CLOCK WRAP WITH COMBINATION LOCKING MECHANISM

Description

technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a watch crown, in particular a winding 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 a case with a housing open on one side of the case and a lockable crown whose mechanism is mounted inside this housing. State of the art

[0002] Some watches already exist with a combination lock mechanism to prevent the crown from moving axially. The crown must therefore be operated by the user according to a specific sequence corresponding to the combination to unlock it. Setting the time, winding the watch, or even correcting the date, day of the week, or moon phase can typically no longer be done without knowing the watch's unique combination. This has the advantage of rendering stolen watches, especially valuable ones with multiple complications, worthless, thus preventing their circulation on a black market.

[0003] As an example, CH716712 discloses a watch with a removable case back. The watch is equipped with a combination lock mechanism used, firstly, to block the time-setting and winding mechanisms and, secondly, to prevent the case back from being removed in order to prevent unauthorized use of the watch.

[0004] The main disadvantage of this mechanism is its bulkiness, as it is integrated into the watch case, meaning it occupies at least part of the space dedicated to the movement. The watch movement must therefore be developed according to the characteristics of the locking mechanism.

[0005] Document CH 712 223 A2 concerns a timepiece that can be inserted removably and modularly into one or more compatible housing devices, including wristbands and writing instruments. The timepiece and the housings each have a specific, personal code that allows only compatible timepieces to be used with compatible housings.

[0006] One aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a watch crown equipped with a combination locking mechanism that is compact.

[0007] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a watch crown whose combination locking mechanism is designed to be mounted in a recess on the side of the watch case, on the crown side. Preferably, this recess does not encroach on the watch case's casing. This has the advantage of allowing the replacement of a conventional crown on existing watches by simply creating a recess on the side of the case to house the combination locking mechanism according to the invention.

[0008] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a timepiece equipped with such a crown. Brief summary of the invention

[0009] These objectives are at least partially achieved, in particular, by a lockable crown for a timepiece comprising a case incorporating a housing open on one side of the case and communicating, via an opening, with a central space for a cage. The lockable crown includes a crown, a shaft integral with the crown, a tube mounted on the shaft and intended to be fixed in the opening of the case, and a locking mechanism intended to be mounted in the case housing around the tube. The locking mechanism comprises a lock, an actuator, and a multi-element combination lock pivotally mounted around the tube and actuated by the crown when it is mounted on the case and turned in either direction. The lock is configured to assume a locked position and an unlocked position in which it respectively locks and releases the crown from translation.The lock is intended to be operated by the actuator from the locked position to the unlocked position, when all the combination elements are arranged in a predetermined angular position.

[0010] In one embodiment, the lock's combination elements are in the form of annular discs, each with a cutout on its outer diameter. The lock actuator is a spring-loaded element. The lock includes a contact pin designed to cooperate with the outer diameter of at least one of the combination discs in the locked position. The contact pin is designed to be brought into the cutouts of the combination discs by the spring-loaded element when these cutouts are aligned, thereby causing the lock to move to the unlocked position.

[0011] In one embodiment, the lock's combination elements comprise at least a first disc fixed to the crown, and a second and third disc bearing against the tube. The second disc is arranged between the first and third discs.

[0012] In one embodiment, the first and second discs each have a drive element on their opposite side so that the rotation of the first disc by actuation of the crown can drive the rotation of the second disc. The second and third discs each have a drive element on their opposite side so that the rotation of the second disc can drive the rotation of the third disc.

[0013] In one embodiment, the second and third discs each have n indexing means distributed around their circumference. The locking mechanism further includes an indexing piece arranged between the second and third discs and fixed to the tube. The indexing piece has, on two opposite sides, a complementary indexing means arranged to cooperate with the n indexing means of the second and third discs respectively, in order to position said second and third discs in n indexed angular positions corresponding to indications of the lock combination.

[0014] According to one embodiment, indexes corresponding to the combination indications are arranged on the lateral side of the case around the housing.

[0015] In one embodiment, the n indexing means for the second and third disks are in the form of cavities, preferably partially spherical. The indexing piece is generally annular in shape and comprises two diametrically opposed balls arranged on two flexible portions to cooperate with the cavities of the second and third disks respectively.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the indexing part has internal teeth engaging with a toothed portion of the tube in order to lock said indexing part in rotation.

[0017] In one embodiment, the lock comprises a body surrounding a hollowed-out portion within which the multi-element combination lock is mounted. The lock further comprises a central opening for the tube to pass through.

[0018] In one embodiment, the opening in the case of the timepiece is a tapped hole. The tube has a threaded portion intended to be screwed into the tapped hole in the case.

[0019] In one embodiment, the watch crown has a circular groove concentric with the axis. The lock has a locking element in the form of a tab, preferably partially circular, intended to be arranged in the groove in the locked position.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the locking mechanism is intended to be fully mounted in the case housing.

[0021] Another aspect of the invention relates to a timepiece comprising a case with a housing open on one side of the case and communicating via an opening with a central space for a cage. The timepiece further comprises a lockable crown, in any of the aforementioned embodiments, the locking mechanism of which is mounted inside the housing and the tube of which is fixed in the opening.

[0022] In one embodiment, the width of the housing in the general plane of the case is substantially the same as the width of the lock. The height of the housing in a direction orthogonal to the general plane of the case is greater than the height of the lock so that the lock can move from the locked position to the unlocked position, guided by the lateral walls of the housing.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the actuator is mounted inside the housing between the lock and an upper wall of the housing in order to cooperate with said wall and one side of the lock. Brief description of the figures

[0024] Examples of implementation of the invention are shown in the description illustrated by the accompanying figures, in which: there figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a watch case with an exploded view of the crown equipped with a combination locking mechanism, according to one embodiment; the figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of the watch crown with the combination lock mounted around the tube; the figure 3a illustrates a perspective view of the crown including one of the elements of the combination lock of the locking mechanism; the figure 3b illustrates a front view of the crown of the figure 2, on the side of the crown's axis; the figure 4 illustrates a perspective view of the tube intended to be screwed into the case; the figures 5a and 5b illustrate perspective views of both sides of another element of the combination lock mechanism; figures 6a and 6b illustrate perspective views of both sides of another element of the combination lock mechanism; figures 7a and 7b illustrate perspective views of both sides of an indexing device designed to cooperate with the two combination elements of the figures 5a-5b and 6a-6b ; there figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of the locking mechanism's latch; the figures 9a and 9b illustrate respectively a top and side view of a timepiece comprising the watch crown in a first axial position and in a locked configuration; the Figure 10 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the figure 9a according to AA; the figure 11illustrates a cross-sectional view of the Figure 10 according to BB; the figure 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the Figure 10 according to CC; the figure 13 illustrates a top view of the timepiece including the watch crown in a second axial position and in an unlocked configuration. figure 14 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the figure 13 according to DD, and the figure 15 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the figure 14 according to EE. Examples of embodiments of the invention

[0025] According to a preferred form and with reference in particular to figures 1 to 8The timepiece comprises a case 100 and a locking crown 10. The locking crown 10 essentially includes a watch crown 12, specifically a winding crown, a tube 20, and a locking mechanism 30. The watch crown is configured to be able to move in rotation and axial translation. The locking mechanism 30 is mounted around the tube 20 in a housing 102 open on a lateral flank 101 of the case on the side of the crown 12. The crown has a shaft or axis 14 and an annular cavity 18 surrounding this axis. This is pivotally mounted inside the tube 20 while the crown 12 is rotationally mounted on the tube 20 by means of a cylindrical wall 19 of the cavity 18 around a first portion 28 of the tube 20. This first portion 28 acts as a support portion for the cylindrical wall 19 of the crown 12.

[0026] The locking mechanism 30 comprises a bolt 40 and a lock 50. Regarding the figure 2 The lock 50 comprises several combination elements 60, 70, and 80, mounted to pivot around the tube 20. In this example, the combination elements of lock 50 are three in number and take the form of three generally annular discs. It is understood that a different number of discs, particularly more than three, could be considered. For the sake of simplicity, this description will primarily be based on three discs, the number of which is taken as a purely illustrative and non-limiting example.

[0027] As clearly visible on the figure 3b In particular, the first disc 60 of these three discs has a cutout 62 on its outer diameter, for example, with a circular arc profile. According to the figures 3a and 3bThe first disc 60 is integral with the ring 12. This first disc can be fixed to the ring 12. In one variant, the disc and the ring can form a single piece. The rotation of the ring 12 can thus actuate the first disc 60 in one direction or the other around the support portion 28 of the tube 20.

[0028] Among these three discs, a second and a third disc 70, 80 are supported by the tube 20. More particularly, the second disc 70 is preferably mounted pivoting around a second portion 23 of the tube 20 while the third disc 80 is preferably mounted pivoting around a third portion 26 of the tube 20 ( figure 4 ). The second and third discs 70, 80 each have a cutout 72, 82 of an identical or similar shape to the cutout 62 of the first disc 60, preferably having a circular arc profile.

[0029] The second disc 70 is mounted between the first and third discs 60 and 80. These three discs have drive elements on one or both sides of their faces, extending in the axial direction of the ring, so that the rotation of the ring 12 can rotate each of these discs around the tube 20 in one direction or the other. In other words, two adjacent discs form a pair, each disc having a drive element on its opposite side so that the rotation of one disc in this pair, by rotating the ring 12, can rotate the other disc in this pair. This allows each of these discs to be brought into a predefined angular position in which the cutouts of the three discs are aligned, i.e., superimposed.

[0030] More specifically, with particular reference to figures 3a and 3bThe first disc 60 has a drive element 64 arranged on the side of the disc opposite the second disc 70. This drive element is a projection 64, taking the form, for example, of a boss. As illustrated in the figures 5a and 5b , the second disc 70 has a first and second drive element 74a, 74b arranged respectively on the first and second sides of the disc.

[0031] These two training elements are projections 74a, 74b, also appearing as bosses. As illustrated on the figure 6a , the third disc 80 has a single drive element 84 arranged on the side of the disc positioned one eye of the second disc 70. According to the illustrated example, the shape of the bosses of the three discs are identical, preferably oblong and slightly curved, typically extending along an arc of a circle of less than 45°.

[0032] Thus, the rotation of the ring 12 allows the second disc 70 to be driven in rotation in both directions by contact of the drive elements 64, 74a of the first and second discs, while the rotation of the second disc 70 allows the third disc 80 to be driven in rotation in both directions by contact of their respective drive elements 74b, 84. It would be the same for a number of discs greater than three.

[0033] By referring in particular to figures 5a to 7a The locking mechanism includes an indexing system to allow the second and third discs 70, 80 to be positioned at indexed angular positions. In the example shown in Figures 1 And 9b , ten indexed angular positions corresponding to ten index 104 arranged on the lateral side 101 of the case 100 around the opening of the housing 102 and the crown 12.

[0034] These indexes or markers allow the angular position of each of the two disks 70, 80 to be matched to a portion of the combination of the lock 50. Such a portion can typically be a digit or number, or even another alphanumeric character or symbol. To this end, and according to the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying figures, the two disks 70, 80 each have, on their opposite sides, ten indexing means 76, 86 distributed at regular intervals around their entire circumference. These indexing means are preferably in the form of cavities 76, 86, for example, partially spherical. The number of indexing means could be different from ten, but of course remains a natural number n.

[0035] The indexing system also includes an indexing part 90 ( figure 7a), of general annular shape, which is arranged between the second and third discs 70, 80 and is rotationally fixed to the tube 20. The indexing piece 90 may, for example, have internal teeth 93. The tube 20 may have a toothed portion 24 comprising teeth of complementary shape in order to engage with the indexing piece 90. During assembly, the latter is positioned around the tube 20 and then translated relative to the tube in order to engage with its toothed portion 24.

[0036] This part 90 is thus prevented from rotating. If the lock 50 had a fourth disc, a second indexing part, similar or identical to indexing part 90, would be positioned between the third and fourth discs. Generally speaking, the indexing system typically has a number of indexing parts equal to the number of discs minus one, and each indexing part is positioned between two discs but not adjacent to the first disc 60.

[0037] The indexing piece 90 has on each of its sides a complementary indexing means 96 arranged to cooperate with the ten indexing means 76, 86 respectively of the second and third discs 70, 80. These complementary indexing means are for example in the form of at least two diametrically opposed balls 97 and each arranged on a flexible portion 98 to cooperate respectively with the cavities 76, 86 of the second and third discs 70, 80. The flexible portions 98 are arranged to flex in the axial direction of the tube 20 and act as ratchets.

[0038] According to the figure 8The lock 40 comprises a body 42 including two lateral sides 42a, 42b, an upper side 42c, and a lower side 42d surrounding a recessed portion 44. A central opening 45 is present in the bottom of the recessed portion 44. The lock body 42 further includes, at its upper part, a contact pad 43 and at its lower part, a locking element 46. The contact pad 43 has a profile 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 may have other types of profiles to accommodate a profile complementary to the contact pad of the lock.

[0039] The locking element 46 of the lock 40 can, for example, be in the form of a tab, preferably partially circular. This tab 46 is designed to fit into a circular groove 16 arranged in the crown 12, as can be seen in particular on the figure 3a in order to be able to lock the axial displacement of the crown 12 independently of its angular position.

[0040] The lock body 42 is preferably fitted into the housing 102 of the case 100. As illustrated in the Figures 11 and 14 This housing 102 is delimited by two side walls 102a, 102b, a top wall 102c and a bottom wall 102d. In the example illustrated in the figure 11The housing 102 has a substantially oblong shape, the width of which in the general plane of the frame 100 is substantially the same as the width of the lock body. However, the height of the housing 102 in a direction orthogonal to the general plane of the frame 100 is greater than the height of the lock body so that the latter can move from a locked position to an unlocked position. There is clearance between the lateral sides 42a, 42b of the body 42 and the respective lateral walls 102a, 102b of the housing 102 so that the lock 40 can slide between the locked and unlocked positions along these walls.

[0041] The small size of the locking mechanism 30 of the combination lockable crown 10 makes it advantageous to be able to replace a conventional crown of existing watches by simply making a housing, such as the housing 102, on the side of the case on the crown side to house the locking mechanism without having to modify the inside of the watch case containing the movement.

[0042] As illustrated in the Figure 10 Preferably, the entire locking mechanism 30 can advantageously be housed within the thickness of the vertical section of the case located between the case band and the case surround or cage. Thus, the locking mechanism 30 preferably does not encroach on the central space 103 usually reserved for the movement, or only encroaches slightly on this space.

[0043] With particular reference to the Figure 10The three-disc lock 60, 70, 80 described as an example is mounted inside the recessed part 44 of the bolt, while the tube 20 passes through the central opening 45 with a threaded portion 22 screwed into a tapped hole 106 in the case 100 and opening into the housing 102. The upper side 42c of the body 42 has a housing 47 ( figure 8 ) in which an actuator 48 is arranged, typically an elastic element which can for example be a leaf spring.

[0044] The shape of this leaf spring at rest may, for example, include a central part in the shape of an inverted V, the apex of which is arranged against the upper wall 102c of the housing 102 ( Figures 14 And 15) and two tabs arranged on either side of the central part and resting in the housing 47 so as to constrain the contact pin 43 of the lock 40 against the three discs 60, 70, 80 of the lock. According to one variant, this leaf spring can be replaced by one or more compression springs or by any elastic element. In all cases, the force developed by such an elastic element must be sufficient to allow the lock 40 to move into its unlocked position when all the cutouts in the discs are aligned.

[0045] With reference to figures 9a to 12 When the crown 12 is in a locked axial position, the contact pad 43 of the lock 40 is held in contact against the outer diameter of at least one of the discs 60, 70, 80 in the locked position, under the action of the elastic element 48. According to the Figure 10, the contact pad 43 extends over almost the entire thickness of the lock 40 in order to be able to bear against the external diameter of the three discs 60, 70, 80.

[0046] The lock 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 lock body 42 is in contact with the upper wall 102c of the housing 102, with the spring 48 in a flattened configuration. The locking tab 46 of the lock 40 is at this moment in the groove 16 on the crown 12. The crown is therefore blocked from moving. It is thus impossible to access any watch function requiring axial movement of the crown. For example, functions such as setting the time, winding the mainspring barrel, and correcting the date, day of the week, or moon phase display in a multi-complication timepiece cannot be selected and therefore cannot be activated.

[0047] With reference to figures 13 to 15The three discs 60, 70, and 80 were rotated by a sequence of manipulations of the crown 12 corresponding to the combination of the lock 50. This sequence of manipulations, which will be described in more detail later, aims to bring the cutouts 62, 72, and 82 of the three discs into alignment with the contact pin 43 of the lock. The lock is inserted into the three cutouts by the action of the leaf spring 48, whose tabs exert pressure against the housing 47 of the lock, causing the lock 40 to move into the unlocked position. The lower side 42d of the lock 40 is thus brought against the lower wall 102d of the housing 102, and the locking tab 46 is disengaged from the groove 16 of the crown. This can therefore be pulled into any axial position typically allowing the setting of the time, the winding of the movement as well as the correction of the aforementioned functions for a multi-complication timepiece.

[0048] With reference to the preferred embodiment of the figure 1 , the crown 12 also includes a marker or indicator 15 so that the user can know the angular position of the crown in relation to the ten indexes or indications such as numbers 104 arranged around the crown 12 on the lateral side 101 of the case 100.

[0049] To unlock the crown 12, the user rotates it, for example clockwise, at least two full turns so that the drive element 64 of the first disc 60 is in contact with the first drive element 74a of the second disc 70 and the second drive element 74b of the second disc 70 is in contact with the drive element 84 of the third disc 80. This allows, by means of the drive elements of the discs, all the discs to be positioned in a reference position from which each disc is brought into a predetermined angular position according to the lock code required to unlock the crown.

[0050] The crown is then manipulated by a sequence of rotations where the first rotation is, for example, clockwise, and each subsequent rotation is typically counterclockwise. This sequence of rotations aims to align the indicator 15 with the index or number corresponding successively to the three digits of the code, that is, the three code segments that successively form the combination code.

[0051] In this case, after completing two full clockwise rotations, the crown 12 is first rotated clockwise to position the indicator 15 opposite the index or number corresponding to the first digit of the code, which is typically associated with the disc furthest from the crown, namely the third disc 80 in this example. Since for each disc the angular position of its cutout or drive element is related to a portion of the code, such as a number of that code, the rotation of the third disc 80 positions its cutout 82 opposite the contact pad 43 of the lock by the action of the second drive element 74b of the second disc 70 on the drive element 84 of the third disc 80.

[0052] The crown 12 is then turned counterclockwise to position the indicator 15 opposite the index or number corresponding to the second digit of the code associated with the second disc 70. This allows the cutout 72 of the second disc 70 to be positioned opposite the contact pad 43 of the lock by the action of the drive element 64 of the first disc 60 on the first drive element 74a of the second disc 70. Finally, the crown 12 is turned clockwise to position the indicator 15 opposite the index or number corresponding to the third digit of the code and thus to position the cutout 62 of the first disc 60 opposite the contact pad 43 of the lock.

[0053] Through this sequence of manipulations, the cutouts of the three discs are thus aligned, which allows the contact pad 43 to fit into them under the action of the spring-blade 48 and to bring the lock 40 into the unlocking position.

[0054] The instructions for manipulating the crown to unlock it are typically defined by the manufacturer. These instructions correspond to the lock code, which can be customized for each locking mechanism. Each part of the code, such as a digit, depends on the position of the cutouts relative to the drive element of its disc. A timepiece with a unique code can therefore be designed by choosing a unique combination of the cutout positions relative to the disc drive elements.

[0055] To relock the ring 12, simply push it into the axial locking position, then rotate it clockwise or counterclockwise. The user will feel resistance caused by the force exerted by a portion of the cutout 62 of the first disc 60 against the contact pad 43 of the lock 40. This simultaneously disengages the contact pad 48 from the three cutouts 62, 72, and 82 of the respective discs 60, 70, and 80. The lock 40 is thus returned to its locking position. The user then rotates the ring 12 clockwise and counterclockwise one or more turns to position the various discs at different angles, thus preventing the ring from unlocking unexpectedly. Reference list

[0056] Lockable crown 10 Crown 12 Shaft 14 Indicator 15 Groove 16 Annular cavity 18 Cylindrical wall 19 Tube 20 Threaded portion 22 Second portion 23 Second toothed portion 24 Third portion 26 Third portion 26 (e.g., grooved portion) First portion 28 (e.g., bearing portion) Locking mechanism 30 Lock 40 Body 42 Sides 42a, 42b Top and bottom sides 42c, 42d Contact stud 43 Recessed portion 44 Central opening 45 Locking element 46 Housing 47 Actuator 48 (e.g., elastic element) Combination lock 50 First element 60 (e.g., disc) Cutout 62 Drive element 64 (e.g., stud) Second element 70 Cutout 72 Drive element 74a, 74b Indexing means 76 (e.g., cavities) Third element 80 Cutout 82 Drive element 84 Indexing means 86 (egcavities) Indexing piece 90 Teeth 93 Indexing means 96 Ball 97 Flexible portion 98 Body 100 Side flank 101 Housing 102 Side walls 102a, 102b Upper and lower wall 102c, 102d Central space 103 Index 104 Opening 106 (eg Tapped hole).

Claims

1. Lockable crown (10) for a timepiece comprising a middle case (100) provided with a cavity (102) that is open on a lateral flank (101) of the middle case and communicates, via an opening (106), with a central space (103) intended for a cage, 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 fixed in the opening (106) of the middle case (100), and a locking mechanism (30) intended to be mounted in the cavity (102) of the middle case (100) around the tube (20), the locking mechanism (30) comprising a locking member (40), an actuator (48) and a lock (50) with several combination elements (60, 70, 80) pivotably mounted around the tube (20) and rotatably actuatable via the crown (12) when the crown is mounted on the middle case (100) and turned in one direction and the other, the locking member (40) being configured to adopt a locked position and an unlocked position in which it respectively blocks and releases the crown (12) in translation, the locking member (40) being intended to be actuated by the actuator (48) from the locked position to the unlocked position when all of the combination elements (60, 70, 80) are arranged in a predetermined angular position.

2. Lockable crown (10) according to claim 1, wherein the combination elements (60, 70, 80) of the lock are in the form of annular disks, each having a notch (62, 72, 82) on their outer diameter, the actuator (48) of the locking member (40) being an elastic member, the locking member (40) comprising a contact bump (43) intended to interact with the outer diameter of at least one of the combination disks (60, 70, 80) in the locked position, the contact bump (43) being intended to be brought into the notches (62, 72, 82) of the combination disks (60, 70, 80) under the action of the elastic member (48) when said 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 disk (60) connected to the crown (12), as well as a second and a third disk (70, 80) resting on the tube (20), the second disk (70) being positioned between the first and third disks (60, 80).

4. Lockable crown (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the first and second disks (60, 70) each comprise a drive element (64a, 74a) on their facing sides so that the rotation of the first disk (60), by the actuation of the crown (12), can drive the second disk (70) in rotation, and wherein the second and third disks (70, 80) each comprise a drive element (74a, 80) on their facing sides so that the rotation of the second disk (70) can drive the third disk (80) in rotation.

5. Lockable crown (10) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the second and third disks (70, 80) each comprise n indexing means (76, 86) distributed around their circumference, the locking mechanism further comprising an indexing piece (90) arranged between the second and third disks (70, 80) and fixed to the tube (20), the indexing piece (90) comprising on two opposite sides, a complementary indexing means (96) arranged to engage with the n indexing means (76, 86) of the second and third disks (70, 80), respectively, in order to position the second and third disks (70, 80) in n indexed angular positions corresponding to indications of the lock combination.

6. Lockable crown (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein indexes (104) corresponding to the indications of the combination are arranged on the lateral flank (101) of the middle case (100) around the cavity (102).

7. Lockable crown (10) according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the n indexing means (76, 86) of the second and third disks (70, 80) are in the form of cavities, preferably partially spherical, and wherein the indexing piece (90) has a general annular shape and comprises two diametrically opposed balls (97) disposed on two flexible portions (98) to engage with the cavities (76, 86) of the second and third disks (70, 80), respectively.

8. Lockable crown (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the indexing piece (90) comprises an internal toothing (93) that engages with a toothed portion (24) of the tube (20) to lock said indexing piece (90) in rotation.

9. Lockable crown (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the locking member (40) comprises a body (42) surrounding a hollow portion (44) in which said lock (50) with multiple 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 middle case (100) of the timepiece is a tapped hole, and wherein the tube (20) comprises a threaded portion (22) intended to be screwed into the tapped hole (106) of the middle case (100).

11. Lockable crown (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the watch crown (12) comprises a circular groove (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 be fitted in the groove (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 inside the cavity (102) of the middle case (100).

13. Timepiece comprising a middle case (100) provided with a cavity (102) that opens onto a lateral flank (101) of the middle case and communicates, via an opening (106), with a central space (103) intended for a cage, the timepiece further comprising the lockable crown (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, the locking mechanism (30) of which is mounted inside the cavity (102), and the tube (20) of which is fixed in the opening (106).

14. Timepiece according to the preceding claim, wherein the width of the cavity (102) in the general plane of the middle case (100) is substantially identical to the width of the locking member (40), the height of the cavity (102), in a direction orthogonal to the general plane of the middle case (100), being greater than the height of the locking member (40) so that the latter can move 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 inside the cavity (102) between the locking member (40) and an upper wall (102c) of the cavity (102), so as to interact with said wall (102c) and one side (42c) of the locking member (40).