Crown provided with combined locking mechanism

Abstract

The invention relates to a lockable crown (10) for a timepiece comprising a middle shell (100) embedded with a cavity (102) opening on a lateral flank (101) of the middle shell and communicating via an opening (106) with a central space (103) intended for a frame. The lockable crown (10) comprises a crown (12), a shank (14) rigidly attached to the crown (12), a tube (20) mounted on the shank (14) and intended to be fastened in an opening (106) of the intermediate shell (100), and a locking mechanism (30) intended to be mounted around the tube (20) in a cavity (102) of the intermediate shell (100). The locking mechanism (30) comprises a locking member (40), an actuator (48) and a lock (50) having a plurality of combination elements (60, 70, 80) pivotally mounted around the tube (20) and rotatably actuatable via the crown (12) when the crown is mounted on the intermediate shell (100) and rotated in one direction or the other. The locking member (40) is configured to assume a locked position and an unlocked position in which the crown (12) is translationally locked or released. The locking part (40) is intended to be actuated by an actuator (48) from a locked position to an unlocked position when all the combined elements (60, 70, 80) are arranged in a predetermined angular position. The invention also relates to a timepiece comprising a lockable crown (10).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a crown, in particular to an upper chain crown, equipped with a combination locking mechanism. This mechanism is designed to prevent axial movement of the crown when it is locked. The invention also relates to a timepiece comprising an intermediate case provided with a cavity opening on lateral flanks of the intermediate case, and a lockable crown whose mechanism is mounted inside this cavity. BACKGROUND

[0002] There already exist watches comprising a combination locking mechanism to prevent axial movement of the crown. Thus, the crown must be operated by the user in a specific order corresponding to the combination in order to unlock the crown. Setting the time, winding the watch, or even correcting the date, day of the week or moon phase indication, cannot typically be performed without knowing the specific combination associated with the watch. This has in particular the advantage of rendering stolen watches, in particular valuable watches with multiple complications, unusable, thus preventing these watches from circulating on the parallel market.

[0003] By way of example, CH 716 712 discloses a watch comprising a case with a removable back cover. This watch is equipped with a combination locking mechanism which, on the one hand, serves to block the time setting and winding mechanisms, and on the other hand, to prevent removal of the case back cover, in order to avoid any unauthorized use of the watch.

[0004] The main drawback of this mechanism is its bulk and integration into the watch case, i.e. at least partially within the space dedicated to the movement. Thus, the watch movement must be developed according to the characteristics of this locking mechanism.

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a watch crown provided with a compact combination locking mechanism.

[0006] It is another object of the present invention to provide a watch crown whose combination locking mechanism is intended to be mounted in a cavity opening on lateral flanks of an intermediate case of the timepiece on the side of the crown. Preferably, this cavity does not encroach on the movement seat of the watch case. This has the advantage of allowing replacement of the traditional crown of an existing watch by simply creating a cavity on the side of the intermediate case to accommodate the combination locking mechanism according to the invention.

[0007] It is another object of the present invention to provide a timepiece equipped with such a crown. SUMMARY

[0008] These objects are achieved, inter alia, at least in part by a lockable crown for a timepiece comprising an intermediate case, the intermediate case being embedded with a cavity, the cavity being open on lateral flanks of the intermediate case and communicating with a central space intended for a frame via the openings. The lockable crown comprises a crown, a stem connected to the crown, a tube mounted on the stem and intended to be fixed in the opening of the intermediate case, and a locking mechanism intended to be mounted around the tube in the cavity of the intermediate case. The locking mechanism comprises a locking member, an actuator and a lock having a number of combination elements, the combination elements being pivotably mounted around the tube and being rotatably actuated via the crown when the crown is mounted on the intermediate case and turned in one direction or the other. The locking member is configured to adopt a locked position and an unlocked position in which it respectively blocks and releases the translation of the crown. The locking member is intended to be actuated from the locked position to the unlocked position by the actuator when all the combination elements are arranged in predetermined angular positions.

[0009] According to an embodiment, the combination elements of the lock are in the form of annular discs, each annular disc having a notch on its outer diameter. The actuator of the locking member is an elastic member. The locking member comprises a contact bump intended to interact with the outer diameter of at least one of the combination discs in the locked position. The contact bump is intended to enter the notch of the combination disc under the action of the elastic member when said notches are aligned, thereby causing the locking member to move into the unlocked position.

[0010] According to an embodiment, the combination elements of the lock comprise at least a first disc connected to the crown, and a second disc and a third disc resting on the tube. The second disc is positioned between the first disc and the third disc.

[0011] According to an embodiment, the first disc and the second disc each comprise driving elements on their opposite sides, such that the rotation of the first disc caused by the actuation of the crown is able to drive the rotation of the second disc. The second disc and the third disc each comprise driving elements on their opposite sides, such that the rotation of the second disc is able to drive the rotation of the third disc.

[0012] According to an embodiment, the second disc and the third disc each comprise n indexing means distributed around their circumference. The locking mechanism further comprises an indexing member arranged between the second disc and the third disc and fixed to the tube. The indexing member comprises complementary indexing means on its opposite sides, arranged to engage with the n indexing means of the second disc and the third disc respectively, in order to position the second disc and the third disc in n angular positions of the combination corresponding to an indication.

[0013] According to an embodiment, the index corresponding to the indication of the combination is arranged on the lateral flanks of the intermediate case around the cavity.

[0014] According to an embodiment, the n graduated elements of the second and third disks are in the form of cavities, preferably partially spherical. The graduated elements have a substantially annular shape and comprise two diametrically opposed spheres, which are arranged on two flexible portions, to engage respectively with the cavities of the second and third disks.

[0015] According to an embodiment, the graduated elements comprise internal teeth, which engage with the toothed portion of the tube, to lock the rotation of said graduated elements.

[0016] According to an embodiment, the locking member comprises a main body, which surrounds a hollow portion, in which said lock, with its plurality of assembly elements, is mounted. The locking member also comprises a central opening, intended to be passed through by the tube.

[0017] According to an embodiment, the opening of the intermediate case of the watch is a threaded hole. The tube comprises a threaded portion, intended to be screwed into the threaded hole of the intermediate case.

[0018] According to an embodiment, the crown portion comprises a circular recess, concentric with the axis. The locking member comprises a locking element in the form of a tab, preferably partially circular, intended to fit in the recess in the locked position.

[0019] According to an embodiment, the locking mechanism is intended to be mounted entirely inside the cavity of the intermediate case.

[0020] Another aspect of the application relates to a watch comprising an intermediate case provided with a cavity, which is open on the lateral flanks of the intermediate case and communicates with the central space dedicated to the frame via the opening. The watch also comprises a lockable crown according to any one of the above-mentioned embodiments, the locking mechanism of which is mounted inside the cavity and the tube of which is fixed in the opening.

[0021] According to an embodiment, the width of the cavity in the general plane of the intermediate case is substantially the same as the width of the locking member. In a direction normal to the general plane of the intermediate case, the height of the cavity is greater than the height of the locking member, so that the locking member can be moved from the locked position to the unlocked position while being guided by the lateral walls of the cavity.

[0022] According to an embodiment, the actuator is mounted inside the cavity between the locking member and the upper wall of the cavity, so as to interact with said wall and with one side of the locking member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] Examples of embodiments of the application are provided in the description, illustrated by the attached drawings, in which: - Figure 1 A perspective view of the intermediate case of a watch according to an embodiment is shown in exploded view of the crown, provided with a combined locking mechanism; - Figure 2 A perspective view of the crown of a watch is shown, in which the combined lock is mounted around the tube; -Figure 3a perspective view of the crown comprising one of the elements of the combination lock of the locking mechanism; - Figure 3b perspective view of the crown from the side of the crown axis; Figure 2 front view of the crown; - Figure 4 perspective view of the tube intended to be screwed into the intermediate casing; - Figure 5a perspective view of the other element of the combination lock of the locking mechanism from the side of the crown; 5b - perspective view of the other element of the combination lock of the locking mechanism from the side of the crown; Figure 6a - 6b perspective view of the two sides of the graduated component intended to engage with the two combined elements in - 5b and Figure 7a - 6b; 7b perspective view of the two sides of the graduated component intended to engage with the two combined elements in Figure 5a - 5b and Figure 6a - 6b; - Figure 8 perspective view of the locking component of the locking mechanism; - Figure 9a and Figure 9b respectively show a top view and a side view of a watch comprising a crown in a first axial position and in a locked configuration; - Figure 10 cross-sectional view of Figure 9a along A-A; - Figure 11 cross-sectional view of Figure 10 along B-B; - Figure 12 cross-sectional view of Figure 10 along C-C; - Figure 13 perspective view of the watch comprising a crown in a second axial position and in an unlocked configuration; - Figure 14 cross-sectional view of Figure 13 along D-D, - Figure 15 cross-sectional view of Figure 14 along E-E. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] According to a preferred embodiment, and especially with reference to Figures 1 to 8The timepiece comprises an intermediate case 100 and a lockable crown 10. The lockable crown 10 mainly comprises a crown portion 12, in particular an upper winding crown portion, a tube 20 and a locking mechanism 30. The crown portion is configured to be rotatable and axially movable. The locking mechanism 30 is mounted in a cavity 102 in the intermediate case around the tube 20, the cavity 102 opening on one side of the crown portion 12 on a lateral flank 101 of the intermediate case. The crown portion 12 comprises a shaft or axis 14 and an annular cavity 18 surrounding the axis. The shaft is mounted to pivot within the tube 20, while the crown portion 12 is mounted to rotate on the tube 20 via a cylindrical wall 19 of the cavity 18 around a first portion 28 of the tube 20. This first portion 28 serves as a bearing portion for the cylindrical wall 19 of the crown portion 12.

[0025] The locking mechanism 30 comprises a locking member 40 and a lock 50. With reference to Figure 2 , the lock 50 comprises several combined elements 60, 70 and 80 pivotally mounted around the tube 20. In the present example, the number of combined elements of the lock 50 is three and takes the form of three substantially annular disks. It will be understood that different numbers of disks can be considered, in particular a number greater than three. For the sake of simplicity, the present description mainly focuses on three disks and this number is to be considered as an example and not as a limitation.

[0026] As particularly shown in Figure 3b , a first disk 60 of the three disks comprises a cutout 62 on its outer diameter, for example having an arc-shaped profile. According to Figure 3a and Figure 3b , the first disk 60 is fixed on the crown 12. The first disk can be fixed to the crown 12. Alternatively, the disk and the crown can form a single piece. The rotation of the crown 12 can thus drive the first disk 60 in one direction or the other around the bearing portion 28 of the tube 20.

[0027] Among the three disks, a second disk 70 and a third disk 80 bear against the tube 20. More particularly, the second disk 70 is preferably mounted to pivot around a second portion 23 of the tube 20, while the third disk 80 is preferably mounted to pivot around a third portion 26 of the tube 20 Figure 4 . The second disk 70 and the third disk 80 each have a cutout 72 and 82 identical or similar to the cutout 62 of the first disk 60, preferably having an arc-shaped profile.

[0028] A second disc 70 is mounted between the first disc 60 and the third disc 80. The three discs have driving elements extending in the axial direction of the crown on one and / or both of their sides, so that the rotation of the crown 12 can drive the rotation of each disc around the tube 20 in one or the other direction. In other words, two adjacent discs form a pair of discs, each having driving elements on their opposite sides, so that the rotation of one disc of the pair can actuate the rotation of the other disc of the pair by the rotation of the crown 12. This makes it possible to bring each of the discs into a predetermined angular position in which the cutouts of the three discs are aligned, i.e. overlap.

[0029] More particularly, with reference in particular to Figure 3a and Figure 3b , the first disc 60 comprises a driving element 64 arranged on the side of the disc facing the second disc 70. This driving element is a protrusion 64, for example in the form of a tab. As shown in Figure 5a and Figure 5b , the second disc 70 comprises a first driving element 74a and a second driving element 74b arranged respectively on the first and second sides of the disc.

[0030] The two driving elements are protrusions 74a, 74b, also in the form of tabs. As shown in Figure 6a , the third disc 80 comprises a single driving element 84 arranged on the side of the disc facing the second disc 70. In the example shown, the tabs on the three discs are identical in shape, preferably oblong and slightly curved, typically extending along an arc of less than 45°.

[0031] Thus, the rotation of the crown 12 makes it possible for the second disc 70 to rotate in both directions by contact between the driving elements 64 and 74a of the first and second discs; while the rotation of the second disc 70 makes it possible for the third disc 80 to rotate in both directions by contact between its respective driving elements 74b and 84. For a number of discs greater than three, the principle described above will be applied in order.

[0032] With reference in particular to Figures 5a to 7a , the locking mechanism comprises a graduated system to allow the positioning of the second and third discs 70, 80 in graduated angular positions. In the example shown in Figure 1 and Figure 9b , ten graduated angular positions correspond to the ten graduations 104 arranged on the lateral flanks 101 of the intermediate housing 100, around the opening of the cavity 102 and the crown 12.

[0033] These graduations or markings allow the angular position of each of the two discs 70, 80 to correspond to a part of the combination of the lock 50. Such a part can typically be a number or a numeral, or even another alphanumeric character or symbol. To this end, and according to the embodiment shown in the figures, the two discs 70, 80 each comprise, on their mutually opposite sides, ten graduation means 76, 86, which are distributed at regular intervals around the entire circumference of the disc. These graduation means are preferably in the form of cavities 76, 86, for example shaped as partial spheres. The number of graduation means can differ from ten, but will of course still be a natural integer n.

[0034] The graduation system also comprises a graduation member 90 Figure 7a of substantially annular shape, arranged between the second disc 70 and the third disc 80 and rotationally fixed to the tube 20. The graduation member 90 can for example comprise an internal toothing 93. The tube 20 can comprise a toothed portion 24 having a complementary toothing profile so as to engage with the graduation member 90. During assembly, the graduation member is positioned around the tube 20 and is then translated relative to the tube so as to engage with its toothed portion 24.

[0035] The rotation of the member 90 is thus locked. In the case where the locking device 50 comprises a fourth disc, then a second graduation member similar or identical to the graduation member 90 would be arranged between the third disc and the fourth disc. In general, the graduation system typically comprises a number of graduation members equal to the number of discs minus one, and each graduation member is arranged between two discs, but not adjacent to the first disc 60.

[0036] The graduation member 90 comprises, on each of its sides, complementary graduation means 96 arranged to interact with the ten graduation means 76 and 86 of the second disc 70 and the third disc 80, respectively. These complementary graduation means can for example be in the form of at least two diametrically opposed spheres 97, each mounted on a flexible portion 98 to interact with the cavities 76 and 86 of the second disc 70 and the third disc 80, respectively. The flexible portions 98 are arranged to bend in the axial direction of the tube 20 and act as a ratchet.

[0037] According to Figure 8 , the locking member 40 comprises a body 42 comprising two lateral sides 42a, 42b, an upper side 42c and a lower side 42d, which enclose a hollow portion 44. A central opening 45 is present at the bottom of the hollow portion 44. The body 42 of the locking member further comprises, at its upper part, a contact boss 43 and, at its lower part, a locking element 46. The contact boss 43 has a shape complementary to the profile of the cutouts 62, 72, 82 of the three discs 60, 70, 80 of the lock, for example, partially circular. The cutouts of the three discs can have other types of profile to receive the complementary profile of the contact boss of the locking member.

[0038] The locking element 46 of the locking member 40 can for example take the form of a tab, preferably partially circular. As Figure 3a is apparent, the tab 46 is intended to fit into the circular recess 16 arranged on the crown 12, in order to lock the axial movement of the crown 12 independently of its angular position.

[0039] The locking member body 42 is preferably fitted into the cavity 102 of the intermediate case 100. As Figure 11 and Figure 14 illustrated in Figure 11 , the cavity 102 is delimited by two lateral walls 102a, 102b, an upper wall 102c and a lower wall 102d. In the example shown in , the cavity 102 has a substantially rectangular shape, the width of which in the general plane of the intermediate case 100 is substantially the same as the width of the locking member body. However, the height of the cavity 102 in the direction orthogonal to the general plane of the intermediate case 100 is greater than the height of the locking member body, so that the latter can be moved from the locked position to the unlocked position. There is a clearance between the lateral flanks 42a, 42b of the body 42 and the corresponding lateral walls 102a, 102b of the cavity 102, allowing the locking member 40 to slide along these walls between the locked position and the unlocked position.

[0040] The compact size of the locking mechanism 30 with the combined lockable crown 10 advantageously allows the replacement of a traditional crown on an existing watch, by simply creating a cavity such as the cavity 102 on the lateral flanks of the intermediate case on the crown side, to accommodate the locking mechanism, without the need to modify the watch case interior containing the movement.

[0041] Figure 10 As illustrated in , the entire locking mechanism 30 can advantageously be accommodated within the thickness of the vertical section of the intermediate case between the case band and the movement seat, or within the flange of the intermediate case. Thus, the locking mechanism 30 preferably does not encroach on the central space 103 normally reserved for the movement, or only slightly encroaches on this space.

[0042] Figure 10 With particular reference to Figure 8 , the locking mechanism with three discs 60, 70, 80 described by way of example is mounted within the hollow portion 44 of the locking member, while the tube 20 passes through the central opening 45 and the threaded portion 22 is screwed into the threaded hole 106 present in the intermediate case 100 and opening into the cavity 102. The upper side 42c of the body 42 comprises a recess 47 in which an actuator 48 is arranged, typically a resilient member, which can for example be a spring leaf.

[0043] The shape of the spring leaf in its rest state can for example comprise a central V-shaped portion with an apex arranged against the upper wall 102c of the cavity 102 Figure 14 and Figure 15), and two legs arranged on either side of the central portion, which rest in the recess 47 so as to press the contact bump 43 of the locking member 40 against the three discs 60, 70 and 80 of the lock. As an alternative, the spring leaf can be replaced by one or more compression springs or any other elastic member. In all cases, the force generated by such elastic member must be sufficient to move the locking member 40 to its unlocked position when all the cutouts of the discs are aligned.

[0044] With reference to Figures 9a to 12 , when the crown 12 is in the locked axial position, the contact bump 43 of the locking member 40 is in contact with the outer diameter of at least one of the discs 60, 70, 80 in the locked position under the effect of the elastic member 48. According to Figure 10 , the contact bump 43 extends almost over the entire thickness of the locking member 40 so as to be able to bear against the outer diameter of the three discs 60, 70, 80.

[0045] The locking member 40 is thus held in the locked position by the outer diameter of the three discs. In this position, the upper side 42c of the locking member body 42 is in contact with the upper wall 102c of the cavity 102 and the spring leaf 48 is in the flattened state. At this time, the locking tab 46 of the locking member 40 is in the groove 16 of the crown 12. The translation of the crown is thus locked. It is therefore not possible to use any function of the watch requiring axial movement of the crown. For example, functions such as setting the time, winding and correcting the date, day of the week or the phases of the moon on a complicated watch cannot be selected and thus activated.

[0046] With reference to Figures 13 to 15 , by performing a series of operations on the crown 12 corresponding to the combination of the lock 50, the three discs 60, 70, 80 are rotated. This series of operations, which will be described in more detail later, aims to align the cutouts 62, 72, 82 of the three discs with the contact bump 43 of the locking member. Under the effect of the spring leaf 48, the contact bump then inserts into the three cutouts, the legs of the spring leaf 48 exerting pressure on the recess 47 of the locking member, causing the locking member 40 to move to the unlocked position. The lower side 42d of the locking member 40 is thus brought to bear against the lower wall 102d of the cavity 102 and the locking tab 46 is released from the groove 16 of the crown. The crown can thus be pulled to any axial position, typically allowing the setting of the time, winding of the movement and the correction of the aforementioned functions of a watch with multiple complications.

[0047] With reference to Figure 1 , the crown 12 also comprises markings or indicators 15, making it possible for the user to know the angular position of the crown relative to the ten graduations or indications, such as the numbers 104, arranged on the lateral flanks 101 of the intermediate case 100 around the crown 12.

[0048] To unlock the crown 12, the user turns it, for example, at least two complete turns clockwise, so that the driving element 64 of the first disc 60 bears against the first driving element 74a of the second disc 70 and the second driving element 74b of the second disc 70 bears against the driving element 84 of the third disc 80. This allows all the discs to be positioned in a reference position by the driving elements of the discs, from which reference position, based on the lock code required to unlock the crown, each disc is brought into a predetermined angular position.

[0049] The crown is then operated by a series of rotations, in which, for example, the first rotation is in the clockwise direction and each subsequent rotation is typically performed in the opposite direction to the preceding rotation. This series of rotations aims to align the indicator 15 with the scale or number corresponding to the three digits of the code in turn, i.e. the three parts of the code together forming a combined code in turn.

[0050] In this case, after two complete rotations clockwise, the crown 12 is first rotated clockwise to align the indicator 15 with the scale or number corresponding to the first digit of the code, which is typically associated with the disc furthest from the crown, i.e. the third disc 80 in this example. Since, for each disc, the angular position of the cutout or driving element is related to a part of the code, such as a digit of the code, the rotation of the third disc 80, by the action of the second driving element 74b of the second disc 70 on the driving element 84 of the third disc 80, brings the cutout 82 of the third disc 80 into alignment with the contact bump 43 of the locking member.

[0051] The crown 12 is then rotated anticlockwise to align the indicator 15 with the scale or number corresponding to the second digit of the code, which is associated with the second disc 70. This allows the cutout 72 of the second disc 70 to be brought into alignment with the contact bump 43 of the locking member by the action of the first driving element 64 of the first disc 60 on the first driving element 74a of the second disc 70. Finally, the crown 12 is rotated clockwise to align the indicator 15 with the scale or number corresponding to the third digit of the code, thereby bringing the cutout 62 of the first disc 60 into alignment with the contact bump 43 of the locking member.

[0052] By this series of operations, the cutouts of the three discs are aligned, thereby allowing the contact bump 43 to fit in the cutout under the action of the spring tab 48, thereby moving the locking member 40 to the unlocked position.

[0053] The instructions for operating the crown to unlock the crown are typically defined by the manufacturer. These instructions correspond to the lock code, which can be customised for each locking mechanism. Each part of the code, such as a digit in the code, is in fact dependent on the position of the cutout relative to the driving element of its disc. Thus, by selecting a unique combination of positions of the cutouts relative to the driving elements of the discs, it is possible to envisage a watch with a unique code.

[0054] To re-lock the crown 12, it is sufficient to first push it into the axial locking position and then rotate it clockwise or counterclockwise. The user will feel a resistance due to the force exerted by a portion of the cutout 62 of the first disc 60 on the contact bump 43 of the locking member 40. This simultaneously disengages the contact bump 43 from the three cutouts 62, 72 and 82 of the respective discs 60, 70 and 80. Then, the locking member 40 returns to its locking position. The user then rotates the crown 12 one or more turns clockwise and counterclockwise to position the different discs in various angular positions, thus preventing accidental unlocking of the crown.

[0055] List of references Lockable crown 10 Crown 12 Axis 14 Indicator 15 Groove 16 Annular cavity 18 Cylindrical wall 19 Tube 20 Threaded portion 22 Second portion 23 Toothed portion 24 Third portion 26 Third portion 26 (e.g. ribbed portion) First portion 28 (e.g. bearing portion) Locking mechanism 30 Locking member 40 Body 42 Transverse sides 42a, 42b Upper and lower sides 42c, 42d Contact bump Hollow portion 44 Central opening 45 Locking element 46 Recess 47 Actuator 48 (e.g. resilient member) Combination lock 50 First element 60 (e.g. disc) Cutout 62 Driving element 64 (e.g. boss) Second element 70 Cutout 72 Driving elements 74a, 74b Graduation means 76 (e.g. cavity) Third element 80 Cutout 82 Driving element 84 Graduation means 86 (e.g. cavity) Graduation 90 teeth 93 graduated device 96 ball 97 flexible portion 98 intermediate housing 100 lateral flanks 101 cavity 102 lateral walls 102a, 102b upper and lower walls 102c, 102d central space 103 graduation 104 opening 106 (e.g. threaded hole)

Claims

1. A lockable crown (10) for a timepiece, the timepiece comprising an intermediate case (100) provided with a cavity (102) open on lateral flanks (101) of the intermediate case and communicating with a central space (103) intended for a frame via an opening (106), the lockable crown (10) comprising a crown (12), a stem (14) connected to the crown (12), a tube (20) mounted on the stem (14) and intended to be secured in the opening (106) of the intermediate case (100), and a locking mechanism (30) intended to be mounted in the cavity (102) of the intermediate case (100) around the tube (20), the locking mechanism (30) comprising a locking member (40), an actuator (48) and a lock (50) having a plurality of combination elements (60, 70, 80) pivotably mounted around the tube (20) and rotatably actuable via the crown (12) when the crown is mounted on the intermediate case (100) and turned in one direction and in the other direction, the locking member (40) being configured to adopt a locked position and an unlocked position in which it respectively blocks and releases the translation of the crown (12), the locking member (40) being intended to be actuated from the locked position to the unlocked position by the actuator (48) when all the combination elements (60, 70, 80) are arranged in predetermined angular positions.

2. Lockable crown (10) according to claim 1, wherein The combination elements (60, 70, 80) of the locking member are in the form of annular discs each having a notch (62, 72, 82) on its outer diameter, the actuator (48) of the locking member (40) being a resilient member, the locking member (40) comprising a contact protuberance (43) intended to interact in the locked position with the outer diameter of at least one of the combination discs (60, 70, 80), the contact protuberance (43) being intended to enter the notch (62, 72, 82) of the combination disc (60, 70, 80) under the action of the resilient member (48) when the notches are aligned, thereby causing the movement of the locking member into the unlocked position.

3. Lockable crown (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein The combination elements of the lock (50) comprise at least a first disc (60) connected to the crown (12), and a second disc and a third disc (70, 80) resting on the tube (20), the second disc (70) being positioned between the first disc and the third disc (60, 80).

4. Lockable crown (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein The first and second discs (60, 70) each comprise driving elements (64a, 74a) on their opposite sides, so that the rotation of the first disc (60) can drive the rotation of the second disc (70) by actuation of the crown (12); and wherein the second and third discs (70, 80) each comprise driving elements (74a, 80) on their opposite sides, so that the rotation of the second disc (70) can drive the rotation of the third disc (80).

5. Lockable crown (10) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein The second and third discs (70, 80) each comprise n graduated elements (76, 86) distributed around their periphery, the locking mechanism further comprising a graduated element (90) arranged between the second and third discs (70, 80) and fixed to the tube (20), the graduated element (90) comprising on two opposite sides complementary graduated elements (96) arranged respectively in engagement with the n graduated elements (76, 86) of the second and third discs (70, 80) in order to position the second and third discs (70, 80) in n graduated angular positions corresponding to the indication of the combination.

6. Lockable crown (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein The graduation (104) corresponding to the indication of the combination is arranged on the lateral flanks (101) of the intermediate case (100) around the cavity (102).

7. Lockable crown (10) according to claim 5 or 6, wherein The graduated elements (76, 86) of the second and third discs (70, 80) are in the form of cavities, preferably partially spherical, and wherein the graduated element (90) has a substantially ring shape and comprises two diametrically opposed balls (97) disposed on two flexible portions (98) to respectively engage the cavities (76, 86) of the second and third discs (70, 80).

8. Lockable crown (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein The graduated element (90) comprises internal teeth (93) which engage with the toothed portion (24) of the tube (20) to lock the rotation of the graduated element (90).

9. Lockable crown (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The locking member (40) comprises a main body (42) surrounding a hollow portion (44) in which the lock (50) having a plurality of combination elements (60, 70, 80) is mounted, the locking member further comprising a central opening (45) intended to be traversed by the tube (20).

10. Lockable crown (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein The opening (106) of the intermediate case (100) of the watch is a threaded hole and wherein the tube (20) comprises a threaded portion (22) intended to be screwed into the threaded hole (106) of the intermediate case (100).

11. Lockable crown (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The crown (12) comprises a circular recess (16) concentric with the axis (14), the locking member (40) comprising a locking element (46) in the form of a tab, preferably partially circular, intended to fit in the recess (16) in the locked position.

12. Lockable crown (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The locking mechanism (30) is intended to be entirely mounted within the cavity (102) of the intermediate case (100).

13. A timepiece comprising an intermediate case (100) provided with a cavity (102) which opens on lateral flanks (101) of the intermediate case and which communicates with a central space (103) intended for a frame via an opening (106), the timepiece further comprising a lockable crown (12) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the locking mechanism (30) of which is mounted within the cavity (102) and the tube (20) of which is secured in the opening (106).

14. Timepiece according to the preceding claim, wherein, The width of the cavity (102) in the general plane of the intermediate case (100) is substantially the same as the width of the locking member (40), the height of the cavity (102) in a direction normal to the general plane of the intermediate case (100) being greater than the height of the locking member (40) so that the locking member (40) can be moved from the locked position to the unlocked position while being guided by the lateral walls (102a, 102b) of the cavity (102).

15. Timepiece according to the preceding claim, wherein, The actuator (48) is mounted within the cavity (102) between the locking member (40) and an upper wall (102c) of the cavity (102) so as to interact with the wall (102c) and with one side (42c) of the locking member (40).

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