WO2013150270A1

WO2013150270A1 - Left-handed watch movement

Info

Publication number: WO2013150270A1
Application number: PCT/GB2013/050764
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard Hoptroff
Original assignee: Richard Hoptroff
Priority date: 2012-04-05
Filing date: 2013-03-25
Publication date: 2013-10-10
Also published as: GB2492437A; GB201206184D0; GB2492437B

Abstract

This invention relates to the manufacture of analogue wristwatches to be worn on the right wrist by left-handed people. It considers watch movement designs that reduce watchmakers manufacturing costs by allowing all other parts (dial, case, etc) to be made from the same stock as right-handed movements of identical appearance and function.

Description

LEFT-HANDED WATCH MOVEMENT

This invention relates to the manufacture of analogue wristwatches to be worn on the right wrist by left-handed people. It considers watch movement designs that reduce watchmaker's manufacturing costs by allowing all other parts (dial, case, etc) to be made from the same stock as right-handed movements of identical appearance and function.

Traditionally, watches have been worn on the left wrist, with controls such as pushers and winding crown on the right side of the watch. This is so that they can be operated by the right hand, which suits the majority of people, who are right-handed.

It may be argued, however, that placing the controls on the left side of the watch, and wearing it on the right wrist, is more convenient for left-handed people. The general principle is that the ideal left-handed version of a watch should be identical to its right-handed counterpart except that its controls are on the opposite side(s) to compensate for being worn on the opposite wrist; ideally reflected in the vertical axis.

The drawback is the cost of developing a left-handed case and/or dial to serve a minority market. Watch models are generally produced in low volume, so the economies of scale simply don't exist to make left-handed watches generally viable. In any case, the inconvenience of being left-handed but having to wear a right-handed watch is moderate, at most.

The state of the art, applicable to simple watches with only pointers such as hours and minutes that radiate from the centre of the dial, tackles the drawback by using a case (Ί 01 ', figure 1 ) and associated control or controls '106' that are, as a group, symmetric about the horizontal axis Ί 02'. If the watch is assembled with the case ('201 ', figure 2) and movement rotated by 180 °, while dial '103' and hands '104' stay in their original positions, a left-handed watch is created using exactly the same components as the right-handed version, therefore at no extra cost. It should also be noted that the means of attachment between the dial (301 in figure 3) and the movement (302), such as dial posts (303, 304) and their corresponding post mounting holes (305, 306) must be positioned diametrically opposite each other. This is, however, generally true in most instances. There is no similar limitation on the means for orienting the movement (401 in figure 4) to the case (402), such as a notch (403) or crown stem (404), since all are rotated together.

A limitation of the state of the art is that it does not readily extend to watch movements that, control positions aside, are not invariant in both position and function when rotated by 180° ('complicated watches'). A classic example is the Panerai Luminor Marina (501 , figure 5), which has a left-handed version (502). The seconds sub-dial is translated from the left side (503) to the right side (504), requiring a separate dial to be manufactured. The situation is made even more complex with chronograph movements, since the functions of the upper and lower pushers are inverted in the left-handed watch, thus interpretation of both the dial display and control function are altered.

(31 -day date plates are an interesting exception. While apparently not invariant under rotation by 180 °, due to the odd number of date positions, this is resolved by changing the visual appearance of the otherwise identical part, i.e. the date plate is simply painted differently to accommodate a modified visual appearance, which is not uncommon in watchmaking.) According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a watch movement as claimed in Claim 1 . According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a watch movement as claimed in Claim 4.

This invention employs a different approach to making complicated left-handed watches. Rather than rotating the existing movement, a left-handed but otherwise identical version of the movement is manufactured. Watch movements are manufactured in much greater volumes than watches. They have much lower customization costs than the visible watch parts, and so the economies of scale make the approach more viable. The cases and dials can be identical for both left-handed and right-handed versions, which is economically more important due to their higher costs and reduced volumes of manufacture. With care, the left- handed and right-handed movements can be designed with symmetries that make them physically identical, and possibly functionally, too, thus reducing costs all round.

Accordingly, and with reference to figure 6, the invention is the following watch movement device or pair of devices:

1 . Left-handed watch movement '601 ' is manufactured in addition to a right-handed counterpart '602' whose form and function is to be identical in every respect except the position of the control actuators at the side of the movement. The actuators '604' (which connect to the controls on the case) in the left-handed movement are positioned as if rotated 180 ° compared to the right-handed watch '603', to allow a left-handed watch to be manufactured using the same case (rotated 180°) and dial as the right handed watch. 2. Any means '613' for aligning the movement '602' to the case is rotated 180 ° ('614') in the left-handed movement '601 '.

3. Any means '615', '616' for aligning the right-handed movement '602' to the dial is maintains its original position ('617', '618') in the left-handed movement '601 '.

4. Indicators on the face of the movement maintain their original positions and functions. 5. Three special instances exist:

a. Where the actuators in the left-handed movement are assigned functions by reflecting the functions of the right-handed watch in the vertical axis '610'. b. Where no two actuators occupy opposite positions with reference to the vertical axis, controls may be provided for both left-handed and right-handed versions in the same movement, i.e. left-handed and right-handed watches can be made from a single movement.

c. Where actuators are electrical switches that trigger functions in software, controls may be provided for left-handed and right-handed versions using the same piece of physical hardware, i.e. left-handed and right-handed watches are made from a single movement simply by changing the software.

In cases (b) and (c) above, both case alignment means '613' and '614' noted in (2) above need to be provided in the same movement. An embodiment of the invention is shown in figure 7, being right-handed and left-handed versions of the Dickens quartz analog movement manufactured by Hoptroff Ltd.

In movement 701 ' four push switch actuators are provided 702', 703', 704', 705'. 702' and 703' are used by the pushers when the case is oriented for right-handed manufacture. Their mirror-images 704' and 705' respectively (with reference to the vertical axis) are used by the pushers when the case is oriented for left-hand manufacture. Actuators 702' and 704' perform the same functions as each other. Actuators 703' and 705' perform the same functions as each other.

Alignment notches 707' and 708' are provided for both right-handed and left-handed orientation of case.

The result is a single movement that requires only one case design and dial design in order to produce both left-handed '801 ' and right-handed '802' versions of the same watch (figure 8). Indeed, any competent watch repairer could modify the handedness of the watch at any point during its life.

Claims

IMS

A watch movement, having a left hand side for alignment with a left hand side of a case, and a right hand side for alignment with a right hand side of a case, the watch movement comprising

a first left hand actuator on a left hand side of the watch movement; and a first right hand actuator on a right hand side of the watch movement, wherein the first left hand and right hand actuators operate the movement in an identical manner.

A watch movement as claimed in Claim 1 , further comprising a second left hand actuator on the left hand side of the watch movement, and a second right hand actuator on the right hand side of the watch movement, wherein the second left hand and right hand actuators operate the movement in an identical manner.

A watch movement as claimed in either Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the watch movement is for a complicated watch, and has a face including one or more indications for complications.

A watch movement for a complicated watch, the watch movement having a face including one or more indications for complications, a left hand side for alignment with a left hand side of a case, and a right hand side for alignment with a right hand side of a case, the watch movement comprising

at least one actuator on the left hand side of the watch movement, and no actuators on the right hand side of the watch movement. A waich including the waich movement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

A watch movement substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 6 to 8.