EP1672436A1 - Watch dial and manufacturing methods for such a dial - Google Patents

Watch dial and manufacturing methods for such a dial Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1672436A1
EP1672436A1 EP04405784A EP04405784A EP1672436A1 EP 1672436 A1 EP1672436 A1 EP 1672436A1 EP 04405784 A EP04405784 A EP 04405784A EP 04405784 A EP04405784 A EP 04405784A EP 1672436 A1 EP1672436 A1 EP 1672436A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
mother
pearl
dial
morphology
coating
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP04405784A
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German (de)
French (fr)
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EP1672436B1 (en
Inventor
Roland Dubach
Hilario Gomes
Alexandra Prodromides
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Rolex SA
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Rolex SA
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Priority to DE602004012585T priority Critical patent/DE602004012585T2/en
Application filed by Rolex SA filed Critical Rolex SA
Priority to DE04405784T priority patent/DE04405784T1/en
Priority to EP04405784A priority patent/EP1672436B1/en
Priority to US11/300,257 priority patent/US7420884B2/en
Priority to CN200510129664.9A priority patent/CN100582966C/en
Priority to JP2005365397A priority patent/JP5026698B2/en
Publication of EP1672436A1 publication Critical patent/EP1672436A1/en
Priority to HK06108173A priority patent/HK1088668A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1672436B1 publication Critical patent/EP1672436B1/en
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    • 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
    • G04B19/12—Selection of materials for dials or graduations markings
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T29/00—Metal working
    • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
    • Y10T29/49579—Watch or clock making
    • Y10T29/49583—Watch or clock making having indicia, face, or dial

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a dial for a timepiece, whose visible surface is of metallic appearance, and to two methods of manufacturing this dial.
  • mother-of-pearl used for the dials is available on the market in the form of thin washers or plates that are polished on the side intended to form the obverse of the dial.
  • the translucent nature of mother-of-pearl reveals its stratified structure, which gives it a characteristic morphology, even if its surface is polished.
  • the object of the present invention is to allow to renew the appearance of the surface state of the metal surface of the watch dials, thanks to a new use of mother-of-pearl.
  • this invention firstly relates to a dial for a timepiece, whose visible surface is of metallic appearance, characterized in that the surface state of said surface of metallic appearance has a morphology characteristic of that of mother-of-pearl.
  • Another subject of the invention is a method for manufacturing a timepiece dial whose visible surface includes a coating of metallic appearance whose surface state has a morphology characteristic of that of mother-of-pearl, according to claim 5. It also relates to a method of manufacturing this dial according to claim 7.
  • the coating of metallic appearance can be achieved either directly on the mother-of-pearl, or on a replica made using this mother-of-pearl.
  • the morphology of the metallic-looking coating is unique, since each mother-of-pearl plate is different, while in the other case, the same morphology can be reproduced as many times as desired.
  • the attached single figure is a 1000 x magnified scanning electron micrograph, showing the surface state of a nacre wafer having received a metal coating after having been subjected to the preparatory phase of the method which is the subject of the present invention.
  • the dial for a timepiece according to the present invention can be obtained essentially in two ways, or preferably by coating a previously sandblasted mother-of-pearl plate with metal, or by making a replica of a mother-of-pearl plate previously sand-blasted. using a mold obtained by molding the mother of pearl, as will be explained later.
  • This first step consists in subjecting the surface of the mother-of-pearl intended to form the visible surface of the dial to an operation of sanding in an aqueous medium.
  • the sand used is silicon carbide (SiC) with an average particle size of 27 ⁇ m, varying between 15 and 50 ⁇ m.
  • the aqueous suspension is prepared by mixing 1 liter of SiC with 10 liters of water of the softened urban water network and 400 g of a gel intended to increase the viscosity of the suspension in order to increase the viscosity of the liquid and to maintain the particles of SiC suspended in this liquid.
  • the viscosity of this suspension was measured by placing 100 ml of suspension in a viscosity measuring beaker according to DIN 53 211, provided with a nozzle 4 mm in diameter.
  • the measured flow time is 11 seconds.
  • the suspension is projected against the nacre surface to be treated with a pressure of between 3.10 5 and 5.10 5 Pa, the distance between the projection nozzle of the suspension and the nacre surface to be treated being 10 cm.
  • the mother-of-pearl disks intended to form the dial bottoms are arranged on a working support constituted, in this example, by a turntable.
  • the mother-of-pearl disks of the desired size for the dials of timepieces are distributed on a circle 370 mm in diameter concentric with the axis of rotation of this plate which is driven at the rate of a revolution of the plate in three minutes.
  • This sanding operation is followed by a cleaning operation for three minutes in hard water, one minute in fresh water followed by a cleaning with an alkaline lye of pH 11.
  • the mother-of-pearl used may be white, pearly white or pink mother-of-pearl: PETERIA MARGARITIFERA or MELEAGRINA MARGARITIFERA from Australia and Japan. It can be pink: POTAMILUS PURPURATA from the USA, finally, it can be black: PINCTADA MARGARATIFERA from Polynesia.
  • these substrates can preferably be coated with a layer of pure gold (Au) yellow, platinum (Pt) gray or a gold-copper alloy. (Au-Cu) pink.
  • Au pure gold
  • Pt platinum
  • Au-Cu gold-copper alloy
  • the mother-of-pearl platelets obtained after sanding and cleaning operations are placed on a working support placed in front of a target in a vacuum coating chamber, with the sandblasted faces of the platelets turned towards the target.
  • the surfaces to be coated with wafers intended to form the visible surfaces of the watch dials are first etched. During this stripping operation, the target is separated from the work support carrying the mother-of-pearl wafers by a target mask. This pickling is performed after evacuation of the chamber (8.10 -4 Pa), argon injection (4 Pa) and plasma formation for 10 minutes, the working power used for the plasma being 10 W.
  • the target is then stripped under the same conditions, the working power used for the plasma then being 50 W.
  • the argon pressure is then adjusted to the working pressure (7.10 -1 Pa) and the support of the substrates to be coated is radiofrequency (RF) biased while simultaneously removing the target mask and the radiofrequency deposition is carried out ( RF) for the cathode of the target for 30 minutes.
  • RF radiofrequency
  • the working powers during the deposition operation vary according to the targets (Au, Pt, AuCu) from 30 to 350 W for the targets and from 5 to 150 W for the substrates.
  • the parts are cooled by a circuit of water at ambient temperature, circulating in the support of the parts to be coated, during the entire duration of the deposit.
  • the distance between the target and the substrates is between 4 and 15 cm.
  • the polarization and the plasma are then stopped and the enclosure is cooled by an argon flow.
  • the thickness of the deposited layer may typically vary from 100 nm to 1000 nm (ie 0.1 ⁇ m to 1 ⁇ m). This thickness is chosen to keep as faithfully as possible the morphology of the mother-of-pearl, as revealed by the sanding operation.
  • the result obtained can be seen in the attached figure which refers to a sanded mother-of-pearl substrate coated with a 500 nm pure gold layer.
  • the nacre could be used to make replicas and these replicas would be coated.
  • the disadvantage of this variant is that the resulting product then becomes perfectly standard and that the exclusive character that is obtained in the case where the coated substrate is mother-of-pearl is lost. and which, given the unique surface morphology it achieves, gives this dial the character of a luxury product.
  • the main advantage of the mother of pearl substrate lies in the fact that it allows to obtain, by an industrial process, a dial of metallic appearance whose surface morphology will never be identical from one dial to another, which, obviously, is not the case if one used the alternative method of mother-of-pearl replicas, since one can not make a different mold per dial, each mold being intended to produce an almost unlimited number.
  • replicas Other known techniques for forming replicas would be useful.
  • This mold would be made a replica by injecting or pressing ceramic, such as alumina powder. Let the ceramics dry, unmold, burn the binders contained in the ceramic and sinter.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Other Surface Treatments For Metallic Materials (AREA)
  • Physical Vapour Deposition (AREA)
  • Laminated Bodies (AREA)

Abstract

The dial has a visible surface of metallic appearance, comprising a morphology characteristic corresponding to that of mother-of-pearl. A mother-of-pearl sheet is subjected to a sandblasting operation, to give the morphology of mother-of-pearl, to the surface finish of the sheet. The surface is coated with a layer of metal such as pure yellow gold, grey platinum or pink gold/copper alloy. An independent claim is also included for a method for manufacturing a timepiece dial.

Description

La présente invention se rapporte à un cadran pour pièce d'horlogerie, dont la surface visible est d'aspect métallique, ainsi qu'à deux procédés de fabrication de ce cadran.The present invention relates to a dial for a timepiece, whose visible surface is of metallic appearance, and to two methods of manufacturing this dial.

On connaît une très grande variété de type de surfaces pour les cadrans de montres. Cette variété qui est dictée par le souci de varier le plus possible un des éléments essentiels de l'habillage d'une pièce d'horlogerie, lui conférant son aspect esthétique, provient du choix des matières, des couleurs, de l'état de surface de ces surfaces qui peut former des motifs décoratifs.There is a very wide variety of surface types for watch dials. This variety is dictated by the desire to vary as much as possible one of the essential elements of the cladding of a timepiece, giving it its aesthetic appearance, comes from the choice of materials, colors, surface condition of these surfaces that can form decorative patterns.

Parmi cette variété de matières pour obtenir des effets de surface particuliers, on a déjà utilisé, outre la nacre la plus courante, la nacre lignée, perlée, rose noire ou jaune. La nacre utilisée pour les cadrans est disponible sur le marché sous forme de fines rondelles ou plaquettes qui sont polies du côté destiné à former l'avers du cadran. Outre les reflets irisés de la nacre, la nature translucide de la nacre laisse apparaître sa structure stratifiée qui lui confère une morphologie caractéristique, quand bien même sa surface est polie.Among this variety of materials to obtain particular surface effects, it has already been used, besides the most common mother-of-pearl, mother-of-pearl, pearly, black or yellow pink. The mother-of-pearl used for the dials is available on the market in the form of thin washers or plates that are polished on the side intended to form the obverse of the dial. In addition to the iridescent reflections of mother-of-pearl, the translucent nature of mother-of-pearl reveals its stratified structure, which gives it a characteristic morphology, even if its surface is polished.

Le but de la présente invention est de permettre de renouveler l'aspect de l'état de surface de la surface métallique des cadrans de montres, grâce à une utilisation nouvelle de la nacre.The object of the present invention is to allow to renew the appearance of the surface state of the metal surface of the watch dials, thanks to a new use of mother-of-pearl.

A cet effet, cette invention a tout d'abord pour objet un cadran pour pièce d'horlogerie, dont la surface visible est d'aspect métallique, caractérisé en ce que l'état de surface de ladite surface d'aspect métallique présente une morphologie caractéristique de celle de la nacre.For this purpose, this invention firstly relates to a dial for a timepiece, whose visible surface is of metallic appearance, characterized in that the surface state of said surface of metallic appearance has a morphology characteristic of that of mother-of-pearl.

Cette invention a également pour objet un procédé de fabrication d'un cadran pour pièce d'horlogerie dont la surface visible comporte un revêtement d'aspect métallique dont l'état de surface présente une morphologie caractéristique de celle de la nacre, selon la revendication 5. Elle a encore pour objet un procédé de fabrication de ce cadran selon la revendication 7.Another subject of the invention is a method for manufacturing a timepiece dial whose visible surface includes a coating of metallic appearance whose surface state has a morphology characteristic of that of mother-of-pearl, according to claim 5. It also relates to a method of manufacturing this dial according to claim 7.

On a constaté, de manière fortuite que la métallisation de la nacre selon les procédés objets de la présente invention, permettent de reproduire la morphologie propre à la nacre, telle qu'elle apparaît sur une plaquette de nacre polie grâce au caractère translucide de la nacre et de donner ainsi à la surface d'aspect métallique, un état de surface tout à fait particulier. Cette morphologie est révélée grâce à une rugosité spécifique propre à la nature stratifiée de la nacre et qui permet de faire apparaître des motifs décoratifs qui ont la propriété d'être uniques pour chaque plaquette de nacre puisqu'il s'agit d'une matière naturelle produite par un organisme vivant. Par ailleurs, l'état de surface du substrat qui reçoit le revêtement, caractéristique de la morphologie de la nacre, permet d'assurer un excellent accrochage du revêtement.It has been found, by chance, that the metallization of mother-of-pearl according to the methods that are the subject of the present invention make it possible to reproduce the morphology specific to mother-of-pearl, as it appears on a polished mother-of-pearl plate thanks to the translucent nature of mother-of-pearl. and thus to give the surface of metallic appearance, a surface state quite particular. This morphology is revealed thanks to a specific roughness specific to the stratified nature of mother-of-pearl and which makes it possible to reveal decorative motifs that have the property of being unique for each mother-of-pearl plate since it is a natural material. produced by a living organism. Moreover, the surface condition of the substrate which receives the coating, which is characteristic of the morphology of the mother-of-pearl, makes it possible to ensure excellent adhesion of the coating.

L'existence de deux procédés distincts ayant un concept inventif commun vient du fait que le revêtement d'aspect métallique peut être réalisé soit directement sur la nacre sablée, soit sur une réplique réalisée à l'aide de cette nacre sablée. Dans un cas, la morphologie du revêtement d'aspect métallique est unique, puisque chaque plaquette de nacre est différente, alors que dans l'autre cas, on peut reproduire la même morphologie autant de fois qu'on le désire.The existence of two distinct processes having a common inventive concept comes from the fact that the coating of metallic appearance can be achieved either directly on the mother-of-pearl, or on a replica made using this mother-of-pearl. In one case, the morphology of the metallic-looking coating is unique, since each mother-of-pearl plate is different, while in the other case, the same morphology can be reproduced as many times as desired.

La description qui suit décrit, à titre d'exemple, différentes formes d'exécution des procédés de fabrication d'un cadran pour pièce d'horlogerie, objets de la présente invention.The following description describes, by way of example, various embodiments of the manufacturing processes of a dial for timepiece, objects of the present invention.

La figure unique annexée est une photo au microscope électronique à balayage agrandie 1000x, montrant l'état de surface d'une plaquette de nacre ayant reçu un revêtement métallique après avoir été soumises à la phase préparatoire du procédé objet de la présente invention.The attached single figure is a 1000 x magnified scanning electron micrograph, showing the surface state of a nacre wafer having received a metal coating after having been subjected to the preparatory phase of the method which is the subject of the present invention.

Le cadran pour pièce d'horlogerie selon la présente invention peut être obtenu essentiellement de deux manières, soit, de préférence, en revêtant de métal une plaque de nacre préalablement sablée, soit en réalisant une réplique d'une plaque de nacre préalablement sablée à l'aide d'un moule obtenu par moulage de la nacre, comme on l'expliquera par la suite.The dial for a timepiece according to the present invention can be obtained essentially in two ways, or preferably by coating a previously sandblasted mother-of-pearl plate with metal, or by making a replica of a mother-of-pearl plate previously sand-blasted. using a mold obtained by molding the mother of pearl, as will be explained later.

Nous allons d'abord décrire les étapes du procédé nécessaires dans tous les cas, à savoir les moyens utilisés pour révéler la morphologie de la nacre qui n'est normalement visible qu'en raison de ses propriétés de translucidité. En effet, si on revêtait une plaque de nacre telle qu'elle est utilisée pour former la surface visible d'un cadran de montre, on obtiendrait simplement une surface lisse et on perdrait toutes les propriétés spécifiques à la morphologie de la nacre, ce qui n'aurait aucun intérêt.We will first describe the necessary process steps in all cases, namely the means used to reveal the morphology of the nacre which is normally visible only because of its translucency properties. Indeed, if we put a plate of mother-of-pearl as it is used to form the visible surface of a watch dial, we would simply obtain a smooth surface and we would lose all the properties specific to the morphology of mother-of-pearl, which would have no interest.

Cette première étape consiste à soumettre la surface de la nacre destinée à former la surface visible du cadran à une opération de sablage en milieu aqueux. Le sable utilisé est du carbure de silicium (SiC) de granulométrie moyenne de 27 µm, variant entre 15 et 50 µm. La suspension aqueuse est préparée en mélangeant 1 litre de SiC avec 10 litres d'eau du réseau d'eau urbain adoucie et 400 g d'un gel destiné à augmenter la viscosité de la suspension pour augmenter la viscosité du liquide et maintenir les particules de SiC en suspension dans ce liquide.This first step consists in subjecting the surface of the mother-of-pearl intended to form the visible surface of the dial to an operation of sanding in an aqueous medium. The sand used is silicon carbide (SiC) with an average particle size of 27 μm, varying between 15 and 50 μm. The aqueous suspension is prepared by mixing 1 liter of SiC with 10 liters of water of the softened urban water network and 400 g of a gel intended to increase the viscosity of the suspension in order to increase the viscosity of the liquid and to maintain the particles of SiC suspended in this liquid.

La viscosité de cette suspension a été mesurée en mettant 100 ml de suspension dans un bécher à mesure de viscosité selon la norme DIN 53 211, muni d'une buse de 4 mm de diamètre. Le temps d'écoulement mesuré est de 11 secondes.The viscosity of this suspension was measured by placing 100 ml of suspension in a viscosity measuring beaker according to DIN 53 211, provided with a nozzle 4 mm in diameter. The measured flow time is 11 seconds.

La suspension est projetée contre la surface de nacre à traiter avec une pression située entre 3.105 et 5.105 Pa, la distance entre la buse de projection de la suspension et la surface de nacre à traiter étant de 10 cm. Les disques de nacre destinés à former les fonds de cadrans sont disposés sur un support de travail constitué, dans cet exemple, par un plateau tournant. Les disques de nacre de la taille désirée pour les cadrans de pièces d'horlogeries, sont répartis sur un cercle de 370 mm de diamètre concentrique à l'axe de rotation de ce plateau qui est entraîné à raison d'une révolution du plateau en trois minutes.The suspension is projected against the nacre surface to be treated with a pressure of between 3.10 5 and 5.10 5 Pa, the distance between the projection nozzle of the suspension and the nacre surface to be treated being 10 cm. The mother-of-pearl disks intended to form the dial bottoms are arranged on a working support constituted, in this example, by a turntable. The mother-of-pearl disks of the desired size for the dials of timepieces, are distributed on a circle 370 mm in diameter concentric with the axis of rotation of this plate which is driven at the rate of a revolution of the plate in three minutes.

Cette opération de sablage est suivie d'une opération de nettoyage pendant trois minutes à l'eau dure, une minute à l'eau douce suivi d'un nettoyage avec une lessive alcaline de pH 11.This sanding operation is followed by a cleaning operation for three minutes in hard water, one minute in fresh water followed by a cleaning with an alkaline lye of pH 11.

La nacre utilisée peut être de la nacre blanche, blanche perlée ou rose: PETERIA MARGARITIFERA ou MELEAGRINA MARGARITIFERA provenant d'Australie et du Japon. Elle peut être rose: POTAMILUS PURPURATA en provenance des USA, enfin, elle peut être noire: PINCTADA MARGARATIFERA en provenance de Polynésie.The mother-of-pearl used may be white, pearly white or pink mother-of-pearl: PETERIA MARGARITIFERA or MELEAGRINA MARGARITIFERA from Australia and Japan. It can be pink: POTAMILUS PURPURATA from the USA, finally, it can be black: PINCTADA MARGARATIFERA from Polynesia.

Suite aux opérations de sablage en milieu aqueux et de nettoyage des substrats de nacre, on peut de préférence revêtir ces substrats d'une couche d'or pur (Au) jaune, de platine (Pt) grise ou d'un alliage or-cuivre (Au-Cu) rose. Ces couches sont réalisées par dépôt physique en phase vapeur (PVD) dans les conditions que l'on expliquera ci-après.Following the operations of sandblasting in an aqueous medium and cleaning the mother-of-pearl substrates, these substrates can preferably be coated with a layer of pure gold (Au) yellow, platinum (Pt) gray or a gold-copper alloy. (Au-Cu) pink. These layers are made by physical vapor deposition (PVD) under the conditions that will be explained below.

Pour réaliser le revêtement des faces des substrats de nacre destinées à former les surfaces visibles des cadrans, par PVD avec pulvérisation magnétron (MS), on place les plaquettes de nacre obtenues suite aux opérations de sablage et de nettoyage sur un support de travail disposé en face d'une cible dans une enceinte de revêtement sous vide, avec les faces sablées des plaquettes tournées vers la cible.For coating the faces of the mother-of-pearl substrates intended to form the visible surfaces of the dials, by PVD with magnetron sputtering (MS), the mother-of-pearl platelets obtained after sanding and cleaning operations are placed on a working support placed in front of a target in a vacuum coating chamber, with the sandblasted faces of the platelets turned towards the target.

On procède tout d'abord au décapage ionique des surfaces à revêtir des plaquettes destinées à former les surfaces visibles des cadrans de montres. Pendant cette opération de décapage, la cible est séparée du support de travail portant les plaquettes de nacre par un cache-cible. Ce décapage est effectué après mise sous vide de l'enceinte (8.10-4 Pa), injection d'argon (4 Pa) et formation d'un plasma pendant 10 minutes, la puissance de travail utilisée pour le plasma étant de 10 W.The surfaces to be coated with wafers intended to form the visible surfaces of the watch dials are first etched. During this stripping operation, the target is separated from the work support carrying the mother-of-pearl wafers by a target mask. This pickling is performed after evacuation of the chamber (8.10 -4 Pa), argon injection (4 Pa) and plasma formation for 10 minutes, the working power used for the plasma being 10 W.

On procède ensuite au décapage de la cible dans les mêmes conditions, la puissance de travail utilisée pour le plasma étant alors de 50 W.The target is then stripped under the same conditions, the working power used for the plasma then being 50 W.

On ajuste alors la pression d'argon à la pression de travail (7.10-1 Pa) et on procède à la polarisation en radiofréquence (RF) du support des substrats à revêtir en écartant simultanément le cache cible et on procède au dépôt en radiofréquence (RF) pour la cathode de la cible pendant 30 minutes.The argon pressure is then adjusted to the working pressure (7.10 -1 Pa) and the support of the substrates to be coated is radiofrequency (RF) biased while simultaneously removing the target mask and the radiofrequency deposition is carried out ( RF) for the cathode of the target for 30 minutes.

Les puissances de travail pendant l'opération de dépôt varient en fonction des cibles (Au, Pt, AuCu) de 30 à 350 W pour les cibles et de 5 à 150 W pour les substrats.The working powers during the deposition operation vary according to the targets (Au, Pt, AuCu) from 30 to 350 W for the targets and from 5 to 150 W for the substrates.

Les pièces sont refroidies par un circuit d'eau à température ambiante, circulant dans le support des pièces à revêtir, pendant toute la durée du dépôt.The parts are cooled by a circuit of water at ambient temperature, circulating in the support of the parts to be coated, during the entire duration of the deposit.

La distance entre la cible et les substrats se situe entre 4 et 15 cm.The distance between the target and the substrates is between 4 and 15 cm.

On procède ensuite à l'arrêt de la polarisation et du plasma et on refroidit l'enceinte par un flux d'argon.The polarization and the plasma are then stopped and the enclosure is cooled by an argon flow.

L'épaisseur de la couche déposée peut typiquement varier de 100 nm à 1000 nm (soit 0,1 µm à 1 µm). Cette épaisseur est choisie pour conserver le plus fidèlement possible la morphologie de la nacre, telle qu'elle a été révélée par l'opération de sablage. Le résultat obtenu peut être constaté sur la figure annexée qui se rapporte à un substrat de nacre sablé revêtu d'une couche d'or pur de 500 nm.The thickness of the deposited layer may typically vary from 100 nm to 1000 nm (ie 0.1 μm to 1 μm). This thickness is chosen to keep as faithfully as possible the morphology of the mother-of-pearl, as revealed by the sanding operation. The result obtained can be seen in the attached figure which refers to a sanded mother-of-pearl substrate coated with a 500 nm pure gold layer.

Il serait aussi possible d'effectuer le revêtement du substrat par PVD en utilisant du courant continu au lieu de courant RF.It would also be possible to coat the substrate with PVD using direct current instead of RF current.

Selon une variante du procédé qui précède, à la place de revêtir le substrat en nacre, on pourrait utiliser la nacre pour réaliser des répliques et on revêtirait ces répliques. Comme on l'a déjà mentionné précédemment, l'inconvénient de cette variante est que le produit résultant devient alors parfaitement standard et que l'on perd le caractère exclusif que l'on obtient dans le cas où le substrat revêtu est la nacre elle-même et qui, étant donné la morphologie de surface unique qu'il permet d'obtenir, donne à ce cadran le caractère d'un produit de luxe.According to a variant of the above process, instead of coating the mother-of-pearl substrate, the nacre could be used to make replicas and these replicas would be coated. As already mentioned, the disadvantage of this variant is that the resulting product then becomes perfectly standard and that the exclusive character that is obtained in the case where the coated substrate is mother-of-pearl is lost. and which, given the unique surface morphology it achieves, gives this dial the character of a luxury product.

L'intérêt principal du substrat de nacre réside bien dans le fait qu'il permet d'obtenir, par un processus industriel, un cadran d'aspect métallique dont la morphologie de surface ne sera jamais identique d'un cadran à l'autre, ce qui, évidemment, n'est pas le cas si on utilisait le procédé alternatif des répliques de nacre, étant donné que l'on ne peut pas faire un moule différent par cadran, chaque moule étant destiné à en produire un nombre quasi illimité.The main advantage of the mother of pearl substrate lies in the fact that it allows to obtain, by an industrial process, a dial of metallic appearance whose surface morphology will never be identical from one dial to another, which, obviously, is not the case if one used the alternative method of mother-of-pearl replicas, since one can not make a different mold per dial, each mold being intended to produce an almost unlimited number.

Pour réaliser ces répliques on dispose de plusieurs méthodes possibles, notamment les technique d'électroformage, d'injection de céramique ou de métallisation de plastique.To make these replicas there are several possible methods, including electroforming technique, ceramic injection or plastic metallization.

Dans tous les cas, on partirait d'une plaquette de nacre soumise aux étapes de sablage en milieu aqueux et de nettoyage susmentionnées.In any case, one would leave a mother-of-pearl plate subjected to the aforementioned steps of sanding in aqueous medium and cleaning.

Pour reproduire la morphologie de la surface de nacre ainsi obtenue, on injecterait sur cette surface de nacre, du plastique pour en prendre l'empreinte. On séparerait le plastique injecté de la plaquette de nacre. On procèderait à la métallisation de cette empreinte par dépôt PVD d'une couche mince (typiquement 0,1-1 µm) d'un métal noble ou alliage de métal noble (Au, Pt, AuCu notamment), comme indiqué précédemment et selon un processus opératoire tout à fait comparable. On ferait ensuite croître sur cette couche mince une couche métallique épaisse par galvanoplastie destinée à former le cadran. Cette couche serait de préférence en un métal non noble, tel que le cuivre, le nickel, l'argent et on dissoudrait finalement la matière plastique afin de faire apparaître la réplique de la plaque initiale de nacre sur le substrat formé par la couche épaisse obtenue par galvanoplastie.To reproduce the morphology of the mother-of-pearl surface thus obtained, it would be injected on this mother-of-pearl surface with plastic to take the impression of it. The injected plastic would be separated from the mother-of-pearl plate. The metallization of this footprint by PVD deposition of a thin layer (typically 0.1-1 μm) of a noble metal or alloy of noble metal (Au, Pt, AuCu in particular), as indicated above and according to a operating process quite comparable. This thin layer would then be expanded with a thick electroplating metal layer for forming the dial. This layer would preferably be a non-noble metal, such as copper, nickel, silver and finally dissolve the plastic material in order to reveal the replica of the initial plate of nacre on the substrate formed by the thick layer obtained by electroplating.

D'autres techniques connues de formation de répliques seraient utilisables. On pourrait, par exemple, former un moule à l'aide d'une empreinte de la surface de nacre sablée et nettoyée comme décrit précédemment, prise avec du silicone. On réaliserait dans ce moule une réplique en injectant ou en pressant de la céramique, telle que de la poudre d'alumine. On laisserait sécher la céramique, on la démoulerait, on brûlerait les liants contenus dans la céramique et on la fritterait.Other known techniques for forming replicas would be useful. One could, for example, form a mold using an imprint of the sanded nacre surface and cleaned as described above, taken with silicone. This mold would be made a replica by injecting or pressing ceramic, such as alumina powder. Let the ceramics dry, unmold, burn the binders contained in the ceramic and sinter.

Claims (8)

Cadran pour pièce d'horlogerie, dont la surface visible est d'aspect métallique, caractérisé en ce que l'état de surface de ladite surface d'aspect métallique présente une morphologie caractéristique de celle de la nacre.Dial for a timepiece, the visible surface of which has a metallic appearance, characterized in that the surface state of said metal-looking surface has a morphology characteristic of that of the mother-of-pearl. Cadran selon la revendication 1, dont la surface d'aspect métallique est formée par un revêtement, l'état de surface présentant ladite morphologie caractéristique de celle de la nacre étant celle d'un substrat sur lequel ledit revêtement est déposé.Dial according to claim 1, the surface of metallic appearance of which is formed by a coating, the surface state having said morphology characteristic of that of the nacre being that of a substrate on which said coating is deposited. Cadran selon la revendication 2, dans lequel ledit substrat est constitué par de la nacre.The dial of claim 2, wherein said substrate is mother-of-pearl. Cadran selon l'une des revendications 2 et 3, dont le revêtement a une épaisseur comprise entre 0,1 µm à 1 µm.Dial according to one of claims 2 and 3, the coating has a thickness between 0.1 .mu.m to 1 micron. Procédé de fabrication d'un cadran pour pièce d'horlogerie dont la surface visible comporte un revêtement d'aspect métallique dont l'état de surface présente une morphologie caractéristique de celle de la nacre, caractérisé en ce que l'on soumet une plaque de nacre à une opération de sablage pour lui donner un état de surface correspondant à la morphologie de cette nacre, on nettoie cette surface et on la revêt d'une couche métallique ou d'oxyde, nitrure ou carbure métallique.A method of manufacturing a dial for a timepiece whose visible surface comprises a coating of metallic appearance whose surface state has a morphology characteristic of that of the mother-of-pearl, characterized in that one submits a plate of nacre to a sanding operation to give it a surface state corresponding to the morphology of this nacre, this surface is cleaned and coated with a metal layer or oxide, nitride or metal carbide. Procédé selon la revendication 5 selon lequel on revêt la plaque de nacre sablée par dépôt physique en phase vapeur (PVD) avec pulvérisation magnétron d'une cible d'au moins un élément de revêtement.The method of claim 5 wherein the sandblasted mother-of-pearl plate is coated by physical vapor deposition (PVD) with magnetron sputtering of a target of at least one coating element. Procédé de fabrication d'un cadran pour pièce d'horlogerie selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que l'on soumet une plaque de nacre à une opération de sablage pour lui donner un état de surface caractéristique de sa morphologie, on nettoie cette surface, on prend l'empreinte de cette surface, on forme une réplique de ladite plaque de nacre et on revêt cette réplique d'une couche métallique ou d'oxyde, nitrure ou carbure métallique.Process for manufacturing a timepiece dial according to claim 1, characterized in that a mother-of-pearl plate is subjected to a sanding operation to give it a surface state characteristic of its morphology, this surface is cleaned , we take the impression of this surface, a replica of said mother-of-pearl plate is formed and this replica is coated with a metal layer or oxide, nitride or metal carbide. Procédé selon l'une des revendications 5 à 7, selon lequel ladite opération de sablage est un sablage en milieu aqueux.Method according to one of claims 5 to 7, wherein said sanding operation is a sanding in aqueous medium.
EP04405784A 2004-12-20 2004-12-20 Watch dial and manufacturing methods for such a dial Active EP1672436B1 (en)

Priority Applications (7)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE04405784T DE04405784T1 (en) 2004-12-20 2004-12-20 Clock dial and method of manufacture of this dial
EP04405784A EP1672436B1 (en) 2004-12-20 2004-12-20 Watch dial and manufacturing methods for such a dial
DE602004012585T DE602004012585T2 (en) 2004-12-20 2004-12-20 Clock dial and method of manufacture of this dial
CN200510129664.9A CN100582966C (en) 2004-12-20 2005-12-14 Timepiece dial and processes for manufacturing this dial
US11/300,257 US7420884B2 (en) 2004-12-20 2005-12-14 Timepiece dial and processes for manufacturing this dial
JP2005365397A JP5026698B2 (en) 2004-12-20 2005-12-19 Dial for watch parts and method for manufacturing the dial
HK06108173A HK1088668A1 (en) 2004-12-20 2006-07-21 Watch dial and manufacturing methods for such a dial

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EP1672436A1 true EP1672436A1 (en) 2006-06-21
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EP2874024A1 (en) * 2013-11-15 2015-05-20 The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd. Mother-of-pearl dial for concealed display
EP3339983A1 (en) * 2016-12-23 2018-06-27 The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd Mother-of-pearl substrate coated with a yellow layer
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CN102334784A (en) * 2010-07-27 2012-02-01 张康 Preparation method of pearl with high luster and high transparency
CN104980367B (en) 2014-04-03 2019-04-30 深圳市中兴微电子技术有限公司 A kind of limiting speed of token bucket method and apparatus
JP1577214S (en) * 2015-12-07 2017-05-22
EP3521945B1 (en) * 2018-02-05 2021-04-07 Montres Rado S.A. Dial for timepiece and method for manufacturing same
JP7232685B2 (en) * 2019-03-26 2023-03-03 セイコーインスツル株式会社 watch face and watch
CN114167526A (en) * 2020-09-11 2022-03-11 Oppo广东移动通信有限公司 Camera lens, preparation method and electronic equipment with camera lens

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CH707940A1 (en) * 2013-04-23 2014-10-31 Horlogers Dior Sa Atel Coin pearl and such a part manufacturing process.
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EP3671365A1 (en) 2018-12-19 2020-06-24 The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd Timepiece dial

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JP2006177957A (en) 2006-07-06
CN100582966C (en) 2010-01-20
HK1088668A1 (en) 2006-11-10
EP1672436B1 (en) 2008-03-19
JP5026698B2 (en) 2012-09-12
DE602004012585D1 (en) 2008-04-30
US7420884B2 (en) 2008-09-02
DE04405784T1 (en) 2007-01-04
DE602004012585T2 (en) 2009-04-16
CN1794113A (en) 2006-06-28
US20060133219A1 (en) 2006-06-22

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