Timepiece

Abstract

The present invention relates to a timepiece comprising a dial (4) and a movement defining a plane of movement M parallel to the wheels of the finishing gear of the movement and passing through the center of the movement, and comprising a first display (10) including at least one first display wheel (1) driven by the movement and intended to cooperate with a first aperture (3) of the dial (4) for the display of at least one first piece of information. The first display wheel (10) extends in a first plane on the movement inclined relative to the plane of movement M such that the distance along an axis essentially perpendicular to the plane of movement M between the first plane of the first display wheel (10) and the plane of movement M varies and is essentially greatest opposite the first aperture (3).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a timepiece comprising a movement, a dial intended to be mounted on the movement and a first display comprising at least a first display mobile driven by the movement and intended to cooperate with a first aperture of the dial for the display of at least one first piece of information.

[0002] In a timepiece with a window, the window is an opening under which various indications appear, such as date, day of the week, week number, month, year, moon phases, power reserve, jumping hours... Generally, the window is made in the dial of the timepiece and the information is carried by a display wheel in the shape of a disc or a crown and driven by the movement of the timepiece.

[0003] For optimal aesthetics and readability of the information displayed through the window, it is best to position the mobile display as close as possible to the back of the window. If the mobile display is too far from the window, this distance can create depth effects and dark shadows of varying intensity depending on the distance between the top of the window and the top of the mobile display. These shadows and other depth effects detract from the readability and aesthetics of the display.

[0004] Particularly in a timepiece with multiple displays, each cooperating with its respective aperture, it is sometimes difficult to position all the display elements as close as possible to their respective apertures. Often, one results in a first display where the display element is close to the back of its aperture, without any shadowing issues, and a second display where the display element is pivoted below the first and therefore further from the back of its aperture, with the shadow and depth effect problems mentioned above.

[0005] One solution implemented by the applicant to avoid this drawback is to use mobile displays on which the information is written in white on a black background. The black background then reduces shadows and depth effects to improve readability and aesthetics.

[0006] Another option is to create display windows with inner walls that are beveled inwards and extend to the vicinity of their respective display elements. This compensates for depth effects and reduces shadows. However, to be effective, this solution requires a relatively large bevel, which increases the overall size of the window on the dial for the same opening size and amount of information displayed.

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a timepiece comprising a reading area, in particular a window, in which the effects of depth and shadows between the reading area and the display unit with which it interacts are reduced for improved readability and enhanced aesthetics. Furthermore, another objective of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks when the timepiece includes multiple displays and to provide a solution that allows for an optimized arrangement for each display, and / or in particular, an arrangement of the displays at the same level for improved readability and enhanced aesthetics for each piece of information displayed.

[0008] The present invention relates to a timepiece according to claim 1. The accompanying figures schematically illustrate, by way of example, one embodiment of a timepiece according to the invention.

[0009] THE figures 1, 2 illustrate the arrangement of the display mobiles of a timepiece according to an embodiment of the invention seen from above, respectively from the side.

[0010] According to the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the timepiece comprises a first display 10 formed by a first display element 1 in the form of a disc arranged to be driven by a movement of the timepiece and to cooperate with a first aperture 3 of a dial 4 of said timepiece for the display of at least one piece of information. In the illustrated embodiment, the first aperture 3 is located at 9 o'clock on the dial 4, and the first display element 1 is as large as possible, extending around the periphery of the movement, the first display 10 thus being a peripheral display. This first display 10 could be a date display as illustrated in the figure 1 or even a display of the month, week number or time...

[0011] In the illustrated embodiment, the timepiece includes a second display 20 formed by a second display element 2, also disc-shaped, arranged to cooperate with a second aperture 5 on the dial 4 for displaying at least one second piece of information. In the illustrated embodiment, the second aperture 5 is located at 3 o'clock on the dial 4. The second display disc 2 is arranged so that its reading surface is coplanar with the dial 4. The second display 20 can be arranged to display the date, the week number, or the minutes... In the embodiment illustrated in the figure 1 , the second display mobile 2 carries indications of the month.

[0012] The movement equipping the timepiece is not the subject of the present invention and will not be described in further detail here. Any mechanical or non-mechanical watch movement can be considered. As is well known, the movement is characterized by its plane M. This plane is traditionally parallel to the planes of rotation of the wheels in the finishing gear train and passing through the center of the movement. Generally, this movement plane M is parallel to the plane of the mainplate or the movement bridges. In most watch movements, the display wheels are parallel to the movement plane. Generally speaking, the movement, viewed from above on the dial side (excluding the crown or pushers), is considered to be inscribed within a planar geometric shape. The Berner dictionary gives some examples of such geometric shapes: circle, oval, baguette, rectangle with chamfered corners, tonneau...The plane of motion M is then the plane of this geometric shape passing through the center of motion.

[0013] Dial 4 can also have any suitable shape. It is generally parallel to the plane of the movement M but could be domed or cylindrical.

[0014] In prior art, display discs are normally arranged in separate planes, parallel to each other and to the plane of the watch movement. Furthermore, the first peripheral display disc would be positioned below the second display disc when viewed from above the timepiece, so as not to obstruct the passage of the second disc. This arrangement results in the first disc 1 being positioned further from the back of its aperture 3. By back of the aperture, we mean the plane of the aperture 3 on the movement side when the dial 4 is mounted on the movement. This creates a first display 10 within the aperture 3 with depth effects and shadows that are detrimental to legibility and aesthetics, especially compared to the second display 20, which does not exhibit these defects, or at least fewer of them, since the second display disc is proportionally closer to its aperture 5.

[0015] The invention aims to avoid these drawbacks. To this end, according to the invention, the first display disc 1 is arranged on the movement of the timepiece so as to be inclined relative to the plane of the movement M at an angle between 1 and 10°, preferably 2°, and even more preferably 3°. In particular, the first display disc 1 is arranged so that the distance along an axis essentially perpendicular to the plane of the movement M between the first disc 1 and said plane of the movement M varies and is essentially greatest opposite the aperture 3: in other words, opposite its first aperture 3, the first display disc 1 is close to the bottom of said first aperture 3, and undesirable depth and shadow effects are avoided.Another way to characterize this arrangement is to consider the plane defined by the bottom of the window, called the reading plane: with the present invention, the plane of the first display disc 1 intersects the reading plane in the window, i.e. in the reading area, thus ensuring that the first display disc is as close as possible to the reading area to avoid depth and shadow effects.

[0016] Furthermore, thanks to its inclination, the first display disc 1 is further away from the dial 4 opposite the first window 3: the inclination of the first disc 1 relative to the plane of the movement M creates a space 6 between said dial 4 or the plane of said dial 4 and said first disc 1 in which other moving parts can be arranged and in particular the second disc 2 of the second display 20. Consequently, this second disc 2 can be arranged as close as possible to the background of its second window 5, avoiding for this second display 20 also the effects of depth and undesirable shadows.

[0017] The present invention therefore introduces at least one display mobile located in a first plane substantially inclined with respect to the plane of movement in order to reduce the distance between said display mobile and the reading area with which it cooperates and to create a space for arranging any mobiles including in particular one or more other display mobiles also close to their window(s).

[0018] The reading surface or indicator organ 11 of the first disc 1, which bears the indications of the first display (date in the figure 1but also day, month, moon phase, etc.) could be essentially parallel to the plane of rotation of this first disc 1. Preferably, and as illustrated in the figures, the reading surface 11 is not parallel to the plane of rotation of the first disc 1 but is arranged to be essentially parallel to the bottom of the first aperture 3 when the first disc 1 is in its operating position on the movement, thus further enhancing the legibility and aesthetics of the display. The first disc 1 therefore has a conical geometry. Alternatively, the reading surface 11 could be arranged in a plane between a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of the first disc 1 and the reading plane, which is parallel to the plane of the bottom of the first aperture 3. Similarly, as an alternative, the reading surface 11 could have a faceted geometry, each facet bearing an indicator of the first display (date, day, moon phase, etc.).) and being arranged to optimize both the readability of the indicator in the first window 3 (i.e. an indicator as parallel as possible with the reading plane, the background plane of said first window 3) and the size of the first display disc 1.

[0019] This creates a timepiece with at least two displays in peripheral windows whose arrangement allows good readability and aesthetics for all displays in all windows by allowing the display units to be as close as possible to the bottom of the windows with which they cooperate to avoid depth effects and shadows in the windows.

[0020] The above embodiment has been described by way of example only. Alternatively, the first display could comprise several essentially coplanar and / or concentric display units cooperating with the same or more counters, each of said display units being situated in a respective plane inclined relative to the plane of movement M such that the distance along an axis essentially perpendicular to the plane of movement M between each display unit and said plane of movement M varies and is essentially greatest with respect to the corresponding counter(s). For example, the first display could comprise a tens unit and a units unit that are concentric and / or coplanar and cooperating with a single counter or two immediately adjacent counters whose counters are parallel.

[0021] Similarly, as an alternative, the second display could include several display mobiles arranged in the space between the display mobile(s) of the first display and the dial or dial plane of the timepiece (for example, a tens mobile and a units mobile).

[0022] In the above embodiment, the display mechanism cooperates with a window on a dial to display initial information. Alternatively, the window could be located on a fixed part mounted on or belonging to the movement of the timepiece, such as a bridge or the mainplate in the case of a skeleton watch.

[0023] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the information on the first display is readable through the aperture, which thus defines a reading area. In a variant, this reading area could be defined by a contrasting zone carried by a fixed part mounted on or belonging to the movement of the timepiece. In this case, the first display includes a display element whose indicators are openworked and contrasted with the contrasting zone, such that an indicator becomes readable when it is positioned above or opposite the contrasting zone.

[0024] In general, the present invention relates to a timepiece comprising a movement, a fixed part intended to be mounted on or belonging to the movement, and comprising at least one first reading area defining a first reading plane. The movement is characterized by a plane of motion parallel to the wheels of the movement's finishing gear and passing through the center of the movement. The movement includes a first display comprising at least one first display wheel driven by the movement and intended to cooperate with the first reading area for the display of at least one first piece of information. The first display wheel extends in a first plane inclined relative to the plane of the movement M such that the intersection between the plane of the first display wheel and the first reading plane lies within the reading area.

[0025] Preferably, the first plane of the first display mobile is inclined between 1° and 10° relative to the plane of the movement M.

[0026] Preferably, the fixed part is a dial and the reading area is a window and the distance along an axis essentially perpendicular to the plane of the movement M between the first plane of the first display mobile and the plane of the movement M varies and is essentially the smallest with respect to said window.

[0027] The timepiece movement preferably includes a second display comprising at least one second display element driven by the movement and preferably designed to cooperate with at least one second reading area of ​​the timepiece for displaying at least one second piece of information. The second display element is arranged in the space between the fixed part and said at least one first display element of the first display. Preferably, the second display element extends in a second plane essentially parallel to the plane of the movement M.

[0028] Preferably, the reading surface of said at least one first display mobile bearing the indicators displaying said at least one first piece of information is essentially parallel to the foreground of said first mobile.

[0029] Preferably, the reading surface of said at least one first display mobile bearing the indicators displaying said at least one first piece of information is essentially parallel to the first reading plane.

[0030] Preferably, the first display is a peripheral display, with at least one first display mobile having the shape of a disc or a crown and being pivoted at the center of the movement and extending to the periphery of the movement, the first reading area being located at the periphery of the dial.

Claims

1. A timepiece comprising a movement defining a plane of movement M parallel to the moving parts of the finishing gear of the movement and passing through the center of the movement and comprising a first display (10) comprising at least one first display moving part (1) driven by the movement and intended to cooperate with a first reading area (3) of a fixed part (4) mounted on or included in the movement for the display of at least one first piece of information, the first reading area (3) defining a first reading plane, characterized by the fact that the first display mobile (10) extends in a first plane on the inclined motion relative to the motion plane M so that the intersection between the first plane of the first display mobile (10) and the first reading plane is in the reading area (3).

2. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterized by the fact thatthe reading area is a window (3) and the distance along an axis essentially perpendicular to the plane of the movement M between the first plane of the first display mobile (10) and the plane of the movement M varies and is essentially greatest opposite the window (3).

3. Timepiece according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that the fixed part is a dial (4).

4. Timepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the first plane of the first display mobile (10) is inclined between 1° and 10°, preferably between 2° and 3°, with respect to the plane of the movement M.

5. Timepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the reading surface (11) of said at least one first display mobile (1) bearing the indicators displaying said at least one first piece of information is essentially parallel to the foreground of the first display mobile (1).

6. Timepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the movement of the timepiece preferably includes a second display (20) comprising at least one second display mobile (2, 22) driven by the movement and intended to cooperate with at least one second reading area of ​​the timepiece for the display of at least one second piece of information, the second display mobile (2, 22) being arranged in the space (6) between the fixed part (4) or the plane of the fixed part (4) and said at least one first display mobile (1) of the first display (10).

7. Timepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact thatthe reading surface (11) of said at least one first display mobile (1) bearing the indicators displaying said at least one first piece of information is essentially parallel to the first reading plane when the first display mobile (1) is mounted in its service position on the movement.

8. Timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by the fact that the reading surface (11) has facets, each of the facets being essentially parallel to the first reading plane when the first display mobile (1) is in its service position on the movement.

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