Method for decorating timepiece component
Through a variety of surface treatment and deposition techniques, combined with sacrificial protective layer and forming operations, the visual limitations and cost problems of existing decoration methods are solved, and high-quality and diverse visual effects and mechanical properties are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380044389.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-06-03
- Filing Date
- 2023-06-01
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-14
AI Technical Summary
Existing methods for decorating watch components are limited, it is difficult to provide an original visual appearance, and it is difficult to reduce production costs while ensuring high quality standards, especially for the mechanical stresses that sports watches may withstand.
By providing a variety of surface treatment methods, including implementing different end-stage treatments on the original surface of the watch member, forming a variety of visual appearances, deposition of metal layers in combination with PVD, ALD or electroplating techniques, using sacrificial protective layers and forming operations, forming a unique The component of visual effects.
A wider selection of visual appearances is achieved, the visual quality of components is improved, and the ability to resist the mechanical stress of sports watches is reduced, reducing production costs.
Smart Images
Figure CN119317880A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates generally to a method for decorating a component using a variety of surface treatments. The method is particularly suitable for decorating a skeletonized dial. The invention also relates to a timepiece comprising one or more timepiece components obtained according to the method for decorating a component, in particular a skeletonized dial, a movement plate, one or more bridges and / or an oscillating weight. Background Art
[0002] It is well known that decorating the surface of a watch component, such as a dial, a watch bridge or a movement plate, can give it an interesting visual appearance. In particular, the surface of the component is traditionally machined by methods such as brushing, beading, satin finishing or sandblasting to give it a certain structure. This method involves a single step of machining the surface to be decorated to obtain the desired visual effect. This step can be combined with other steps to apply a thin layer of color using, for example, PVD or electroplating methods.
[0003] As an example, EP3220212 discloses a method for decorating a watch component, comprising a step of preparing the watch component, a step of corrosion protection, and a step of coloring to form an external decorative color layer. CH711122 itself discloses a method for producing a decorative coating with a white surface, which is obtained by superposition of layers deposited using electroplating and CVD methods.
[0004] The decorative possibilities offered by these methods are limited to a restricted selection from a few well-known solutions, which makes it impossible to provide original decorative solutions.
[0005] Furthermore, the known decoration methods must meet high quality standards so that the decorated components can withstand the stresses, in particular shocks and accelerations, to which a watch, in particular a sports watch, may be subjected. For this reason, the number of steps in the known methods is reduced in order to limit production costs.
[0006] CH717065 discloses a method for manufacturing a watch component, which allows a series of changes from a technical and aesthetic point of view. Specifically, the manufacturing method involves machining the watch component to form a substantially flat face and at least one side adjacent to the substantially flat face. Then, the chamfered edge is machined at the junction between the substantially flat face and the side, and then the coating is applied directly to the rough surface of the chamfered edge.
[0007] The object of the present invention is to propose a method for decorating a timepiece component which allows giving the component a wider range of different visual appearances.
[0008] Another object of the invention is to propose a method for decorating a component, in particular a dial, especially a skeleton-type dial, so as to improve the visual quality of the component.
[0009] Another object of the invention is to propose a component, in particular a watch dial, especially a skeleton-type watch dial, that is able to resist the stresses to which a watch, in particular a sports watch, may be subjected. Summary of the invention
[0010] These objects are achieved in particular by a method for decorating a component comprising at least two different visual appearances. Each visual appearance is a unique combination of a surface state and a color. The decorating method comprises the following steps: i) providing a component blank comprising a first original surface; ii) applying a first terminaison on said first original surface, imparting a first surface state; iii) depositing one or more atomic layers on said first terminaison, in order to impart a first color to the first terminaison; iv) applying at least one corner break on the blank, in order to form at least one bevel or at least one chamfer comprising a second original surface; v) applying a second terminaison on said second original surface, imparting a second surface state, and vi) depositing a metal layer, preferably a rhodium or gold layer, on the second terminaison, by electroplating, PVD or ALD, in order to impart a second color to the second terminaison.
[0011] According to one embodiment, the decoration method further comprises a step of applying a sacrificial protective layer on the first color between step iii) and step iv). The sacrificial protective layer is removed after step vi).
[0012] According to one embodiment, the member is selected from a bridge, a plate, a rotor, a dial with one or more windows and a skeleton-type dial.The dial may also include hour markers.
[0013] According to one embodiment, the timepiece component is made of a copper alloy (such as nickel silver), steel (such as 316L steel, etc.), ceramics or precious metals (such as gold, platinum or palladium).
[0014] According to one embodiment, the first end section is obtained by sandblasting, shot peening, linear, circular or spiral satin-brushing, blueing, manual or mechanical hammering, guilloche, beading, Côtes de Genève finishing, hand engraving or polishing.
[0015] According to one embodiment, the second end section is obtained by linear satin grinding, planing, hand beveling, hand engraving or sandblasting.
[0016] According to one embodiment, step iii) comprises performing a PVD, ALD or electroplating process on the first end section.
[0017] Another aspect of the invention relates to a timepiece component obtained by the decoration method of the invention, in particular a bridge, a plate, a rotor, a dial having one or more windows or a skeleton-type dial.
[0018] According to one embodiment, the component is a skeleton watch dial. The latter comprises a dial portion and a hollow portion defined by the outline of the dial portion. The dial portion preferably comprises a flat surface extending in the plane of the dial, and a bevel arranged around the hollow portion. The dial portion comprises a first end segment and a first color so as to have a first visual appearance. The bevel of the dial comprises a second end segment and a second color so as to have a second visual appearance different from the first visual appearance.
[0019] The invention also relates to a timepiece comprising a component obtained by the method of the invention, in particular a skeleton-type dial as mentioned above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] Examples of embodiments of the invention are mentioned in the description illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 a to 1h schematically show the various steps of the decoration method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and - Figure 2 A view showing a skeleton-type watch dial obtained by a decoration method according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] According to a preferred embodiment represented by steps 1a to 1g, the method comprises a first step consisting in carrying out a first decoration operation on an original surface 10a of a blank 10 of a timepiece component, so as to obtain a surface 10a of a blank 10 according to Figure 1 The first end section 12 of b.
[0022] for Figure 2 The skeletonized dial shown in FIG. 1 comprises, before the decoration operation, a step consisting in realizing a hollowing-out portion 32 on a dial blank in the form of a solid disc including a raw surface. This operation is preferably realized by wire electrospark cutting.
[0023] Component blank 10 , in particular a dial blank, is preferably made of a copper alloy, in particular nickel silver, capable of withstanding the mechanical stresses, in particular the accelerations to which a sports watch may be subjected.
[0024] The first end section 12 is executed on the original surface of the dial portion surrounding the different hollowed-out portions. These original surfaces are preferably flat and typically extend to the surface of the skeleton dial.
[0025] The first end section 12 may be obtained by different decoration techniques, in particular by sandblasting, to obtain a certain roughness, by satin finishing, which consists in laying on the raw surface 10a of the blank 10 a a series of very thin and parallel stripes, such as straight lines, circles or spirals, so as to catch the light from various angles. Other techniques may be used to process and structure the raw surface 10a of the blank 10 in order to give it an original visual appearance, in particular by sandblasting, guilloche, beading, Côtes de Genève finishing, manual or mechanical hammering, hand engraving, polishing or even blueing.
[0026] Blanks made of other materials may also be used, in particular steel, such as type 316L low carbon steel, to avoid corrosion, noble metals, such as gold, platinum, palladium, or even ceramic or titanium.
[0027] Once the first end section 12 is completed, a PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) process is performed on the first end section 12 to deposit a thin film 14 (of a desired color) under vacuum. Figure 1 c), especially black. ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) or electroplating can also be performed instead of PVD to obtain the thin film 14. Then the sacrificial protective layer 16 ( Figure 1 d) applied to the entire dial. This protective layer may be, for example, an epoxy varnish to protect the film 14 from particles generated by the subsequent steps of the decoration method described below.
[0028] according to Figure 1 e and 2, the skeletonized dial is then machined to cut corners, such as those of the outline of the hollowed-out portion 32 of the dial, to obtain bevels or chamfers 18 which in particular allow the base material constituting the blank (for example nickel silver) to be exposed. These bevels or chamfers define the periphery of the hollowed-out portion 32 of the dial. The second end section 20 ( Figure 1 f). Like the first end section 12, the second end section 20 may be obtained by different decoration techniques, in particular sandblasting, straight satin-finishing, planing, for example performed with a diamond tip, manual beveling or manual engraving.
[0029] Once the second end section 20 has been achieved, the dial is generally subjected to a shaping operation in order to give it its final shape.
[0030] refer to Figure 1g, after the forming operation, an electroplating method is performed on the second end section 20 to deposit a metal film 22 of a desired color. The metal film is, for example, a rhodium film, a gold film, a NAC film or a black NAC film, the black NAC being a dark anthracite black coating.
[0031] Then, a varnish removal operation is carried out by applying a solvent to the entire dial in order to remove the epoxy varnish protective layer 16. A transfer operation is then carried out on the dial in order in particular to realize the dial hour markers.
[0032] The decoration method can also be applied to timepiece components made of aluminum or aluminum alloys, and timepiece components made of titanium or titanium alloys. For such materials, anodizing methods can be used to give the first and second end sections the first and second colors, respectively.
[0033] Although the above description mainly describes a decoration method applied to a skeleton-type dial, the method can be applied to any other watch component, including a main surface (preferably flat) and one or more bevels or chamfers. Therefore, the method can be applied in particular to a watch bridge, a plate of a watch movement, an oscillating weight of an automatic movement or a dial including hour markers and / or one or more beveled or chamfered windows.
[0034] Furthermore, according to a variant of the embodiment, the coloring of the first and second end sections 12, 20 can be achieved using the same method. For example, both the first and second end sections 12, 20 can undergo a PVD / ALD process or an electroplating process. However, care must be taken to ensure that the parameters of these processes differ between the first and second end sections 12, 20.
[0035] therefore, Figure 2 The dial 30 includes two different visual appearances, each of which is a unique combination of surface state and color.
Claims
1. A method for decorating a timepiece component (30), the component comprising at least two different visual appearances, each visual appearance being a unique combination of surface state and color, the decorating method comprising the following steps: i) providing a component blank (10) comprising a first original surface (10a); ii) performing a first end stage (12) of imparting a first surface state on the first original surface (10a); iii) depositing one or more layers of atoms on the first end section (12) to give the first end section a first color (14); iv) performing at least one corner break on the blank to form at least one bevel or at least one chamfer (18) including a second original surface (18a); v) performing a second final stage (20) of imparting a second surface state on said second original surface (18a), and vi) depositing a metal layer, preferably a rhodium or gold layer, on the second end section by electroplating, PVD or ALD to give the second end section a second color (22).
2. The decoration method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of applying a sacrificial protective layer (16) on the first color (14) between step iii) and step iv), the sacrificial protective layer (16) being removed after step vi).
3. The decoration method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The component is selected from a bridge, a plate, a rotor, a dial with one or more windows, and a skeleton-type dial.
4. A decorating method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The component is made of steel, gold, platinum, palladium, ceramic or a copper alloy, in particular nickel silver.
5. A decorating method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The first end section (12) is obtained by sandblasting, shot peening, linear, circular or spiral satin polishing, blueing, manual or mechanical hammering, guilloche, beading, Geneva wave finishing, manual engraving or polishing.
6. A decorating method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The second end section (20) is obtained by linear satin grinding, planing, manual beveling, manual engraving or sandblasting.
7. A decorating method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Step iii) comprises carrying out a PVD, ALD or electroplating process on said first end section (12).
8. A timepiece component, in particular a bridge, a plate, a rotor, a dial with one or more windows or a skeleton-type dial, obtained by a decoration method according to any one of the preceding claims.
9. A timepiece component according to the preceding claim, in the form of a skeleton-type watch dial (30), comprising a dial portion and a hollow portion defined by the outline of the dial portion, the dial portion comprising a surface and a bevel or chamfer adjacent to the surface of the dial portion and arranged around the hollow portion, the surface comprising the first end segment and the first color to provide a first visual appearance, the bevel or chamfer comprising the second end segment and the second color to provide a second visual appearance different from the first visual appearance.
10. A timepiece comprising a timepiece component according to claim 8 or 9.