Musical or chiming clock
The retractable bezel design in mechanical watches enhances acoustic radiation by increasing the inner chamber volume and using through-orifices with a microperforated film, addressing inefficiencies in sound transmission and dirt entry.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- MONTRES BREGUET SA
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-30
AI Technical Summary
Existing mechanical watches face challenges in optimizing acoustic radiation from the back of the case, which is often acoustically inert and attenuated by wrist contact, and side openings are inefficient due to rigid surrounding parts, while also risking dirt entry through the opening.
A retractable bezel design that increases the inner chamber volume by moving the glass relative to the dial, featuring through-orifices and a microperforated film to enhance sound amplification and diffusion, while maintaining dust prevention.
The retractable bezel design amplifies and diffuses sound effectively, improving acoustic performance on the dial side while preventing dust ingress, even when worn on the wrist.
Smart Images
Figure 2026108536000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of mechanical watch technology. More specifically, it relates to musical or chiming watches with special arrangements for acoustic radiation.
Background Art
[0002] A watch can be equipped with a chiming mechanism to produce sound or music. For this purpose, the gong of a chiming watch or the keyboard of a musical watch is usually placed inside the watch case. Vibrations from the gong or the keys on the keyboard are thus transmitted to various exterior parts. These exterior parts include, for example, the middle (barrel) of the watch case, the bezel, the glass, and the back (case back). These large exterior parts start to radiate sound into the air due to the action of the transmitted vibrations. When sound is generated by one or more gongs struck by hammers or one or more keys vibrating on the keyboard, these exterior parts can radiate the generated sound into the air.
[0003] A membrane can be placed inside the watch case and configured to improve the acoustic level of the generated sound or music. Other exterior parts on the watch can also be designed to enhance sound radiation, especially at low frequencies. However, it is difficult to optimize acoustic radiation from the back of the watch case, and the back is often one of the most acoustically inert exterior parts of the watch.
[0004] Another drawback is that when the watch is worn on the user's wrist, the vibrations on the lower surface of the watch case back are attenuated by contact with the wrist. In this case, one solution for generating sound or music from the back of the watch case is to use a side opening. However, the radiation from the side opening in the back is still low because the multiple parts surrounding the opening are rigid. Furthermore, when a glass is attached to the back so that the movement can be viewed from the lower surface, dirt can enter through the opening in the back and accumulate inside the watch.
Summary of the Invention
[0005] The present invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of the above-mentioned prior art and provides a musical or chiming clock equipped with a retractable bezel that enables improvement of the sound level on the dial side of the clock.
[0006] For this purpose, the present invention relates to a musical or chiming clock, the musical or chiming clock comprising a clock case comprising at least a middle, back, dial, bezel and glass, the glass being mounted on the bezel, the glass and dial forming an inner chamber having an initial volume, comprising a movement and a chiming mechanism, the bezel being retractable, the glass moving from a closed position where the glass is in a first plane parallel to the dial surface to a second position where the glass is separated from the first plane and in a second plane parallel to the dial surface, thereby increasing the initial volume of the inner chamber.
[0007] Other advantageous modifications of the present invention are as follows: The bezel comprises an upper portion designed to hold the glass and a lower portion connected to the middle, the lower portion and the upper portion being defined by a flange to which the glass is fixed. The bezel is provided with at least one through-orifice through which the inner chamber communicates with the outside of the watch case, thereby allowing the ringing of a bell or music to be heard. The at least one orifice is located in the lower portion of the bezel. The lower portion of the bezel is provided with at least one guide groove for moving the bezel from the closed position to the deployed position and vice versa. The middle section holds the lower portion of the bezel and includes an annular groove for closing the at least one orifice when the bezel is in the closed position. The annular groove comprises a plurality of protruding pins arranged to engage with the at least one guide groove. The middle section includes a gasket suitable for engaging with the bezel when the bezel is in the closed position. The at least one through-orifice has a micro-perforated film for blocking dust or dirt. The microperforated film is made of paper, fiber, metal, or composite material. The aforementioned dial forms an acoustic film. The retractable bezel is attached to the back of the watch. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0008] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, given as non-limiting examples, and from the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] This is an exploded perspective view of the clock according to the present invention. [Figure 2a] This is a perspective view of a bezel on a watch according to the present invention. [Figure 2b] Figure 2a shows a cross-sectional view of the bezel. [Figure 3a] This shows a cross-sectional view of the watch according to the present invention when the bezel is in the closed position. [Figure 3b] This shows a cross-sectional view of the watch according to the present invention when the bezel is in the deployed position. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0009] Figure 1 shows a watch according to the present invention, which comprises a watch case consisting of at least a bezel 1, a middle 2, a back 3, a dial 4, and a glass 5. The watch case also comprises a watch movement 6 combined with a striking mechanism 7.
[0010] Clock movements and striking mechanisms are publicly known and are shown schematically. A striking mechanism is designed, for example, to vibrate at least one gong or at least one blade once or more times at regular intervals, on the hour, or when manually activated, or in the case of an alarm clock, at a predetermined time of day.
[0011] As shown in Figures 3a and 3b, the watch case comprises an inner chamber 8 whose boundaries are defined by the dial 4 and the glass 5, and the inner chamber 8 forms an acoustic cavity having an initial volume V.
[0012] The dial divides the watch case into two overlapping spaces, one above the other: a sealed housing 8 that contains the movement and striking mechanism, and an inner chamber 80 that forms an acoustic cavity.
[0013] In the illustrated embodiment, the dial is an acoustic film, and the dial extends within a plane Pc.
[0014] According to the present invention, the bezel 1 is retractably mounted in the middle and can move between a closed position and an extended position to increase the initial volume V of the inner chamber.
[0015] As shown in Figures 2a and 2b, the bezel 1 comprises an upper portion 10 designed to hold the glass 5 and a lower portion 11 connected to the middle 2, the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 10 being defined by a flange 12 against which the glass 5 abuts, and the glass 5 is located in a first plane P1 parallel to the dial plane Pc. As shown in the figures, the plane P1 is a plane formed by the upper edge of the rising edge on which the glass 5 rests.
[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the lower portion 11 of the bezel is designed to be housed within the annular groove 20 of the middle 2 and to engage with the middle 2 in order to move from the closed position to the deployed position.
[0017] The lower portion 11 includes a shoulder positioned to contact the middle 2 when the bezel is in the closed position. This shoulder also includes a groove designed to hold the gasket 18 so that the gasket 18 is pressed against the middle 2 when the bezel is closed, thereby ensuring the water resistance of the watch. The gasket 18 may be attached to the middle 2.
[0018] The lower part 11 also comprises at least one guide groove 14, preferably at least two guide grooves 14, in order to limit the play after the bezel 1 has been assembled to the middle 2. At least one guide groove 14 guides the bezel from the closed position to the deployed position, and the guide groove 14 comprises two straight portions 140, 141 parallel to each other and an inclined portion 142 connecting them.
[0019] The straight portions 140, 141 parallel to each other of the groove 14 define the closed and deployed positions of the bezel 1, and the inclined portion 142 enables the transition between the two positions.
[0020] At least one groove 14 is arranged to cooperate with at least one protruding pin 21 mounted so as to project into the annular groove 20, the protruding pin being fixed and the groove being movable relative to the protruding pin / middle. As shown in FIG. 1, at least one protruding pin can be mounted from the outside of the middle 2 in order to facilitate the assembly of the bezel 1. It is also possible to mount at least one protruding pin from the inside of the middle.
[0021] According to an embodiment not shown, each planar portion 140, 141 has a bulge near its distal end, thereby forming a hard point (resistance point) when the pin 21 passes through the groove 14, ensuring that the closed or deployed position of the bezel 1 is locked.
[0022] By moving the bezel 1 from the closed position to the deployed position, the bezel and the glass move relative to the dial, so that the distance between the dial 3 and the glass 5 increases. As can be seen in FIGS. 3a and 3b, in the closed position, the dial plane Pc and the first glass plane P1 are separated by a distance h1, and in the deployed position, the dial plane Pc and the second glass plane P2 are separated by a distance h2, and the distance h2 is greater than the distance h1.
[0023] Therefore, it is understood that this arrangement of the bezel 1 on the middle 2 can change the initial volume V of the inner chamber 8. In this case, when the bezel 1 is in the deployed position, the volume of the inner chamber 8 increases.
[0024] As shown in the figure, the bezel 1 is provided with at least one through-orifice 13 through which the inner chamber 8 communicates with the outside of the watch case, thereby allowing the sound of chimes or music to be heard, and at least one orifice 13 is located on the lower portion 11 of the bezel 1. Thus, the combination of the increased volume of the inner chamber 8 and at least one orifice 13 amplifies and diffuses the sound of chimes or music to the outside of the watch.
[0025] It should be noted that when the bezel is in the closed position, the lower portion 11 of the bezel is housed within the annular groove 20, thereby blocking at least one orifice 13.
[0026] The lower portion 11 may be provided with one or more orifices 13, and the one or more orifices 13 can take on various shapes and orientations. As shown in the figure, the through orifice 13 is oval and inclined toward the middle. Rectangular through orifices are also considered, and the orifice may extend in a plane parallel to the dial plane PC and the glass plane P1.
[0027] Advantageously, at least one through-orifice 13 has a microperforated film for trapping dust or dirt outside the watch. This microperforated film may be made from, for example, paper, fiber, metal, or composite material.
[0028] The design of this watch, particularly the bezel, is especially advantageous because it allows the wearer to easily change the bezel's position to improve the acoustic level on the dial side of the watch.
[0029] According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the retractable bezel is attached to the back of the case, as is the case bezel attached to the front of the case.
[0030] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims, which will be obvious to those skilled in the art.
Claims
1. A musical or chiming clock (100) comprising a clock case consisting of at least a bezel (1), a middle (2), a back (3), a dial (4), and a glass (5), a movement (6), and a chiming mechanism (7), wherein the glass (5) is attached to the bezel (1), and the glass (5) and the dial (4) form an inner chamber (8) having an initial volume (V), A musical or chiming clock (100) wherein the bezel (1) is retractable and moves from a closed position where the glass (5) is on a first plane (P1) parallel to the dial plane (Pc) to a second position where the glass (5) is separated from the first plane (P1) and on a second plane (P2) parallel to the dial plane (Pc), so as to increase the initial volume (V) of the inner chamber (8).
2. The watch (100) according to claim 1, wherein the bezel (1) comprises an upper portion (10) designed to hold the glass (5) and a lower portion (11) connected to the middle (2), and the lower portion (11) and the upper portion (10) are defined by a flange (12) to which the glass (5) is fixed.
3. The clock (100) according to claim 1, wherein the bezel (1) is provided with at least one through orifice (13) through which the inner chamber (8) communicates with the outside of the clock case so that a bell or music can be heard.
4. The watch (100) according to claim 3, wherein the at least one through orifice (13) is located in the lower portion (11) of the bezel.
5. The watch (100) according to claim 1, wherein the lower portion (11) of the bezel is provided with at least one guide groove (14) for moving the bezel (1) from the closed position to the deployed position and vice versa.
6. The watch (100) according to claim 1, wherein the middle (2) holds the lower portion (11) of the bezel and has an annular groove (20) for closing the at least one through orifice when the bezel (1) is in the closed position.
7. The clock (100) according to claim 1, wherein the annular groove (20) comprises a protruding pin (21) arranged to engage with at least one guide groove (14).
8. The watch (100) according to claim 1, wherein the bezel (1) comprises a gasket (18) suitable for engaging with the middle (2) when the bezel (1) is in the closed position.
9. The watch (100) according to claim 1, wherein the middle (2) comprises a gasket (18) suitable for engaging with the bezel (1) when the bezel (1) is in the closed position.
10. The watch according to claim 1, wherein the at least one through orifice (13) has a microperforated film for blocking dust or dirt.
11. The watch according to claim 9, wherein the microperforated film is made of paper, fiber, metal, or composite material.
12. The watch face (4) is formed of an acoustic film, as described in claim 1 (100).
13. The watch (100) according to claim 1, wherein the retractable bezel (1) is attached to the back of the watch.