EP1359477B1 - Wrist watch provided with folding bottom - Google Patents

Abstract

Wristwatch has an opening bottom with a bottom cover (5) that is articulated using a hinge (14) incorporated in the housing and hidden beneath the cover. Closing of the cover is by its meshing with the casing, while the device for opening the cover is integrated in one of the ends of the watch strap (15) and comprises a pivoting organ, one end of which is situated between the watch casing and the upper face of the cover.

Description

The present invention relates to a bottom-opening watch case and its opening device. The existing bottom-opening watch cases include a bottom or rear window sealingly sealing the box, and a hinged bottom on the box bottom bezel. The bottom comprises a snap coupling, located opposite its hinge, with said box bottom bezel for maintaining the closed position of the bottom. At the location of this coupling, the bottom and possibly the bottom bezel of the box, comprises an actuating member formed by a slot, for example to exert traction on the bottom to open it by rotating it around. its hinge. This opening is done either with a tool but more generally with the nail. The user can thus at any time have a visual access to the rear face of the watch movement by opening the bottom.

The disadvantage of this type of open-bottom watch case lies mainly in the fact that the hinge, and especially the actuator for opening the bottom, are apparent and detract from the aesthetics of the box.

Document US Pat. No. 2,412,262 discloses a jewelry watch case provided with a cover which tends to be applied to the upper surface of the box by means of a spring. An actuator is provided for manual opening of the lid. This operating member is pivoted on the watch case on the same side as the hinge connecting the cover to said watch case. Such a construction requires a spring and a cumbersome and visible maneuvering device.

The object of the present invention is to allow the realization of a watch bottom opening in which, both the hinge of the bottom and the organs necessary for its opening, are invisible and therefore do not affect the appearance of the watch.

The subject of the present invention is a wristwatch having an opening bottom making it possible to obviate the abovementioned drawbacks and to achieve the aim stated above which is distinguished by the features set forth in claim 1.

• La figure 1 est une coupe d'une boîte de montre à fond ouvrant selon l'invention.
• Les figures 2 et 3 illustrent des variantes du mécanisme d'ouverture du fond de la boîte.
• La figure 4 illustre en coupe une seconde forme d'exécution de la montre selon l'invention.

The accompanying drawing illustrates schematically and by way of example two embodiments of the watch object of the present invention.

• Figure 1 is a sectional view of an open bottom watch case according to the invention.
• Figures 2 and 3 illustrate variants of the opening mechanism of the bottom of the box.
• Figure 4 illustrates in section a second embodiment of the watch according to the invention.

The wristwatch having a bottom-opening box according to the present invention is illustrated in a first embodiment in FIG. 1 and comprises a watch case formed of a middle part 1, of an upper bezel 2 on which is fixed a ice 3, a bottom window 4 on which is pivoted by means of a hinge a bottom cover 5 closing on the bottom bezel 4 by snapping. This bottom window 4 serves to support a bottom window 6. This box is sealed thanks to the ice joints 7, 8 and the joints 9, 10 between the middle part 1 and the glasses 2, 4.

This watch case contains a movement 11 fixed in any known manner on the middle part 1, for example by means of a casing ring 12, surmounted by a dial 13.

The bottom cover 5 is pivoted on the bottom window 4 by means of a hinge 14 and, on the opposite side, the free end of the cover 5 forms a snap-fit coupling with the bottom window 4.

The bottom cover 5 extends beyond the hinge 14 towards the edge of the middle part 1 so as to hide the hinge 14 which becomes invisible to an observer looking at the watch from the rear thereof.

A bracelet 15 is fixed between two horns 16 of the box by means of a bar 17. The rigid insert 18 inserted in the end of the bracelet 15 located towards the hinge 14 is cut in 19 to allow the opening of the bottom cover 5 and the deflection of the part of it overflowing the hinge 14.

The end of the bracelet 15 located on the side where the bottom cover 5 is snapped onto the bottom bezel 4, has a recessed insert 18a to form a housing 20 enclosing a tube 21, surrounding the central portion of the bar 17, provided with an aperture pallet 22 extending into a recess 23 located between the edge of the bottom cover 5 and the middle part 1, and a maneuvering pallet 24 extending inside the bracelet over a certain length.

When the watch is mounted, the bracelet 15 being fixed on the watch case, and if we watch the watch from its rear face, we can see neither the hinge 14 nor the opening device of the bottom cover 5. The aesthetics of the watch is not disturbed, nor by the hinge of the bottom cover 5 or its tab or other gripping members for its opening.

To open the bottom cover 5 simply the user, having removed his watch from his wrist, to move the maneuvering pallet 24 by pressing the end of the bracelet 15 in the direction of arrow F, or upwards of the watch, to cause the rotation of the tube 21 and the opening pallet 22 which presses on the edge of the lid 5 and the release of the notch of the bottom window 4. The cover can then be fully opened manually. To close the lid 5, simply apply it strongly against the bottom bezel 4 to snap the coupling.

Thus all the opening device of the bottom cover 5 is integrated into the bracelet and the watch case, and nothing is visible and disturbs the design of the watch. In addition, the opening and closing of the cover are very easy to perform manually and require no tools.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the opening pallet 22 terminates in a fork 30 engaged on the stem of a screw 31 whose head 32 bears on the cover 5, and whose end is screwed into a nut or washer 33 housed at the bottom of a blind hole 34 formed in the middle part 1. This nut 33 is subjected to the action of a return spring 35 bearing on a plate 36 integral with the middle part 1.

This aperture pallet 22 is directly connected to the maneuvering pallet 24. The pivot point of the vanes 22, 24 is formed by the angle that it forms between them, abutting against the angle of the recess 20. insert 18a.

In this embodiment, the insert 18 and / or 18a is screwed into the middle part or middle case of the watch case to attach the bracelet.

In such an embodiment the vanes 22, 24 are normally maintained in the inactive position by the spring 35.

Many other embodiments of the device for opening the lid 5 are conceivable without departing from the scope of the present invention which consists in accommodating in the end of the strap attached to the watch case an actuating member for acting on the lid 5 to provoke its opening.

FIG. 3 illustrates another variant of the actuating member formed of the vanes 22 and 24, mounted in the end of the bracelet 15. Here, this actuating member comprises a lug 37 abutting against the bar 17 allowing the vanes 22, 24 to oscillate around this bar under the action of a push of the user to cause the opening of the bottom cover 5.

FIG. 4 illustrates in section another embodiment of the wristwatch comprising a box provided with a bottom cover and an upper cover 40, both of which can be opened with the aid of an integrated maneuvering device. in the box and his bracelet.

The bottom cover 5, its mounting and its opening, are as described in the first embodiment with the aid of the actuating member 21, 22, 24 incorporated in the insert 18a of the end of the bracelet. 15.

In this embodiment, the middle part 1 is a middle-bezel which carries the movement 11 and serves as a support for the upper window 3. An upper cover 40 is pivoted by means of a hinge 41 on this caseband-bezel 1 and comes clipping the opposite on a rim 42 of this middle-telescope 1.

The middle-bezel 1 is traversed axially by a passage 43 having a shoulder 44, its larger diameter part being directed towards the underside of the watch. A pusher 45 is engaged in this passage 43 and its head 46 rests on the upper face of the opening pallet 22. The upper end of this pusher 45 is intended to cooperate with the face lower of the upper cover 40 when the opening pallet 22 is moved upwards of the watch case thus causing the opening of the upper cover 40.

In this embodiment, the opening pallet 22 of the operating member 21, 22, 24 thus acts either on the bottom cover 5 or on the upper cover 40 according to the direction of movement which is printed to it by the operating pallet 24.

Such a watch may not have upper ice 3 and serve the visually impaired who could manually locate the position of the needles and thus read the time.

In a variant, the bottom window 4 could have come from a workpiece with the caseband 1.

In other variants, only the upper cover 40 could be actuated by the operating device described with reference to Figure 4. In this case, the bottom of the box can be a fixed base for example screwed.

In addition, in a variant with a top cover 40 opening, with a fixed bottom or opening bottom 5, the watch case can be arranged to serve as a case for a pocket watch. Thus, the pocket watch can be used for itself or placed in said case and be used as a wristwatch whose top cover 40 is opened to read the time.

Claims (10)

1. Wrist watch with a watch case with folding bottom, the folding bottom or bottom lid (5) being articulated with the aid of a hinge (14) on an element of the case (1, 4) and this hinge (14) being housed in a hollow made in this element of the case (1, 4), and hidden behind the lid (5), characterised in that the lid is closed by being snapped into the element of the case (1, 4); and in that a device for opening the bottom lid (5) is integrated into one of the ends of the bracelet (15) fixed at the case, this device for opening comprising an oscillating handling element the end (22) of which is situated between the element of the case (1, 4) and the upper face of the bottom lid (5) on the side where this bottom lid (5) is snapped into the case (1, 4), that is, the side opposite to hinge (14).
2. Watch according to claim 1, characterised in that the bottom lid (5) is articulated on a bottom bezel (4) which itself is tightly fastened to the middle (1) of the case, the active end (22) of the handling element being situated in a bearing (23) made in the middle (1).
3. Watch according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that a bottom crystal sits on the middle (1) or on the bottom bezel (4).
4. Watch according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the end of the bracelet (15) comprises a hollow insert (18a) the bearing (20) of which houses in part the handling element (21, 22, 24).
5. Watch according to claim 4, characterised in that the handling element comprises a tubular section (21) surrounding a bar (17) for fixing the bracelet (15) that is integral with a handling blade (24) situated in the bracelet (15) and with an operating blade (22) cooperating with the bottom lid (5) of the watch case.
6. Watch according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the handling element (21, 22, 24) is subject to the action of a return spring (35) tending to hold it in its inactive position.
7. Watch according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the case also comprises an upper crystal (3) situated in a bezel (2) or middle and bezel (1).
8. Watch according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the watch case comprises a middle and bezel (1) on which is pivoted an upper lid (40) the closing of which is assured by snapping into this middle and bezel (1), and in that a push-piece (45, 46) slidingly mounted in an axial passage (43) made in the middle and bezel (1) has a head (46) cooperating with the handling element (21, 22, 24) as well as a free end cooperating with the bottom face of the upper lid (40) thus allowing an opening of this lid.
9. Wrist watch with a watch case and a bracelet fixed to this case, the case comprising a middle and bezel (1) or a middle as well as a bezel on which is pivoted an upper lid (40) the closing of which is assured by snapping into this bezel; characterised in that a push-piece (45, 46) slidingly mounted into an axial passage (43) made in the middle and bezel (1) has a head (46) cooperating with the end (22) of an oscillating handling element (22, 24) of a device for opening of the lid integrated into one of the ends of a bracelet (15) fixed on the case.
10. Watch according to claim 9, characterised in that the end of the bracelet (15) comprises a hollow insert (18a) the bearing (20) of which houses in part the handling element (22, 24).

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