EP2074484B9 - Timepiece - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to timepieces, and in particular wristwatches, in which the movement is placed in a closed box and this box is itself fixed to a support device, and in particular to a fastening device. to the bracelet in the case of wristwatches, this device being distinct from the box, but surrounding it.

In most currently known wristwatches, there is a single organ called the case, which combines the two functions of keeping the movement locked in an enclosed space, usually sealed, and connecting it to the bracelet to allow wearing shows it easily on the wrist. However, there are also numerous embodiments in which these two functions are separated in order to meet different needs such as simplification of the manufacture of the box, variation of the aesthetics of the fastening device, improvement of the sealing properties, etc. . The German patent application DE 10305305 A1 describes a wristwatch of this type, but it only partially meets the stated requirements. The US patent US 5,652,736 describes a wristwatch to which is attached an ornamental container, said watch disclosing the technical features of the preamble of claim 1.

The object of the present invention is to create a timepiece, and in particular a wristwatch, of the kind mentioned at the beginning, which meets these requirements better than the timepieces already known.

For this purpose, the present invention relates to a timepiece as defined in claim 1.

Other variants of the invention are also defined in claims 2 to 10.

• Les fig. 1 et 2 sont des vues en perspective du dispositif d'attache au bracelet, respectivement dans la première et la seconde des formes d'exécution données en exemple,
• Les fig. 3, 4 et 5 sont des vues également en perspective de la première forme d'exécution de la montre, sans le bracelet,
• Les fig. 6 et 7 sont des vues en perspective d'une variante de la première forme d'exécution avec le bracelet,
• Les fig. 8, 9 et 10 sont des vues en perspective de la seconde forme d'exécution de la montre avec son bracelet,
• Les fig. 11 et 12 sont des vues en perspective d'une autre forme d'exécution carrée du dispositif d'attache,
• Les fig. 13 et 14 sont des vues en perspective d'une forme d'exécution ovale du dispositif d'attache, et
• La fig. 15 est une vue en perspective d'une montre comportant un dispositif d'attache selon une autre forme d'exécution.

Various embodiments of wristwatches according to the invention and a few variants are described below, by way of example, with reference to the appended drawings, of which:

• The Fig. 1 and 2 are perspective views of the strap attachment device, respectively in the first and second of the exemplary embodiments,
• The Fig. 3, 4 and 5 are also perspective views of the first embodiment of the watch, without the bracelet,
• The Fig. 6 and 7 are perspective views of a variant of the first embodiment with the bracelet,
• The Fig. 8, 9 and 10 are perspective views of the second embodiment of the watch with its bracelet,
• The Fig. 11 and 12 are perspective views of another form of square execution of the fastening device,
• The Fig. 13 and 14 are perspective views of an oval embodiment of the fastening device, and
• The Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a watch having a fastening device according to another embodiment.

A remarkable feature of the watch, several embodiments of which are shown in the drawing, is the structure of the strap attachment device. The Fig. 1 and 2 represent this structure in its application to a round watch and a rectangular watch, respectively. In both cases, the attachment device is entirely formed of elongated elements having an invariable section and profile over their entire length, which allows a simple and rational prefabrication. These profiled elements may be plastic or metal, especially gold, made of precious or semi-precious stones, or a combination of said materials and elements. They can be covered with precious or semi-precious stones, for example diamonds. They can be circular, semicircular or polygonal sections depending on the case. They can be constituted by solid or hollow tubes. In the case of hollow tubes, they may contain a liquid, for example a liquid containing particles in suspension, in particular fluorescent, or any other composition intended to create a playful, decorative and / or aesthetic effect.

To the Fig. 1 , the attachment structure 1 comprises a central portion 2 circular and two side portions 3 and 4 diametrically opposite. The central portion 2 consists of two elongated elements 5 curved in circles of the same diameter with half-circle profile connected by segments of straight and vertical bars 6, some of these bars such that the elements 7 are arranged obliquely so as to stiffen the structure. The lateral parts 3 and 4 consist of segments of bars 8. These are of different lengths and assembled so as to form kinds of rigid cages of slightly trapezoidal shape in plan, connected to the circular frames 5. These are closed on themselves and the elements 6, 7 and 8 are fixed at their ends, which gives the assembly of the attachment device a particularly rigid lattice structure even if the elements are very thin in their ratio section length. The constituent elements of the described structure are rigidly fixed to each other by their ends either by bonding or by welding, including mechanical welding. According to an advantageous method of manufacture, the fastening structure 1 can be made by molding. It will be noted that in each of the lateral parts 3 and 4, two elements 8 arranged vertically on the outer side have, facing each other, bosses 9 with an internal housing. These coaxial housings are intended to receive the ends of a conventional bar for connecting a strand of the bracelet.

To the Fig. 2 , an attachment device 10 corresponding to the second embodiment is provided to receive a rectangular box. It has a structure similar to that of the device 1, that is to say comprising on the one hand two rectangular frames 11 connected by segments of vertical bars 12 or arranged in oblique spacers like the elements 13, so as to form a central portion 14 adapted to receive a closed box, and secondly two side portions 15 in the form of perforated cages and provided with receptacles 16 with coaxial housings for the engagement of the ends of the bars. The elements of the frames 11 and the bars 12, 13 of the central portion 14 and the side portions 15 are all rectilinear. Their profile is in a semicircle apart for certain elements of the lateral parts which are circular. These profiles could also be oval or polygonal.

The attachment device 1 of the Fig. 1 is represented again at Fig. 3, 4 and 5 , this time equipped with a closed box 17 adjusted to the dimensions of the central portion 2. The box 17 comprises in particular a cylindrical side wall 18 acting as the middle of the classic boxes, to which is fixed a window 19 which covers a dial 20 mounted on the watch movement housed in the box. In the case of Fig. 3, 4 and 5 it is a chronograph movement and it is not necessary to describe the functions in detail. It will be noted, however, that the usual control members, namely the time-setting ring 21 and the locking and stop / return-to-zero pushbuttons 22, 23, are constructed so as to be able to be mounted on the middle part 18 after engagement. of the box 17 inside the part 2, between the frames 5. For this purpose, the uprights 6 placed on the right side, or three hours in the attachment device, are sufficiently spaced to allow this operation . As we see in Fig. 5 on the left side, or nine hours, the struts of the fastening structure comprise elements 7 oblique, or even ( Fig. 1 The box 17 will be fixed in the central part 2 of the fastening device by any suitable means, permanently or so as to allow its extraction. It will include a removable bottom, screwed or notch giving access to the movement. All the usual techniques of carrying out the movement, the indicator organs and the casing can be used without difficulty here.

The Fig. 6 and 7 illustrate a variant of the exemplary execution of the wristwatch of the first embodiment with its bracelet. In this variant, the watch case is made of sapphire, so transparent. The Fig. 6 and 7 also show the two strands 24 of the bracelet, connected by conventional bars to the lateral parts 3 and 4 in the housings 9.

The Fig. 8, 9 and 10 are overviews of the wristwatch according to the second embodiment with the attachment device 10 of the Fig. 2 , a closed box 25 of rectangular shape engaged in the central portion 14 and two bracelet strands 26 connected to the side portions 15. The movement housed in the box 25 is here a usual watch movement with a single control member is a setting ring 27, also used as winding in the case of a mechanical movement. This ring will be placed between two vertical bars 12 after engagement of the box in the fastening device.

The Fig. 11 and 12 are perspective views of another embodiment of the fastening device for a square shaped watch case. On these views, the box 30 is shown without movement, background or dial. In this embodiment, the fastening structure has a triangular section forming pyramidal elements at each corner of the watch. In addition, the side portions 3 and 4 for the attachment of the bracelet are very simplified, their size is minimum.

Yet another embodiment of the fastening structure is shown in Fig. 13 and 14 for a box 40 of curved lateral shape, the fastening structure 1 being in this case made to give a barrel-shaped outer shape.

Overall, the described wristwatch is characterized by its original aesthetic giving it a very light appearance even in the case of a chronograph watch of robust construction. The perforated fastening device, entirely formed of segments of profiled bars is an inexpensive embodiment allowing in particular the use of precious metals. In addition, this construction is very rigid and robust, albeit light.

Other embodiments are still possible by developing the idea of a fastening device constructed using filiform profiled elements according to the figures described above to obtain a perforated structure. By for example, a wire rolled into a coil spring and closed on itself in a circle, as shown in FIG. Fig. 15 , or rectangle, could be the central part of the strap attachment device. The skilled person can still imagine various solutions in this light.

Although the examples described above all relate to wristwatches, the invention applies, of course, to any timepiece comprising a movement placed in a closed box, this box being itself fixed to a support device distinct from the box, but surrounding it, such as clocks, clocks, clocks and table watches or intended to be integrated into cars and other land, sea or air vehicles.

Claims (9)

1. Timepiece comprising a closed case containing a movement and a support device whereto said case is attached, said support device being a rigid openwork structure in lattice or spiral form which surrounds the sides of the case, characterised in that said support device comprises a central part (2; 14) comprising two frames (5; 11) connected by segments of bars (6, 7; 12) arranged in spacers between the frames, and in that the case (17; 25) is engaged in the two frames and attached to at least one of the latter.
2. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that the component parts (5, 6, 7, 8; 11, 12, 13) of said openwork structure are attached one to the other by their ends through gluing or mechanical-welding.
3. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that said segments of bars (6, 7, 8; 12, 13) are rectilinear.
4. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that at least a part of said segments of bars is curved.
5. Timepiece according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said timepiece is a wristwatch and in that said openwork structure constitutes the device for attaching the bracelet of the wristwatch and comprises, in addition to the central part (2; 14) which surrounds and attaches the case (17; 25), two opposite side parts (3, 4; 15) provided with connection means (9; 16) to the bracelet (24; 26).
6. Timepiece according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the openwork structure is a lattice structure.
7. Timepiece according to one of claims 5 or 6, characterised in that at least one movement function manual control member (21, 22, 23; 27) is removably mounted on one side of the case (17; 25) and in that said openwork structure provides in said annular central part (2; 14) at least one opening enabling the positioning of said control member or members.
8. Timepiece according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterised in that each of said side parts (3, 4; 15) comprises in its structure two receptacles (9; 16) with coaxial housings for the ends of a brooch.
9. Timepiece according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the openwork structure is formed with hollow tubes.

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