GB2243003A

GB2243003A - Wrist watch

Info

Publication number: GB2243003A
Application number: GB9106438A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Masayuki Akasaka
Original assignee: Seiko Corp
Current assignee: Seiko Corp
Priority date: 1990-03-28
Filing date: 1991-03-26
Publication date: 1991-10-16
Anticipated expiration: 2011-03-26
Also published as: CH681675GA3; GB2243003B; CH681675B5; GB9106438D0; JPH03123290U; HK10495A

Abstract

A wrist watch which includes a watch case (1) and a watch band (2) is formed by casting, sintering or powder moulding. The watch case and the watch band have surfaces (18, 28) provided with an ornamental pattern during formation thereof and may be formed of metal or ceramic. <IMAGE>

Description

1 WRIST WATCH is g: 13 c.) c):2- This invention relates to wrist watches

and particularly, but not exclusively, relates to wrist watches made of metal or ceramic material with surface ornamentation.

Wrist watches have ornamental surfaces to give them an attractive appearance. Engraved ornamental pattern provided on surfaces of wrist watches is an important factor in enhancing their commercial value. For this reason, high priced wrist watches made of noble metals have various elaborate ornamental patterns provided on their watch cases and watch bands. Such ornamental patterns are manually formed by skilled workmen.

The forming of such ornamental patterns sharply increases the manufacturing cost of wrist watches because of the manual operation by skilled workmen. Thus it is impossible to provide engraved ornamental patterns on relatively low priced wrist watches from the point of manufacturing cost. Furthermore, cutting ornamental patterns produces a great deal of chips or swarf which involves loss of valuable material, resulting in a considerable increase in manufacturing cost.

Accordingly, the present invention seeks to provide a wrist watch which is provided with an ornamental pattern at a lower cost than the conventional wrist watch, without any significant loss of valuable material.

Although the present invention is primarily directed to any novel integer or step, or combination of integers or steps, herein disclosed and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings, nevertheless, according to one particular aspect of the present invention to which, 2 however, the invention is in no way restricted, there is provided a wrist watch which includes a watch case and a watch band formed by casting, sintering, or powder moulding, the watch case and the watch band having surfaces provided with an ornamental pattern during formation thereof.

According to the present invention an ornamental pattern may be formed without any cutting operation since the watch case and the watch band are each provided with a pattern during formation by casting, sintering or powder moulding. Thus productivity of the wrist watch is enhanced without loss of material, and this enables considerable reduction in manufacturing cost.

Preferably, a case frame of the watch case and the watch band are formed of the same material by the same method, lateral edges of the case frame and corresponding lateral edges, adjacent thereto, of the watch band having the same pattern.

The pattern of the case frame and the pattern on the watch band may each comprise serrations. In one embodiment the serrations of the case frame have the same pitch as the serrations of the watch band. Thus the serrations of the case frame may be in phase with the serrations of the watch band.

In one embodiment the serrations of the case frame and the serrations of the watch band extend cross-wise.

In another embodiment the serrations of the case frame and the serrations of the watch band extend laterally.

According to another non-restrictive aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making a wrist watch comprising a watch case and a watch band by casting, sintering or powder moulding the watch case and a 1 1 3 is watch band with surfaces provided with an ornamental pattern.

The invention is illustrated, merely by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the essential parts of a wrist watch according to the present invention; Figure 2 is an exploded view of the wrist watch of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a an enlarged exploded perspective view showing parts of a watch band of the wrist watch of Figure 1; Figures 4A to 4C are enlarged fragmental views of modified forms of vertical serrations of the wrist watch of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of the wrist watch of Figure 1, the wrist watch being provided with lateral serrations; Figures 6A to 6C are enlarged fragmental views of modified forms of lateral serrations of the wrist watch of Figure 5; and Figures 7 and 8 are perspective views of modified forms of the wrist watch of Figure 5, the modified wrist watches being provided with rope shaped patterns.

Throughout the drawings, like parts have been designated by the same reference numerals.

A wrist watch according to the present invention is illustrated in Figure 1. The wrist watch comprises a case frame IA of a watch case 1 and a watch band 2 made of the same material. The material used for the watch case and the watch band may, for example, be metal or a ceramic material. The case frame 1A is provided in opposite lateral edges 1B with imprinted or impressed vertical serrations. The.watch band 2 is joined at.

4 is opposite ends 2A to corresponding edges 1C of the case frame 1A. The watch band 2 also has vertical serrations 4 of the same pattern as those of the vertical serrations 3 of the case frame 1A. The vertical serrations 4 are formed in opposite lateral edges 2B of the watch band 2. The vertical serrations 3, 4 are substantially continuous or contiguous to form a complete pattern. More specifically, the vertical serrations 3, 4 are formed so that they are of equal pitch and phase with each other at interfaces 20 between the case frame 1A and the wrist band 2.

As shown in Figure 2, the case frame 1A of the watch case 1 and the watch band 2 are joined by a joining pin 5, such as a spring bar, as conventional. The watch band 2 is, as shown in Figure 2, composed of two rows of outer links 6, 7 and a row of centrally interposed links 8. Corresponding outer links 6, 7 and interposed links 8 are connected by connection pins 9 (Figure 3).

The case frame 1A may be formed by, for example, casting, sintering or powder moulding. The vertical serrations 3 are formed during the fabrication of the case frame 1A. More specifically, the case frame 1A is formed by a mould or a die (not shown) having complementary serrations formed in inner surfaces thereof. Furthermore, the outer links 6, 7 and the connection pins 9 are produced by the same method as the case frame 1A and, similar to the vertical serrations 3, the vertical serrations 4 are formed during production.

The formation of the vertical serrations 3, 4 by moulding includes, for example, the steps of: fabricating a metal pattern; fabricating a rubber pattern; cutting the rubber pattern; fabricating a wax pattern; correcting the wax pattern; assembling the wax pattern; burying the wax pattern in an investment material; de-waxing; casting; and finishing. The formation of the vertical serrations 3, 4 by sintering includes, for example, the steps of: mixing a metallic powder with a binder; injecting moulding the mixed material into a dye; de- binding; sintering; and post-processing. The formation of the vertical serrations 3, 4 by powder moulding includes, for example, the steps of: injection moulding a metallic powder into a die; pressurised sintering; and postprocessing.

Which method is adopted depends on the kind of material used for the case frame and the watch band, the pattern of the vertical serrations 3, 4, price of the wrist watch, etc.

Various modified forms of the vertical serrations 3, 4 are illustrated in Figures 4A to 4C. The vertical serrations shown in Figure 4A are rectangular in cross section. The vertical serrations 3, 4 in Figures 4B and 4C have a semi-circular cross section, the vertical serrations of Figure 4B being larger in pitch than those of Figure 4C.

Figure 5 illustrates a modification of the wrist watch of Figure 1, where the case frame 1A of the watch case 1 and the.watch band 2 have their respective opposite lateral edges 1B, 2B provided with substantially continuous or contiguous lateral serrations 10, 11 respectively. Furthermore, the connection links 8 of the watch band 2 have cross-wise serrations 12 in their upper surfaces.

Figures 6A to 6C show various modified forms of the lateral serrations 10, 11 of Figure 5.

In the wrist watch according to the present invention shown in Figure 7, the case frame 1A and the 6 watch case 1 and the watch band 2 have their opposite lateral edges IB, 2B provided with vertical or crosswise rope shaped or saw tooth serrations 13. Outer links 6, 7, and connection links 8 also have vertical or cross-wise rope shaped serrations 14 which have the same pattern as the serrations 13.

A further modified form of the wrist watch of Figure 1 is illustrated in Figure 8 in which the case frame 1A of the watch case 1 and the watch band 2 have three rows of lateral rope shaped or knurled serrations 15, 16, respectively.

In the described embodiments of the present invention, the watch case 1 and the watch band 2 are fabricated by the same method, using the same material. However, the watch case 1 and the watch band 2 may be made of different materials, and further may be formed by different methods.

1 i 1 i 7

Claims

C L A I M S

1. A wrist watch which includes a watch case and a watch band formed by casting, sintering, or powder moulding, the watch case and the watch band having surfaces provided with an ornamental pattern during formation thereof.

2. A wrist watch as claimed in claim 1 in which a case frame of the watch case and the watch band are formed of the same material by the same method, lateral edges of the case frame and corresponding lateral edges, adjacent thereto, of the watch band having the same pattern.

3. A wrist watch as claimed in claim 2 in which the pattern of the case frame and the pattern of the watch band each comprise serrations.

4. A wrist watch as claimed in claim 3 in which the serrations of the case frame have the same pitch as the serrations of the watch band.

5. A wrist watch as claimed in claim 3 or 4 in which the serrations of the case frame are in phase with the serrations of the watch band.

6. A wrist watch as claimed in any of claims 3 to 5 in which the serrations of the case frame and the serrations of the watch band extend cross-wise.

7. A wrist watch as claimed in any of claims 3 to 6 in which the serrations of the case frame and the serrations of the watch band extend laterally.

8. A wrist watch substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

9. A method of making a wrist watch comprising a watch case and a watch band by casting, sintering or powder moulding the watch case and watch band with 8 is surfaces provided with an ornamental pattern.

10. Any novel integer or step, or combination of integers or steps, hereinbefore described and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings, irrespective of whether the present claim is within the scope of or relates to the same, or a different, invention from that of the preceding claims.

11. In a wrist watch which includes a watch case and a watch band, characterised in that the watch case and the watch band are each formed according to one of casting, sintering and powder moulding, and in that the watch case and the watch band are each provided in surfaces thereof with an ornamental pattern during forming thereof.

Published 1991 at The Paten! Office. Concept House. CardiffRoad. Neu-port. Gwent NP9 I RH. Further copies maybe obtained from Sales Branch. Unit 6. \ine Mile Point. CAmfelinfat.'-.- C ross Keys. Newport. NPI 7HZ. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd. St Marv Cray. Kent.

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