External component of watch, of fashion article or of jewelry item, and method for manufacturing that external component
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024200344
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-08-22
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-18
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-03
AI Technical Summary
The manufacturing of outer parts for carry-type watches, fashion items, and jewelry is complicated due to alignment tolerance issues between thin layers and the difficulty in achieving a visually appealing, parallel-layered decoration.
A method involving a transparent substrate with a polished lower surface, where a base layer is deposited and structured to form a first part, followed by a secondary layer with a different composition, creating a structured organization that matches the surface topology, and optionally including penetration openings and a reflection prevention coating.
The method ensures precise alignment and enhances the visual appeal of the outer parts by creating a contrasting, attractive decoration that can be viewed from multiple angles, while maintaining structural integrity and aesthetic quality.
Smart Images
Figure 00000000_0000_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of portable timepieces (e.g. wristwatches, pocket watches), fashion articles or jewellery. In particular, the outer parts of watches, fashion articles or jewellery, and the outer parts of such The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a side part.
[0002] In this document, the concept of "fashion article" refers to non-clothing items such as belts, shoes and clothing. Accessories include eyewear articles, telephone articles, or any other accessories. Includes decorative items. [Background technology]
[0003] In particular, in the field of watchmaking, the outer parts of watchmaking such as flanges and bezels, There may be decorations made by thin layers deposited on the surface of a substrate.
[0004] Depending on the size and number of details in the decoration of the outer part, it can be relatively complicated to make the outer part. In particular, it can be particularly difficult to maintain alignment tolerances between the thin layers. There is a saying. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0005] In this connection, the invention relates to the precision and quality of the decoration of the outer parts of the watch, in particular the translucency. The objective of the present invention is to improve the visual appearance of juxtaposed thin layers that can be seen through a non-porous substrate. Let us assume that.
[0006] In particular, the present invention provides a method for aligning decorations on outer parts, in particular between laminae. and alignment of the thin layer with respect to the structure on which it is deposited. This solves the problem of conforming to the tolerances of
[0007] Typically, the above mentioned problems occur in the field of fashion articles or jewellery.
[0008] In this context, the present invention provides a watch comprising a base material made of a light-transmitting material, For an outer part of a fashion article or jewelry, the substrate has a polished bottom surface opposite the bottom surface. The outer component further includes a base layer disposed on a first portion of the top surface. and at least one sub-layer deposited on a second portion of the upper surface. The first and second portions have different surface conditions.
[0009] In certain embodiments, the invention further comprises one or more of the following features: These may be considered separately or in any combination that is technically possible. do.
[0010] In certain embodiments, the first portion of the upper surface is polished and the Part 2 has at least one structured organization.
[0011] In certain embodiments, the base layer and the sub-layer have different compositions.
[0012] In certain embodiments, the base layer and the sub-layer include a third layer on the top surface of the substrate. There is a through opening that reaches the part.
[0013] In certain embodiments, the method further comprises depositing a lower base layer on the first portion of the lower surface. The outer component further comprises a lower secondary layer disposed on the structured second portion of the lower surface. The lower base layer and the lower sub-layer extend to a third portion of the lower surface. and at least a lower through opening formed on the upper surface opposite the first and second portions. It has a mouth.
[0014] In another aspect, the invention relates to a watch face formed by said outer part. do.
[0015] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a decorative element of a phone case formed by the outer part. Related to elements.
[0016] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a watch, fashion article or piece of jewelry. A method for manufacturing an outer part, Polishing the lower surface of a substrate made of a light-transmitting material; depositing a base layer over all or a portion of a surface of an upper surface of the substrate; A step of locally removing the base layer, the base layer being A portion of the base layer is retained on a first portion of the top surface of the material, and the removing comprises removing the base layer. forming at least one pocket extending to a second portion of the upper surface of the substrate; structuring said second portion of the upper surface; depositing a sublayer over the base layer and over the second portion of the top surface of the substrate. The method includes the steps of:
[0017] In certain embodiments, the method further comprises the step of pre-polishing the top surface of the substrate. Includes.
[0018] In certain embodiments, the method further comprises the steps of: and etching the sublayers so that portions of the sublayers are removed throughout their thickness. whereby at least one contact extending to a third portion of the top surface of the substrate is provided. Forming two through openings.
[0019] In certain embodiments, the method comprises: depositing a lower base layer over all or a portion of a surface of the lower surface; structuring a second portion of the lower surface of the substrate to form a lower structured texture; locally removing the lower base layer; depositing a lower sublayer over the lower base layer and the lower structure; The third portion of the lower surface is at least a reverse portion of the first and second portions of the upper surface. one or more lower surfaces extending to the third portion of the lower surface of the substrate so as to extend to the opposite side; and etching to form a through opening.
[0020] In certain embodiments, the method finally comprises: includes depositing an anti-reflective coating on both surfaces.
[0021] In some particular embodiments, the step of locally removing the base layer comprises This is done by laser beam.
[0022] By reading the following detailed description, given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, Other features and advantages of the present invention can be seen. It has been updated and should not be used as a reference. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0023] [Figure 1]2A-2D show schematic cross-sectional views of an outer part during the manufacture of the outer part made by carrying out several steps of a manufacturing method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2A-2D show schematic cross-sectional views of an outer part during the manufacture of the outer part made by carrying out several steps of a manufacturing method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an outer part obtained by carrying out the manufacturing method according to the invention, according to an embodiment of the invention; [Figure 4] 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an outer part obtained by carrying out the manufacturing method according to the invention, according to an embodiment of the invention; [Diagram 5] 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an outer part obtained by carrying out the manufacturing method according to the invention, according to an embodiment of the invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] The present invention relates to an external The part 10 and the steps of its manufacture are shown in FIGS.
[0025] The invention may comprise a decorative element for a watch, a fashion article or a piece of jewelry. do.
[0026] The term "fashion article" refers to any article of clothing or accessory, such as a belt, shoe, or garment. and further comprising an eyewear article, a telephone article such as a phone case, or any decorative article. Includes.
[0027] The outer part 10 includes a substrate 11 made of a light-transmitting material. In this document, the term "transmits all or part of the optical radiation, in particular the light visible to the naked eye" is used. This refers to the property of a material that allows light to pass through it. Examples of such light-transmitting materials include sapphire and glass. There is.
[0028] Substrate 11 has an upper surface 110 opposite a lower surface 111, and is generally In the embodiment of the present invention, the user presses the base material 11 from the lower surface 111 to the outside. The underside 111 of the substrate 11 is therefore preferably Preferably, it is polished.
[0029] In particular, in these embodiments, the lower surface 111 is intended to face towards the external environment. The upper surface 110 may be, for example, a clock component when the outer part 10 is a clock component. It is intended to face towards the internal environment, facing the timepiece movement.
[0030] In this document, the relative terms "lower" and "upper" refer to the configurations shown in the drawings. It is used to describe elements with respect to the position of the element and does not necessarily describe the absolute position of such element. Thus, those skilled in the art will recognize that such terms are interchangeable with other terms. and the embodiments described herein are directed to the aspects shown in the drawings and described. It can be appreciated that the present invention is operable in different orientations than the above.
[0031] The outer component 10 includes a base layer 12 deposited on a first portion 1101 of the upper surface 110 and a base layer 12b. A second portion of the upper surface 110 that is deposited on the base layer 12 and is not covered by the base layer 12. and at least one sub-layer 13 deposited on the layer 1102. As such, the first and second portions 1101, 1102 of the top surface 110 are adjacent to one another.
[0032] Preferably, the first and second portions 1101 and 1102 of the upper surface 110 are different surfaces. Has a state.
[0033] In particular, the first portion 1101 of the upper surface 110 is preferably polished and the second portion 1102 of the upper surface 110 is preferably polished. The portion 1102 preferably has at least one structured texture 112. In the specification, for ease of reading, the second portion 1102 is referred to as one, and therefore the structure The description will be given assuming that there is one structured organization 112. means a surface with altered topography, including satin finish, textured Preferably, the base layer 12, the sub-layer 13, and the substrate 11 are The different surface conditions of the upper surface 110 of the combination form a particularly attractive decoration. It is possible.
[0034] As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the sub-layer 13 faces the second portion 1102 of the upper surface 110. The sub-layer 13 is then fitted to the structural shape 112 on the portion of the surface that faces the sub-layer 13. The shape of the structured texture 112 is replicated on the face, i.e., on the face facing away from the substrate.
[0035] Preferably, the base layer 12 and the sub-layer 13 have different compositions. by metals such as gold, titanium, zirconium, ceramics, or any suitable material. The base layer 12 and / or sub-layer 13 may be made of any suitable material known to those skilled in the art. The base layer 12 and / or the sub-layers 13 and 14 may be formed by stacking thin layers in the form of a thin layer. 13 can be opaque or translucent.
[0036] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the base layer 12 and the sub-layer 13 have a first There may be a through opening 15 reaching into portion 1103 of the three.
[0037] Thus, when the base layer 12 and the sub-layer 13 have through-openings 15, the user It is possible to see through the part 10 .
[0038] In this case, the outer part 10 is formed on the lower surface 111 of the substrate 11 and / or on the sub-layer 13. and an anti-reflective coating is deposited on the third portion 1103 of the upper surface 110 of the substrate 11. A cover (not shown) may be included.
[0039] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the outer part 10 is a first On portion 1111, in a similar configuration to upper surface 110, a base layer called "lower base layer" 12' is formed. The "sublayer called the lower sublayer 13'" is a "lower structured tissue" 11 On the structured second portion 1112 of the lower surface 111, called 2′, and on the lower base The lower base layer 12' is deposited in the same manner as the base layer 12 and the sublayer 13. Layer 12' and lower sublayer 13' may be made of a metallic or ceramic material, or any other suitable These lower base plates can be made of different materials, preferably with different compositions. Either or both of the base layer 12' and the lower sublayer 13' may be thin, in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. The insulating layer 10 can be formed by a stack of layers.
[0040] As with the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the lower base layer 12' and the lower sublayer 13' may include at least one There can be at least one lower through opening 15'. As shown in FIG. The side through opening 15' reaches the third portion 1113 of the lower surface 111 and is 110, first and second portions 1101 and 1102 extend on opposite sides of the The base layer 12, the sub-layer 13, and the different surface conditions of the upper surface 110 of the substrate 11 are combined. The decoration that is generated by the coating can be seen by the user through the base material 11 from the underside 111. will be done.
[0041] Also, similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower sub-layer 13′ has a lower surface 111 The lower structured texture 1 is formed on a portion of the surface of the lower sub-layer 13′ facing the second lower portion 1102. 5, the lower sublayer 13' is formed in a shape similar to that of the lower sublayer 12'. On the outer surface, i.e. on the surface facing away from the substrate 11, the lower structured texture 112' is formed. Duplicate.
[0042] Also, the outer part 10 is preferably as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and possibly other embodiments. In the embodiment, in Figs. 1 to 4 and 1 to 5, several steps are shown in chronological order. Made by a method.
[0043] Specifically, this manufacturing method includes the steps of polishing the lower surface 111 of the substrate 11 and As shown in FIG. 1, the base 11 is then applied to all or a portion of the upper surface 110 of the base material 11. and depositing a silicon layer 12.
[0044] Such deposition may be by physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, or any other suitable method. It can be done.
[0045] Preferably, the upper surface 110 is pre-polished in a pre-polishing step prior to the deposition of the base layer 12. It is polished in preparation.
[0046] The method then includes the step of locally removing the base layer 12, as shown in FIG. , thereby forming one or more pockets 14 that reach the top surface 110 of the substrate 11. and simultaneously applying pressure to the or each pocket 14 to form a structured texture 112. The upper surface 110 is structured in
[0047] In particular, upon completion of the local removal step, the base layer 1 which is not affected by the removal The second portion is placed on the first portion 1101 of the upper surface 110 of the substrate 11, and the pocket 14 reaches the second portion 1102 of the upper surface 110, and the second portion 1102 of the upper surface 110 Thus, the or each structured texture 112 is structured according to its shape. The pocket 14 thus formed conforms perfectly to the base layer 12 .
[0048] The localized removal of the base layer 12 and the resulting structure of the second portion 1102 of the upper surface 110 The structuring of the structure 112 is preferably performed by laser processing. The targeted removal steps include robotic etching with diamond bits, machining, and chemical This can also be achieved by chemical processing.
[0049] Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer part 10 is obtained by laminating the base layer 12 with the Then, in the pocket 14, i.e., in the second portion 1102 of the upper surface 110 of the substrate 11 Then, a step of depositing a sub-layer 13 is performed. Thus, the upper surface 11 having different surface conditions is obtained. 1101 and 1102 of the first and second portions of 0 and the alignment of the base layer 12 and the sub-layer 13 This ensures that the component tolerances are met.
[0050] In addition to the possibility of color differences between the base layer 12 and the sub-layer 13, the features of the present invention allow , different portions of the upper surface 110 on which the base layer 12 and the sub-layer 13 are deposited, respectively. The visual appearance of the decoration of the outer part 10 is particularly striking in that the different surface conditions are contrasted. Become attractive.
[0051] Additionally, deposition of the sub-layer 13 may be by physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, or any other suitable method. This can be done by:
[0052] Finally, the method includes removing a portion of the base layer 12 and a portion of the sub-layer 13, as shown in FIG. The portion is removed throughout its thickness so that the substrate 11 can conform to a predetermined shape without being affected. This may include an etching step to shape the base layer 12 and sub-layer 13 .
[0053] Thanks to this etching step, the third portion 1103 of the upper surface 110 of the substrate 11 is reached. At least one through opening 15 can be formed through the hole 14 .
[0054] Such an etching step can be performed by photolithography, laser processing, etc. It can be done.
[0055] Instead of this final step, to make the outer part according to the embodiment shown in FIG. The method then proceeds to deposit a lower base layer 12' over all or part of the surface of the lower surface 111. and then the local removal of the base layer 12 as well as the lower base layer. In particular, the step of locally removing the lower base layer 12' may include the step of locally removing the lower base layer 12'. During the selective removal step, a structure is formed on the second portion 1112 of the lower surface 111 of the substrate 11. The remainder of the lower base layer 12' forms a first lower structured structure 112' on the lower surface 111. Next, the lower base layer 12′ and the lower structured structure 112′ are placed on the lower base layer 12′. A step of depositing the lower sublayer 13' is then performed.
[0056] Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the third portion 1111 of the lower surface 111 of the substrate 11 is reached. An etching step intended to form one or more lower through openings 15' through which the Preferably, this lower through opening 15' is formed in the third portion 1 of the lower surface 111. 111 at least on the side opposite the first and second portions 1101 and 1102 of the upper surface 110 The insulating layer 20 is formed so as to extend to the inner wall 22 of the insulating layer 20 .
[0057] The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is such that the outer part 10 is a tourbillon watch or a skeleton watch. When the external part 10 is mounted on a watch or the like, the external part 10 is made visible in all directions. This is particularly advantageous for such applications.
[0058] After these steps, and potentially as a final step, the top surface 110 of the substrate 11 is A step of depositing an anti-reflective coating on one or both of the upper surface 111 and the lower surface 112 may be performed. do.
[0059] Generally, the implementations and embodiments described above are given by way of example only and other variations are contemplated. This state is possible.
[0060] In particular, the method includes the steps of depositing the sublayer 13 and, in a similar manner to the step of depositing the sublayer 13, A third layer may be deposited in the pocket at do.
[0061] In general, the method comprises several local removal steps, each of which is followed by Depending on the desired decoration, it is conceivable to carry out steps of depositing additional layers.
[0062] It should be noted that the lower surface 111 may be intended to face the internal environment, and the upper surface 110 may be intended to face the external environment. The visual display may be intended to face towards the external environment, i.e. towards the user.
[0063] Preferably, the outer part 10 according to the invention is a dial, a crystal, a bezel or a frame of a watch. However, the present invention is not limited to these.
[0064] In another preferred variant, the outer part 10 forms a decorative element of the phone case. The decorative element may extend over all or a portion of the visible surface of the phone case. [Explanation of symbols]
[0065] 10 Outer parts 11 Base material 12 Base Layer 12' Lower Base Layer 13 Sub-layer 13' lower sublayer 14 Pockets 15 Through hole 15' Lower through opening 110 Top surface 111 Bottom side 112 Structured organization 112' lower structured tissue
Claims
[Claim 1] An outer part (10) of a watch, fashion article or piece of jewelry, comprising a substrate (11) made of a light-transmitting material, The substrate (11) has an upper surface (110) opposite a lower surface (111) to be polished, and the outer part (10) comprises a base layer (12) deposited on a first portion (1101) of the upper surface (110) and at least one sub-layer (13) deposited on a second portion (1102) of the upper surface (110), The first and second portions (1101, 1102) of the upper surface (110) have different surface conditions. An outer part (10) characterized in that: