Crown with a chamber for containing a fluid

Abstract

One aspect of the invention relates to a bezel for a timepiece, comprising: a chamber for containing a fluid, said chamber having an annular cross-section and comprising two projecting rims in the form of an inner annular portion and an outer annular portion, said inner annular portion and said outer annular portion forming respectively an inner contact face and an outer contact face; a bezel glass having an annular cross-section, the bezel glass closing the upper part of the chamber and being in contact with the inner contact face and the outer contact face; an inner seal located on the inner periphery of the bezel glass and in contact with the inner contact face; and an outer seal located on the outer periphery of the bezel glass and in contact with the outer contact face.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of watches, and more particularly to the field of watch bezels. The invention also relates to a method for sealing a watch bezel to allow it to contain fluid. Background Technology

[0002] Watch bezels are well-known in the prior art and are typically solid, meaning they contain no gaps. The "solid bezel" referred to in this invention is a bezel without gaps or with openwork, or a solid bezel formed by filling the openwork with solid material. Generally, the watch crystal is bonded to the bezel. Besides bonding, the watch crystal can also be press-fitted to the bezel using a sealing element on its outer circumference.

[0003] Bezels can serve multiple purposes, including decoration and functionality. For example, they may be adorned with jewels using various techniques, or they may include scales for indicating minutes or other data. The rotating bezel commonly found on dive watches is used to measure elapsed time since the start of a dive. Therefore, bezels can have a variety of geometries and functions.

[0004] Preferably, when the crystal is press-fitted into the bezel, the bezel must be securely fastened to the watch's central component in a sealed manner to prevent any leakage into the watch case. For example, EP0628895 describes a bezel with a double O-ring between the bezel and the watch's central component.

[0005] Currently, there is an urgent need to optimize the bezel's functionality to make it more efficient and versatile. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a bezel for a watch, the bezel comprising a chamber for containing a fluid, said fluid being either a liquid or a gas. The present invention also aims to provide a sealing bezel to ensure that the fluid is confined within it.

[0007] The present invention also aims to provide a bezel having glass at the top, the glass being used to enclose a chamber while allowing the user to observe the interior.

[0008] Another aspect of the invention relates to a method for sealing a bezel chamber to contain fluid. Attached Figure Description

[0009] The invention is described by way of examples shown in the following figures, wherein:

[0010] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of an example of a skeletonized bezel according to the present invention;

[0011] Figure 2 and Figure 3 yes Figure 1An enlarged view shows that the bezel glass seals the chamber with a double seal. Detailed Implementation

[0012] like Figure 1 As shown, the bezel 2 of the present invention includes a recessed chamber 3. This chamber 3 is used to contain any type of fluid, whether liquid or gas. The chamber 3 preferably has an annular cross-section because it is recessed into the entire bezel 2, and the bezel 2 itself is annular. If the bezel 2 is recessed to a certain depth, and then a solid material is filled at a certain depth at the bottom of the recess, leaving a gap above the solid material for fluid filling, then the chamber 3 referred to in the present invention corresponds to the recess without solid material.

[0013] Furthermore, the upper part of chamber 3 (i.e., the chamber portion located on the dial side of watch 1) is provided with two protruding edges. These two protruding edges are in the form of an inner annular portion and an outer annular portion, respectively, forming an inner contact surface 7 and an outer contact surface 8, as shown below. Figure 2 As shown, these contact surfaces can be used to fasten the bezel glass 4 to seal the chamber 3 and retain fluid inside. The bezel glass 4 is preferably also annular to seal the annular chamber 3 of the bezel 2.

[0014] Therefore, the joints between the inner contact surface 7 and the outer contact surface 8 of the chamber and the bezel glass 4 must be able to isolate gases and liquids. Since a bezel 2 containing fluid has never been disclosed in the prior art, the sealing problem between the bezel and the bezel glass has never occurred before.

[0015] According to the present invention, the inner contact surface 7 and the outer contact surface 8 correspond to the inner annular portion and the outer annular portion on the protruding edge of the chamber 3. The inner side (i.e., the portion with the smallest diameter) of the bezel glass 4 contacts the inner contact surface 7, and the outer side (i.e., the portion with the largest diameter) of the bezel glass 4 contacts the outer contact surface 8.

[0016] Compared to the complete surface of a solid bezel without a cavity in the prior art, the available inner contact surface 7 and outer contact surface 8 have a very small area. Therefore, if the bezel glass 4 is simply bonded to these extremely small surfaces, the reliability of the system will be compromised because its mechanical strength, impact resistance, and chemical resistance will be too low.

[0017] Accordingly, the present invention provides a dual seal, namely, an inner seal 5 located on the inner circumference of the bezel glass 4 and an outer seal 6 located on the outer circumference of the bezel glass 4, which respectively contact the inner contact surface 7 and the outer contact surface 8 of the bezel 2. This dual seal is preferably a press-fit seal used in a bezel glass press-fit system to improve sealing performance and ensure sufficient mechanical strength, chemical resistance, and impact resistance.

[0018] like Figure 1As shown, chamber 3 may also include a filling port 9. This filling port is preferably located at its lower position. Therefore, even if the bezel 2 is already closed and sealed by the bezel glass 4, fluid can still be filled into the bezel 2 via this filling port 9. The filling port 9 is sealed by means of a screw 10 and an O-ring 11 around it. The screw 10 can be used to open and close the filling port 9, for example, for changing the fluid. If chamber 3 does not include a filling port 9, fluid can also be filled into it before the chamber is closed by the bezel glass 4.

[0019] The pressure applied to the bezel glass 4 during the pressing process is preferably between 1500N and 2500N, more preferably between 1800N and 2300N, and even more preferably between 1900N and 2100N.

[0020] The seals used in this invention can be any type of seal used in the watchmaking industry, especially I-ring seals made of materials such as Hytrel, Zytel, and Arnitel.

[0021] The method of sealing the chamber by pressing the bezel glass 4 can be advantageously carried out in an immersed state.

[0022] As a variant embodiment, the inner seal 5 and / or the outer seal 6 may be provided in the form of adhesive seals, thereby achieving the sealing of the chamber 3 while fixing the bezel glass 4 to the bezel 2.

[0023] Glossary

[0024] 1. Watch

[0025] 2. Bezel

[0026] 3. Chamber

[0027] 4. Bezel glass

[0028] 5. Inner seal

[0029] 6. External seal

[0030] 7. Inner contact surface

[0031] 8. Outer contact surface

[0032] 9. Fill the port

[0033] 10. Screws

[0034] 11. O-ring.

Claims

1. A bezel (2) for a clock, the bezel (2) comprising: - A chamber (3) for containing fluid, the chamber having an annular cross-section and including two protruding edges in the form of an inner annular portion and an outer annular portion, the inner annular portion and the outer annular portion forming an inner contact surface (7) and an outer contact surface (8), respectively. - A bezel glass (4) having an annular cross-section, which encloses the upper part of the chamber (3) and contacts the inner contact surface (7) and the outer contact surface (8); - An inner seal (5) located on the inner circumference of the bezel glass (4) and in contact with the inner contact surface (7); and - An outer seal (6) located on the outer periphery of the bezel glass (4) and in contact with the outer contact surface (8).

2. The bezel (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner seal (5) and the outer seal (6) are press-fit seals.

3. The bezel (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The inner seal (5) and the outer seal (6) are "I-ring" seals.

4. The bezel (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The chamber (3) includes a filling port (9) which is removably closed by an assembly including a screw (10) and an O-ring (11).

5. A clock, characterized in that, The watch includes a bezel (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A method for sealing the bezel (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: - Place the inner seal (5) on the inner contact surface (7); - Place the outer seal (6) on the outer contact surface (8); - The chamber (3) is sealed by using a press-fitting technique for press-fitting the bezel glass (4) to fasten the bezel glass (4) to the inner contact surface (7) and the outer contact surface (8).

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method includes the step of filling the chamber (3) with fluid.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, In the step of pressing the bezel glass (4), the pressure applied to the bezel glass (4) is between 1500N and 2500N, preferably between 1800N and 2300N, and more preferably between 1900N and 2100N.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that, The step of sealing the chamber (3) is carried out by immersion in a fluid.

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