CH716087A2 - Protected watch component. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a watch component, in particular a watch bezel, which comprises a removable protective film (11) made of polypropylene, polyester, polyimide or polycarbonate. A method of protecting a watch component by thermoforming is also claimed. The invention also relates to a device for protecting the watch component comprising a support for receiving the watch component, a supply of thermoformable film, a device for moving the support, plating and cutting the film.

Description

Introduction

The present invention relates to a protected watch component, in particular a protected watch bezel. The invention also relates to a timepiece, such as a watch, comprising such a protected watch component. It also relates to a method for protecting a timepiece component and to a method for manufacturing a timepiece incorporating such a protection method. Finally, it also relates to a device for protecting a watch component.

State of the art

[0002] Before the delivery of a timepiece, in particular during the manufacturing process, or even in any subsequent manipulation, it is useful to protect the surface of certain watch components, such as a watch bezel.

Today there are solutions for protecting a watch bezel which rely on the positioning of a rigid protective cover made of injected polymer, molded to match the particular shape of a bezel, or on the positioning of a a cold stretchable and / or self-adhesive polymer film on the surface of the bezel These protections have the drawback of being incompatible with certain assembly operations of a watch and / or of being difficult to apply to all bezel geometries, and therefore cannot be easily extended to the protection of a watch. any watch component. In addition, they have an appearance which greatly degrades the general aesthetic appearance of a watch; for this reason, they are removed before delivery, so as not to be presented to a buyer.

[0004] Thus, a general object of the invention is to define an improved solution for the protection of a watch component which does not have all or some of the drawbacks of the state of the art.

Brief description of the invention

[0005] To this end, the invention is based on a protected watch component, in particular watch bezel, characterized in that the watch component comprises a removable protective film, thermoformed on all or part of its surface, to protect it.

[0006] The invention is also based on a totally or partially assembled timepiece, characterized in that it comprises at least one protected watch component as described above.

[0007] The invention is also based on a method for protecting a watch component, characterized in that it comprises a step consisting in thermoforming a thermoformable film to form a removable protective film on all or part of a surface to be protect from the watch component.

[0008] The invention is more precisely defined by the claims.

Brief description of the figures

These objects, characteristics and advantages of the invention will be explained in detail in the following description of a particular embodiment made without limitation in relation to the accompanying figures, including: <tb> <SEP> FIG. 1 schematically represents a first step E1 of a method for protecting a timepiece component according to one embodiment of the invention. <tb> <SEP> FIG. 2 schematically represents a second step E2 of the method for protecting a timepiece component according to the embodiment of the invention. <tb> <SEP> FIG. 3 schematically represents a top view of a part of the protected watch component obtained by the protection method according to the embodiment of the invention. <tb> <SEP> FIG. 4 schematically represents a section of the protected watch component obtained by the protection method according to the embodiment of the invention.

[0010] According to the embodiment of the invention, a watch component is protected by means of a removable protective film, thermoformed on all or part of its surface.

[0011] FIG. 1 represents a first step E1 of a method for protecting a watch component 1 according to one embodiment of the invention, a bezel according to this example shown, in which a heated thermoformable polymer film 10 is brought into contact with the watch component 1 to be protected, the latter being arranged on a support 20. The thermoformable film 10 is pressed against the surface 2 of the watch component 1 to be protected by applying a vacuum or, in a variant by applying pressure on the film (for example by an air flow). This first step is thus a step of application E1 of a thermoformed film on a surface of a watch component to be protected.

FIG. 2 represents a second step E2 of the method of protecting the watch component 1, in which the thermoformable film 10 is cut along a contour 13, so as to keep only the surface corresponding substantially to the surface 2 of the watch component to be protected , thus forming a protective film 11 on this surface 2, as represented by FIGS. 3 and 4. In this embodiment, this cutting step E2 is implemented by a laser, for example a CO2 laser, the beam of which laser 21 is applied to the contour 13 of the thermoformable film 10 to be cut. In this step, the laser is adjusted so as not to degrade the watch component, thus only interacting with the thermoformable film 10.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the result obtained, whereby the watch component 1, separated from the support 20, has a surface 2 covered by the protective film 11 coming from the thermoformable film 10.

[0014] According to the embodiment, the unstretched protective film 10 advantageously comprises an average thickness of between 30 μm and 160 μm inclusive, or even between 30 and 120 μm inclusive, or even between 30 μm and 90 μm, or even between 30 μm and 55 µm.

According to the embodiment, the thermoformable film 10 used, which forms the protective film 11, therefore comprises or consists of a film of thermoformable polymer material, for example polypropylene (PP), polyester, polyimide (PI ) or polycarbonate (PC). The film is preferably chosen to be able to be thermoformed so as to be able to match the shape of the watch component to be protected, to be compatible with a chosen cutting process, in particular the aforementioned laser cutting, to adhere sufficiently to the watch component without, however, damaging it. or make it dirty, and to keep it for a long time and withstand possible storage for a long period.

In addition, the protective film according to the embodiment can comprise a self-adhesive mass in contact with the watch component, to strengthen its adhesion to the watch component. This self-adhesive mass may in particular consist of polyethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). As a variant, the adhesion of the protective film can be obtained without glue, for example by a simple electrostatic and / or mechanical maintenance.

[0017] In this exemplary embodiment, the watch component 1 comprises a non-planar surface 2 and the protective film 11 advantageously matches the shape of this non-planar surface perfectly. In the example shown in FIG. 4, this protective film advantageously extends from the top 4 to the lower surface 3 of the watch component, thus covering the surface 2 even beyond the aesthetically sensitive areas.

[0018] Optionally, according to a variant not shown, the protective film 11 comprises a device for removing the protective film, in particular in the form of a tab which does not adhere to a surface of the watch component and which can thus be easily manually entered to remove the protective film 11.

[0019] As a variant, it is possible to precut the protective film, in particular by a laser precut, so as to facilitate the tearing of the protection, then allowing its removal more easily.

[0020] As a variant, it is possible to insert a wire between the component and the film, or in the film, so as to have an element making it possible to facilitate the tearing of the protection, facilitating its removal, in particular on parts with complex geometry. The wire can also be associated with a precut according to the previous variant.

The method easily adapts to any surface and therefore to any watch component, since it allows a thermoformed protective film to cover the most complex surfaces, such as a fluted or crimped or discontinuous surface.

In the example illustrated, the horological component is a watch bezel, but it could alternatively be any other component, for example a winding crown, a bracelet, a crystal, a caseband, a back, a dial, a wall lamp, etc.

It therefore appears that the protection solution according to the invention has the following advantages: It protects the watch component from dust and mechanical attacks; It allows the use of a transparent film, thus almost invisible due to its low thickness, which does not degrade the appearance of the watch component and can thus be kept until final delivery, including during the storage and processing phases. transport, which guarantees maximum protection over time of the aesthetics of the watch component; It improves the aesthetic appearance of a protected watch component; It thus indirectly improves the aesthetic appearance of a watch component at the time of sale; It is very versatile, since it adapts to all shapes and materials of the watchmaking component, and therefore to all watchmaking components; It remains compatible with a rigid protective cover of the state of the art, the combination of these two complementary protections then allowing an optimization of the protection.

In addition, the protection solution according to the invention is compatible with an implementation at different stages of a method for manufacturing a timepiece. For example, a watch component can be protected on its own, such as the bezel shown in FIG. 4, or as a variant after its assembly with other watch components. Thus, the protection can be put in place on a timepiece component at any stage of the manufacturing process of the timepiece, and advantageously at the earliest, as soon as the surface concerned is finished. Certain steps in the manufacture of a timepiece, in particular assembly, can therefore be carried out with a protected watch component. Advantageously, a timepiece component can be protected from the manufacture of the component to the delivery of a timepiece, thus minimizing the risk of damaging it.

[0025] Finally, the invention thus also relates to a method of manufacturing a timepiece, which comprises a step of assembling a protected watch component as described above with one or more other watch components, them -same protected or not.

[0026] The invention also relates to a method of protecting a watch component, as has been seen previously. Figures 1 and 2 detail the steps of such a process.

The first application step E1 (Figure 1) of a thermoformable film comprises the following sub-steps: positioning E11 of the watch component 1 on a support 20, near a thermoformable film 10; heating E12 of said thermoformable film 10; E13 bringing together the watch component 1 and the thermoformable film 10; E14 plating of the thermoformable film 10 against the watch component 1 by applying a vacuum under said film or pressure on said film to remove the air between the component and the film.

The second cutting step E2 (Figure 2) comprises the following sub-steps: laser cutting E21 of the thermoformable film 10 around the surface to be protected so as to leave only a protective film 11; removal E22 of watch component 1 protected from support 20.

[0029] The invention also relates to a device for protecting a watch component, characterized in that it comprises a support for receiving a watch component, a supply of thermoformable film, a heating device for heating a thermoformable film, a device for relative displacement of the support in order to be able to move a watch component in contact with a thermoformable film, a device for plating a thermoformable film on a surface to be protected from a watch component, the protection device thus being able to thermoform a thermoformable film on a watch component, and a cutting device capable of cutting the thermoformable film along a contour to form a protective film on a surface of a watch component to be protected.

Claims (14)

1. Protected watch component (1), in particular watch bezel, characterized in that the watch component (1) comprises a protective film (11) removable in polypropylene (PP), polyester, polyimide (PI) or polycarbonate (PC), thermoformed on all or part of its surface (2), to protect it. 2. Watch component (1) protected according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the protective film (11) comprises an average thickness between 30 μm and 160 μm inclusive, or even between 30 and 120 μm inclusive, or even between 30 μm and 90 µm included, or even between 30 µm and 55 µm. 3. Watch component (1) protected according to claim 2, characterized in that the protective film (11) comprises an adhesive mass in contact with the watch component (1) to strengthen the adhesion on the watch component (1) of said film. thermoformable polymer, in particular a self-adhesive mass consisting of polyethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). 4. Watch component (1) protected according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the watch component (1) comprises a non-planar surface (2) and in that the protective film (11) matches the shape of this surface (2) not flat. 5. Watch component (1) protected according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the watch component (1) comprises a fluted or crimped or discontinuous surface and in that the protective film (11) matches this fluted surface or crimped or discontinuous. 6. Watch component (1) protected according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protective film (11) comprises a device for removing the protective film, in particular a tab which does not adhere to a surface of the component. watchmaker (11). 7. Watch component (1) protected according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the watch component is a watch bezel, a winding crown, a bracelet, a caseband, a back, a crystal, an applique. 8. Completely or partially assembled timepiece, characterized in that it comprises at least one timepiece component (1) protected according to one of the preceding claims. 9. A method of protecting a watch component (1), characterized in that it comprises a step consisting in thermoforming a thermoformable film (10) of polypropylene (PP), polyester, polyimide (PI) or polycarbonate ( PC) to form a removable protective film (11) on all or part of a surface (2) to be protected from the watch component (1). 10. A method of protecting a watch component according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises a first application step (E1) of a thermoformable film and a second cutting step (E2) of the thermoformable film (10). ) according to an outline (13) to thereby form said protective film (11). 11. A method of protecting a watch component according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the application step (E1) comprises the following sub-steps: at. Positioning (E11) of the watch component (1) on a support (20); b. Heating (E12) of said thermoformable film (10); vs. Approach (E13) of the watch component (1) and the thermoformable film (10); d. Plating (E14) of the thermoformable film (10) against the watch component (1) by applying a vacuum under said film or pressure on said film to remove the air between the component and the film. 12. A method of protecting a watch component according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the cutting step (E2) comprises the following sub-steps: - Laser cutting (E21) of the thermoformable film (10) around the surface to be protected; - Removal (E22) of the watch component (1) protected from the support (20). 13. A method of manufacturing a timepiece, characterized in that it comprises a step of assembling a protected watch component according to one of claims 1 to 7 with one or more other watch components and / or in that it comprises a method of protecting at least one timepiece component (1) according to one of claims 9 to 12. 14. Device for protecting a watch component (1), characterized in that it comprises a support (20) for receiving a watch component (1), a supply of thermoformable film (10), a heating device for heating. a thermoformable film (10), a device for relative displacement of the support (20) in order to be able to bring a watch component (1) in contact with a thermoformable film (10), a device for plating a thermoformable film (10) on a surface (2) to be protected from a watch component (1), the protection device thus being able to thermoform a thermoformable film (10) on a watch component, and a cutting device able to cut the thermoformable film (10) according to an outline (13) for forming a protective film (11) on a surface (2) of a watch component (1) to be protected.