FR2672399A1 - Wristwatch or fob watch - Google Patents

Abstract

The wristwatch or fob watch includes, apart from a main dial (10) with main hour and minute hand (2, 3), a first city or time-zone indicator (1, 4), a second city or time-zone indicator (8), a secondary dial (9), possibly coinciding with the main dial, with a secondary hour hand and means sensitive to the offset between the first and the second indicator for moving the secondary hour hand by a value corresponding to the said offset, so as to indicate on the watch, on the secondary dial, the time corresponding to the time zone selected on the second indicator.

Description

 Wrist or pocket watches.

 The present invention relates to a wrist watch or pocket watch for selecting the main cities of the world and automatically displaying the time and possibly the date of the selected city.

 The watch according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises, in addition to a main dial with main hour and minute hands, a first city or meridian indicator or time zone, a second meridian city indicator or time zone , a secondary dial with a secondary hour hand and preferably a secondary minute hand, and means sensitive to the offset between the first and the second indicators for moving the secondary hour hand, and possibly the secondary hand minute, by a value corresponding to said offset, so as to cause the watch to indicate on the secondary dial the time corresponding to the time zone or meridian selected on the second indicator.

 Thus, for example, the main hands display on the main dial, the city time, for example PARIS, selected on the first indicator and the hands on the secondary dial indicate the local time of the city or the selected meridian on the second indicator.

 When a new city or meridian is selected on the secondary dial, the means detect the new offset and cause a corresponding rotation of the secondary hand (s) to display again, on the secondary dial, the local time of the selected city .

 The indicators can be moved by mechanical and / or electrical means and the watch can advantageously include means such as pushers or other manual actuating members to cause the displacement of the indicator. The indicator or indicators can also be designed in the manner of rotary crowns which can be rotated directly, in the manner of the crown of a diving watch, by the user.

 The means sensitive to the offset between the indicators may be purely mechanical, but it is preferred that they be electrical and memorize the offsets between the hours as a function of the respective angular positions of the indicators.

 Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will appear on reading the following description, given by way of nonlimiting example and referring to the appended drawing in which FIGS. 1 to 3 represent three exemplary embodiments of the invention.

 We refer to figure 1.

 The local city (known as the reference) is displayed using an internal disk and a window 1 of determined color (black for example), the time displayed by the large hands 2,3 corresponding to the so-called local reference city chosen 4, a push button 5 allowing the selection thereof (possibly the date on another window 6). The display of the name of the sought-after city is carried out using a push button 7, which actuates a micro motor, itself in relation to a system which stores the hours taking into account the meridians or are the different cities; the name of the city appears in a window 8 which can be of a different color (red for example). These cities appear on an internal disc concentric with the first.

 The time of the selected city is displayed on a small dial 9 included in the main dial 10; hands 11, 12 are automatically placed at the time of the city whose name appears in the red window.

 The pushers can also be buttons with manual or mechanical control, or a combination of two techniques.

 The display of cities can be considered using the (simpler) liquid crystal technique, but this solution is less elegant.

 We refer to figure 2.

 The watch in this case has a third central hand 13 of a different color (red for example) and the watch on its periphery indicates the different meridians, as well as the main corresponding cities, (or one or the other; the two n '' being not absolutely essential), a push button 15. allows this needle to be placed in front of the city or group of cities corresponding to the chosen meridian, and this selection also triggers the hands of the small dial 9, which thanks to the stored hours and the (x) micro-motor (s), indicates the hour corresponding to the meridian, to the group of cities, or to the chosen city; and optionally activates the date change in the window 16 provided for this purpose and of different color (red for example). According to the same principle as the system of FIG. 1, another window 1 of black color displays the name of the city reference, called local. The display in the windows can be carried out by a rotating disc, or the memorization of a memory with display using liquid crystals; the first system (rotating disc) seems more readable and more elegant.

 However, if the display of the date overly complicates the system, in technology or available volume, it does not seem to be absolutely essential, and one can consider excluding it, also for reasons of cost, which could affect the cost price of this watch.

 The controls can be push buttons or buttons that are actuated by manual rotation, depending on the technologies available and the volume occupied by the memory (s) and the micromotor (s); or the combination of the two techniques.

 If it is technically possible to display the two dates, this watch would be of additional interest (by displaying the respective dates in two windows of different colors).

 We refer to figure 3.

 The peripheral crown 17 is movable and actuated by a rotary button or a push button 18 and the selection is made by positioning the crown 17 (this comprising the meridians and the cities; or one or the other) in front of a reference 19 , colored (for example red) located on the dial (in the shape of a point), the chosen position activating the time setting on the dial 9 included, and if possible the date corresponding to the chosen city, according to the same principles memory, microprocessor and micro-motor techniques; a window 1 of different color must be provided in order to display the name of the so-called local reference city (black for example) carried by a disc constituting the first indicator.

 The crown 17, forming the second indicator, can be actuated manually (as for a diving watch) and it is the user who places the meridian or the desired city in front of the colored marker 19 in the shape of a triangle (point oriented well heard towards the chosen city); and as soon as the choice is made, an internal contact linked to the position of the crown instantly triggers the movement of the hands of the small dial 9 which will indicate the time corresponding to the chosen city or meridian.

 A window 6 of different color displays the date of the so-called reference city (black for example). These cities (at least 21) appear on the internal disk constituting the first indicator.

Claims (7)

CLAIMS.  1. Wrist watch or pocket watch, characterized in that it comprises, in addition to a main dial (10) with main hour and minute hands (2,3), a first city indicator or time zone (1, 4), a second city indicator or time zone (8, 13, 19), a secondary dial (9), which may possibly be confused with the main dial, with a secondary hour hand and means sensitive to the difference between the first and second indicator for moving the secondary hour hand, by a value corresponding to said offset, so as to cause the watch to indicate, on the secondary dial, the time corresponding to the time zone selected on the second indicator.  2. Watch according to claim 1, characterized in that said means comprise a memorization of the offset between time zones, and at least one microprocessor acting on the secondary hand.  3. Watch according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the main indicator and the secondary indicator are two concentric or juxtaposed internal discs, with respective manual control means and associated windows.  4. Watch according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the main indicator is a disc and the secondary indicator a needle (13) associated with a fixed crown (14) subdivided according to the cities or meridians.  5. Watch according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the secondary indicator is a movable crown (17) subdivided according to the cities or meridians and associated with a fixed reference (19).  6. Watch according to claim 5, characterized in that the crown can be actuated manually like a diving watch.  7. Watch according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a separate secondary dial, with secondary hour and minute hands.