GB2285149A

GB2285149A - Watch winder

Info

Publication number: GB2285149A
Application number: GB9322191A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tai Wo Ng
Original assignee: WELLGAIN PRECISION PRODUCTS LI; Wellgain Precision Products Ltd
Current assignee: WELLGAIN PRECISION PRODUCTS LI; Wellgain Precision Products Ltd
Priority date: 1993-10-28
Filing date: 1993-10-28
Publication date: 1995-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 2013-10-28
Also published as: CN1102261A; GB9322191D0; GB2285149B

Abstract

The watch winder has a hollow shaft 12 carrying a gear 14 at one end. A knob 13 is fixed to the shaft 12 which has keys 17 which are arranged to pass through keyways in the sides of an aperture 11 in rear surface 10 of the watch. In order to adjust the hands of the watch, the knob 13 is turned until the keys 18 can pass through the keyways. This allows the gear 14 to mesh with a gear 16 connected to the hands of the watch. When the hands are correctly set, the knob 13 is moved upwards to disengage the gears 14 and 16 and then turned to allow the keys 17 to pass through the keyways. <IMAGE>

Description

Watch The invention relates to watches.

The invention relates more particularly to a winder for a watch. Winders are already known which fit into a rear face of a watch and which are engaged by moving a gear transversely to the plane of the surface of the rear face.

Such arrangements have a lever which must be raised away from the rear surface and so pivotably move a shaft on which the gear is mounted. This causes the gear to engage a gear train inside the watch for moving the hands of the watch. Such winders are not particularly easy to use or to manufacture and are very difficult or impossible to provide in a water proof manner.

It is an object of the invention to provide a winder which overcomes or at least reduces these problems.

According to the invention there is provided a watch winder for engaging a gear train of a watch to alter the position of hands of the watch, the winder comprising a shaft on which a meshing gear is mounted arranged to move transversely to a plane of a rear surface of the watch to engage and disengage the gear train, biassing means to bias the gear towards the rear surface and a position where the meshing gear engages the gear train, and a knob at the end of the shaft having one or more keys on its side which can pass through key ways in the rear surface to allow the shaft to move towards the rear surface when the knob is orientated in at last one particular rotational position with respect to the rear surface.

An 0-ring may be included between an under surface of the knob and the rear surface.

A groove may be formed in an exterior surface of the knob to accept a small coin or screwdriver to facilitate turning the knob.

A watch winder according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of part of a watch with the winder disengaged; Figure 2 is a sectional side view of part of the watch with the winder engaged; and Figure 3 is an isometric view showing the winder engaged.

Referring to the drawings, a rear surface 10 of the watch has an aperture 11 provided to accept a winder shaft 12.

The shaft 12 extends from a knob 13 and carries a meshing gear 14 at its remote end. The shaft 12 is biassed by a spring 15 downwards and the shaft 12 is arranged to move towards to the rear surface 10 so that the gear 14 can engage and disengage a gear train (not shown) connected to a gear 16.

The shaft 12 is provided with two keys 17 (only one key is shown in Figures 1 and 2), which when the knob 13 is orientated correctly, can pass through keyways 19 and 20 formed in the surface 10. The knob 13 can then move from a position in Figure 1 to a position shown in figures 2 and 3 where the gears 14 and 16 mesh. An O-ring 21 fits between an undersurface of the knob 13 and the surface of the ledge 10.

In order to adjust the hands of the watch, the knob 13 is rotated until the keys 17 are aligned respectively with the keyways 19 and 20. The spring 15 then pushes the shaft 12 and the knob 13 downwards until the gear 14 meshes with the gear 16. The knob 13 is then turned to cause the hands of the watch to move as required. Once the hands are correctly set, the knob 13 is pressed upwards against the bias of the spring 15 to disengage the gears 14 and 16. The knob 13 is then rotated until the keys 18 can pass through the keyways 19 and 20. Once this has happened, the knob 13 is rotated again to position the keys 18 against an inner upper surface of the aperture 11 which holds the knob 13 upwards against the bias of the spring 15. The bias of the spring 15 presses the keys 18 against this inner surface to prevent the knob 13 inadvertently turning. In this position the O-ring 21 seals the gap between the knob and the surface 10.

In the described embodiment, there is a groove 22 formed in the surface of the knob 13 for receiving the edge of a small coin or a screwdriver, for example.

Claims

1. A watch winder for engaging a gear train of a watch to alter the position of hands of the watch, the winder comprising a shaft on which a meshing gear is mounted arranged to move transversely to a plane of a rear surface of the watch to engage and disengage the gear train, biassing means to bias the gear towards the rear surface and a position where the meshing gear engages the gear train, and a knob at the end of the shaft having one or more keys on its side which can pass through key ways in the rear surface to allow the shaft to move towards the rear surface when the knob is orientated in at last one particular rotational position with respect to the rear surface.

2. A winder according to claim 1, including an O-ring between an under surface of the knob and the rear surface.

3. A winder according to claim 1 or 2, in which a groove is formed in an exterior surface of the knob to accept a small coin or screwdriver to facilitate turning the knob.

4. A winder substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.