Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04D—APPARATUS OR TOOLS SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR MAKING OR MAINTAINING CLOCKS OR WATCHES
  • G04D3/00—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials
  • G04D3/0074—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials for treatment of the material, e.g. surface treatment
  • G04D3/0097—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials for treatment of the material, e.g. surface treatment for components of the means protecting the mechanism against external influences, e.g. cases
• • 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
  • G04B37/00—Cases
  • G04B37/22—Materials or processes of manufacturing pocket watch or wrist watch cases
  • G04B37/223—Materials or processes of manufacturing pocket watch or wrist watch cases metallic cases coated with a nonmetallic layer

Definitions

• timepieces, jewelry, or parts thereof there are known timepieces, jewelry, or parts thereof, some parts of which, likely to be scratched in contact with other bodies, have been treated so as to have a high surface hardness in order to preserve, as long as possible, their initial appearance.
• These parts have a coating of sintered hard metal based on tungsten carbide, titanium, nickel or chromium with a hardness approximately equal to that of the topaz, that is to say from 8 to 9 in the scale of Mohr who has 10.
• the present invention is a timepiece, a jewelery item, or an element, for example a bracelet, a case, of such a piece of which at least a part has a surface hardness of the order of 10 in, l Mohr scale.
• This part is characterized by the fact that said part comprises a surface layer formed at least in part of diamond grains.
• the diameter of the diamond grains will be of the order of one to a few microns and the surface layer will have a thickness of the same order of magnitude so that the hardness of this layer is substantially equal to that of the diamond grains it contains. , i.e. 10 in the Mohr scale.
• the surface layer will in most cases include a binder ensuring the cohesion of the diamond grains.
• the invention also relates to a method for obtaining such a part or such an element.
• This process consists in producing from diamond dust, a liquid or solid chemical compound containing diamond grains, then in subjecting this compound to one or more actions such, for example an electric field, that they cause the deposition, on a suitable substrate, of a number of diamond grains.
• the deposition may result, depending on the various possible implementations of the process, either from an electro-chemical process (electrolysis by igneous or aqueous route), or from ionic backwashing or not (vacuum spraying, sputtering or ancdique, sputtering, etc.), either evaporation under vacuum, or combinations of these various processes.
• an electro-chemical process electrolysis by igneous or aqueous route
• ionic backwashing or not vacuum spraying, sputtering or ancdique, sputtering, etc.
• Another advantage of the process according to the invention lies in the fact that the parts obtained undergo practically no distortion or deformation during their treatment, which makes it possible to machine them in their base material practically at their final dimensions.
• the invention also relates to an installation for the implementation of the above-mentioned method characterized by a support, having the shape of a cylinder on the mantle of which the parts or elements to be treated are distributed either in line or in staggered rows.
• the parameters concerned (diameter and height of the geometric cylinder / dre, distribution / parts, etc.) being determined in each case so as to obtain a regular deposit and constant thickness on its each piece.
• Figure 1 is a plan view of this embodiment consisting of a wristwatch partially covered with a surface layer of hardness 10.
• Figure 2 is a section view on a very large scale along line II-II of Figure 1 showing the nature and composition of the surface layer.
• Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 of the variant.
• the wristwatch shown is constituted by a watch 10 and by a bracelet 11 whose case 12, respectively the links 13 are made of steel.
• the upper faces of the box 12 and of the links 13 are covered with a surface layer 14 whose hardness is of the order of 10 in the scale of
• This layer 14 which is applied directly to the steel, forming a /
• the 15, is composed of diamond grains 16 and a binder 17.
• the diameter of the grains 16 and the thickness of the layer 14 are of the order of one to a few microns.
• the galvanic bath is a molten or dissolved chemical compound comprising in suspension diamond grains 16 and a binder 17.
• these grains 16 and this binder 17 come 15 / to be deposited on the substrate / by forming a regular layer in which the grains 16 are distributed uniformly.
• the surfaces thus obtained may be subjected to a light polishing with a diamond wheel with very fine grains in order to eliminate the significant roughness.
• the layer 14 will be obtained by cathodic or anodic spraying by bombarding a solid chemical compound containing diamond grains 16 and a binder 17.
• the grains 16 partially penetrate into the substrate 15 as illustrated in FIG. 3. If this penetration is significant, it is possible to envisage removing the binder 17, the diamond grains 16 being fixed by encrustation directly in the substrate 15.
• the substrate could consist of a noble metal, for example gold or platinum.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Adornments (AREA)
• Chemical Vapour Deposition (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=4184894

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 1984
  • 1984-01-26 CH CH34584A patent/CH658764GA3/fr unknown
• 1985
  • 1985-01-28 JP JP60500536A patent/JPS61501098A/ja active Pending
  • 1985-01-28 EP EP85900613A patent/EP0169859A1/fr not_active Withdrawn
  • 1985-01-28 AU AU38391/85A patent/AU3839185A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1985-01-28 WO PCT/CH1985/000012 patent/WO1985003364A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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