Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B27/00—Mechanical devices for setting the time indicating means
  • G04B27/08—Mechanical devices for setting the time indicating means by using parts of the case
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B19/00—Indicating the time by visual means
  • G04B19/06—Dials
  • G04B19/18—Graduations on the crystal or glass, on the bezel, or on the rim
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B39/00—Watch crystals; Fastening or sealing of crystals; Clock glasses
  • G04B39/02—Sealing crystals or glasses
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04C—ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES
  • G04C3/00—Electromechanical clocks or watches independent of other time-pieces and in which the movement is maintained by electric means
  • G04C3/001—Electromechanical switches for setting or display

Definitions

• the invention relates to quartz watches, whether these are of the liquid crystal display type or of the so-called analog needle type.
• Quartz watches of traditional manufacture whether they are of the liquid crystal display type with adjustment pushers embedded in the case or of the needle type with winder mounted in the case and allowing the watch to be adjusted, have a significant defect in level of tightness.
• the lack of water resistance is almost total in the case of so-called "town” watches and it is very rapid in the case of so-called "diving” watches.
• the traditional system of quartz watch cases has a removable case back in order to change the batteries which increases the problems of sealing.
• quartz watch glasses In addition, in a traditional way, the fixing of quartz watch glasses is carried out either using an adhesive placed between glass and case, on a good part of the surface thereof, or by mounting in strength. In these two cases, it is a rigid mounting which makes the very fragile impact glass.
• the object of the present invention is to remedy the drawbacks indicated above of traditional quartz watches, by proposing quartz watches which have an excellent seal, which are easy to disassemble and reassemble in the event of change of the batteries, and the particular mounting of the glass in the housing makes the glass not very fragile to shocks.
• the watch case is made of a single element closed at its lower part and having a single access orifice on the side of the glass, inside this case being arranged successively, from the bottom of case, the module constituting the movement of the watch, the means of display (by liquid crystals or hands) of the time and of the other possible functions of the watch, a dial cooperating with these said means, and the protective glass.
• Said protective glass is trapped in a flexible seal cast or molded inside a bezel and supported on a rigid ring which maintains movement, and the bezel locks in the case by compressing the flexible seal while none an additional member or integrated into the case is not necessary to ensure the adjustment of the watch functions.
• the flexible seal provides an excellent seal which is reinforced by the absence of any adjustment member of the pusher type integrated into the case (for so-called digital watches).
• This flexible seal also provides excellent protection of the glass in the event of an impact.
• the adjustment of the watch is carried out by pressing the user's finger on the glass in a determined zone which corresponds to the location of the contacts of the printed circuit controlling the function to be adjusted. .
• the watch face which is trapped with the glass inside the flexible seal, has integral with its underside contact members each corresponding to a function to be adjusted and which are guided through openings of the rigid retaining ring, in the vicinity of a contact flange itself close to the area of the printed circuit corresponding to the function to be adjusted. It is understood that sufficient pressure exerted by the user's finger in the zone corresponding to one of the contact members causes the printed circuit to engage with the contact flange and ensures the desired adjustment.
• the bezel inside which the flexible seal trapping the glass is molded or cast is then force-fitted into a groove in the housing.
• the bezel is screwed into the case in order to effectively compress the flexible seal after adjusting the watch, thus playing the role of cable gland.
• the telescope is then provided with a so-called rapid screw pitch allowing it to be locked or unlocked in less than one turn.
• FIG. 1 is a top view of a first embodiment of the invention applied to a so-called "town” quartz watch with liquid crystal display
• Figure 2 is, on a larger scale, a partial view in vertical section taken along line II-II of Figure 1
• Figure 3 is a detail view showing a variant of Figure 2
• Figure 4 is a top view of a second embodiment of the invention applied to a quartz watch called "diving" with liquid crystal display and round glass
• Figure 5 is, on a larger scale, a partial view in vertical section taken along the line VV of Figure 4
• Figure 6 is a top view of a third embodiment of the invention applied to a quartz watch with hands
• FIG. 7 is, on a larger scale, a partial view in vertical section taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 6.
• the first embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2 relates to a so-called "city" quartz watch, with liquid crystal display. It would apply in the same way to a watch with an analog module provided with an adjustment system by electrical contacts.
• the watch comprises a housing 1 in the bottom of which are successively arranged the striking device 2, then the complete module 3 composed of its various elements, that is to say the printed circuit 4, the digital display 5 and the flange of maintenance 6 which also acts as a contact.
• a ring 7 of hard synthetic material is placed thereon.
• the ring 7 is pierced with holes 8, one to four depending on the number of desired adjustment contacts.
• the ring 7 also serves to hold the glass 9 and the dial 10 together prisoners of a seal 11 which is special molded as a function of the shape of a locking ring 12 which is forcibly mounted, in a known manner, in a groove 13 of the housing 1.
• This ring 12 may have an excess thickness of a few tenths of a millimeter to protect the corners of the glass 5 of unwanted pressures.
• a seal 14 of traditional manufacture can be placed in a groove 13, under the locking ring 12.
• the dial 10 carries on its underside small welded pins 15 passing through the holes 8 of the ring 7 and which come close to the parts of the flange 6 acting as contacts. These axes 15 are conical in shape allowing the use of current manufacturing modules without modifications.
• the molded seal 11 is made of a very flexible rubber, known in itself, which can be compressed to more than 50% without ever losing its properties. The seal 11 is compressed by about a quarter at the time of assembly in order to obtain very good support for the glass 9 and also in order to match the slightest machining defect in the ring 12 or the glass 9 while retaining sufficient flexibility to meet the requirements of its function.
• This consists of crushing, with a finger pressure, from one to two tenths of a millimeter when the glass 9 is pressed at the location P (see FIG. 1) chosen according to the desired function in order to obtain the contact between the corresponding axis 15 and the flange 6.
• the mounting of the glass 9 on a flexible seal 11 also allows the expansion or retraction of the materials used as a function of the temperature.
• the molded seal 11 can be coated with an adhesive glue.
• the locking ring 12 is released by exerting, using a lever object such as a knife blade, a force between this ring 12 and the housing 1.
• a removable bottom of the box is used to return and fix the module in the traditional way, the ring 12 no longer existing and forming an integral part of the box 1.
• the dial 10 is then placed on a first flat and very flexible joint 18, made in the same material as the seal 11 of the figures
• the frame 10 is deleted to be engraved under the glass 9.
• the pins are then held in place by the flange 6 which acts as a return spring.
• Figures 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the invention, applied to a "diving" watch with liquid crystal display and round glass.
• a lateral stop screw 36 makes it possible to retain the bezel 33 when it is necessary to unscrew the latter to carry out an adjustment of the watch and, to make this manipulation as functional as it is effective, use is made as screw thread on the bezel 33 a so-called "quick" step in order to obtain blocking or unblocking in less than one turn.
• the very flexible rubber seal 31 is designed to remain under slight pressure between the bezel 33, the ring 27 and the glass 29 when the bezel 33 is unscrewed. In order not to rotate with the bezel 33, the ring 27 has a small immobilization index 37.
• the seal 31 can be coated with an adhesive glue, except on its part in friction with the bezel 33 which it will be greased. Since the watch is intended for diving, a reference ring 38 can be fixed in the body of the bezel 33 according to a method chosen by the manufacturer.
• the adjustment of the watch functions is carried out, after unlocking the bezel 33, in the same way as for the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 by applying a finger pressure on the glass at the locations indicated in P 'to FIG. 4 and which correspond to the locations of the axes 32.
• the glass is shown at 46 (which can be made of mineral or synthetic material), at 47 the dial, at 48 a spacer ring (flange) disposed between the glass and the dial and the height of which is determined according to the switch of the movement used, and in 49 a quartz movement with needles modified to remove the assembly formed by the small return pinion, the sliding pinion, the winding pinion, the rod, the crown, the zipper brake, the zipper, the rocker and the rocker spring and replace it with a toothed wheel 50 which is engaged with the timer wheel (not shown in the drawing) in the same way as a calendar passing wheel.
• the toothed wheel 50 is the same thickness as the small return pinion and exceeds the movement 49 and the dial 47 by the length of its teeth.
• the watch is not provided with a calendar, it will suffice that the toothed wheel 50 is mounted on a fixed axis in order to be able to turn the hands in both directions. on the contrary the movement has a calendar, it will suffice that the toothed wheel 50 is mounted in a mobile manner, according to the principle currently used for rapid advances, rotation in one direction controlling the hands and, in the other direction, controlling the date .
• the bezel 42 is either designed with a toothed crown 51 at its outer base, or fitted with a tell toothed crown. If the ring gear 51 is designed in the mass of the bezel 42, the latter must then be broken down into a flat counter-bezel 52 held by screws 53 in order to be able to proceed with the following assembly: the ring 48 is retracted, the glass 46, the seal 43, the ring 52, then the screws 53. If the telescope 42 is fitted, that is to say if the toothed crown 51 is attached, re-pressurized in a notched housing in order to prevent it to shoot alone he doesn't then it will not be necessary to use the assembly 52, 53, 42 and one will then use a telescope 42 in one piece.
• the invention allows the watch to be adjusted by unscrewing the bezel 42.
• To unlock one pulls outwards (as for the exit from its housing) and one performs the rotation of this bezel 42 which drives then the toothed wheel 50 to make the desired adjustment. Then one presses on the bezel 42 to decouple the toothed wheel 50 from the crown 51 and is locked by vis-ssaant the bezel 42.
• the ring 48 used for the spacing between the glass 46 and the dial 47, is made of a hard synthetic material so as to slide in the locking bezel 42 without seizing and also so as to be able to slide without seizing on the dial 47 when the bezel 42 is locked.
• the housing 51 can be fitted with a notching system 54, by a built-in device mounted spring loaded or screwed, in order to prevent the bezel cable gland 42 to loosen under the effect of a shock.
• the molded seal 43 can be bonded to the locking bezel 42 and to the glass 46.
• the seal 44 can be bonded to the housing 41.
• the movement 49 rests on a flange 41 'of the housing 41 and it can be held in place either by traditional flange screws cooperating with the flange 41' of the housing, or by a circular clip of three quarters of a turn so as not to interfere the toothed wheel 50.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
• Electric Clocks (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (1)

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ID=26223169

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

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• 1983
  • 1983-12-01 EP EP19830903800 patent/EP0127651A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1983-12-01 WO PCT/FR1983/000242 patent/WO1984002203A1/fr unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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