WO2017029544A1

WO2017029544A1 - Wristwatch with easy strap change

Info

Publication number: WO2017029544A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/001114
Authority: WO
Inventors: Claude CHOUET
Original assignee: Chouet Claude
Priority date: 2015-08-17
Filing date: 2016-08-12
Publication date: 2017-02-23
Also published as: EP3338145A1; FR3040219B1; ES2760941T3; EP3338145B1; PT3338145T; FR3040219A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a wristwatch of which the strap can be changed easily and quickly. Said wristwatch comprises a rotating part (1, 1bis) mounted on a case (2) comprising two pairs of horns (4,5; 6,7), each horn having a housing (14,15,16,17) receiving one end (10,11,12,13) of a bar (8,9) of a strap strand, and is characterised in that each pair of horns (4,5; 6,7) comprises at least one horn (4,7) pierced with a bore extending from the face of the case (2) located on the dial side to a bar-end housing (14,17), and in that it further comprises: - an annular cam (18,18bis) secured to the rotating part (1,1bis), at least two rods (19, 20), one (19) occupying a bore of a horn (7) of one pair of horns (6,7), the other (20) occupying a bore of a horn (4) of the other pair of horns (4,5), each rod (19,20) being capable of linking the annular cam (18,18bis) to the bar-end housing (17,14) of the horn (7,4) in which said rod (19, 20) is located. The invention also relates to a method for changing the strap of such a wristwatch. Therefore, by simply rotating a rotating part provided on the case, each strap strand can be detached and replaced with another.

Description

EASY BRACELET CHANGE BRACELET WATCH

The invention relates to a wristwatch which can be easily and quickly changed. By simply rotating a rotating part provided on the housing, on the side of the bezel or dial, we can detach each bracelet strand and replace it with another.

Background of the invention ^f

The international patent application published under the number WO 2011/045239 proposes a box for a wristwatch intended to allow the bracelet to be removed from the box without the need for a tool.

Such a box has the particular disadvantage of being of great complexity.

Summary of the invention

The main purpose of the invention is to propose a wristwatch whose bracelet can be changed easily and quickly.

Concretely, this goal is achieved by a wristwatch comprising a rotating part mounted on a housing comprising two pairs of horns, each horn having a housing receiving an end of a bar of a strand of a bracelet, this wristwatch having this particular that it comprises locking / unlocking means adapted to lock / unlock at least one end of a bar of each wristband when the rotating part is rotated.

The invention also has the advantage of being able to be implemented without radical modification in the design or operation, it can therefore be adapted to existing models. According to a preferred embodiment of the wristwatch according to the invention, each pair of horns comprises at least one horn pierced with a bore extending from the face of the housing receiving the rotating part to a bar end housing. and the wristwatch further comprises:

an annular cam integral with the rotating part,

- At least two rods, one occupying a horn bore of a pair of horns and the other occupying a horn bore of the other pair of horns, each rod being adapted to connect the annular cam to the housing of bar end of the horn in which this rod is located.

In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of changing the wristband of a wristwatch according to the invention, this method comprising the following steps:

the rotating part is rotated until unlocking of at least one end of each bar is achieved; the ends of bars are taken out of their respective housings to detach each of the strands of the bracelet;

- we take a new bracelet;

the ends of the bars of the strands of the new bracelet are introduced into the end housing of the bar;

- Turning the rotating part until a locking of all the ends of bars in their respective slots.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention which uses the preferred wristwatch indicated above:

the unlocking of at least one end of each bar is obtained by means of a rod; and the locking of all the ends of bars in their respective housings is obtained by means of the rods.

Other features and advantages of the invention will now be described in detail in the following description which is given with reference to the appended figures, which schematically represent:

Figure 1: in perspective view from above, the middle part of the wristwatch according to the invention, on which is mounted a rotating part;

- Figure 2: an exploded view of the middle part of the figure

1;

- Figure 3: a partial top view of the wristwatch of Figure 1, showing a rotating part in the form of an annular cam, the rods and bars;

- Figure 4: a left sectional view along the line A-A of Figure 3, the middle part of Figure 1, in the normal state;

- Figure 5: a left sectional view along line A-A of Figure 3 of the middle part of Figure 1, in the state of release of the bars;

- Figures 6 and 7: a variant of the annular cam;

- Figures 8 and 9: the variant of the annular cam of Figures 6 and 7, mounted on the middle of the case of the wristwatch; and

10: a rotating part, in particular, the annular cam variant of FIGS. 6 to 8, mounted on the bottom side of the case of the wristwatch.

Detailed exposition of the invention

Wristwatch

A preferred embodiment of the wristwatch according to the invention is shown in the accompanying figures. As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, the wristwatch comprises a rotating part 1, such as a disk or a ring, mounted in known manner on the middle part 3 of a housing 2, preferably on the dial side. Rotation of the rotating part 1 is preferably performed around an axis perpendicular to the bottom of the housing and preferably passing through the center C of the housing.

The middle consists of two pairs of horns 4,5 and 6,7.

Between the two horns 4,5 or 6,7 of the same pair extends an 8 or 9 strand of bracelet strand (not shown) whose longitudinal ends 10,11 or 12,13 penetrate into blind housings 14, 15 or 16.17 to receive them.

According to the invention, locking / unlocking means are provided for locking / unlocking at least one end 13,14 of a bar 9,8 of each bracelet strand when the rotating part 1 is rotated.

Some of these means are visible in particular in Figure 2 where there is an annular cam 18 secured to the rotating part 1 and a locking rod 19.

In Figure 3, we see another locking rod 20 similar to the rod 19 and preferably arranged symmetrically with respect to the center C of the housing.

In addition, it is found that the annular cam 18 has on its periphery two recesses 21 and 22 which are respectively arranged in correspondence with the rods 19 and 20 with which they are intended to cooperate.

This cooperation is more understandable if we refer to Figures 4 and 5.

In Figure 4 in particular, it can be seen that the horn 7 is traversed by a bore extending in a manner inclined of the face of the housing receiving the rotating part 1 to the housing 17 accommodating the end 13 of the bar 9.

This bore is occupied by the rod 19 so that it connects the annular cam 18 to the housing 17 of the horn 7.

The upper end of the rod 19 is in contact with the annular cam 18 and the lower end of the rod 19 with the end 13 of the bar 9.

In Figure 5, we see that the rod 19 is raised to the rotating part 1. This is in fact the situation corresponding to Figure 3: the upper end of the rod 19 is always in contact with the annular cam 18 but it's now in the recess of the latter. Due to this displacement of the rod 19 towards the rotating part 1, the lower end of this rod has moved away from the end 13 of the bar 9.

A passage opening 23 communicating with the housing 17 allows the passage of the end 13. This can then leave the horn 7, as shown by the arrow F in Figure 5. The other end 12 of the bar 9 can then also out of the horn 7 and the corresponding bracelet strand can be detached from the housing 2 of the watch.

At the same time, if the other obviously 22 and the rod 20 are well arranged symmetrically with respect to the center C, the second bracelet strand, can also be detached in the same way because the rod 20 has released the end 10 of the rod 8 (Figure 3) which can escape through the passage opening 26 provided in the horn 4 (Figure 1).

For this to be possible, the length of each rod 19, 20 and the width of each recess 21, 22 of the annular cam 18 must be chosen in such a way that: when an upper end of the rod 19,20 is in contact with the periphery 29 of the annular cam 18, the lower end of this rod 19,20 is in contact with the bar end 13,10 located in the barrel end housing 17,14 of the horn 7,4 in which the rod 19,20 is located; and

when the upper end of the rod 19,20 is inside the recess 21,22 of the annular cam 18, the lower end of the rod 19,20 is at a distance from the bar end 13.10 sufficient to allow it to exit through the corresponding passage opening 23,26. This distance must therefore lead to a clearance of the passage opening 23,26.

In Figure 5, it can be seen that the annular cam 18 is located under the rotating part 1 on which it was screwed. Of course, the joining of the annular cam 18 with the rotating part 1 can be carried out in any other appropriate manner. The two pieces can even be made in one piece.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, each rod 19,20 comprises, in a plane perpendicular to its longitudinal axis, at least one annular groove 24 visible in FIGS. 4 and 5 and in which an O-ring is inserted, this to prevent dirt, moisture and other particles from rising under the rotating part. In addition, these seals have the second function of blocking the rods 19,20 in a given position, which is particularly useful during the removal of the strands. By removing the bars 8,9 from their respective housings 14,15,16,17, the rods 19,20 are raised in their respective bores. Thanks to the seals, they stay in the "up" position. With the 19,20 rods in this position, the new barrettes of a new bracelet can be mounted. Then, as will be seen below, the rotation of the rotating part 1 and. therefore, the annular cam 18 pushes the rods 19 and 20 against the ends of bars 13, 10 and lock them there.

■ Bracelet change method

A preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention which uses the preferred wristwatch indicated is as follows.

In a general manner, the rotating part 1 and thus the annular cam 18 are rotated until unlocking of at least one end 13, 10 of each strip 9, 8 is obtained;

- Then all the ends 10,11,12,13 of the strips 8,9 are taken out of their respective housings 14,15,16,17 to detach each of the strands of the bracelet;

- we take a new bracelet;

the ends of the bars of the strands of the new bracelet are introduced into the end housing of bars 14, 15, 16, 17;

- Turning the rotating part 1 and thus the annular cam 18, until a locking of all the ends of the new bars in the barrel end housing 14,15,16,17 respective.

The rotational drive of the rotating part 1 by the wearer of the watch is normally done from the top of the watch (dial side).

The locking of the bars is only used to maintain them. It does not have the function to hold them mechanically. The mechanical tensile forces (mainly due to the wearing of the watch and strands around the wrist) are supported by the horns of the case. More concretely, as can easily be understood by referring to the preferred embodiment of FIG.

the unlocking of the ends 13, 10 of the bars 9, 8 is obtained from the rods 19, 20; and

- The locking of all the bar ends of the new bracelet in their respective housing 14,15,16,17 is obtained by means of rods 19,20.

It goes without saying that it is thanks to the locking of the bar end 13 in its housing 17 that the bar end 12 is indirectly locked in its housing 16 and that, symmetrically, the locking of the end 10 in its housing housing 14 allows the locking of the end 11 in its housing 15.

The unlocking rotation of the rotating part 1 is preferably done in the clockwise direction symbolized by the arrow G in FIG. 3. As can be seen in this figure, the annular cam 18 is preferably narrower at the centers recesses 21 and 22 and the sides 27, 28 of these recesses are preferably inclined, to form chamfers to prevent shocks and facilitate the rotation of the annular cam 18.

It is preferable that the recesses 21 and 22 are diametrically opposed since this makes it possible to simultaneously unlock the two bars 8 and 9, otherwise it would take a first rotation to unlock a first bar and then a second rotation to unlock the second bar. Similarly, the lock would also be done in two stages.

The locking is preferably performed by rotating the rotating part 1, and thus the annular cam 18, in the counterclockwise direction symbolized by the arrow H in FIG. Of course, one could imagine that three of the four horns, or even the four horns, are provided with a locking rod operating in the same manner, but this embodiment would be more complicated to achieve and would have a higher cost .

Figures 4 and 5, there is a plug 25 driven into the housing 17. This preserves the aesthetics of the watch. However, this cap 25 does not function to act as a stop for the end 13 of the bar 9. In addition, it is not necessary if the housing 13 is formed from the rotating part of the housing.

When setting up a new bracelet, it is obviously possible in some cases to reuse the strips of the bracelet that has just been removed.

Of course, one could provide a variant in which the rotational drive of the rotating part 1 would be performed on the side of the watch. variants

In Figures 6 and 7 is shown a variant 18bis of the annular cam. The recesses 21a and 22a comprise two shallow holes. 30 and two deep holes 31.

Figure 6 corresponding to the situation in which the ends of the rods 19 and 20 are in the deep holes 31. The bars 8 and 9 are then released.

Figure 7 corresponding to the situation in which the ends of the rods 19 and 20 are in the shallow holes 30. The bars 8 and 9 are then locked, so we can not remove the bracelet strands.

As can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the annular cam 18bis can have a shape of C. It is then provided to move back and forth, a slight rotation in one direction and another in the other direction so that the rods 19 and 20 can go from a shallow hole 30 to a deep hole 31.

Figures 8 and 9 show the annular cam 18a mounted on the middle in the case of Figures 6 and 7, respectively. In Figure 8, it can be seen that the passage openings 23 for the bars are clear. In Figure 9, the passage openings 23 are closed.

According to another variant visible in Figure 10, the rotating part Ibis and the annular cam 18a are located on the bottom side of the housing. These two pieces Ibis and 18bis are integral or may constitute only two parts of a single piece. The ring annulus Ibis can optionally be clipped into the caseband. It can advantageously be maintained in a known manner by the bottom of the housing while being rotatable in one direction or in both directions, in a limited manner or not. It can be provided a spring (not shown) to cause the rotating ring Ibis and thus the annular cam 18a to return to the position in which the ends of the rods 19 and 20 are received in the shallower holes 30 so as to lock automatically the bars 8 and 9. A rotational stop may optionally be provided to limit the rotational movement of the annular cam 18a.

In general, the rods 19 and 20 can also be introduced into their horn bores from above, that is to say the dial side, in particular by the ice notch, which makes it possible to avoid making a bore that opens which obliges to set up a stopper 25.

The advantage of such a variant is that the Ibis crown can not be turned accidentally. The user must remove the watch from his wrist, put it upside down and turn the Ibis crown. Thanks to gravity, the rods 19 and 20 then move naturally downwards, that is to say toward the dial, thus releasing the bars 8 and 9. The bracelet strands can then be changed. If a spring has been provided to rotate the Ibis crown, the user turns the crown (returned to the locked position), inserts a bar, then the other, each time he releases the crown Ibis, the spring causes the rotation thereof and the locking of the or bars.

Claims

claims

1. - Wristwatch comprising a rotating part (1, Ibis) mounted on a housing (2) comprising two pairs of horns (4,5; 6,7), each horn having a housing (14,15,16,17 ) receiving an end (10,11,12,13) of a bar (8,9) of a bracelet strand, characterized in that each pair of horns (4,5; 6, 7) comprises at least a horn (4,7) pierced with a bore extending from the face of the housing (2) on the dial side to a barrel end housing (14,17) and in that the wristwatch comprises in addition :

an annular cam (18, 18a) integral with the rotating part (1, Ibis),

- at least two rods (19,20), one (19) occupying a horn bore (7) of a pair of horns (6,7), the other (20) occupying a horn bore (4) ) of the other pair of horns (4,5), each rod (19,20) being able to connect the annular cam (18, 18a) to the housing (17, 14) of the bar end of the horn (7). 4) in which this rod (19, 20) is located.

2. - wristwatch according to claim 1, wherein the annular cam (18, 18bis) comprises two recesses (21,21bis; 22,22bis).

3. - wristwatch according to claim 2, wherein the recesses (21,21bis; 22,22bis) are diametrically opposed.

4. - wristwatch according to one of claims 2 to 3, wherein the annular cam (18) is located under the rotating part (1).

5. - wristwatch according to claim 4, wherein the length of each rod (19,20) and the dimension of each recess (21,22) of the annular cam (18) are such that: - when an end upper part of the rod (19,20) is in contact with the periphery (29) of the annular cam (18), the lower end of this rod (19,20) is in contact with the bar end (13, 10) in the barrel end housing (17, 14) of the horn (7.4) in which the rod (19, 20) is located; and

- when the upper end of the rod (19,20) is inside a recess (21,22) of the annular cam (18), the lower end of the rod (19,20) is distance from said bar end (13, 10).

6. - wristwatch according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the housing (14,17) end of each horn (4,7) having a bore communicates with a passage opening (26,23). provided for the corresponding bar end (10,13).

7. - wristwatch according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each rod (19,20) comprises at least one annular groove (24) in a plane perpendicular to its longitudinal axis, in which is inserted an O-ring .

8. - Wristwatch according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rotating part (Ibis) is located on the side of the case bottom of the wristwatch.

9. - wristwatch according to claim 8, wherein the annular cam (18a) is located above the piece rotating (Ibis) when the bottom of the case is turned towards the ground.

10. Wristwatch according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the annular cam (18a) and the rotating part.

(Ibis) form one piece.

11. - wristwatch according to one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the recesses (21a, 22a) each comprise a deep hole (31) and a shallow hole (30).

12. - wristwatch according to one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the annular cam (18a) has substantially the shape of a C.

13. - Wristwatch according to one of claims 8 to 12, wherein a spring is provided to rotate the annular cam (18a).

14. A method of changing the wristband of a wristwatch according to one of claims 1 to 13, comprising the following steps:

the rotating part (1, 1a) is rotated or allowed to rotate until at least one end (10, 13) of each strip (8, 9) has been unlocked;

the bar ends (10, 13) are then taken out of their respective housings (14, 17) in order to detach each of the strands of the bracelet;

- we take a new bracelet;

the ends of the bars of the strands of the new bracelet are introduced into the end housing of the bar (14, 15, 16, 17); the rotating part (1, Ibis) is made or allowed to rotate until a locking of all the ends of the new bars in their respective housings (14, 15, 16, 17) is obtained,

and in which

unlocking at least one end (10,13) of each bar (8,9) is obtained by means of a rod (20,19); and

locking all the bar ends of the new bracelet in their respective housings

(14,15,16,17) is obtained by means of the rods (20,19).