A watch with a date mechanism and a mechanism for correcting the date or the month

Abstract

The invention relates to a timepiece equipped with at least a one-year date mechanism 1 comprising a month management cam 2, a large lever 4 arranged to cooperate with said month management cam, a date indication mechanism, a month indication mechanism and at least one mechanism for independent correction of the date or the month, equipped with at least one date correcting member or month correcting member, respectively, and arranged to cooperate with said date indication mechanism or said month indication mechanism, respectively. The date correction mechanism or the month correction mechanism respectively comprises a date correction cam 50 or a month correction cam 22 respectively mounted such that the date correction axle or the month correction axle respectively is freely rotatable, the date correction axle or the month correction axle being rotatable in order to rotate the date correction cam 50 or the month correction cam 22 respectively, said date correction cam 50 or said month correction cam 22 respectively being arranged to drive, during its rotation, the large lever 4 to isolate at least from the month management cam 2 before the date or the month respectively is corrected, and also to drive the operation of the date correction member or the month correction member respectively thereafter to correct the date or the month respectively, the rotation of the date correction cam or the month correction cam respectively being exclusively controlled by the rotation of the date correction axle or the month correction axle respectively.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The invention relates to a timepiece equipped with at least a one-year date mechanism, comprising a month management cam, a large lever arranged to cooperate with said month management cam, a date indication mechanism, a month indication mechanism and at least one mechanism for independently correcting the date or the month, comprising at least one date correcting member or month correcting member, respectively, and arranged to cooperate with said date indication mechanism or said month indication mechanism, respectively. [Background technology]

[0002] Mechanical watches equipped with at least one annual date mechanism are complex combinations that indicate the date by making it possible to take into account the difference between months with at least 30 days (except February) and months with 31 days, i.e. the successive notations of the dates within a month. As a result, it is only necessary to carry out an annual correction at the end of the month of February.

[0003] For that purpose, at least an annual month management cam is provided, the contour of which is shaped so as to at least distinguish months having 31 days from other months.

[0004] Semi-perpetual calendars also exist, which take into account all months of different lengths by using a month-keeping cam programmed to distinguish between months with 31 days, months with 30 days, and months with 28 days. Leap years are therefore not managed. It is only when a leap year of 366 days occurs, in other words when there is a February 29th, that these calendars have to be manually readjusted.

[0005] Finally, there are perpetual calendars, which take into account months of different lengths as well as leap years, all thanks to a month-keeping cam programmed to distinguish between months with 31 days, months with 30 days, months with 28 days, and months with 29 days in leap years.

[0006] In this description, a date mechanism of at least one year should be understood in a broad sense and includes annual calendars, semi-perpetual calendars, and perpetual calendars.

[0007] Conventionally, the lunar management cam comprises, for example, a solid part and a notch of a certain depth as a function of the length of the month. The large lever features a feeler spindle in contact with the lunar management cam, which makes it possible to define the movement that the large lever must have to drive the 31-day star wheel, the number of days of which is a function of the current moon.

[0008] Even when such a calendar mechanism is designed to function semi-automatically or fully automatically, a month corrector and a date corrector are provided to manually correct the month and date, for example if the watch stops.

[0009] These correctors are conventional ones placed on the central side of the watch, which move under the action of pressure applied to them, for example to carry out a correction by means of a correction hand, and are generally arranged to lift the large lever in order to separate it from the month management cam without dismantling the mechanism, and to allow a correction to be carried out afterwards.

[0010] These correctors, added in the middle, are an additional cause of problems with water resistance. Moreover, they generally require an instrument, such as a corrector needle, to enable their activation by the application of pressure. Moreover, it is necessary to provide a return spring to return the corrector to the neutral position after the correction. These return springs take up a certain space in the complex mechanism, at least of the annual calendar, which already comprises a large number of elements.

[0011] To overcome these drawbacks, mechanisms for correcting the date by means of the winding axle have been proposed for simple date mechanisms. For example, EP 2 751 623 describes a date mechanism in which the winding axle translates axially to a correcting position, which axial movement makes it possible to control an isolating lever to separate the calendar lever from the date star. This then makes it possible to correct the date star by rotating the winding axle with the aid of an additional gear train.

[0012] However, the mechanism described in EP 2 751 623 uses an additional gear train to perform such a correction of the date star by the rotation of the winding axle after isolating it by the traction of the winding axle. The isolation is effected by means of a great number of rods and levers controlled by other levers, which makes the mechanism very complicated and results in a great number of amounts of play to be managed between the different rods and levers. The levers pivot by a few degrees and a return spring needs to be provided to return them to their initial position. This mechanism therefore cannot be added to the complex mechanisms, at least of annual calendars, which already have a large number of elements and a limited space. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0013] [Patent Document 1] European Patent No. 2751623 [Patent Document 2] China Patent No. 00357 / 21 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0014] There is therefore a need to propose a new correction mechanism for at least annual calendars, which makes it possible to correct the date and / or the month in a simple, fast and safe manner and without tools.

[0015] Another object of the invention is to propose a correction mechanism for at least annual calendars, with a number of reduced elements, making it possible to make different corrections to the date and the month in an independent manner, utilizing a single correction mandrel, such as the winding mandrel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] To this end, the invention relates to a timepiece equipped with at least a one-year date mechanism comprising a month management cam, a large lever arranged to cooperate with said month management cam, a date indication mechanism, a month indication mechanism and at least one mechanism for independent correction of the date or the month, provided with at least one date correcting member or month correcting member, respectively, and arranged to cooperate with said date indication mechanism or said month indication mechanism, respectively.

[0017] According to the invention, the date correction mechanism or the month correction mechanism respectively comprises a date correction cam or month correction cam respectively mounted so as to be freely rotatable, and a date correction axle or month correction axle which can be rotated to rotate the date correction cam or month correction cam respectively, said date correction cam or month correction cam respectively being arranged to drive the large lever during its rotation in order to isolate said large lever from at least the month management cam before the date or month respectively is corrected, and also arranged to drive the operation of the date correction mechanism or month correction mechanism respectively in order to subsequently correct the date or month respectively, the large lever then being isolated and the rotation of the date correction cam or month correction cam respectively being exclusively controlled by the rotation of the date correction axle or month correction axle respectively.

[0018] The correction mechanism of the invention thus advantageously makes it possible to carry out independent corrections of the date and the month at least in an annual calendar, by means of the correction axle, but without the need to previously move the correction axle axially in order to isolate the large lever. The correction mechanism of the invention is thus particularly useful when the axial movement of the correction axle is reserved for another function. The correction mechanism of the invention isolates the large lever and makes it possible to carry out corrections to the date or the month in a fluid manner, the isolation and the correction being effected in a linked and continuous manner by means of elements belonging to the same kinematic chain, which are all or partly rotationally mobile and which are driven exclusively by the continuous rotation of the correction axle.

[0019] According to a first embodiment for the lunar correction, the lunar corrector member is constituted by a lunar corrector pinion kinematically connected to the lunar pointing mechanism and arranged on the path of the lunar corrector cam.

[0020] Thus, the lunar correction is achieved directly by the lunar correction cam which rotates by rotation of the lunar correction axle.

[0021] According to another embodiment for correcting the date, the date correction member is constituted by a date correction beak mounted so as to be rotatably movable on the large lever, provided with a return spring and arranged so as to be able to cooperate with the date indication mechanism when the date correction cam drives the large lever after the large lever has been isolated from the month management cam.

[0022] Thus, the date correction is achieved indirectly during the rotation of the date correction cam, which rotates by the rotation of the date correction axle.

[0023] The date correction axle and / or the month correction axle are preferably constituted by a winding axle of the watch, said winding axle being arranged such that its rotation in one direction corrects the date and its rotation in the other direction corrects the month.

[0024] The correction mechanism according to the invention thus makes it possible to eliminate the central, lateral date and month correctors and replace them by a single winding axle, thereby alleviating the problems associated with water resistance. It also advantageously makes it possible to improve the aesthetic aspects of the watch, for example by eliminating all the corrector buttons normally present on the circumference of the watch case, making it possible to correct the date and month on the winding axle alone.

[0025] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the following detailed description of one embodiment of the invention, given by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an isometric view from above of the date and month correctors of the perpetual calendar according to the invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the mechanism from FIG. 1; [Diagram 3] 2A-2C are top views of the lunar correction mechanism from FIG. 1 in different positions during the course of the lunar correction. [Figure 4] 2A to 2C are bottom views of the lunar correction mechanism from FIG. 1 in different positions during the course of the lunar correction. [Diagram 5] 2A-2C are top views of the lunar correction mechanism from FIG. 1 in different positions during the course of the lunar correction. [Figure 6] 2A to 2C are bottom views of the lunar correction mechanism from FIG. 1 in different positions during the course of the lunar correction. [Figure 7] 2A to 2C are bottom views of the lunar correction mechanism from FIG. 1 in different positions during the course of the lunar correction. [Figure 8] 2A-2C are top views of the lunar correction mechanism from FIG. 1 in different positions during the course of the lunar correction. [Figure 9] 2A-2C are top views of the lunar correction mechanism from FIG. 1 in different positions during the course of the lunar correction. [Figure 10] 2A to 2C are top views of the date correction mechanism from FIG. 1 in different positions during the course of a date correction. [Figure 11]2A to 2C are top views of the date correction mechanism from FIG. 1 in different positions during the course of a date correction. [Figure 12] 2A to 2C are top views of the date correction mechanism from FIG. 1 in different positions during the course of a date correction. [Figure 13] 2A to 2C are top views of the date correction mechanism from FIG. 1 in different positions during the course of a date correction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] The present invention relates to a mechanical timepiece equipped with at least a one-year date mechanism equipped with at least a one-year month management cam, in other words equipped with a one-year, semi-permanent or perpetual date mechanism.

[0028] In the remainder of the description, the illustrated example is that of a perpetual calendar with, as month management cam, in the illustrated example, a 48-month cam with notches of a certain depth, each of them corresponding to a month of four consecutive years. The deepest notch corresponds to the month of February with 28 days. It is clear that the 48-month cam can be replaced by a 12-month cam or a 36-month cam, the contour of which is shaped according to the type of calendar or in a way that manages leap years. In the case of a perpetual calendar, it is possible to have, for example, a leap year cam or a 12-month cam associated with a Maltese cross. These mechanisms are known to those skilled in the art.

[0029] In the remainder of the description, only those calendar elements necessary to understand the invention are depicted: these elements, as well as other elements of annual calendars, at least in terms of their overall function, are well known to those skilled in the art, and therefore a detailed description of these elements is not necessary if they do not differ from calendar mechanisms known to those skilled in the art.

[0030] With reference to figures 1 and 2, the depicted perpetual date mechanism 1 comprises at least a 48-month cam 2 managing the months, a large lever 4 mounted to pivot at A on the frame, a 31-day star 6 carrying a moon drive finger 7 and provided with its jumper 8, and a moon drive pinion 9 intended to cooperate with said 31-day star 6 via an intermediate gear 10 driven by the moon drive finger 7 at the end of each month. The moon drive pinion 9 is also arranged to cooperate with the moon management cam 2, with which it here directly engages. It is clear that it is also possible, or not, to provide different intermediate gears to allow a direct or indirect kinematic coupling between the 31-day star 6 and the moon drive pinion 9 and the moon management cam 2.

[0031] A date indicating mechanism comprising a date indicating member 12 (such as a hand) kinematically connected to the 31-day star 6, and a month indicating mechanism kinematically connected to the 48-month cam 2 are also provided.

[0032] In the depicted example, the moon indicating mechanism comprises a moon indicating pinion 14 carrying a moon indicating member 16, such as a hand, here kinematically connected to the moon management cam 2 by direct engagement. The moon indicating member 16 is provided with a jumper 17. It is evident that the moon indicating pinion can be replaced by an indicating gear for 48 months, which indicating gear is fixedly connected to the 48-month cam 2. However, the moon indicating pinion has the advantage, inter alia, of being able to display the months for 12 months instead of 48 months.

[0033] The large lever 4 has a first beak 18 arranged to drive the 31-day star 6 by one step when said large lever 4 is lifted once a day, actuated by an element of the movement provided for this purpose.

[0034] The large lever 4 also comprises a feeler spindle 20 arranged to cooperate with the lunar management cam 2 by positioning itself in one or the other of the notches of said lunar management cam 2 when the large lever 4 is not lifted daily to operate the 31-day star wheel 6.

[0035] These different elements of the date mechanism are known to the person skilled in the art, so there is no need to provide further details regarding their structure and their function.

[0036] For example, in order to enable the date or month to be corrected independently when the watch stops, a date correction mechanism is provided which has at least one date correction member arranged to cooperate with the date indicating mechanism via a 31-day star wheel 6, and a month correction mechanism is provided which has at least one month correction member arranged to cooperate with the month indicating mechanism via a 48-month cam 2.

[0037] First, the moon correction mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0038] According to the invention, the moon corrector mechanism comprises a moon corrector cam 22 which is mounted so as to be freely rotatable, in other words so as to be able to rotate freely through an angle which can be more than 360°, and unlike a lever, therefore does not require a return spring.

[0039] The lunar correcting cam 22 is preferably mounted so as to be freely rotatable on the axis of the 48-month cam 2, so that said lunar correcting cam 22 is coaxial with the lunar management cam 2. Advantageously, the lunar correcting cam 22 is mounted below the 48-month cam 2 as shown in Figure 2 (the lunar correcting cam 22 is shown through in Figure 1).

[0040] The month corrector mechanism also comprises a month corrector axle arranged for rotational movement to rotate the month corrector cam 22. In the particularly preferred embodiment depicted here, the month corrector axle is the take-up axle 24. It is arranged such that its rotation in one direction corrects the month and its rotation in the other direction corrects the date, as described below.

[0041] The winding axle is a control axle developed by the applicant and which is the subject of Chinese patent application No. 00357 / 21, which allows to select two functions, here the month correction function and the date correction function, by an axial translational movement of the control axle in one direction, which are then respectively actuated by a rotation of the control axle in one direction for one function and in the other direction for the other function, and to select two other functions by an axial translational movement of the control axle in the other direction, which are then respectively actuated by a rotation of the control axle in one direction for one function and in the other direction for the other function.

[0042] The winding axle 24 comprises a winding pinion 26 and a sliding pinion 28 arranged to engage an intermediate gear 30 after the winding axle 24 has been moved axially to select either the month or date correction function, as depicted in FIG. 4.

[0043] The lunar correction mechanism also kinematically connects the take-up axle 24 to the lunar correction cam 22 and advantageously comprises a first gear train positioned below the lunar correction cam 22 .

[0044] Said first gear train comprises a first gear 32 engaging with an intermediate gear 30 to enable it to cooperate with a sliding pinion 28 carried by the winding axle 24, an intermediate gear 33 rigidly connected to the first gear, another intermediate gear 34 arranged to engage and come into contact with the intermediate gear 33 when the winding axle is rotated in the direction of operation of the month correction after selecting the month or date correction function, and a final gear 35 fixedly connected for at least rotation relative to the month corrector cam 22 and arranged to engage with the intermediate gear 34 when the month correction function is selected. The final gear 35 is preferably coaxial with the month corrector cam 22 to which it is fixedly connected, and with the month cam 24.

[0045] Gears 32, 33 and 34 are gears carried by an actuating lever (not shown) described in Chinese Patent Application No. CH00357 / 21, said gears 32, 33, 34 positioning themselves to kinematically couple the winding axle 24 to the month corrector cam 22 in order to rotate said month corrector cam 22 (via gear 35) solely by the rotation of the month corrector, in other words by the rotation of the winding axle 24, after the month corrector function or the date corrector function has been selected by the axial movement of the winding axle 24.

[0046] The lunar correction mechanism also preferably comprises a lunar correction member constituted by a lunar correction pinion 36 provided with its jumper 38, said lunar correction pinion being kinematically connected to the lunar pointing mechanism.

[0047] More specifically, the lunar correction pinions 36 are arranged to be kinematically coupled to the lunar management cam 2, for example via the lunar drive pinion 9. The lunar correction pinions 36 are preferably mounted coaxially below the lunar drive pinion 9 in a rigidly connected manner. They are also arranged to be on the path of the lunar correction cam 22.

[0048] According to the invention, the moon correction cam 22 is arranged to drive the operation of the moon correction pinion 36, by first driving the large lever 4 to move it away, during its rotation which is here controlled exclusively by the rotation of the moon correction axle, in other words the rotation of the take-up axle 24, in order to isolate said large lever 4 at least from the moon management cam 2 before the moon is corrected, and then directly driving said moon correction pinion 36 in order to correct the moon as it continues its rotation.

[0049] To this end, the lunar correction cam 22 comprises at least two arms 22a, 22b extending generally radially, the large lever 4 and the lunar correction pinion 36 being arranged to be placed on the path of said arms 22a, 22b, one arm 22a being arranged to remove the large lever 4 from the lunar control cam 2 and the other arm 22b being arranged to subsequently activate the lunar correction pinion 36 and thus the lunar cam 2 via the lunar drive pinion 9, the large lever 4 then being isolated during the continuous rotation of the lunar correction cam 22 which is controlled by the rotation of the lunar correction axle, in other words here the rotation of the winding axle 24.

[0050] The large lever 4 advantageously comprises a feeler spindle which is placed on the path of the arms 22a, 22b of the lunar corrector cam 22 and which is arranged so as to be able to cooperate with one of said arms 22a, 22b. Said feeler spindle is preferably here the feeler spindle 20, which also cooperates with the lunar corrector cam 2. However, it is of course also possible to provide another feeler spindle positioned elsewhere on the large lever 4 and provided exclusively for cooperation with the lunar corrector cam 22.

[0051] Each arm 22a, 22b of the lunar corrector cam 22 is preferably, on the side that comes into contact with the feeler spindle of the large lever 4 during rotation of the lunar corrector cam 22, of a gently rounded form starting from the center and going outwards, and is shaped to gradually raise said feeler spindle 20 on said arms 22a, 22b, and is provided with a contour 40 which tilts the large lever at A until said large lever 4, and more specifically here the feeler spindle 20, moves away from the lunar control cam 2.

[0052] In order to make it possible to completely isolate the large lever 4 from the 48-month cam 2 , the maximum radius of the arms 22 a , 22 b is greater than the radius of the 48-month cam 2 .

[0053] The feeler spindle 20 advantageously has a thickness, at least at the end 20a of its lower surface, configured to exit from the plane of the lunar correction cam 22 in order to be able to cooperate with the contour 40 of one of the arms 22a, 22b of the lunar correction cam 22.

[0054] Furthermore, the profile 40 of the arms 22a, 22b advantageously terminates at the level of the maximum radius of the arms 22a, 22b by forming a beak 42 together with another profile 44 of the arms 22a, 22b extending radially towards the centre. The beak 42 is arranged so as to be able to cooperate with the lunar correction pinion 36 when the path of the arms 22a, 22b intersects with the teeth of the lunar correction pinion 36.

[0055] The arms 22 a , 22 b are preferably identical in order to be able to both isolate the large lever 4 and to drive the lunar correction pinion 36 .

[0056] The arms 22a, 22b are advantageously regularly distributed around the center of the lunar correction cam 22. The number of arms 22a, 22b and the arrangement of the feeler spindle 20 and the lunar correction pinion 36 around the lunar correction cam 22 are preferably selected so as to perform the correction with the fewest possible number of revolutions of the winding axle 24.

[0057] Thus, the lunar correction cam 22 is of helical form and may, for example, comprise four arms (including arms 22a, 22b, 22c) distributed at 90° and forming blades.

[0058] The lunar correction mechanism works as follows:

[0059] 1 and 2, when the correction mechanism is in the neutral position, the winding axle 24 is, for example, in the neutral winding position, so that the sliding pinion 28 is not engaged with the intermediate gear 30. The perpetual date mechanism functions in the standard way and is controlled by the movement of the watch. The month correction mechanism is not functioning.

[0060] For example, if the date mechanism stops on February 28th, not in a leap year, the feeler spindle 20 of the large lever 4 is positioned in the deepest notch of the 48-month cam 2, the position in which the large lever 4 has the most angular movement to make during the correction of the month in order to completely remove the feeler spindle 20 from the notch of the 48-month cam 2. The feeler spindle 20 is positioned in the notch of the 48-month cam 2 so that its end 20a is located close to the base of the rounded contour 40 of one of the arms 22a of the month corrector cam 22. The arm 22b (seen from above), which precedes the arm 22a, moves away from the month corrector pinion 36.

[0061] To perform the lunar correction, and referring to Figures 3 and 4, the winding axle 24 is moved axially so that the sliding pinion 28 engages with the intermediate gear 30 and so as to kinematically couple the winding axle 24 to the gear 35 which is rigidly connected to the lunar correction cam 22 (as shown in Figure 4), such that a first gear train is formed by the movement of the gears 32, 33 and 34.

[0062] The winding axle 24 is then rotated in one direction so that the lunar correction cam 22 rotates in a counterclockwise direction, the lunar correction cam 22 being seen from above in Fig. 3. During this rotation, the base of the rounded contour 40 of the arm 22a comes into contact with the end 20a of the feeler spindle 20 beyond the plane of the lunar correction cam 22, so that said feeler spindle 20 starts to rise on the contour 40 of the arm 22a to get out of its notch, and the thrust of the arm 22a on the feeler spindle 20 pivots the large lever 4 at A. In parallel, the arm 22b of the lunar correction cam 22 starts to approach the lunar correction pinion 36.

[0063] 5 and 6, the rotation of the winding axle 24 continues, causing the end 20a of the feeler spindle 20 to follow the rounded contour 40 and the large lever 4 to continue to rotate the lunar correction cam 22 so that it pivots about its axis A in a clockwise direction, as seen from above. The end 20a of the feeler spindle 20 thus rises gradually above the arm 22a until it reaches the top of the rounded contour 40 of the arm 22a, close to the beak 42 of the arm 22a, so that the feeler spindle 20 completely exits the notch of the 48-month cam 2. The large lever 4 is therefore separated from the 48-month cam 2 and isolated therefrom. In parallel, the beak 42 of the arm 22b is pivoted to approach the lunar correction pinion 36.

[0064] 7, the rotation of the winding axle 24 continues, causing the lunar corrector cam 22 to continue to rotate, so that the beak 42 of the arm 22b comes into contact with the teeth of the lunar corrector pinion 36 located on the path of the arm 22b. The continued rotation of the lunar corrector cam 22 then rotates the lunar corrector pinion 36 by one step, which rotates the lunar drive pinion 9 by one step, and therefore the 48 lunar cam 2 to rotate the lunar indicator pinion 14 by one step, correcting the lunar hand 16 by one step. In parallel, the feeler spindle 20 reaches the top of the beak 42 of the arm 22a, so that the large lever 4 was still quite isolated from the 48 lunar cam 2 when the lunar was so corrected by the lunar corrector pinion 36.

[0065] 8, after one correction step has been made, the rotation of the take-up axle 24 continues, causing the lunar correction cam 22 to continue to rotate, so that the beak 42 of the arm 22a passes over the feeler spindle 20. The large lever 4 is then moved back by its return spring on the 48-month cam 2, and its feeler spindle 20 passes over the straight contour 44 of the arm 22a and into the next notch of the 48-month cam 2, which corresponds to the month of March. In parallel, the arm 22b moves away from the lunar correction pinion 36.

[0066] If another lunar correction is required, the rotation of the take-up axle 24 is continued to continue rotating the lunar correction cam 22, so that arm 22b turns to approach the feeler spindle 20 of the big lever and arm 22c (seen from above), which precedes arm 22b, turns to approach the lunar correction pinion 36 as shown in Figure 9. The mechanism is then ready to make a new correction as described above.

[0067] The date correction mechanism will now be described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 10-13.

[0068] According to the invention, the date corrector mechanism comprises a date corrector cam 50 mounted so as to be freely rotatable on the frame, in other words by an angle which can be more than 360°. Unlike a lever, it therefore does not require a return spring.

[0069] The date correction mechanism also comprises a date correction axle arranged to be rotationally movable for rotating the date correction cam 50. In the particularly preferred embodiment depicted here, the date correction axle is the same axle as the month correction axle, in other words the winding axle 24. As already seen above, the winding axle 24, via the sliding pinion 28 and the intermediate gear 30, is arranged so that its rotation in one direction corrects the month and its rotation in the other direction corrects the date.

[0070] For this purpose, the date correction mechanism comprises a second gear train kinematically connecting the sliding pinion 28 carried by the winding axle 24 to the date correction cam 50. More specifically, the second gear train comprises a first gear 32 which engages with the intermediate gear 30 to enable it to cooperate with the sliding pinion 28 and with a final gear 52 which is at least rotationally rigidly connected to the date correction cam 50 and which is arranged to engage with the first gear 32 when the date correction function is selected. The final gear 52 is preferably mounted coaxially and rigidly connected to the date correction cam 50.

[0071] As already mentioned above, gear 32 is carried by an actuating lever (not shown) described in Chinese Patent Application No. 00357 / 21, said gear 32 positions itself to kinematically couple the winding axle 24 to the date correction cam 50 in order to rotate said date correction cam 50 exclusively by rotation of the date correction axle, in other words (via gear 52) exclusively by rotation of the winding axle 24, after selecting the month correction function or the date correction function by axial movement of the winding axle 24.

[0072] The date correction mechanism also comprises a date correction member preferably constituted by a date correction beak 54 mounted so as to be rotatably movable on the large lever 4 and provided with a return spring. The date correction beak 54 is arranged on the large lever 4 relative to the 31-day star 6 so that after it has been isolated from the 48-month cam 2, it approaches the 31-day star 6 when the date correction cam 50 drives the large lever 4, via the 31-day star 6, in order to be able to cooperate with the date indication mechanism.

[0073] According to the invention, the date correction cam 50 is arranged, during its rotation, which is controlled exclusively by the rotation of the date correction axle, in other words here by the rotation of the winding axle 24, to initially drive the large lever 4 away from said large lever 4 in order to isolate said large lever 4 at least from the month management cam 2 and also from the 31-day star 6 before the date is corrected if the correction involves a change of the month, and to subsequently drive the operation of the date correction beak 54, indirectly through the drive of the large lever 4, in order to correct the date as it continues to rotate.

[0074] For this purpose, the date correction cam 50 carries at least one drive stud 56, preferably provided with a runner. The drive stud 56 is arranged to pivot the large lever 4 at A in a direction enabling it to move away from the month management cam 2, here in a clockwise direction when viewed from above, and the date correction cam 50 rotates in a counterclockwise direction, such that said large lever 4 detaches itself entirely from the month management cam 2 and from the 31-day star 6, followed by a date correction beak 54 carried by the large lever 4 which continues to pivot, actuating the 31-day star 6, the large lever 4 then being isolated during the continuing rotation of the date correction cam 50, which is controlled here by the rotation of the date correction axle, in other words the rotation of the winding axle 24.

[0075] The large lever 4 advantageously comprises, at the height of the drive stud 56, an arm 57 having a contour 58 shaped to be within the path of the drive stud 56 created to rotate by the date correction cam 50 so that the drive stud 56 remains in contact with the contour 58, and by moving said large lever 4, more particularly here the feeler spindle 20, along said contour 58, the date correction cam 50 and the large lever 4 pivot in their respective directions so as to tilt the large lever 4 at A in order to move the large lever 4, sufficiently away from the month management cam 2, and to move the beak 18 sufficiently away from the 31-day star 6, and also to continue to pivot the large lever 4 at A, while on said contour 58 the large lever 4 is then isolated until the month correction beak 54 activates the 31-day star 6.

[0076] The date correction cam 50 and large lever 4 are therefore arranged to capture the large lever 4 so that the stud 56 is pivoted at A by a sufficient angle to be isolated from the month management cam 2 and from the 31-day star 6 and thereafter to actuate the 31-day star 6 by its date correction beak 54.

[0077] It should be noted that the pivot angle at A of the large lever 4 driven by the month correcting cam 22 to correct the month (here, in a clockwise direction, as viewed from above) is smaller than the pivot angle at A of the large lever 4 driven by the date correcting cam 50 to correct the date, so as not to correct the date during the correction of the month when the correction of the date is accompanied by a change of the month.

[0078] Contour 58 comprises, for example, two straight edges that are joined to form point 60. Contour 58 is long enough to isolate large lever 4 and to leave large lever 4 sufficiently clear to continue to drive large lever 4 to correct the date as such by means of correction beak 54.

[0079] The date correction cam 50 advantageously carries two studs 56 arranged at 180° to provide two corrections for each revolution of the cam.

[0080] The date correction mechanism works as follows.

[0081] 1 and 2, when the correction mechanism is in the neutral position, the winding axle 24 is, for example, in the neutral winding position, so that the sliding pinion 28 is not engaged with the intermediate gear 30. The perpetual date mechanism functions in the standard way and is controlled by the movement of the watch. The date correction mechanism is not functioning.

[0082] For example, if the date mechanism stops on a day in February that is not February 28th but is not a leap year, the feeler spindle 20 of the large lever 4 is positioned in the deepest notch of the 48-month cam 2, the position in which the large lever 4 has the greatest angular movement to make during a date correction in order to fully remove the feeler spindle 20 from the notch of the 48-month cam 2 so as not to dismantle the mechanism during a date correction which results in a change of the month. The date correction cam 50 is positioned so that the drive stud 56 is in contact with the start of the contour 58 of the large lever 4.

[0083] To correct the date, and referring to FIG. 10 , the winding axle 24 is moved axially so that the sliding pinion 28 engages with the intermediate gear 30 and a second gear train is formed by the movement of the gear 32 to kinematically connect the winding axle 24 to a gear 52 fixedly connected to the date correction cam 50.

[0084] The winding axle 24 is then pivoted in one direction such that the date corrector cam 50 rotates in a counterclockwise direction, which is seen from above in FIG. 10. During this rotation, the drive stud 56 rests on the contour 58 of the large lever 4 such that the large lever 4 pivots at A in a clockwise direction. During this pivoting, the feeler spindle 20 of the large lever 4 leaves the notch of the month management cam 2 and comes completely out of the notch, and the beak 18 of the large lever 4 completely removes itself from the 31-day star 6, as shown in FIG. 11, isolating the large lever 4. In parallel, the date corrector beak 54 approaches the 31-day star 6.

[0085] 12, the rotation of the winding axle 24 continues, causing the large lever 4 to continue pivoting about its axis A in a clockwise direction, until its date correction beak 54 comes into contact with a tooth of the 31-day star 6, which then rotates the 31-day star 6 by one step, which in turn rotates the date indicating member 12 and corrects it by one day in the month of February. In parallel, the date correction cam 50 continues to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, until the drive stud 56 is located at the tip 60 of the contour 58 of the large lever 4 and is no longer in contact with said large lever 4.

[0086] With reference to FIG. 13, after one correction step has been made, the rotation of the winding axle 24 continues so that the leading stud 56 passes over the corner 60 of the large lever 4, which is now no longer driven by the date corrector cam 50, causing the date corrector cam 50 to continue to rotate. The large lever 4 is then returned by its return spring on the 48-month cam 2, its feeler spindle 20 goes back into the February notch of the 48-month cam 2 and the beak 18 returns into contact with the 31-day star 6. In parallel, the correction beak 54 leaves the 31-day star 6 and the start of the contour 58 of the arm 57 of the large lever returns into contact with the other stud 56. The mechanism is then ready to make a new correction.

[0087] If another date correction is required, rotation of the winding axle 24 continues to cause continued rotation of the date correction cam 50 so that the other stud 56 again drives the large lever 4, as described above.

[0088] The mechanism of the invention thus allows the sole correction of the month or date by complete lifting of the large lever exclusively through a limited number of rotations of a single winding axle and can be implemented in date mechanisms in which axial movement of the winding axle is not possible or is unavailable due to isolation of the large lever.

[0089] The mechanism of the invention therefore makes it possible to do away with the month and date correctors. This reduces the problems associated with water resistance and makes it possible to improve the aesthetics of the watch, without the correctors usually provided on the central side of the watch. This also makes it possible to correct the date or the month without risk, since it is no longer possible to activate two correctors at the same time, since all of the corrections are integrated into the winding axle. The mechanism of the invention therefore makes it possible to simply correct the month or the date in a safe manner and without tools, by simply rotating the winding axle.

[0090] It is clear that in the case of a perpetual calendar, the 48-month cam can be replaced, for example, by a 12-month cam and a leap year cam, with the major lever being isolated from these two cams in the same manner as described above. Similarly, in the case of an annual or semi-perpetual calendar, the 48-month cam can be replaced by a 12-month cam or a 36-month cam, with the major lever being isolated from these month control cams in the same manner as described above.

Claims

1. A timepiece comprising a date mechanism (1) for at least one year, comprising a month management cam (2), a large lever (4) arranged to cooperate with said month management cam, a date indication mechanism, a month indication mechanism, and at least one mechanism for independent correction of the date or month, each of which comprises at least one date correcting member or month correcting member and arranged to cooperate with said date indication mechanism or said month indication mechanism, respectively, wherein said date correcting mechanism or said month correcting mechanism comprises a date correcting cam (50) or a month correcting cam (22), respectively, mounted so that the date correcting axle or the month correcting axle, respectively, is freely rotatable, and said date correcting axle or said month correcting axle is attached to said date correcting axle.

1. A timepiece characterized in that it can be rotated to rotate the date corrector cam (50) or the month corrector cam (22), respectively, and that the date corrector cam (50) or the month corrector cam (22), respectively, is arranged to drive, during its rotation, the large lever (4) to isolate at least the month management cam (2) before the date or month is corrected, respectively, and to drive the operation of the date corrector mechanism or the month corrector mechanism, respectively, to subsequently correct the date or month, respectively, and the rotation of the date corrector cam or the month corrector cam, respectively, is controlled exclusively by the rotation of the date corrector axle or the month corrector axle, respectively.

2. 2. The timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the month corrector is a month corrector pinion (36) kinematically connected to the month indicating mechanism and disposed on the path of the month corrector cam (22).

3. 3. Timepiece according to claim 2, characterized in that said moon corrector cam (22) comprises at least two arms (22a, 22b), one of said arms (22a) being arranged to remove said large lever (4) from said moon management cam (2) and the other arm (22b) being arranged to subsequently actuate said moon corrector pinion (36), said large lever (4) being isolated during the rotation of said moon corrector cam (22) controlled by the rotation of said moon corrector axle.

4. 4. A timepiece according to claim 3, characterized in that the large lever (4) comprises a feeler spindle (20) arranged so as to be able to cooperate with one of the arms (22a, 22b) of the month corrector cam (22).

5. 5. A timepiece according to claim 4, characterized in that each arm (22a, 22b) of said month corrector cam (22) has a contour (40) shaped so that said feeler spindle (20) of said large lever (4) gradually rises on said arm (22a, 22b) until said large lever (4) leaves said month management cam (2), and said contour (40) ends by forming a beak (42) arranged so that it can cooperate with said month corrector pinion (36).

6. 6. A timepiece according to claim 3, wherein the month corrector cam (22) is coaxial with the month management cam (2).

7. The date mechanism (1) is intended to cooperate with at least a 31-day star (6) at the end of each month on the one hand, and with the month management cam (2) on the other hand.

3. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a moon drive pinion (9), and that the moon corrector pinion (36) is arranged so as to be kinematically connected to the moon management cam (2) via the moon drive pinion (9).

8. 8. Timepiece according to claim 7, characterized in that the moon corrector pinion (36) is fixedly connected to the moon drive pinion (9).

9. 3. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterized in that the month indicating mechanism comprises a month indicating pinion (14) carrying a month indicating member (16) and engaging with the month management cam (2).

10. 3. A timepiece according to claim 1, characterized in that the date corrector is a date corrector beak (54) mounted so as to be rotatable on the large lever (4), provided with a return spring and arranged so that, after it has been isolated from the month management cam (2), it can cooperate with the date indicating mechanism when the date corrector cam (50) drives the large lever (4).

11. 11. Timepiece according to claim 10, characterized in that the date corrector cam (50) carries at least one stud (56) arranged so that the large lever (4) removes itself from at least the month management cam (2) and thereafter the date corrector beak (54) drives the large lever (4) to operate the 31-day star (6), the large lever (4) being isolated during the rotation of the date corrector cam (50) controlled by the rotation of the date corrector axle.

12. 2. A timepiece according to claim 1, characterized in that the date corrector and / or the month corrector are constituted by the winding axle (24) of the timepiece, the winding axle (24) being arranged so that its rotation in one direction corrects the month and its rotation in the other direction corrects the date.

13. 13. Timepiece according to claim 12, characterized in that the lunar corrector mechanism comprises a first gear train kinematically connecting the winding axle (24) to the lunar corrector cam (22), the first gear train comprising a first gear (32) cooperating with a sliding pinion (28) carried by the winding axle (24) and a final gear (35) fixedly connected to the lunar corrector cam (22).

14. 14. Timepiece according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the date correcting mechanism comprises a second gear train kinematically connecting the sliding pinion (28) carried by the winding axle (24) to the date correcting cam (50).

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