WRISTWATCH THAT INCLUDES A DIAL WITH A FIXED PART AND A MOVING PART

Description

Technical field of the invention

[0001] The invention falls within the field of watchmaking, and in particular a watch comprising decorative parts.

[0002] More specifically, the invention relates to a watch comprising a dial having a fixed part and a moving part. Technological background

[0003] It is known from the state of the art of horological parts, particularly watches, which have on their dial moving elements for decorative purposes, for example kinematically linked to a horological movement included in said horological parts.

[0004] The clockwork mechanism is adapted to move the moving elements according to the current time in order to generate a decoration that evolves over time.

[0005] However, these moving parts cannot be moved at will by the user, and therefore cannot be used to personalize the aesthetic appearance of the timepiece according to the user's wishes.

[0006] There is a need for the user to be able to change the aesthetic appearance of a timepiece at any time, whenever they wish. Summary of the invention

[0007] The invention solves the aforementioned drawbacks by offering a watch whose appearance can be modified according to the user's wishes.

[0008] To this end, the present invention relates to a watch comprising a dial having a fixed part superimposed on a rotating movable part having a surface on which are arranged zones with different visual appearances. The fixed part includes at least one through-hole opening onto at least one of the zones, the movable part being kinematically connected to a control member so as to be driven in rotation by excitation of said control member and being configured so that when driven in rotation, the zones with different visual appearances appear successively through the opening.

[0009] The user can thus, on the one hand, modify the appearance of the watch face by choosing the orientation of the moving part so that the openings reveal areas with desired visual aspects, and on the other hand obtain an attractive visual effect and an interactive decoration when rotating the moving part.

[0010] Specific embodiments of the invention are defined by the attached dependent claims.

[0011] In particular embodiments, areas with the same visual appearance have identical shapes and dimensions, the fixed portion comprising at least two openings separated from each other by a material bridge. These openings and the material bridge each have substantially the shape and dimensions corresponding to those of an area, and are distributed so that each opening reveals only one area.

[0012] In particular embodiments, the zones are arranged in the form of circular sectors adjacent to each other so that two successive circular sectors have a different visual appearance.

[0013] In particular embodiments, two successive zones have the same visual appearance, a bridge of material having a shape and dimensions corresponding to those of the pair formed by said two successive zones.

[0014] In particular embodiments, the moving part comprises a circular ring having a central orifice including internal teeth in meshing relationship with a toothed wheel adapted to be driven in rotation by the control member.

[0015] In particular embodiments, the moving part comprises a circular ring having a central opening, and includes a disc arranged in the central opening of the circular ring. The disc and the circular ring are concentric, kinematically connected to the control member, and each has areas with a visually distinct appearance.

[0016] In particular embodiments, the moving part is kinematically connected to the control element so that the transmission ratios are such that the rotation of the moving part is capable of producing a motion blur of the areas visible through the openings.

[0017] In particular embodiments, the control element is formed by a crown rod connected to a crown.

[0018] In particular embodiments, the transmission ratios are chosen so that when the crown is pivoted by one turn, the moving part is driven in rotation by at least one turn.

[0019] In particular embodiments, the disc and the circular ring are alternately engaged by a sliding pinion, according to the direction of rotation of the ring.

[0020] In particular embodiments, the watch includes a system for holding the moving part in position, allowing it to be indexed according to at least one predefined position. Brief description of the figures

[0021] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: there figure 1represents a top view of a dial and a control mechanism of a watch according to an example of an embodiment close to the invention; the figure 2 represents a cross-sectional view along axis AA of the dial and the control mechanism of the figure 1 ; there figure 3 represents an exploded perspective view of the dial and control mechanism of the figure 1 . Detailed description of the invention

[0022] The present invention relates to a watch comprising a dial 100 and a control element 200 as shown in isolation on the figures 1 to 3 .

[0023] The watch comprises, in a manner known per se, a case consisting of a case middle, a bezel, and a back, said case forming an internal volume in which is housed a watch movement designed to drive the rotation of hour, minute, and possibly second hands. The aforementioned components of the watch are not shown in the figures because they are known as such to those skilled in the art and do not, as such, relate to the present invention.

[0024] Dial 100 is arranged so as to be interposed between a glass and the watch movement, in a way known to the man of the trade.

[0025] The dial 100 according to the present invention comprises a fixed part 110 integral with the case, bezel or watch movement, and superimposed on a rotating movable part 120 kinematically connected to the control member 200, as shown in the figures 1 to 3, so as to be driven into rotation by the activation of said control element 200 by a user.

[0026] The fixed part 110 and the mobile part 120 are in the form of thin, flat pieces and have concentric central orifices 111 and 121, through which needle shafts are provided to be engaged.

[0027] The movable part 120 is capable of pivoting around an axis of rotation orthogonal to a plane defined by the fixed part 110. For example, as shown in the figures 1 to 3 , the axis of rotation of the moving part 120 is intended to coincide with the axis of rotation of the hands.

[0028] The movable part 120 is, in the embodiment shown in the figures, made in the form of a circular ring and has a surface on which are arranged zones 122 and 123 with different visual appearances from each other.

[0029] More specifically, as shown in the exploded view of the figure 3 , zones 122 and 123 are distributed on the surface of the circular crown so as to divide it into a plurality of circular sectors adjacent to each other, two successive circular sectors presenting a different visual appearance.

[0030] Alternatively, zones 122 and 123 may exhibit other geometric shapes.

[0031] In this text, the visual aspect can be defined in particular by the color, the surface condition, for example the roughness of the surface, the presence of reliefs, the reflection of light, etc., and can be obtained by any means of decoration or machining within the reach of a person skilled in the art, such as the application of a coating, the setting of stones, the surface finishing, such as polishing, etc.

[0032] Zones 122 and 123 can, for example, present two different appearances, as shown in the exploded view of the figure 3 by the presence or absence of radial grooves. Alternatively, it is possible to provide more areas with a different appearance from each other.

[0033] The fixed part 110 is, in the embodiment shown in the figures, in the form of a disk and includes at least one through opening 112 leading to at least one of the zones 122 or 123 so that these are visible to a user, and such that when the moving part 120 is rotated, the zones 122 and 123 appear successively opposite the opening 112. By way of example, on the figure 1 The openings 112 reveal the areas 123 containing radial grooves.

[0034] Advantageously, and as described in more detail later in the text, the moving part 120 is kinematically linked to the control member 200 in such a way as to promote the rotation of the moving part 120 at a substantially high speed. This allows, through the successive appearance of zones 122 and 123 with different visual aspects, visible through the openings 112, a particular optical effect characterized by motion blur. This motion blur, due to a phenomenon of retinal persistence, makes it possible to generate an attractive interactive display on the dial 100, visible through the openings 112.

[0035] Furthermore, the invention allows the customization of the dial 100 insofar as the user can choose which areas 122 or 123 to leave visible through the openings 112. In other words, the user can, by stopping the rotation of the moving part 120, choose what visual appearance to give to the dial 100.

[0036] We can see here that the present invention has a dual aesthetic interest. Indeed, the invention allows on the one hand the generation of an interactive decoration during the movement of the mobile part 120, and on the other hand, the maintenance in position, in a certain angular position, of said mobile part 120, in order to display, through the openings 112, zones 122 or 123 presenting a visual aspect chosen by the user, to personalize the appearance of the watch.

[0037] The fixed part 110 has a plurality of openings 112, the latter being separated from each other by a bridge of material 113. Each opening 112 and the bridge of material 113 respectively have substantially a shape and dimensions corresponding to those of a zone 122 or 123, and are distributed so that the openings 112 can reveal only the zones 122 or 123 having the same visual appearance.

[0038] This feature allows the user to further personalize the aesthetic appearance of the watch.

[0039] The fixed part 110 can have as many openings 112 as there are zones 122 or 123 with the same visual appearance.

[0040] According to the invention as claimed in the attached set of claims, two successive zones 122 or 123 have the same visual appearance, a material bridge 113 has a shape and dimensions corresponding to those of the pair formed by said two successive zones 122 or 123, and the movable part 120 and the fixed part 110 have an odd number of zones 122 and 123 and openings 112 respectively.

[0041] This feature allows the user, by choosing the angular position of the movable part 120, to make zones 122 and 123 appear through the openings 112, presenting different visual aspects, each opening 112 showing only a single zone 122 or 123.

[0042] It is understood here that the advantage of this feature relates to the aspect of customizing the visual appearance of dial 100.

[0043] In the example implementation shown in the exploded view of the figure 3 , the central orifice 121 of the circular crown includes an internal toothing (not shown) in meshing relationship with a drive wheel 210 adapted to be driven in rotation by the control member 200.

[0044] More specifically, the drive wheel 210 meshes with an intermediate wheel 211 which is in contact with a transmission pinion 212 connected to the control unit 200.

[0045] In this embodiment of the invention, the control member 200 is formed by a crown gear 220 to which the transmission pinion 212 is attached and which includes a crown gear 221 at one of its ends. The pivoting of the crown gear 221 causes, via the transmission pinion 212, the rotation of the intermediate wheel 211, which in turn drives the rotation of the drive wheel 210 and consequently, the rotation of the moving part 120.

[0046] It is understood here that the direction of rotation of the moving part 120 depends on the direction of rotation of the ring 221.

[0047] These characteristics advantageously allow, by choosing suitable transmission ratios and according to the rotation speed of the crown 221, to drive the moving part 120 in rotation at sufficiently high rotation speeds to produce, by the alternating and rapid appearance of the zones 122 and 123 of different aspects through the openings 112, the motion blur.

[0048] As a guideline, the transmission ratios can be chosen so that when the user rotates the crown 221 one full turn, the moving part 120 is rotated at least one full turn. Thus, the tangential speed of the moving part 120, for example at a point on its periphery, is always considerably higher than that of the crown 221, due to the significant difference in their respective radii. This characteristic helps to promote and facilitate the appearance of motion blur.

[0049] Advantageously, the present invention also allows easy control of the angular positioning of the movable part 120 in order to be able to select a visual aspect to be displayed by moving the movable part 120 so as to make the desired zones 122 or 123 appear in relation to the openings 112.

[0050] As such, the watch may include a system for holding in position (not shown) the moving part 120 allowing its indexing according to one or more predefined angular positions.

[0051] For example, the positioning system can consist of a jumper fixed at one end to the case, the bezel, or the watch movement. The jumper has a tooth at its other end designed to engage in a notch on the periphery of the moving part 120.

[0052] More specifically, the movable part 120 has several notches distributed regularly around its periphery, and separated from each other by an angle corresponding to the angle separating two successive zones 122 and 123, so that in each predefined angular position that can be occupied by the movable part 120, the openings 112 each reveal a unique zone 122 or 123.

[0053] In another embodiment not shown in the figures, the moving part 120 comprises two moving elements, including a circular ring having a central orifice and a disk of diameter less than the diameter of the central orifice, arranged inside said central orifice, said disk and said circular ring being concentric and kinematically connected to the control member 200.

[0054] In particular, the disc and the circular ring can be engaged alternately by a sliding pinion, depending on the direction of rotation of the ring 221.

[0055] More specifically, the disc may have teeth, for example external, in meshing relationship with a first drive wheel and the ring 221 may have teeth, for example internal, in meshing relationship with a second drive wheel.

[0056] The first and second drive wheels can be arranged so as to be alternately in contact with the sliding pinion, which is for example mounted on a rocker, the said sliding pinion being further engaged with the transmission pinion 212.

[0057] Thus, when the crown 221 is driven in rotation in a first direction of rotation, the sliding pinion is engaged with the first drive wheel and transmits the rotational movement of the crown 221 to the disc so that the latter pivots, and when the crown 221 is driven in rotation in a second direction of rotation, the sliding pinion is engaged with the second drive wheel and transmits the rotational movement of the crown 221 to the circular crown so that the latter pivots.

[0058] Furthermore, this arrangement with a sliding gear acts as a disengagement mechanism in the kinematic chain connecting the control element 200 and the moving part 120 when the latter is rotated. Indeed, the sliding gear allows the control element 200 and the moving part 120 to be disconnected so that when the latter is in motion, the moving part 120 does not drive the control element 200.

[0059] Thus, since the control element 200 is always in operation and cannot be driven, the risk of damage to the parts transmitting forces between the moving part 120 and the control element 200 is avoided. For example, such a risk could arise if the control element 200 is blocked while the moving part 120 is still in motion.

[0060] The design allowing the choice of the direction of rotation of the disc and that of the circular ring is within the reach of a person skilled in the art, for example by adding or removing a toothed wheel in the gear train under consideration.

[0061] Alternatively, it is also conceivable that the first and second drive wheels are kinematically linked to each other, either by directly meshing one with the other, or via one or more toothed wheels.

[0062] In another embodiment of the invention not shown in the figures, the control member 200 can be a pusher connected to a drive wheel 210 by a mechanism for transforming a translational movement into a rotational movement.

Claims

1. A watch comprising a dial (100) comprising a fixed part (110) overlapping a rotating mobile part (120) comprising a surface on which are arranged zones (122, 123) with visual appearances that differ from each other and are arranged in the form of circular sectors adjacent to each other such that two successive circular sectors have a different visual appearance, the fixed part (110) comprising at least two through-openings (112) opening respectively onto at least one of the zones (122, 123) and separated from each other by a bar of material (113), the mobile part (120) being kinematically connected to a control organ (200) such that it is rotated by acting on said control organ (200), and being configured such that, when rotated, the zones (122, 123) with different visual appearances appear successively through the opening (112), the zones (122; 123) having the same visual appearance with an identical form and dimensions, said openings (112) and said bar of material (113) each having a form and dimensions substantially corresponding to those of a zone (122; 123), and being distributed such that each of the openings (112) can reveal only one zone (122; 123), the watch being characterised in that two successive zones (122; 123) have the same visual appearance, a bar of material (113) having a form and dimensions corresponding to those of the pair formed by said two zones (122; 123), the mobile part (120) and the fixed part (110) having an odd number of zones (122, 123) and of openings (112), respectively.

2. The watch according to claim 1, in which the mobile part (120) comprises a circular crown with a central orifice (121) comprising internal toothing meshing with a toothed wheel adapted to be rotated by the control organ (200).

3. The watch according to any of claims 1 or 2, in which the mobile part (120) comprises a circular crown with a central orifice, and comprises a disc arranged in the central orifice of the circular crown, the disc and the circular crown being concentric, kinematically connected to the control organ (200) and each comprising zones (122, 123) with different visual appearances from each other.

4. The watch according to any of claims 1 to 3, in which the control organ (200) is formed by a crown arbor (220) connected to a crown (221).

5. The watch according to claim 4, in which the mobile part (120) is kinematically connected to the control organ (200) so that the transmission ratios are such that when the crown (221) is pivoted by one turn, the mobile part (120) is rotated by at least one turn, the rotation of the mobile part (120) then producing a motion blur of the visible zones (122, 123) through the openings (112).

6. The watch according to claims 3 and 4, in which the disc and the circular crown alternately mesh with a sliding pinion assembly in the direction of rotation of the crown (221).

7. The watch according to any of claims 1 to 6, comprising a system for keeping the mobile part (120) in position, enabling it to be indexed according to at least one predefined position.