Clock with rigid casing and casing method

Abstract

A watch featuring a rigid casing to improve the shock resistance of the watch movement housed in the middle case. [Solution] A watch 100 comprising a middle case 10, a removable case back 12, a movement 20, and a casing element 30 that firmly holds the movement in the internal volume 15 of the middle case, wherein the casing element comprises a first casing circle 35 that presses against the shoulder formed on the middle case, a second casing circle 34 that firmly holds the movement between itself and the first casing circle via peripheral ribs and is superimposed on the first casing circle without direct contact, and a clamp element 33 separate from the case back that directly contacts the second casing circle, and is configured to compress the movement axially between the first and second casing circles and to compress the first casing circle axially relative to the shoulder of the middle case.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a timepiece provided with a rigid casing for a timepiece movement, and a method of housing a timepiece movement in a middle case of a timepiece.

Background Art

[0002] Casing of a timepiece movement, which involves fixing the movement to a middle case, is generally performed using a fixing clamp inserted into a groove provided on the inner circumference of the middle case, and the entire assembly is fixed by a clamp screw. However, the use of this method is relatively complicated due to the large number of parts and various handling operations required to position the clamp and the screw, and all of them have a great impact on the productivity of such a casing method.

[0003] There is also another known casing method that uses an intermediate part such as a casing circle or an enlarged circle arranged around the timepiece movement to hold the timepiece movement in an appropriate position when the back cover is screwed into the middle case. This method makes it possible to quickly fix the movement, but it is necessary to leave a gap between the timepiece movement and the middle case to hold the casing circle, which limits the possible dimensions of the movement with respect to the dimensions of the middle case.

[0004] Furthermore, various studies have shown that these casing methods not only transmit an impact to the middle case of the movement but also may amplify the impact. Therefore, the casing system needs to be improved, particularly to avoid damage, breakage of parts, or loss of connection of specific parts in order to minimize the impact on the timepiece movement.

[0005] A conventional method is to insert a shock absorber such as an elastomer ring between the middle case and the movement, but this requires a large available volume.

[0006] Another method proposed in Patent Document 1 involves casing the movement using two overlapping and contacting casing circles, with the watch movement held between the two casing circles. These two circles themselves are compressed between a portion of the watch's middle case and the watch's case back by an annular joint. One of the circles has a countersunk hole into which an arbor of the winding mechanism can be inserted. The annular joint is provided to hold the lower casing circle, and thus the movement, in place axially and radially when the case back is closed. However, this type of casing creates play in the movement located between the two casing circles. Furthermore, this play can vary due to manufacturing tolerances of the casing circles and the ribs of the watch movement, despite the provision of annular joints to ensure that the circles are sufficiently compressed.

[0007] As a result, with this casing method, under certain circumstances, the watch movement may move between the two casing circles, which can amplify the impact on the middle case of the watch movement and thus alter the shock resistance of the watch movement.

[0008] Therefore, in order to address at least one of the problems mentioned above, it is necessary to improve watches with rigid casings. Furthermore, it is necessary to improve the method of securely housing the watch movement within the watch's middle case and to provide such a method without the aforementioned limitations. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] European Patent No. 1970779 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] The present invention primarily aims to provide a watch equipped with a rigid casing to improve the shock resistance of the watch movement housed in the middle case. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To this end, the present invention aims to provide a watch comprising a middle case, a removable case back attached to the middle case, a movement, and a casing element that firmly holds the movement within the internal volume of the middle case.

[0012] According to the present invention, the casing element is • A first casing circle that presses against the shoulder portion formed in the middle case, • A second casing circle, wherein the movement is firmly held between the first casing circle and the second casing element via peripheral ribs of the watch movement, and the first casing circle and the second casing circle are superimposed without direct contact with each other. A clamping element that is separate from the removable case back and is in direct contact with the second casing circle, and is designed to compress the movement axially between the first casing circle and the second casing circle, and to compress the first casing circle axially relative to the shoulder of the middle case. It is equipped with.

[0013] The present invention primarily aims to provide a rigid casing for a watch movement that facilitates housing the watch movement in a middle case and minimizes the distortion and deformation the watch movement experiences in the event of an accidental impact to the watch.

[0014] The casing provided by the present invention enhances the rigidity of the casing and ensures that the watch movement is held in place without any play, regardless of the manufacturing tolerances of the casing circle and the middle case.

[0015] Furthermore, the casing provided by the present invention facilitates the mounting of the watch movement into the middle case.

[0016] In addition to the features described in the previous paragraph, the clock according to the present invention may have one or more of the following complementary features individually or in any technically possible combination. The clamping element is a clamping ring that is screwed into the middle case. The clamping element has threads on its outer circumference that cooperate with tapped holes formed in the middle case, and the tapped holes in the middle case for tightening the clamping ring are configured to receive a removable back cover by screwing it in. The watch comprises a middle case, a first casing circle, a second casing circle, a clamping element, and a removable case back, with the first and second casing circles not in contact with each other. The first casing circle has shoulders that work in conjunction with the shoulders of the middle case. The first and second casing circles are made of a rigid material with a Young's modulus greater than 50 GPa. The first casing circle covers the watch movement and holds the dial on the upper surface of the first casing circle. The dial is preferably attached to the upper surface of the first casing circle by adhesive. The first casing circle covers the watch movement, and the upper surface of the first casing circle forms the dial.

[0017] The present invention also relates to a robust housing method for securing a watch movement in the middle case of a watch according to the present invention. This method comprises the following series of steps: The first casing circle and the watch movement are pre-assembled so that the upper part of the peripheral rib of the watch movement presses against the annular shoulder of the first casing circle, · Insert the subassembly formed in the preceding step into the middle case such that the first casing circle presses against the shoulder of the middle case and the upper part of the peripheral rib of the timepiece movement presses against the annular shoulder of the first casing circle; · Insert the second casing circle into the middle case such that the second casing circle presses against the lower part of the peripheral rib of the timepiece movement without directly contacting the first casing circle; · Tighten the clamping element within the middle case such that the laminate formed by the second casing circle, the timepiece movement, and the first casing circle is compressed against the shoulder of the middle case. It includes.

[0018] Preferably, the tightening step is performed by screwing the clamping element into the middle case.

[0019] The storage method can be manual, meaning it can be performed by a natural person, or it can be automated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] The objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the following drawings. [Figure 1] It is an exploded perspective view of a timepiece according to the present invention, comprising a middle case, a timepiece movement attached to the middle case, and a casing element for firmly fixing the timepiece movement to the middle case. [Figure 2] It is a cross-sectional view of a timepiece according to the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a bottom view of the timepiece shown in FIG. 1, particularly showing the casing element in an appropriate position within the middle case. [Figure 4] It is a perspective view of a casing element according to the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a flowchart showing the main steps in a method for storing a timepiece movement according to the present invention.

[0021] In all figures, common elements share the same symbol unless otherwise specified. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0022] In this application, the axial direction is the direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the dial or plate of the watch movement, which is referred to herein as P1. On the other hand, the radial direction is parallel to the plane P1 formed by the dial or plate.

[0023] The terms "inside" and "outside" should be considered in relation to the center of the clock; therefore, the inside face is closer to the center than the outside face, which is on the opposite side of the clock's center.

[0024] The terms "upper" and "lower" should be considered in reference to the watch placed with its case back facing downwards, as shown in Figure 2.

[0025] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a watch 100 according to the present invention, which has a central axis B and a middle case 10 configured to be closed on both sides by a removable back cover 12 and glass (not shown).

[0026] For example, the middle case 10 is made of metal, ceramic, polymer, or a combination of different materials.

[0027] The watch 100 includes a watch movement 20 housed in an internal volume 15 defined by the middle case 10 and held in an appropriate position within the middle case 10 by a casing element 30.

[0028] The watch movement 20 may be mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic.

[0029] The clock movement 20 has a central axis A perpendicular to the general plane P1. The central axis A of the clock movement 20 is parallel to or coincides with the axis of rotation of the movement's hands.

[0030] The central axis A of the watch movement 20 is parallel to or coincides with the central axis B of the middle case 110.

[0031] The dial 40 is positioned above the watch movement 20.

[0032] As shown in Figure 2, a cross-sectional view of the watch according to the present invention, and Figure 4, a perspective view of the casing element 30, the casing element 30 according to the present invention comprises a first casing circle 35, the first casing circle 35 forming the upper element of the casing element 30 and pressing against the shoulder portion 16 of the middle case 10. The shoulder portion 16 is an annular shoulder portion parallel to the plane P1 of the watch movement 20.

[0033] The first casing circle 35 includes a peripheral shoulder portion 36 designed to cooperate by pressing against the shoulder portion 16 of the middle case 10.

[0034] The first casing circle 35 can be made of any rigid non-elastomer material, such as metal or synthetic material. Preferably, the first casing circle 35 is made of a rigid non-elastomer material with a Young's modulus greater than 50 GPa.

[0035] The first casing circle 35 is not divided around its periphery but has a partial opening 32 into which an arbor of a winding mechanism (not shown) can be inserted.

[0036] The periphery of the watch movement 20 is provided with a peripheral rib 21 on its outer circumference, and the peripheral rib 21 presses against an annular shoulder 37 formed in the radially inward portion of the first casing circle 35 at the height of the upper surface of the peripheral rib 21.

[0037] The peripheral rib 21 extends continuously around the entire circumference of the clock movement 20 and may be annular in shape, or it may consist of discontinuous segments of equal or unequal length around the clock movement 20.

[0038] The axial position of the watch movement 20 in the middle case 10 is determined by the dimensions of the first casing circle 35, and in particular by the axial position of the annular shoulder 37 that the watch movement 20 presses against with respect to the shoulder 36 of the first casing circle 35 that presses against the shoulder 16 of the middle case 10.

[0039] The casing element 30 according to the present invention comprises a second casing circle 34 superimposed on the first casing circle 35. The second casing circle 34 presses against the lower surface of the peripheral rib 21, pressing the peripheral rib 21 of the watch movement 20 against the annular shoulder portion 37 of the first casing circle 35.

[0040] Therefore, the upper surface of the second casing circle 34, together with the annular shoulder 37 of the first casing circle 35, defines a base to which the annular peripheral rib 21 of the watch movement 20 is fastened.

[0041] Therefore, the clock movement 20 is constrained between the first casing circle 35 and the second casing circle 34 when assembling the clock 100. According to the present invention, the first casing circle 35 and the second casing circle 34 are not in direct contact with each other so as to provide a gap 39 between the two casing circles 34, 35 when assembling the clock 100.

[0042] Similar to the first casing circle 35, the second casing circle 34 can be made of any rigid non-elastomer material, such as metal or synthetic material. Preferably, the second casing circle 34 is made of a rigid non-elastomer material with a Young's modulus greater than 50 GPa.

[0043] The two casing circles 34 and 35 can be made of the same material or different materials.

[0044] The second casing circle 34 is not divided around its periphery but has a partial opening 38 into which the arbor of the winding mechanism can be inserted.

[0045] The casing element 30 according to the present invention also includes a clamping element 33 that is separate from the removable case back 12 and is in direct contact with the second casing circle 34. The clamping element 33 forms the lower part of the casing element 30 and is shaped to compress the watch movement 20 axially via an annular peripheral rib 21 between the first casing circle 35 and the second casing circle 34, and to compress the first casing circle 35 axially against the shoulder 16 of the middle case 10.

[0046] The clamping element 33 is, for example, a clamping ring having threads on its outer circumference configured to cooperate with tapped holes 17 provided on the axial inner surface of the middle case 10. The clamping ring 33 is screwed into the middle case 10 until the assembly formed by the casing circles 34, 35 and the watch movement 20 is tightened against the shoulder portion 16 of the middle case 10.

[0047] As shown in Figure 3, the clamp ring 33 has a recess 53 on its lower surface that facilitates inserting a tool to screw in the clamp ring 33 and tighten it within the middle case 10.

[0048] The casing element 30 according to the present invention not only enables the watch movement 20 to be fixed axially within the middle case 10 by compressing it between two casing circles 34 and 35, but also enables it to be fixed radially by the frictional force generated between the annular shoulder 37 of the first casing circle 35 and the upper surface of the second casing circle 34.

[0049] Advantageously, the annular shoulder 37 of the first casing circle 35 includes a side wall that forms a radial stop for the peripheral rib 21 of the watch movement 20, in order to limit the radial movement of the watch movement 20 before clamping as much as possible, while ensuring mounting clearance for the watch movement 20 inside the first casing circle 35.

[0050] The two casing circles 34 and 35 are equipped with male or female positioning members that cooperate with complementary female or male positioning members to form a keying system. This keying system forms an anti-rotation device that prevents the casing circles 34 and 35 from rotating. Such a system also helps to avoid applying torque to the watch movement 20 when tightening the clamp ring 33.

[0051] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the two casing circles 34 and 35 are equipped with female positioning members 54 that cooperate with male positioning members 55 (as seen in Figure 1) formed on the radial inner wall of the casing 10.

[0052] The keying system also allows the two casing circles 34, 35 to be aligned so that the openings 32, 38 are aligned to form through holes for the arbor of the winding mechanism of the clock 100.

[0053] Preferably, the tapped holes 17 in the middle case 10 can also be used to screw on a removable case back 12. An annular joint 13, such as an O-ring, is compressed between the removable case back 12 and the middle case 10 to ensure that the watch 100 is water-resistant. The annular joint 13 is housed in a groove machined into the middle case 10. For example, the annular joint 13 has a circular cross-section.

[0054] Preferably, the first casing circle 35 covers the watch movement and supports the dial 40.

[0055] The dial 40 is attached to the first casing circle 35 and is directly attached to the upper surface 31 of the first casing circle 35.

[0056] For example, the dial 40 is bonded to the upper surface 31 of the first casing circle 35 using adhesive elements 14.

[0057] For example, the dial 40 is welded, brazed, or screwed to the upper surface 31 of the first casing circle 35.

[0058] The dial 40 can also be formed directly on the upper surface 31 of the first casing circle 35.

[0059] Method for housing a watch movement in a watch according to the present invention The present invention also relates to a method 400 for housing a watch movement 20 in a middle case 10. To casing the watch movement 20, a first step 410 comprises pre-assembling the watch movement 20 with a first casing circle 35 to form a subassembly. In this subassembly, the upper part of the peripheral rib 21 of the watch movement 20 radially presses against the inner annular shoulder 37 of the first casing circle 35. Once the two elements are pre-assembled, for example, the hands are screwed into the watch movement. As described above, in this first step 410, the first casing circle 35 is pre-held together with the watch movement 20 to form a subassembly; that is, they are positioned together, but the first casing circle is not attached to the watch movement 20.

[0060] Optionally, a preliminary step to the first casing step 410 is to attach the dial 40 to the first casing circle 35 when the first casing circle 35 forms the mounting surface for the dial 40.

[0061] The second step 420 consists of inserting the subassembly, formed by the first casing circle 35, the watch movement 20, and optionally the dial 40, into the middle case 10 from the back. As a result, the first casing circle 35 presses against the bearing surface 16 of the middle case 10, and the watch movement 20 presses radially against the inner annular shoulder 37 of the first casing circle 35.

[0062] The third step 430 consists of inserting the second casing circle 35 into the middle case 10 from the back so that the second casing circle 35 presses against the lower part of the peripheral rib 21 of the watch movement 20. More specifically, a portion of the upper surface of the second casing circle 35 presses against the lower part of the peripheral rib 21 of the watch movement 20.

[0063] The fourth step 440 consists of compressing the laminate formed by the second casing circle 34, the watch movement 20, and the first casing circle 35 against the shoulder portion 16 of the middle case 10, and tightening the assembly by attaching a clamping element 33, separate from the removable case back 12, to the middle case in order to lock the watch movement 20 axially and radially within the middle case 10.

[0064] Preferably, the fourth tightening step 440 is performed by screwing the clamping element 33 into the middle case 10 with a screw cooperating with the tapped hole. For example, the clamping element 33 has a screw thread and the middle case 10 has a tapped hole 17, but the reverse is also possible without departing from the context of the present invention.

[0065] The casing element 30 according to the present invention enables the watch movement 20 to be held in the correct position within the middle case 10 without the need to attach a removable case back. A removable case back was not necessary for the axial and radial retention of the watch movement 20.

[0066] Generally, the present invention has described operations performed by human workers. However, since the present invention can also be used in automated systems or robots, the method for housing a watch movement according to the present invention may be a manual method or an automated method.

Claims

1. A watch (100) comprising a middle case (10), a removable case back (12) attached to the middle case (10), a movement (20), and a casing element (30) that firmly holds the movement (20) in the internal volume (15) of the middle case (10), wherein the casing element (30) is - A first casing circle (35) that presses against the shoulder portion (16) formed on the middle case (10), - A second casing circle (34) wherein the movement (20) is firmly held between the first casing circle (35) and the second casing element (34) via the peripheral ribs (21) of the watch movement (20), and the first casing circle (35) and the second casing circle (34) are superimposed without direct contact with each other, - A clamping element (33) that is separate from the removable case back (12) and is in direct contact with the second casing circle (34), and is designed to compress the movement (20) axially between the first casing circle (35) and the second casing circle (34), and to compress the first casing circle (35) axially against the shoulder (16) of the middle case (10). A clock (100) equipped with this.

2. The watch (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping element (33) is a clamping ring that is screwed into the middle case (10).

3. The watch (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping element has a thread on its outer circumference that cooperates with a tapped hole (17) formed in the middle case (10), and the tapped hole (17) of the middle case (10) for tightening the clamping ring (33) is configured to receive the removable back cover (12) by screwing it in.

4. The watch (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an axial overlap of a middle case (10), a first casing circle (35), a second casing circle (34), a clamping element (33), and a removable case back (12).

5. The watch (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first casing circle (35) comprises a shoulder portion (36) that cooperates with the shoulder portion (16) of the middle case (10).

6. The clock (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first casing circle (35) and the second casing circle (34) are made of a rigid material with a Young's modulus greater than 50 GPa.

7. The clock (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first casing circle (35) covers the clock movement (20) and the dial (40) is held on the upper surface (31) of the first casing circle (35).

8. The clock (100) according to claim 7, characterized in that the dial (40) is attached to the upper surface (31) of the first casing circle (35).

9. The clock (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first casing circle (35) covers the clock movement (20), and the upper surface (31) of the first casing circle forms a dial (40).

10. A method (400) for housing the movement (20) of a clock (100) according to claim 1 into a middle case (10), comprising the following consecutive steps: a. Step (410) of pre-assembling the first casing circle (35) and the clock movement (20) so that the upper part of the peripheral rib (21) of the clock movement (20) presses against the annular shoulder (37) of the first casing circle (35), b. Step (420) of inserting the subassembly formed in the preceding step into the middle case (10) such that the first casing circle (35) presses against the shoulder portion (16) of the middle case (10) and the upper part of the peripheral rib (21) of the watch movement (20) presses against the annular shoulder portion (37) of the first casing circle (35), c. The step (430) of inserting the second casing circle (34) into the middle case (10) and pressing the lower part of the peripheral rib (21) of the watch movement (20) without the second casing circle (34) directly contacting the first casing circle (35), d. Step (440) of tightening the clamp element (33) within the middle case (10) so that the laminate formed by the second casing circle (34), the watch movement (20), and the first casing circle (35) is compressed against the shoulder portion (16) of the middle case (10) A method that includes this.

11. A method (400) for housing a movement (20) of a watch (100) in a middle case (10), characterized in that the tightening step (440) is performed by screwing the clamping element (33) into the middle case (10).

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