a push button. 11. Timepiece according to claim 10, said push button being mounted in the axis of a winding rod (5) and operable when the winding rod is in a predetermined radial position. 12. Timepiece according to one of claims 1 to 11, said movement including: a driving mobile of the local time indicator (13), a driving wheel of the time zone indicator (16), and a member (27) for coupling the driving wheel of the local time indicator with the driving wheel of the time zone indicator to allow time zone correction, and decoupling the mobile from driving the hour meter indicator of the time zone indicator when walking the watch. 13. Timepiece according to claim 12, said domestic time zone correction mechanism being arranged to allow the correction of domestic time zone only when the crown is in winding position of the barrel.