CH710890B1 - Method of assembling a timepiece with a time zone indicator. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of assembling a timepiece comprising: a timepiece movement; a time-setting crown; an indicator ring (2) having internal teeth (22); a correction mobile (52) connected to said time-setting crown (5) so as to be rotated when the time-setting crown (5) is in the axial position for adjusting the ring, then rotated, the correction mobile (52) acting directly on the internal toothing (22) so as to allow correction of the angular position of the indicator ring, and a twenty-four hour ring facing the indicator ring ( 2), which is a ring of time zones (2) with designations (21) of several time zones; the movement being arranged to rotate the twenty-four hour ring relative to the time zone ring, so as to indicate at all times the local time in each time zone. The method comprises the following steps: obtaining a timepiece movement comprising a date ring comprising an internal toothing, a date correction mobile (52), a mobile arranged to drive its internal teeth (54) a wheel integral with the mobile and arranged to be driven by the movement in order to complete one revolution in 24 hours; replacement of the date ring by a time zone ring (2) comprising an internal toothing (22), so that the date correction wheel acts directly on said internal toothing (22) in order to allow the correction of the angular position of the time zone ring (2), and removal of the mobile and the wheel.

Description

Technical area

We know in the state of the art watches capable of simultaneously displaying the time in several time zones.

[0002] In order to simultaneously display the time of the 24 main time zones, watches with universal time display are also known. The most common watches of this type have a bezel bearing twenty-four names of cities, each representing a time zone, as well as an hour ring which bears twenty-four numbers from 1 to 24. The hour ring rotates correctly. one turn in twenty-four hours and therefore indicates the current time in each time zone in each time zone opposite the corresponding city.

[0003] EP-A2-1058166 (Patek Philippe SA) describes a watch with a universal time display in which the names of the cities are displayed on a rotating city disc. When changing the time zone, a push-button can be actuated so as to make the city disc and a twenty-four hour disc showing the current time in each zone perform 1/24 <th> of a revolution, and incrementing the position of the hour hand by one hour. In this way, the angular position of the city disc indicates the selected time zone at all times, and the time of each time zone is retained when changing the home zone.

[0004] A similar solution is also described in CH690205 (Patek Philippe SA).

[0005] EP-A1-2455823 (Breitling AG) describes another watch with a universal time display in which the position of the city disc can be modified by turning the time-setting rod in the 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 revolution. The time of the selected time zone is displayed by means of 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.

[0006] The Louis Vuitton Escale Worldtime watch comprises a ring of cities, the angular position of which 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 an hour ring driven by the movement, so as to complete one revolution in 24 hours. Changing the time zone using the crown causes the rotation of this hour ring, so as to display the time of the new time zone chosen. It is also possible to set the time to the time by correcting both the domestic time (i.e. the internal time of the movement) and the local time displayed with the hour ring.

[0007] EP1770453A1 describes a timepiece making it possible to strike, at the choice of the user, either the home time (HT time) or the time of the time zone visited (GMT time).

[0008] CH704623A describes a timepiece provided with a repeating ringing mechanism making it possible to play different ringing tones for a first and a second time zone.

[0009] EP1396765A1 relates to a timepiece providing analogue information on the time of a time zone and comprising an alarm mechanism.

[0010] WO2014 / 095728 (Chopard Technologies SA) describes a timepiece comprising hands to indicate the local time, as well as a city disc and a twenty-four hour disc to indicate the time in different time zones . In operation, the hands are driven clockwise while the twenty-four hour disc is driven counterclockwise opposite 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 rotate both the hands and the twenty-four hour disc.

[0011] A similar solution is described in CH703258.

An object of the present invention is to provide such a timepiece capable of displaying world times by means of a ring of cities bearing indications of time zones, and of a twenty-four ring. hours driven by the movement so as to rotate opposite the ring of cities to indicate at all times the time of each time zone.

Watches making it possible to simultaneously display the time of several time zones are generally expensive, since they require a dedicated movement. These watches are generally produced in relatively small series, the price is important.

There are also watches with simultaneous display of several time zones which include a conventional basic movement and an additional module for driving the twenty-four hour disc and for correcting the position of the city disc. This additional module also makes the movement more expensive and increases its thickness.

Timepieces with several time zones, in particular parts comprising a twenty-four hour ring and a time zone ring, most often require an additional control member, for example a push button, a second crown or an additional axial position of the crown, in order to correct the position of the time zone ring. This additional control member adds to and complicates the part.

Brief summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a method of assembling a timepiece comprising a twenty-four hour ring and a time zone ring which is free from the limitations of known timepieces. .

[0017] In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of assembling a timepiece comprising a twenty-four hour ring and a time zone ring whose position can be easily corrected.

[0018] According to the invention, these aims are achieved in particular by means of a method of assembling a timepiece xcomportant: <tb> <SEP> a clockwork movement; <tb> <SEP> a time-setting crown; <tb> <SEP> an indicator ring bearing indications unrelated to the date, said ring comprising internal toothing; a correction mobile connected to said time-setting crown so as to be rotated when the crown of setting the time is in the axial position for adjusting the ring and then rotated, said correction wheel acting directly on said internal toothing so as to allow correction of the angular position of the indicator ring, and a twenty-four hour ring opposite the indicator ring, <tb> <SEP> said indicator ring being a ring of time zones with designations of several time zones; <tb> <SEP> the movement being arranged to rotate the twenty-four hour ring relative to the time zone ring, so as to indicate at all times the local time in each time zone, the method comprising the following steps : <tb> <SEP> obtaining a timepiece movement comprising a date ring comprising an internal toothing, a date correction mobile, a mobile arranged to drive the internal toothing of the date ring, a wheel integral with the mobile and arranged to be driven by the clockwork movement in order to complete one revolution in 24 hours; <tb> <SEP> replacement of the date ring by a time zone ring comprising designations of several time zones, said time zone ring comprising internal toothing, so that the date correction mobile acts directly on said internal toothing in order to allow correction of the angular position of the time zone ring, and <tb> <SEP> removal of the mobile and the wheel.

The time zone ring can be, for example a ring of cities bearing the designations of at least twenty-four cities, each city corresponding to a different time zone.

[0020] This construction makes it possible to reuse the date correction mechanism present on many watch movements, in order to correct the position of the indicator ring, for example in order to change the reference time zone.

It is thus possible to put the indicator ring in rotation manually, by turning the crown placed in the axial position for correcting the date. No additional correction mechanism should be provided for.

A jumper can be provided to position the indicator ring. The indicator ring thus moves in an indexed manner, by jumps, so that each city indication is exactly opposite the corresponding time indication.

The indicator ring can be mounted at the location for the date ring of the movement, which can be removed. The indicator ring thus replaces the date ring.

[0024] The timepiece advantageously comprises a crystal and a dial. The indicator ring is then mounted around the dial and fully visible through the crystal.

The number of teeth of the internal teeth of the indicator ring may be different from the number of teeth of the date ring initially provided for the movement. In the case of a time zone ring, the internal toothing comprising twenty-four teeth, each tooth corresponding to a time zone.

Brief description of the figures

Examples of implementation of the invention are indicated in the description illustrated by the appended figures in which: <tb> <SEP> FIG. 1 illustrates the front face of a timepiece according to the invention. <tb> <SEP> FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional date ring with the correction mobile, the drive mobile and the jumper. <tb> <SEP> FIG. 3 illustrates a view of a time zone ring with the correction mobile and the jumper according to the invention.

Example (s) of embodiment of the invention

[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a timepiece according to the invention. It comprises a ring of time zones 2 (ring of cities) bearing indications of different time zones, in this example indications of twenty-four cities, each city corresponding to a different time zone. A different number of time zones can be provided, for example to indicate half-time zones or quarter-time zones. The time zone ring 2 can be rotated by means of the crown 5 pulled into a predetermined axial position, more particularly in the position usually intended for correcting the date, then rotated.

A twenty-four hour ring 3 is placed concentrically inside the time zone ring 2. This ring bears twenty-four numbers from 1 to 24 and is rotated by the movement so as to perform a complete turn in twenty-four hours. In the example shown, ring 3 rotates clockwise; it is however also possible, and to rotate it counterclockwise by reversing the numbering direction on ring 3.

The twenty-four hour ring 3 thus indicates at all times and simultaneously the time of each of the twenty-four time zones marked on the ring 2. It is possible to turn the time zone ring so to set the local time zone to twelve o'clock, for easier reading.

The different rings 2, 3 are coplanar and fully visible under the glass of the timepiece, around the dial. Ring 2 thus occupies the housing usually reserved for the date ring which it replaces.

It is also possible to provide a non-plane indicator ring 2, for example a ring constituting a flange with a marking which may be non-horizontal.

The watch further comprises indicators 7, 8 for displaying the current hour and minute of the local time zone. In this example, these indicators are constituted by marks on discs or rotating rings. It is also possible to provide needles. Furthermore, other indicators can be provided, for example chronograph hands, etc.

FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional date ring 50 on a movement of the ETA2893 type for example. This ring comprises date indications 51 of which only two have been indicated for the simplification of the figure. These indications 51 are intended to appear successively in an aperture on the dial to display the current date. The date ring is driven by the movement by means of the mobile 56 coaxial with the wheel 57 which performs one revolution in twenty-four hours by driving the internal teeth 54 provided with 31 teeth. A jumper 55 makes it possible to place the ring 50 so that the indications 51 are centered in the window, while allowing an almost instantaneous passage from one date to the next each day at noon. The figure also illustrates the date correction mobile 52, integral with the pinion 53 on the same axis, and which makes it possible to correct the date by manually rotating the ring 50 by means of the crown in an axial position for correcting the date.

According to one aspect of the invention, this conventional date ring 50 is replaced by a different indicator ring, for example by the time zone ring 2 (ring of cities) illustrated in FIG. 3. This ring comprises indications of time zones 21, for example twenty-four indications of cities as described above. It has internal teeth 22 provided with a number of teeth different from that of the teeth 54 of the date ring; in the example of FIG. 3, the ring 2 has internal teeth with twenty-four teeth. The driving mobile 56, 57 is eliminated so that the movement cannot automatically drive this ring. The corrective mobile 52, 53 is, on the other hand, maintained and preferably unmodified, so that the rotation of the crown in the axial date correction position allows this ring 2 to be rotated.

The jumper is advantageously replaced by a new jumper 58 adapted to the different number of teeth and allowing the date ring to be rotated in 1/24 <th> jumps.

Claims (5)

1. A method of assembling a timepiece comprising: a clockwork movement (40); a time-setting crown (5); an indicator ring (2) bearing indications unrelated to the date, said ring (2) comprising internal teeth (22); a correction mobile (52) connected to said time-setting crown (5) so as to be rotated when the time-setting crown (5) is in the axial position for adjusting the ring, then rotated, said correction mobile (52) acting directly on said internal toothing (22) so as to allow correction of the angular position of the indicator ring, and a twenty-four hour ring (3) opposite the indicator ring (2), said indicator ring (2) being a time zone ring (2) with designations (21) of several time zones; the movement being arranged to rotate the twenty-four hour ring relative to the time zone ring, so as to indicate at all times the local time in each time zone, the process comprising the following steps: obtaining a timepiece movement comprising a date ring (50) comprising an internal toothing (54), a date correction mobile (52), a mobile (56) arranged to drive the internal teeth (54) of the date ring, a wheel (57) integral with the mobile (56) and arranged to be driven by the clockwork movement in order to complete one revolution in 24 hours; replacement of the date ring (50) by a time zone ring (2) comprising designations (21) of several time zones, said time zone ring comprising internal teeth (22), so that the mobile date correction acts directly on said internal toothing (22) in order to allow correction of the angular position of the time zone ring (2), and removal of the mobile (56) and the wheel (57). 2. Method according to claim 1, said internal toothing (22) comprising twenty-four teeth. 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, said movement comprising a jumper (55), said method comprising a step of replacing said jumper with a different jumper (58) adapted to the different number of teeth and allowing the ring to be rotated. date by 1/24 <th> jumps. 4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, the timepiece comprising a crystal and a dial, said indicator ring being mounted around the dial and fully visible through the crystal. 5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, the ring of time zones (2) of the timepiece comprising designations of at least twenty-four cities, each city corresponding to a different time zone.