Orientable back cover for a timepiece

Abstract

The invention relates to a fastening device for fastening a back cover (1) to an intermediate piece (2) of a watch case (100), the back cover (1) being arranged to be snapped onto the intermediate piece (2), characterized in that it comprises a housing ring (3) to which at least one positioning pin (4) is attached, said positioning pin (4) being arranged to cooperate with at least one machined portion (10) in the back cover (1) in order to ensure the orientation of the back cover (1) relative to the intermediate piece (2) along the 12 o'clock-6 o'clock axis of the watch.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a case back of a watch, and more particularly to a case back including a pattern or logo on its outer surface, wherein the pattern or logo may be oriented as needed. Background Technology

[0002] A common occurrence is that when the case back is screwed onto its middle section, it is observed that when fully screwed in, the decorative pattern or inscription is not properly aligned with the vertical axis of the watch from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock. This is obviously detrimental to the watch's aesthetics, as the decorative pattern or inscription may have been embossed or etched onto the case back surface on the same side of the wearer's wrist.

[0003] This aesthetic flaw might be tolerable for a low-priced watch, but it is a very serious drawback for a more expensive watch.

[0004] To overcome this shortcoming, the only known solution to date is to mate the case back with a specific watch case during the (machined) process to ensure that once fully screwed in, the case back is perfectly aligned with the 12 o'clock-6 o'clock axis of the watch. However, this solution is not entirely satisfactory because it creates problems if the original case back of the watch is lost or damaged, requiring a replacement case back. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that once screwed onto the center piece, it will be correctly aligned with the 12 o'clock-6 o'clock vertical axis. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to overcome this and other disadvantages by proposing a system that allows for a simple and effective adjustment of the orientation of the case back relative to the watch after it has been screwed onto the middle part of the watch case, thereby ensuring the proper arrangement of inscriptions and other decorative patterns already engraved on the surface of the case back facing the wrist of the wearer.

[0006] For this purpose, the present invention relates to a fastening device for securing a case back to a middle section of a watch case, the case back being configured to be pressed (i.e., pushed / forced) onto the watch case, characterized in that the fastening device includes a casing ring connected with at least one locating pin, the locating pin being configured to engage with at least one (machined) part in the case back to ensure the orientation of the case back relative to the middle section along the 12 o'clock-6 o'clock axis of the watch.

[0007] Due to these features, the present invention provides a fastening device for securing the case back of a watch, which allows the case back to be fully pressed against the center piece of the watch to ensure a leak-proof seal, and allows the case back to be correctly oriented relative to the center piece along the 12 o'clock-6 o'clock axis of the watch.

[0008] Other advantageous alternative embodiments according to the invention:

[0009] - The locating pin is a pin that is pressed into the housing ring;

[0010] -The locating pin and the housing ring are integrally manufactured components;

[0011] - The at least one machining part has a shape complementary to the locating pin;

[0012] -The fastening device includes an annular washer made of compressible material, which is placed between the rear cover and the middle piece to obtain a leak-proof seal;

[0013] - The locating pin protrudes from the mating plane between the back cover and the middle piece to guide the back cover onto the middle piece.

[0014] The present invention also relates to a clock or watch that includes a fastening device according to the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The purpose, advantages, and features of the fastening device for securing the back cover to the middle part of the watch case will become clearer in the following description, which is given based on at least one non-limiting embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0016] - Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the watch case, which is provided with a fastening device according to the invention for securing the back cover to the intermediate piece. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Figure 1 A fastening device is shown for securing and orienting the back cover 1 onto the middle part 2 of the watch case, the back cover 1 being designed to be pressed onto the middle part 2.

[0018] According to the invention, the fastening device includes a housing ring 3, to which at least one locating pin 4 is connected, the locating pin 4 being arranged to engage with at least one (machined) part 10 in the back cover 1 to ensure the orientation of the back cover 1 relative to the middle piece 2 along the 12 o'clock-6 o'clock axis of the watch, the back cover 1 including an outer surface with a pattern such as a logo or trademark.

[0019] from Figure 1 As can be seen, the back cover includes a skirt 11 and a ring 12 protruding from the skirt, which is configured such that after the back cover 1 is pressed, the ring rests in the middle part 2.

[0020] According to the first embodiment, the positioning pin 4 is in the form of a pin that is pressed / pinned into the housing ring 3, the housing ring 3 having an opening arranged to receive the pin.

[0021] According to the second embodiment, the locating pin 4 and the housing ring 3 are integrally formed components. For example, they can be manufactured by injection molding or molding of plastic, or they can be machined from a solid block in one piece. The advantage of this embodiment is that it is simpler to implement and has lower production costs.

[0022] Because of this component, the angular rotation of the back cover 1 relative to the middle piece 2 is prevented by the locating pin 4 (and thus its position is also prevented), which engages in the back cover 1 when pressed into it.

[0023] In order to limit clearance as much as possible after full assembly, at least one machining section 10 has a shape complementary to the locating pin 4, which is configured to be forcibly inserted into the machining section 10 in the rear cover 1.

[0024] According to the invention, an annular gasket 30 made of compressible material is placed between the rear cover 1 and the intermediate member 2, more specifically, outside the ring 12 of the rear cover, to obtain a leak-proof seal after the rear cover has been assembled onto the intermediate member.

[0025] Advantageously, the locating pin 4 protrudes slightly from the engagement plane P between the rear cover 1 and the intermediate piece 2 so as to also serve as a guide element during the assembly of the rear cover 1 onto the intermediate piece 2, and the locating pin 4 engages with the rear cover 1 or the housing ring 3 before the annular washer 30 begins to be compressed.

[0026] When the housing ring 3 and the locating pin 4 form an integral component, they can be made of plastic. Conversely, the locating pin 4 can be made of metal or plastic.

[0027] The fastening device according to the invention is installed as follows: The movement and housing ring 3 are installed in the intermediate member 2. Once the housing ring 3 has been fastened in the intermediate member 2, the rear cover 1 is placed relative to the locating pin 4, such that the locating pin 4 is partially inserted into the machined portion 10 in the rear cover 1. Once the rear cover 1 has been placed and the locating pin 4 has been partially inserted into the machined portion 10, the rear cover 1 is pressed against the intermediate member 2 until the rear cover abuts against the intermediate member 2.

[0028] It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various simple substitutions and modifications can be considered while still remaining within the scope of the present invention. For example, the locating pin can also be provided on the rear cover instead of on the housing ring.

Claims

1. A fastening device for fastening a back cover (1) to an intermediate piece (2) of a watch case (100), the back cover (1) being arranged to be snapped on the intermediate piece (2), characterized in that, The fastening device comprises a housing ring (3) to which at least one positioning pin (4) is attached, said positioning pin (4) being arranged to cooperate with at least one machined portion (10) in the back cover (1) to ensure the orientation of the back cover (1) relative to the intermediate piece (2) along the 12 o'clock-6 o'clock axis of the watch, wherein said positioning pin (4) is a pin that is snapped into the housing ring (3) or said positioning pin (4) and housing ring (3) form an integral element; wherein the shape of said at least one machined portion (10) is complementary to the shape of the positioning pin (4); and wherein said positioning pin (4) is arranged to be forced into said at least one machined portion (10) of the back cover (1) so that the positioning pin (4) prevents angular rotation of the back cover (1) relative to the intermediate piece (2).

2. The fastening device of claim 1, wherein The fastening device comprises an annular gasket (30) made of compressible material, placed between the back cover (1) and the intermediate piece (2) to obtain a leakproof seal.

3. The fastening device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The positioning pin (4) protrudes from the plane of engagement (P) between the back cover (1) and the intermediate piece (2) in order to guide the back cover (1) onto the intermediate piece (2).

4. A timepiece comprising a fastening device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

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