EP1134627B1 - Triple retrograde display and mechanism thereof - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a watch provided with concentric retrograde displays for hours, minutes and date.

The object of the present invention is to obtain a new aspect of the watch which comprises only retrograde displays for hours, minutes and date, all three having needles in the center cooperating each with a corresponding graduation of the dial.

• La figure 1 est une vue de la montre à trois affichages rétrogrades concentriques.
• La figure 2 illustre en plan le mécanisme d'affichage rétrograde sautant du quantième.
• La figure 3 est un détail illustrant le fonctionnement du levier isolateur du mécanisme de quantième rétrograde sautant.
• La figure 4 est une vue en plan du mécanisme de correction rapide manuelle du quantième.
• La figure 5 illustre un détail du mécanisme de correction rapide manuelle du quantième.
• La figure 6 est une coupe suivant la ligne A-A de la figure 2.
• La figure 7 est une coupe suivant la ligne B-B de la figure 2.
• La figure 8 est une vue en plan du mécanisme d'affichage rétrograde traînant des minutes.
• La figure 9 est une coupe suivant la ligne C-C de la figure 8.
• La figure 10 est une vue en plan du mécanisme d'affichage rétrograde sautant des heures.
• La figure 11 est une coupe partielle des mécanismes d'affichage rétrograde sautant du quantième, traînant des minutes et sautant des heures.
• La figure 12 est une vue en plan des mécanismes d'affichage rétrograde sautant du quantième, traînant des minutes et sautant des heures.

The accompanying drawings illustrate schematically and by way of example the watch with three concentric retrograde displays as well as the retrograde display mechanisms of the hours, minutes and date of this watch.

• The figure 1 is a view of the watch with three concentric retrograde displays.
• The figure 2 illustrates in plan the retrogressive display mechanism jumping from the date.
• The figure 3 is a detail illustrating the operation of the isolating lever of the jumping retrograde date mechanism.
• The figure 4 is a plan view of the manual quick correction mechanism of the date.
• The figure 5 illustrates a detail of the manual quick correction mechanism of the date.
• The figure 6 is a section along line AA of the figure 2 .
• The figure 7 is a section along the line BB of the figure 2 .
• The figure 8 is a plan view of the retrograde display mechanism dragging minutes.
• The figure 9 is a section along the line CC of the figure 8 .
• The figure 10 is a plan view of the retrograde display mechanism jumping hours.
• The figure 11 is a partial cut of the retrograde display mechanisms jumping from the date, dragging minutes and jumping hours.
• The figure 12 is a plan view of the retrograde display mechanisms jumping from the date, dragging minutes and jumping hours.

The Figures 2 to 7 illustrate the retrogressive jumping display mechanism of the date having a date hand 1 in the center cooperating with a date scale 2 concentric to the dial (see figure 1 ).

This mechanism includes a date finger driver 3 (see figures 2 and 7 ) driven at a rate of one turn per twenty four hours conventionally by the movement of the watch. In the illustrated example, the date driver finger 3 is mounted on a barrel 4 pivoted on a plate 5, this gun also carrying a date driven wheel 6 driven by the wheel of the watch (not shown) at a rate of turn per day.

This calendar-engaging finger 3 meshes with the toothing of a thirty-one star 7 pivoted on the plate of the calendar module 8 fixed on the plate 5. This star of thirty-one 7 is angularly positioned by a jumper of thirty and a 9 carrying a pin 10 (see Figures 2, 3 and 12 ). The teeth of thirty-one teeth of the star of thirty-one 7 meshes with the toothing, also of thirty-one teeth, of an intermediate star 11 carrying on the one hand a trigger pin 12 (see figures 3 , 6 and 7 ) and on the other hand a driving wheel 13 of a calendar sector 14. The date sector 14 is pivoted at the center of the movement 0 and is integral and coaxial with a pinion 15 (see FIG. figures 2 and 12 ) of date sector engaged with a return rake 16 carrying a pin 17 and meshing with a return ring 18 subjected to the action of a spiral spring 19.

This mechanism further comprises an isolator lever 20 concentrically pivoted to the star of thirty-one 7. This isolator lever 20 carries a spout 21 (see FIG. figures 3 , 6 and 7 ) rotated on the lever 22. The angular displacement of the spout 21 relative to the isolator lever 20 is limited by a pin 23 integral with the spout 21 and movable in an oblong milling 24 of the isolator lever 20. This spout 21 of the lever isolator 20 is located in the path of the trigger pin 12 carried by the intermediate star 11.

The other end of the isolator lever 20 comprises a face 25 bearing against an eccentric stop 26 thus defining the rest position of the isolator lever 20 subjected to the action of the isolating spring 27.

This isolator spring 27 comprises an active face 28, provided with a notch 29, cooperating with an edge 30 of the isolator lever 20. This spring holds the isolator lever in the rest position in abutment on the stop 26.

In the initial rest position the pin 17 of the return rake 16 is supported on an eccentric stop 26a (see figures 2 and 12 ). This eccentric stop makes it possible to adjust the mechanism so that the date hand 1 is always well positioned on the division 1 of the graduation 2 of the dial.

From this rest position, the operation of this jumping retrograde date mechanism is as follows.

Once a day, at midnight, the driving finger 3 drives the star of thirty-one with a provocative step via the intermediate star 11, the driving wheel 13 and the date sector 14. advancement of a division of the date hand 1 which thus passes from the date of a day to the next. In doing so, the mobiles rotate in the direction of the arrows a (see figure 2 ).

From the twenty-eighth day of the month the pin 12 (see Figures 2 and 3 ) integral with the intermediate star 11 comes into contact with the face 21a of the spout 21 of the isolating lever 20 (see figure 3 ). This spout 21 moves and then drives the isolating lever 20 in its race until the thirty-first day of the month against the action of the isolator spring 27 (see figure 3 ). From the twenty-eighth to the thirty-first day of the month the edge 30 of the isolator lever 20 slides on the active face 28 of the isolator spring 27. During the passage from the thirty-first day to the first of the following month, the isolator lever 20 raises the spring insulator 27 and the latter bearing on the pin 10 of the thirty-one jumper 9 moves the jumper, thus releasing the star of thirty-one 7. In doing so, the edge 30 of the isolator lever 20 falls into the notch 29 of the active face 28 of the isolator spring 27 and maintains it and the jumper of thirty-one 9 in the disengaged position.

The star of thirty-one 7 being released from its thirty-one 9 jumper, the spiral spring 19 causes return reminder 18, the return rake 16, the date sector pinion 15 and the date sector. 14 as well as the intermediate star 11 and the star of thirty-one 7 in the opposite direction, in the direction of the arrows b (see figure 2 ).

At the moment when the intermediate star 11 has made approximately one complete revolution, the pin 12 that it bears strikes the rear face 21b of the spout of the isolator lever 20. This isolating lever under the effect of this shock is released from the notch 29 , the isolator spring 27 resets the isolator lever 20 in the rest position against the stop 26 and the jumper of thirty-one 9 locks again the angular position of the star of thirty-one 7. In doing so, the return rake 16 abuts by its pin 17 on the stop 26a and the needle 1 again indicates the first of the month on the graduation 2 of the dial.

The originality of this mechanism lies in particular in the locking of the jumper thirty-one 9 in its inactive position, which allows to release the star of thirty-one 7 for the time necessary for the demotion of the date hand 1 from 31 to 1 of the graduation 2.

This jumping retrograde date mechanism also includes a manual correction mechanism for the passage of 28, 29 (February) 30 and 31 respectively from one month to the first of the next month by manual quick correction.

This fast correction mechanism ( Fig. 4, 5 and 6 ) comprises a corrector disc 31 having an internal toothing 31a cooperating with a driver 32 during angular movements back and forth of the winding crown 33 of the winding stem 34 when it is in its intermediate position. This correction disc 31 can move in rotation over a small angular extent, limited by a lock 35 pivoted at 35a and whose angular displacement is limited firstly by the teeth of the toothing of the disc 31 and secondly by a stop 36. This lock 35 can not leave the teeth of the disk 31 and limits the angular displacements of the disk 31.

This rapid correction mechanism further comprises a correction spring ratchet 38 pivoted at 39 (see FIG. figure 4 ) on the module plate 8 (see figure 6 ). This corrective spring pawl 38 comprises a pin 41 driven by the correction disk 31. This corrective spring pawl 38 also has an actuating tooth 42 normally in the rest position, disengaged from the toothing of the intermediate star 11. By angularly displacing the correction disk 31 by means of the winding crown 33, the corrective spring pawl 38 is moved towards the intermediate star 11 and its tooth 42 drives the intermediate star 11 and the star of thirty-one 7 of a step. In doing so, the date sector 14 and the date hand 1 are driven one step.

Thus, under the effect of reciprocating movements of the winding crown 33, the corrective spring pawl 38 drives, step by step, tooth by tooth, the intermediate star 11 until the date hand 1 indicates the desired date.

The retrograde display mechanism dragging minutes illustrated at figures 8 and 9 is driven by the roadway 50 of movement through the wheel drive wheel 51 actuated by the power train of the movement. This roadway 50 is integral with a minute drive return 52 which meshes with a first minute return 53 pivoted at 5a on the plate 5 (see figure 9 ) itself engaged with a second minute referral 54 rotated at 4a on the plate 5.

This mechanism further comprises a minute clutch rocker 55 pivoted at 4a concentrically at the second minute return 54 and on which is rotated a third minute return 56 constantly engaged with the second minute return 54. A rocker return spring engagement clutch 57 rests on the minute clutch rocker 55 and tends to maintain the teeth of the third minute reminder 56 in engagement with the toothing of a free pavement 58 rotated on the roadway 50. This free pavement 58 carries the minute retrograde hand 59 cooperating with a graduation 60 of the dial. This minute hand 59 is also located in the center and thus rotates coaxially with the retrograde hand of the date 1.

The free pavement 58 carries a locking pin 61 coming into contact with the bearing face 62 of a stop spring 63 (see FIG. figure 8 ) thus defining the rest position, indicating 0 minutes, of the retrograde minute hand 59.

The rocker 55 carries a spring finger 64 whose end 65 is located on the path of a rocker trainer 66 integral with the roadway 50.

Finally, the free pavement 58 is engaged with an inverting gear 67 itself meshing with a return wheel 68 subjected to the action of a spiral spring 69.

The operation of this retrograde display mechanism dragging minutes is as follows:

When the watch is running, the retrograde minute hand 59 attached to the free wheelway 58 advances in the clockwise direction it is dragged by the minute trainer 52, and the three minute returns 53, 54 and 56, the latter being engaged with the toothing of the free floor 58 under the effect of the clutch rocker rest spring 57. The locking pin 61 moves away from the bearing face 62 of the stop spring 63. As it rotates the free ground 58 arm the spiral spring by referrals 67 and 68.

By the action of the clutch rocker spring 57 constantly pressing on the rocker 55, the third minute return 56 remains in engagement with the free floor 58 until the rocker trainer 66 drives the end 65 of the spring finger 64. This spring finger 64 comes into contact with a drive pin 70 carried by the clutch rocker 55. From this moment, the spring finger 64 drives the rocker 55 in its movement, which causes the release of the third return of the minutes 56 of the free floor 58. At this time the spiral spring 69 causes, through the referrals 68 and 67, the free floor 58 and therefore the minute hand 59 in the direction counterclockwise to its zero position defined by the contacting of the locking pin 61 carried by the free floor 58 with the bearing face 62 of the stop spring 63.

This mechanism is particularly interesting because a drive or a manual drive of the free pavement 58 in the opposite direction, or in the opposite direction of the clockwise, for example during a manual time setting, has no negative effect on the mechanism. Indeed, the rotation which is thus caused in the opposite direction of the second minute return 54 causes a driving of the clutch lever 55 against the action of its return spring 57 causing the disengagement of the third return of minutes 56 from the free surface 58. During such disengagement, the free surface 58 bearing the retrograde minute hand 59 remains held in its position by the support that its locking pin 61 takes against the bearing face 62 of the spring stop 63. In its reverse movement, the rocker trainer 66 moves the spring finger 64 which escapes by its own elasticity.

The retrograde display mechanism jumping hours illustrated at figures 10 and 11 comprises a star driver of twelve 75 mounted on the roadway 50, provided with a drive finger 76 pivotally mounted on the driver 75 so that, when the finger 76 is driven in the direction of clockwise, it drives step by step a star of twelve, but slips away when it is driven in the opposite direction so as not to lead that star of twelve in the other direction.

The star of twelve 77 bears a star of eleven 78 whose teeth cooperate with a sector of hours 79 pivoted concentrically to the roadway 50, fixed on a gun of hours 81 in the center bearing the retrograde hour hand 80. The gun of hours 81 carries a pinion hours 82 meshing with the teeth of a rake reminder hours 83. This rake 83 is subjected to the action of a spiral spring 84. This rake 83 carries a pin 85. In position initial rest, this pin 85 bears against an eccentric abutment 86. This eccentric stop 86 allows to adjust the mechanism so that the hour hand 80 is always well positioned on the number 12 located at the left end of the graduation of hours 88.

The angular position between two successive steps of the star of twelve 77 is maintained by a jumper of twelve 87.

The operation of this retrograde display mechanism jumping hours is as follows:

When the floor 50 performing a turn in one hour drives the driver 75 clockwise, his finger 76 causes the star of twelve 77 and thus also the star of eleven 78 step by step. At each step of the star of eleven 78 one of its teeth cooperates with a tooth of the hour sector 79 and moves it, the hour gun 81 and the hour hand 80 a value corresponding to one hour on the scale 88 of the dial. During the twelfth step of the star of twelve 77, the sector of hours 79 escapes the star of eleven and sector 79 returns to its initial position under the action of the spiral spring 84, the hour reminder rake 83 and the hour sector sprocket 82. This drives the barrel 81 and the hour hand 80 in the opposite direction to its original position.

As we see on the figures 1 , 9 , 11 and 12 these three mechanisms are designed so that they can be mounted on the same movement. The timepiece thus produced is a tri-retrograde watch comprising a dial provided with three graduations for hours, minutes and date, concentric and each extending about 170 ° and each cooperating with a corresponding center needle.

This watch thus includes a jumping retrograde display for the hours, a retrograde dragging display for the minutes and a jumping retrograde display for the date, these three displays being concentric and the three hands being arranged in the center of the dial.

As we also see figures 9 , 11 and 12 these three retrograde display mechanisms are mounted on a module plate 8 and constitute a module being placed between a movement and the dial of the watch.

Of course, it is possible to use only one or two of the mechanisms described on the same movement to obtain a watch having one or two retrograde displays as desired.

In the illustrated example of the tri-retrograde watch (see figure 1 ), the dial carries in its lower part between 9 and 3 hours a scale of the date 2 of thirty-one steps, concentric to the dial and cooperating with the retrograde date hand 1. Retrograde time graduation 88 is, it, arranged concentrically at the dial in its upper part of 9 to 3 hours and extends over a half-circumference of smaller radius than the date scale 2. The minute graduation 60 cooperating with the minute hand 59 is also located in the the upper part of the dial, concentric with it and extends over a half-circumference substantially equal to that on which the scale of the date 2 extends.

It is obvious that these concentric graduations could be arranged differently. They could occupy an angular extent of 100 to 120 ° each and be arranged on the same circumference. Any other arrangement of these concentric graduations 2, 60, 88 is conceivable since the retrograde hands dragging minutes, jumping hours and jumping date are all arranged in the center and their operating range can be adjusted in position by changing the position angle of the needle relative to the barrel that carries it and amplitude by modifying the gear ratios of the corresponding mechanism.

As a result, many different presentations of these three retrograde displays are possible.

Claims (18)

1. Watch comprising an analog display of the minutes (59), of the hours (80) and of the date (1), the minutes display (59) being a trailing retrograde display with a hand in the middle and graduation concentric with the dial; characterized in that the hours display (80) is a jumping retrograde display with a hand in the middle and graduation concentric with the dial and in that the date display (1) is a jumping retrograde display with a hand in the middle and graduation concentric with the dial.
2. Watch according to Claim 1, characterized in that the mechanisms actuating the retrograde minutes (59), hours (80) and date (1) displays consist of an additional module (8) intended to be mounted between the dial and the movement of the watch.
3. Watch according to Claim 1, in which the retrograde trailing minutes display mechanism intended to be driven by the cannon pinion (50) of the clockwork movement performing one revolution per hour comprises a minutes drive wheel (52) fixed on the said cannon pinion (50) meshing with a first minutes wheel (53), this first minutes wheel meshing with a second minutes wheel (54) itself in mesh with a third minutes wheel (56) pivoted on a clutch rocker (55) itself pivoted concentrically with the second minutes wheel (54); this rocker (55) being subjected to the action of a return spring (57) tending to keep the third minutes wheel in mesh with a free cannon pinion (58) pivoted on the cannon pinion (50) and bearing a retrograde minutes hand (59) in the middle collaborating with a graduation on the dial concentric therewith.
4. Watch according to Claim 3, characterized in that the free cannon pinion (58) bears a stop pin (61) collaborating with the bearing face (62) of a stop spring (63) to define the rest or zero position of the retrograde minutes hand (59).
5. Watch according to Claim 3, characterized in that the clutch rocker (55) bears a spring finger (64) the end (65) of which lies in the path of a rocker driver (66) fixed to the cannon pinion (50) and in the path of a drive pin (70), all being arranged in such a way that the rocker driver (66) comes into contact with the end (65) of the spring finger (64) and moves it against the drive pin (70) borne by the rocker (66) and that the rocker is moved in such a way as to disengage the third minutes wheel (56) from the free cannon pinion (58) when the display indicates 60 minutes.
6. Watch according to Claim 5, characterized in that the free cannon pinion (58) is in mesh with a return wheel (68) via a reversing wheel (67), the return wheel (68) being subject to the action of a spiral return spring (69) set while the minutes display is being incremented from 0 to 60 and causing the free cannon pinion (58) to rotate quickly in the opposite direction as soon as the rocker (55) has been moved by the rocker driver (66) until the spring finger (64) comes into contact with the drive pin (70).
7. Watch according to one of Claims 3 to 6,
   characterized in that driving the free cannon pinion (58) manually in the anticlockwise direction automatically causes a rotation of the rocker (55) and disengagement of the third minutes wheel (56) from the free cannon pinion (58).
8. Watch according to Claim 1, in which the jumping retrograde date display mechanism comprises a drive finger (3) driven by a clockwork movement at a rate of one revolution per day, this finger driving at one increment per day a thirty-one star (7) subjected to the action of a thirty-one jumper (9) and in mesh with an intermediate third-one star (11) bearing a driving wheel (13) in mesh with a date sector (14) pivoting concentrically with the cannon pinion (50) of the movement, this date sector (14) bearing a retrograde date hand (1) in the middle collaborating with a graduation on the dial concentric therewith; the date sector (14) being secured to a pinion (15) in mesh with a return rack (16) meshing with a return wheel (18) subjected to the action of a spiral return spring (19) tending to return the date hand (1) to its position of rest indicating the first day of a month.
9. Watch according to Claim 8, characterized in that the jumping retrograde date display mechanism comprises an isolating lever (20) pivoting concentrically with the thirty-one star and one end of which bears a nose (21) that lies in the path of a pin (12) borne by the intermediate thirty-one star (11) whereas the other end comprises a ridge (30) collaborating with the active face (28) of an isolating spring (27) itself collaborating with a pin (10) borne by the jumper (9) of the thirty-one star (7), this all being arranged in such a way that the pin (12) of the intermediate thirty-one star (11) moves the isolating lever (20) against the action of its spring (27) from the 28th to 31st of a month and that, at the end of its travel on the 31st of the month, the isolating spring (27) actuates the jumper (9) of the thirty-one star (7), and in that, at this moment, the ridge (30) of the isolating lever (20) collaborating with the spring (27) engages in a notch of the active face (28) of this spring and keeps the isolating lever (20) in a locked position, thus allowing the thirty-one star (7) to be freed so that the entire gear mechanism runs in the opposite direction under the action of the spiral return spring (19) resetting the date display to zero until such time as the pin (12) borne by the intermediate thirty-one star (11) strikes the rear face of the nose (21) of the isolating lever (20), disengages the latter from the notch in the spring (27) and the jumper (9) once again immobilizes the thirty-one star (7).
10. Watch according to Claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the jumping retrograde date display mechanism comprises also a quick manual correction device actuated by a driver (32) secured to the winding stem (34) and collaborating, when the winding stem of the movement is in an intermediate position, with a correcting disc (31) exhibiting an internal toothset; in that this correcting disc (31) drives the pin (41) of a sprung pawl (38) of which the toothed end (42) collaborates with the toothset of the intermediate thirty-one star (11) in such a way that a back and forth movement of the correcting disc (31) causes, by way of the tooth (42) on the sprung pawl (38), this intermediate thirty-one star (11) and, at the same time, the thirty-one star (7), the date sector and therefore the date hand (1) to advance increment by increment.
11. Watch according to Claim 9, characterized in that a latch (35) is engaged in the interior toothset of the correcting disc (31) to limit the magnitude of the angular movements thereof in both directions.
12. Watch according to Claim 1, in which the jumping retrograde hours display mechanism comprises a twelve-star driver (75) driven at a rate of one revolution per hour by the clockwork movement, this driver being equipped with a pivoting finger (76) driving a twelve star (77), in that an eleven star (78) is borne by the twelve star (77) and meshes with an hours sector (79) pivoted at the middle and bearing a pinion (82) in mesh with an hours return rack (83) subjected to the action of a spiral return spring (84).
13. Watch according to Claim 12, characterized in that the hours return rack (83) bears a pin (85) collaborating with an eccentric stop (86), the eccentric stop allowing the mechanism to be adjusted in such a way that the hours hand (80) borne by the hours sector (79) is always correctly positioned on the first mark situated at the left-hand end of the hours graduation, this graduation bearing thirteen marks.
14. Watch according to Claim 12 or 13,
    characterized in that when the hours hand (80) is driven manually in the anticlockwise direction, the finger of the driver escapes from the toothset of the twelve star (77).
15. Watch according to one of Claims 12 to 14, characterized in that when the twelve star (77) is incremented for the twelfth time from the mechanism position of rest, the eleven star (78) allows the hours sector (79) to escape and this hours sector, thus released, returns to its initial position under the action of the spiral return spring (84).
16. Watch according to one of Claims 12 to 15, characterized in that it comprises, positioned between the movement and the dial, a retrograde display module comprising a jumping retrograde hours display mechanism.
17. Watch according to one of Claims 3 to 7,
    characterized in that it comprises, positioned between the movement and the dial, a retrograde display module comprising a retrograde trailing minutes display mechanism.
18. Watch according to one of Claims 8 to 11, characterized in that it comprises, positioned between the movement and the dial, a retrograde display module comprising a jumping retrograde date display mechanism.

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