EP1189117A1 - Wristwatch with reversible case - Google Patents

Abstract

The bracelet (6) for a wrist watch has a casing shell to which the straps are attached. The shell (3) has a concave recess to receive a reversible watch insert. The insert has convex faces (16) to allow fitting into the shell with either side facing outwardly. The shell has curved sidewalls to match the watch surface.

Description

The present invention relates to a wristwatch comprising a linked support a bracelet and a case containing a clockwork movement and means display, the housing being mounted on the support so that it can slide and turn over to present respectively one or the other of its faces in two service positions, the support having two side edges, the watch comprising guide means arranged on the one hand on the interior surfaces said side edges and on the other hand on the side walls of the housing for allow said case to slide and pivot in the support, the watch comprising further means for holding the housing in its two service positions.

Such a type of wristwatch has been known for a very long time. The certificate No. 41,060 to patent FR 712,868 issued on August 3, 1931 different variants in which the sliding of the case is always carried out in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the bracelet, i.e. in the three o'clock - nine o'clock direction of an analog watch dial. In a first variant, the watch case is free to pivot to turn on itself, anywhere in the media. In another variant, this freedom of pivoting is restricted. Indeed, the arrangement of the mechanism is such that the housing can only pivot and turn at the ends of the support, with recesses therein provided for this purpose. The type of watch described includes a simple shape case rectangular, whose appearance is not particularly elegant. Furthermore this particular shape, such that the four sides of the case have a relatively high important, has the drawback of exposing the watch to external constraints, such as for example shocks or friction, due to the existence of parts prominent. This is why it is planned that this type of watch is made of metal, to avoid damage. However, due to the fact that the housing is protruding, a shock on the latter can easily cause its movement relative to the support from its service position, obliging the wearer of the watch to replace it.

The aim of the present invention is to perfect watches of this kind, both from an ergonomic and aesthetic point of view, and to allow the creation of new varieties of reversible watches, especially made of materials plastics.

To this end, the invention provides a wristwatch of the type indicated above, characterized in that the sliding direction of the housing is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bracelet, and in that each end of the case has in longitudinal section a pointed profile so that, in the service positions, the housing and the support are substantially flush with each other in the area of said ends.

In a particular embodiment, the housing has a convex profile on at least one of its faces. Preferably, the two sides of the case have a substantially identical convex profile. The upper edges of lateral edges of the support may also have a convex profile similar to that of the housing, so that the housing and the support are substantially flush with one of the other over the entire length of the housing. We can also provide that the means of strap attachment, such as horns, have a top substantially flush with the support, so that the entire watch has a curved profile substantially continuous in its longitudinal direction. The bottom of the support may have a concave profile so as to match the profile of the housing.

In a preferred embodiment, the guide means include longitudinal grooves arranged on the lateral edges of the support and the pins located on the side walls of the case, capable of sliding and pivoting each in the corresponding groove of the support. In this case, provision can also be made, as long for practical reasons that aesthetic, that each of the grooves has at at least one stop, placed at a distance from its ends, said stop having the effect to stop the sliding of the case after a first sliding stroke of the lug from one end of the groove, to define a pivot zone of the housing, before the lug performs a second sliding stroke up to the other end of the groove.

The pivoting of the case will therefore be exclusively in the central area of the support, thus giving symmetry to the movement and eliminating any risk of unexpected pivoting, linked to a possible sudden movement of the wrist which could lift the housing from a service position.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un mode de réalisation préféré d'une montre-bracelet selon l'invention, dans une des deux positions de service du boítier;
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective du support de la montre de la figure 1;
• la figure 3 est une vue en perspective du boítier de la montre de la figure 1;
• la figure 4 est une vue latérale schématisée de la montre dans une position intermédiaire de coulissement du boítier;
• la figure 5 est une vue latérale schématisée de la montre pendant la phase de pivotement du boítier;
• la figure 6 est une vue latérale schématisée de la montre, le pivotement étant achevé, avant la deuxième étape de coulissement du boítier;
• la figure 7 est une vue en coupe du boítier de la montre de la figure 1, selon son plan de symétrie médian vertical;
• la figure 8 est une vue de dessus du support de la montre de la figure 1;
• la figure 9 est une vue en coupe longitudinale du support selon la ligne IX-IX de la figure 8;
• la figure 10 est une vue en coupe verticale transversale du support selon la ligne X-X de la figure 9 ;
• la figure 11 est une vue de la tige établissant la liaison entre le boítier et le support représenté aux figures 8 à 10 ;
• la figure 12 est une vue latérale schématisée du boítier dans un second mode de réalisation, pour lequel les rainures se trouvent sur le boítier et les ergots sur le support ;
• la figure 13 est une vue en coupe analogue à la figure 9 pour le même mode de réalisation que la figure 12, et
• la figure 14 est une vue en coupe verticale transversale du support selon la ligne XIV-XIV de la figure 13.

The invention will be better understood using the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a wristwatch according to the invention, in one of the two service positions of the case;
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of the support of the watch of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of the housing of the watch of Figure 1;
• Figure 4 is a schematic side view of the watch in an intermediate sliding position of the housing;
• Figure 5 is a schematic side view of the watch during the pivoting phase of the housing;
• Figure 6 is a schematic side view of the watch, the pivoting being completed, before the second step of sliding the housing;
• Figure 7 is a sectional view of the housing of the watch of Figure 1, along its vertical median plane of symmetry;
• Figure 8 is a top view of the support of the watch of Figure 1;
• Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the support along the line IX-IX of Figure 8;
• Figure 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the support along line XX of Figure 9;
• Figure 11 is a view of the rod establishing the connection between the housing and the support shown in Figures 8 to 10;
• Figure 12 is a schematic side view of the housing in a second embodiment, for which the grooves are on the housing and the pins on the support;
• FIG. 13 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 9 for the same embodiment as FIG. 12, and
• FIG. 14 is a view in transverse vertical section of the support along the line XIV-XIV of FIG. 13.

Figures 1 to 6 illustrate the general appearance of wristwatch 1, according to the preferred embodiment, as well as the movement performed by the case 2 when it slides and turns relative to the support 3.

The support 3 has a bottom 4 whose upper part is concave and from which protrude horns 5, on which the bracelet 6 is fixed, and flanges lateral 7 parallel to the direction of the bracelet 6. Each of these lateral edges 7 has an upper edge 8 of rounded shape, a maximum height in the middle and an interior surface 9 having a longitudinal groove 10.

The bottom 4 of the support 3 has longitudinal guide surfaces 11, also visible in Figure 8, extending from the ends of the support to its central region, in which there is a rounded transverse recess 12 delimited on both sides by the flanges 7. The latter also include holes 13 and 14 passing through them substantially midway between the longitudinal ends of the support, opening into the corresponding groove 10.

In this embodiment, the housing has a general spindle shape in its longitudinal direction which corresponds to the direction of the bracelet, its walls lateral 15 being substantially flat and parallel, thus delimiting two faces convex 16 and 17 of shape substantially complementary to that of the bottom 4 of the support. In particular, the longitudinal ends 21 and 22 of the housing have a pointed profile so that in the service positions, the housing and the support are noticeably flush with each other in this region. In a preferred variant, the faces of the housing 16, 17 and the bottom 4 of the support each have an arcuate profile of circle.

Each of the side walls 15 has a small projecting element 18 finding on the middle 19 of the case and preferably having substantially the shape of a spherical cap. It is optionally possible to provide that the projecting element 18 is retractable in the housing using elastic means not shown. The middle 19 is crossed by a hole 20 in the vicinity of one end 21 of the spindle. AT its other end 22 it has a recess 23 in its edge receiving the crown 24 for setting the time, said crown having a flattened shape so as not to not exceed the lower and upper faces of the housing.

As best seen in Figure 7, the housing carries a curved glass 25 on its upper face 16 and has two fine transverse grooves 26 in its underside 17, these grooves receiving by lateral sliding the folded ends 27 a decorative plate 28 with the same curvature as the glass. This brochure 28 conceals a sealed battery door 29 and covers, in the example shown here, the major part of the underside 17 in order to impart an aesthetic particular on the back of the case. Of course, the plate 28 can exercise other functions rather than just being decorative, such as covering a compartment capable of receiving any object or a reserve battery. The case also contains, conventionally, a timepiece movement 30, a dial 31 and needles 32.

It can be seen in FIG. 8 that the hole 13 of one of the flanges 7 has a section larger than that of hole 14 of the other flange. Indeed, these two holes 13 and 14 used during the assembly and disassembly of the wristwatch 1 have different functions. During assembly, the housing 2 must be placed between the flanges 7 of the support 3, the hole 20 of the housing to be aligned with the holes 13 and 14 of the support 3. This is when the hole 13, of larger section, receives the rod 33 shown in Figure 11, which is inserted into the housing until it stops against the inner surface 9 opposite the vicinity of hole 14. The function of hole 14 is to receive a small tool to push the rod 33 in the direction reverse during disassembly, so as to extract it to dissociate the housing 2 from the support 3.

Figure 9 shows the particular geometry of the grooves 10 in this embodiment. These grooves are each formed of two successive sections 34 and 35, substantially parallel to the guide surfaces 11 and located at different distances from these, thus defining a high section 34 and a section bottom 35, interconnected by a vertical recess 36 forming an upper stop 37 and a lower stop 38. The grooves 10 are mutually reversed, so that the upper section 34 of one is opposite the lower section 35 of the other and conversely, as appears in Figure 10. These grooves 10 receive the pins 39 formed by the ends of the rod 33, these pins being mutually offset in height as seen in Figure 11. It can be noted that once the rod 33 housed in the housing 2, we obtain a system equivalent to the use of pins integral with the housing, the rod being retained in the hole 20 by friction, for example thanks to an O-ring 40.

The reversal of the housing 2 in the support 3 is shown schematically in Figures 4 to 6. When the housing 2 is mounted in the support 3 and is in one of its service positions, for example having its upper face 16, such as shown in Figure 1, its small projecting elements 18 are engaged by clipping in the grooves 10 of the support 3 so as to lock it in said position. The user must exert pressure on the housing 2 in a direction substantially parallel to bracelet 6 to disengage it and be able to slide it as indicates the arrow C1 to bring it into the position of FIG. 4. It is noted that when the case 2 is near a service position, it cannot pivot around lugs 39, not only because they are not on the same axis and because the grooves 10 are also offset in height, but above all because the distance of the lugs 39 from the support 3 is less than that from the end 21 of the housing. Therefore, the housing 2 has very little travel in such a position until a support zone 41 of the housing near the end provided with pins 39, comes into contact with the guide surfaces 11 of support. Thus, during the sliding step the user pushes the housing 2 in exerting pressure near the end 21, in the direction of the bracelet 6 represented by the arrow C1 in FIG. 4. The support zones 41 then slide over the guide surfaces 11, until the highest lug 39 abuts on the stop upper 37 and the lower pin 39 on the lower stop 38. Note that we can predict preferably that the housing has on the face 16, facing the surfaces of guide 11, longitudinal edges (not shown) on either side of the glass 25, the latter being slightly set back with respect to these edges and to the support zones 41, so that it does not come into contact with any element of the support 3 during the movement. The case 2 cannot then continue sliding in the same direction. The end 21 of the housing being located above the recess 12, the pivoting is made possible. Indeed, the user then causes the lifting of the end 22 of the case then the complete pivoting of the latter, as shown schematically by the arrow P in FIGS. 5 and 6, so that the highest pin 39 descends and is found at the bottom section 35 of the corresponding groove, while the lug 39 the lowest rises and is found at the top section 34 of the groove corresponding. The housing being in the position of Figure 6, it can perform a second sliding stroke in the same direction as indicated by the arrow C2 of FIG. 6, under the action of a pressure from the user near its end 22. The second service position, in which the decorative underside 17 of the housing is visible, is reached when the lugs 39 come into abutment against the ends 42 of the grooves 10 and that the small projecting elements 18 fit together in the other ends of the grooves 10, thus locking the housing 2.

To return to the first service position in which the upper face 16 is apparent, it suffices to carry out the same sequence of operations in the direction opposite, since the pins 39 have changed sides with respect to the support 3 of the shows.

One of the advantages of such a configuration is to avoid that the case 2 can be caused to slide from one end 42 of the grooves 10 to the other, without pivoting at level of stops 37 and 38. In addition, given the large height of the edges 7 of the support at the level of the recess 12, we rule out any possibility of reaching a position of the housing 2 having a lateral holding defect.

Figures 12 to 14 illustrate a second embodiment of the watch reversible according to the invention, in which the respective general forms of the housing and of the support are the same as in the embodiment shown in the figures 1 to 11, while the arrangement of the housing guide means is reversed. In this variant, each of the side walls 15 of the housing comprises, substantially at mid-height, a longitudinal groove 43 closed at its ends 44. The surfaces 9 of the support 3 each have, in the center of the part hosting the housing, a lug 45 of cylindrical shape capable of sliding and pivoting in the corresponding groove 43. These pins can for example be obtained by insertion of screws passing through the side edges 7 of the support 3, as shown in FIG. 14. It can be seen in FIG. 13 that the guide surfaces 11, such as described in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 11, are also present in this embodiment.

The functioning of this system is substantially the same as that previously described. Starting from a first service position, the housing 2 is released by user pressure on one of the support zones 41 in the direction longitudinal of the bracelet in one direction or the other. The box then performs a first sliding stroke until each of the lugs 45 abuts on the end 44 of the corresponding groove 44. The user must then rotate the case around said pins to turn it over. Note, however, that the recess 12 in the bottom of the support as shown in Figures 2, 8 and 9 is not reproduced in this variant. Indeed, the distance between a lug 45 and the bottom 4 of the support is substantially greater than the distance between one end 44 of a groove and the corresponding end 21 or 22 of the case, thus allowing the case to pivot freely as soon as the lugs 45 are at one end of the groove. This advantageously provides the possibility of constructing a support 3 whose bottom 4 has reduced thickness. Once the box is turned over, it can perform a second sliding stroke to its second service position where it is locked by clipping means not shown. To return to the first position of service, the user must repeat the above steps starting with exercising pressure on one of the bearing areas 41 of the housing in the longitudinal direction of the bracelet. Due to the symmetry of the housing - support assembly and means of guidance used, the user can exert pressure either in the opposite direction by compared to that of the first turnaround is in the same direction, which was not possible for the watch shown in Figures 1 to 11.

We can, from this embodiment, consider multiple variants consisting for example of placing the pins 45 lower on the support by making grooves 43 curved, to make grooves 43 with a shorter length so they stop in the middle of the case, or to change the height of the grooves 43 depending on the kinematics desired for the turning movement of the housing.

The respective shapes of the case 2 and the support 3 provide the wristwatch 1 of the aesthetic advantages due to the continuity of the shapes, the symmetry and fluidity of the complete movement of the case 2. It can be noted that a such a line means that the reversible nature of the watch according to the invention is not immediately visible when it is in one of its service positions. The fact that the turning movement of the case preferably takes place in the direction of bracelet 6, i.e. in the six o'clock - twelve o'clock direction of a analog watch dial, allows an aesthetic and original configuration, but one can also foresee that it is done laterally. We can also note that the guide surfaces 11 of the support 3 have an additional function which is to avoid that the glass 25 comes into contact with the support 3 and is thus deteriorated. Shapes particular and complementary of the case and the support give the watch a another advantage which is the good resistance to impact and to wear by friction, since, as appears in Figures 1 to 3, the watch does not have protruding part. This makes it possible to use plastic as well molded, inexpensive, than a metal realization.

One can imagine multiple applications for the wristwatch with case reversible according to the invention, whether made of molded plastic or metal. Indeed, we have described the use of a decorative plate covering one of the sides of the case and can hide a compartment, but you can also provide that the housing has, in place of the plate, a second display analog or digital and used to display, for example, the time of day, a second time zone, possibly using a second movement, timed times, or any other type of information.

Claims (11)

Wrist watch (1) comprising a support (3) linked to a bracelet (6) and a case (2) containing a watch movement (30) and display means (31, 32), the case (2 ) being mounted on the support (3) so as to be able to slide and turn to present respectively one or other of its faces (16, 17) in two service positions, the support (3) having two lateral edges (7), the watch (1) comprising guide means (10, 39) arranged on the one hand on the interior surfaces (9) of the flanges (7) and on the other hand on the side walls (15) of the housing (2) to allow said case to slide and pivot in the support (3), the watch further comprising means (18) for holding the case (2) in its two operating positions, characterized in that the direction of sliding of the case is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bracelet (6) and in that each end (21, 22) of the case has in c longitudinal oupe a pointed profile, so that in the service positions, the housing and the support are substantially flush with each other in the area of said ends. Wrist watch according to claim 1, characterized in that the case (2) has, in said longitudinal direction, a convex profile on at least one of its faces (16, 17). Wrist watch according to claim 2, characterized in that the case (2) has said convex profile on its two faces (16, 17). Wristwatch according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the upper edges (8) of the side edges (7) have, in said longitudinal direction, a convex profile similar to that of the case (2), so that the housing and the support are substantially flush with each other over the entire length of the housing. Wristwatch according to claim 4, characterized in that the fixing means (5) of the bracelet (6) have an upper part substantially flush with the ends of the support, so that the whole of the wristwatch has a profile curved substantially continuous in said longitudinal direction. Wrist watch according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the upper surface of the bottom (4) of the support (3) has a concave profile in said longitudinal direction, so as to substantially match the profile of the case (2 ). Wristwatch according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said guide means comprise two longitudinal grooves (10) closed at their ends (42) and each located on one of the internal surfaces (9) of the support (3), and lugs (39) projecting from the side walls (15) of the housing (2) opposite said interior surfaces (9), capable of sliding and pivoting each in the corresponding groove (10) of the support (3), each of said grooves (10) comprising at least one stop (37, 38) disposed at a distance from its ends (42), said stop having the effect of stopping the housing (2) after a first sliding stroke of the lug (39) corresponding from one end of the groove (10), to define a pivoting area of the housing (2), before said lug (39) performs a second sliding stroke to the other end of the groove (10). Wrist watch according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said guide means comprise two longitudinal grooves (43) closed at their ends (44) and each located on one of the side walls (15) of the case, and lugs (45) projecting from the interior surfaces (9) of the support (3) opposite said grooves (43), capable of sliding and pivoting each in the corresponding groove (43) of the housing (2), each of the ends ( 44) of a groove (43) constituting a stop in the sliding stroke of the corresponding lug (45), thus defining a pivoting zone of the housing (2) on each side of the support. Wrist watch according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that it further comprises, outside the pivoting zone, means (11) for preventing the pivoting of the case (2). Wristwatch according to claim 9, characterized in that said means for preventing the pivoting of the case are formed by at least one guide surface (11) on the support (3), on which a bearing zone (41) of the housing (2) can be supported by sliding. Wristwatch according to claim 10, characterized in that the case further comprises longitudinal edges on either side of the crystal (25), the latter being set back from said edges, so that it does not enter in contact with any element of the support (3) during movement.

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