A watch with a quartz movement in an oil bath

Abstract

A watch with a quartz movement lubricated by an oil bath, comprising a case body (2) arranged between a transparent cover (3) and a closing element (18) so as to define a fluid-tight capsule (1) in an oil bath; a dial (11) inside the capsule (1) arranged below the cover (3); a motor body (10) arranged in the oil bath capsule (1) and comprising an electric motor for performing the movement of the watch and gears (12) for transmitting the movement to the dial (11); a seat (13) arranged externally with respect to the capsule and fluid-tight to house a battery (8) for powering the motor.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a watch with a quartz movement, equipped with an innovative lubrication system enclosed within the watch itself and immersed in an oil bath. Background Art

[0002] It is well known that the internal parts, dial, and motor body of a watch are immersed in a mineral oil bath, thereby providing electrical insulation and suitable for the continuous lubrication of gears.

[0003] In such a watch, the energy transfer for the gear movement is generated by a battery that powers the motor.

[0004] An example of this type of watch is known from the publication WO9635978, which describes a quartz movement watch equipped with a case filled with an electrically insulating hydrophobic fluid, where the crown opening serves as an inlet opening for the fluid and is sealed during assembly.

[0005] However, due to the encapsulation or filling of the watch with oil and the replacement of the rechargeable battery, the known type of system has limitations, which involve emptying the watch and thus cannot be performed by the user and requires the intervention of a technician.

[0006] It is also well known that the mineral oil used is a natural insulator and its volume changes with temperature variations.

[0007] For this reason, compensation systems have been designed to compensate for the different thermal expansions between the oil and the various parts of the watch, such as (as known from the publication US408078) an outlet chamber or the addition of air bubbles in the oil bath to compensate for the difference in the expansion coefficients between the case and the fluid / oil, as known from the same above-mentioned publication WO9635978.

[0008] However, due to the difference in thermal expansion, the known type of system has some drawbacks in terms of the effectiveness of compensation. Summary of the Invention

[0009] A first object of the present invention is to propose a watch with a quartz movement in an oil bath that solves the drawbacks of the known type of system and, in particular, also allows the user to quickly inspect and / or replace the rechargeable battery without the need to empty the oil.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is a watch lubricated in an oil bath that ensures optimal compensation for the difference in thermal expansion coefficients.

[0011] The present invention solves the problems now listed by proposing a watch according to at least one of the appended claims.

[0012] The advantages obtained mainly lie in that the rechargeable battery is positioned inside the watch but not immersed in the oil bath itself, allowing for inspection and / or quick replacement of the battery itself without having to empty and refill the capsule.

[0013] Another advantage is that the compensating bubble ensures the optimal performance of the watch when the temperature changes.

[0014] List of Drawings

[0015] Those skilled in the art will understand these and other advantages from the drawings given as exemplary examples, where:

[0016] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a watch according to the present invention is schematically shown;

[0017] Figures 2a - 2c Are respectively shown Figure 1 The perspective side view and top view of the watch in. Detailed Description

[0018] Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a watch with an oil bath lubricated quartz movement according to the present invention is disclosed.

[0019] In the disclosed embodiment, the watch includes a case body 2 disposed between a transparent cover 3 and a closing element 18 so as to define a fluid - sealed capsule 1 in an oil bath (e.g., in a pressurized dielectric mineral oil bath).

[0020] Preferably, the cover is a sapphire glass mounted on the case body 2 with an inserted annular seal 25, and the closing element 18 includes a pressurized bottom 4 which is pressed against the case body 2 with an inserted annular seal 23 by a ring nut 5 that can be screwed onto the case body 2.

[0021] However, it should be understood that the capsule 1 can be defined in other ways, and the annular seals can be replaced by equivalent elements to maintain the fluid seal of the oil bath.

[0022] The watch also includes a dial 11 disposed inside the capsule 1 below the cover 3 and a motor body 10 disposed inside the oil bath capsule 1, and the motor body 10 includes an electric motor for performing the movement of the watch and a gear 12 for transmitting the movement to the dial 11, and the gear 12 passes through, for example, the central hole 20 of the dial.

[0023] Outside the capsule 1, a seat 13 is also provided, which is adapted to house an electric battery or cell 8 to power the motor 10.

[0024] According to the present invention, the seat 13 is fluid-tightly separated from the capsule 1, and an electrical transmission device 9 is provided, which can transmit an electrical signal from the battery 8 to the electrical contact point 14 of the motor 10 in order to perform the movement of the watch.

[0025] Advantageously, with this solution, the seat of the battery 8 is kept isolated from the oil bath while still allowing the transmission of electrical signals, and the battery 8 can be easily replaced without using a specific tool for evacuating or pressurizing the capsule.

[0026] In addition, the disadvantages resulting from the execution of the evacuation and filling operations of the capsule are solved, such as containing air or other undesirable factors.

[0027] In the disclosed embodiment, the electrical transmission device 9 includes a conductive pin 9, for example made of copper, which fluid-tightly passes through the hole 16 equipped with an annular seal 22 in the partition wall 17 of the seat 13 from the capsule 1.

[0028] Due to this solution, the seat 13 remains isolated from the capsule 1, and due to the pin 9, the transmission of the electrical signal occurs in a simple and reliable manner.

[0029] In the disclosed embodiment, in order to replace the battery or even just for inspection, it is sufficient to remove the screw-on cap 6 from the seat 13 and remove the battery, while the pin 9 remains in its position, continuing to ensure the fluid tightness with respect to the oil bath capsule.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the watch further includes a filling hole 19 for filling the oil bath of the capsule 1, which can be resealed by a removable screw 7 and can be sealed and tightened by the insertion of an annular seal 24.

[0031] Therefore, through the hole 19, the capsule can be easily filled with the selected fluid or oil without technical complexity.

[0032] In particular, for example, when the clock is used in geographical regions or environments with very different temperatures, the capsule can be filled by generating bubbles 21 for compensating the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the watch components and the filling oil.

[0033] The present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, but equivalent modifications can be made without departing from the scope of protection.

Claims

1. A watch having a quartz movement lubricated by an oil bath, the watch comprising: A case body (2) arranged between a transparent cover (3) and a closing element (18) so as to define a fluid-tight capsule (1) in the oil bath, A dial (11) arranged in the capsule (1) below the cover (3), A motor body (10) arranged in the capsule (1) and including an electric motor for performing the movement of the watch and a gear (12) for transmitting the movement to the dial (11), A seat (13) arranged outside the capsule (1), the seat being adapted to house a battery (8), Wherein the seat (13) is fluid-tightly separated from the capsule (1) by a partition wall (17) of the seat (13), and the watch further includes an electrical transmission device (9) adapted to transmit an electrical signal from the battery (8) to an electrical contact point (14) of the motor body (10).

2. The watch according to claim 1, wherein, The electrical transmission device (9) includes a conductive pin that passes fluid-tightly through a hole (16) in the partition wall (17) of the seat (13) from the capsule (1).

3. The watch according to claim 2, wherein, The pin is a cylindrical pin passing through a first annular seal (22) arranged in the hole (16).

4. The watch according to one of claims 1-3, wherein, The closing element (18) includes a pressurized bottom (4) that presses against the case body (2) in the presence of a second annular seal (23) by means of an annular nut (5) that can be screwed onto the case body (2).

5. The watch according to one of claims 1-4, including a filling hole (19) that can be hermetically closed by a removable screw (7) to perform filling of the capsule (1) with the oil bath.

6. The watch according to claim 5, wherein, The screw (7) can be hermetically tightened by inserting a third annular seal (24).

7. The watch according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, The seat (13) can be closed by a screw-on cover (6) to allow inspection and / or quick replacement of the battery (8).

8. The watch according to one of claims 1-7, wherein, The oil bath of the capsule (1) includes air bubbles (21) for compensating the difference in thermal expansion coefficients between the components of the watch and the oil bath.

9. The watch according to one of claims 1-8, wherein, The dial (11) is provided with a hole (20) for the passage of the movement transmission gear (12).

10. The watch according to one of claims 1-9, wherein, The cover is a sapphire glass arranged on the case body (2) in the presence of a fourth annular seal (25).

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