EP1975747B1 - watch case - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a watch case and in particular a watch case which while having a conventional appearance can be customized at the request of the buyer. The object of the present invention is the production of a watch case of conventional appearance with the aid of several assembled parts, each of which can be chosen by the customer from among a plurality of possible pieces, of different material, color, finish, .

Such watch boxes are known for example documents FR-2754434 , CH 681412 , CH 652885 or US 4,757,485 . However, the watch cases described in these documents do not have a conventional shape that can make them believe that they are monoblock, they have difficulties of assembly and assembly and do not always have a high quality finish and sufficient strength.

An object of the present invention is to provide a multi-component watch case having the appearance of a conventional one-piece box, solid, easy to assemble. Another goal is to achieve a multi-component watch case that ensures a perfect and independent sealing of the interchangeable elementary parts of the watch case.

These aims are achieved and the disadvantages of the known multi-component watch cases eliminated by the watch case according to the invention which is distinguished by the features listed in claim 1.

• La figure 1 est une vue en perspective de la boîte de montre.
• La figure 2 est une vue éclatée de la boîte de montre montrant ses pièces constitutives.
• La figure 3 est une coupe partielle de la boîte de montre à 12H.
• La figure 4 est une coupe partielle de la boite de montre à 3H.
• La figure 5 est une coupe partielle de la boîte de montre à 9H.
• La figure 6 est une vue de dessus schématique de la montre.
• La figure 7 est une coupe suivant la ligne A-A de la figure 6.
• La figure 8 est une coupe suivant la ligne B-B de la figure 6.

The accompanying drawing illustrates schematically and by way of example an embodiment of the watch case according to the invention.

• The figure 1 is a perspective view of the watch case.
• The figure 2 is an exploded view of the watch case showing its constituent parts.
• The figure 3 is a partial section of the watch case at 12 o'clock.
• The figure 4 is a partial section of the watch case at 3 o'clock.
• The figure 5 is a partial section of the watch case at 9 o'clock.
• The figure 6 is a schematic top view of the watch.
• The figure 7 is a section along line AA of the figure 6 .
• The figure 8 is a section along the line BB of the figure 6 .

The watch case according to the invention illustrated at figure 1 has a monolithic appearance, robust, traditional and classic although its build is composed of several pieces, seven in this embodiment, interchangeable as will be seen later. This particularity of the middle part makes each individual piece thereof can be manufactured in different materials, have different colors, different decorations or different surface treatments. Thus, the buyer of such a watch case can individualize it by choosing each of the seven interchangeable pieces from a sampling of each of these pieces. Once assembled with the pieces chosen by the client, the case size, and therefore the watch case, is personalized.

As we see on the figure 2 the watch case according to the invention is composed in this particular example of a bottom 1 comprising a bottom ice 2 fixed to the bottom 1 by means of a bottom ice seal 3. The bottom 1 comprises a skirt inner 4 provided with a thread and is intended to be screwed on the lower part also threaded with a circle 5, an O-ring bottom gasket 6 being interposed between these two elements.

This watch case also includes a bezel 7 provided with an ice-cream 8 attached to the bezel 7 by means of a ring 9 of ice-glasses. The bezel 7 has an internal thread 10 for fixing the latter provided with its lens 8 on the upper part of the circle 5 which is threaded on its upper periphery. An eye O-ring seal 11 is interposed between the bezel 7 and the circle 5.

The circle 5 is intended to receive a watch movement and a dial fixed in this circle in a traditional manner. The watch case thus realized by the bezel 7 and its mirror 8, the circle 5 and the bottom 1.2 constitute a sealed container protecting the movement.

The illustrated watch case also comprises a caseband arranged around the circle 5 and clamped between the bottom 1 and the bezel 7. This case consists of seven independent parts assembled to each other to form a rigid and robust assembly.

The middle part consists of a plate 12, two horn holder parts 13, 13a, two end pieces 14, 14a, a lateral stretcher 9H 15 and a lateral stretcher 3H 16 having a passage 17 for the stem of winding of a winding crown 18.

According to other embodiments of the invention, the middle part may comprise more or less seven parts. For example, the tip 14 and the stretcher 16 can be made to form one piece, and the tip 14a and the stretcher 15 can be made to form one piece, resulting in a middle part of five pieces. In other embodiments, the end pieces 14, 14a and / or the shafts 15, 16 may each be formed of two different pieces, resulting in a middle part of more than seven pieces.

Once the customer has chosen each of the pieces forming the middle part of the different possibilities offered for each of these pieces, the assembly of the caseband is as follows:

The end pieces 14, 14a are arranged between the horns of the corresponding horn-carrying parts 13, 13a and screwed to them with the aid of screws 19, 19a. Each piece holder-come 13,13a provided with its tip 14,14a is then screwed on the plate 12 with screws 20,20a. These horn holder parts 13, 13a are diametrically opposed and centered on a 6H-12H axis of the watch case. Then the lateral shafts 15,16 are placed on the plate 12 and against the sides of the horn holder parts 13,13a and then screwed on the plate 12 with screws 21, 21a. The custom-made middle thus assembled is rigid, robust and seems to be monolithic, although each of its pieces could be chosen among a set of variants made available to the customer, this middle part once assembled is arranged around the circle 5 then the bottom 1 and the bezel 7 are screwed on the lower and upper ends of the circle 5 and the middle part is immobilized and fixed , sandwiched between the bottom 1 and the telescope 7.

To facilitate the mounting of the watch case and to prevent that when screwing the bottom 1 or the bezel 7 on the circle 5 the middle part moves angularly relative to the circle 5, it can be provided, as illustrated in FIG. figure 8 , flanges 22 fixed on the middle part by some of the screws 20, 2a, 21, 21a and being housed in recesses 23 that includes the side wall of circle 5.

As seen in the drawing ( Fig. 3.4 ) in the assembled position of the watch case, the bottom 1 bears against the lower face of the plate 12 of the caseband and the bezel 7 is supported by a peripheral rim 24 against the end pieces 14, 14a and against the lateral stretchers 15, 16. In the embodiment illustrated, the lateral end pieces 15, 16 have on their upper surface a groove 25 in which the peripheral flange 24 of the bezel 7 is housed. In variants, the end pieces 14, 14 a could also include grooves in their grooves. upper faces in which the peripheral rim 24 of the telescope would be placed. In this way, the upper parts of the end pieces 14, 14a and the side stretchers 15, 16 are held by the rim 24 of the bezel 7 further reinforcing the robustness of the whole middle part and therefore of the box.

As noted above the middle part does not participate in the sealing of the watch case so that its realization by assembling several interchangeable parts does not have any disadvantage for the timepiece thus produced.

In variants of the watch case, the bottom 1 and the bezel 7 could be fixed by screws on the circle 5 to form the sealed container for receiving the movement. This is particularly advantageous for watch cases of non-circular shape, square or rectangular, for example.

Claims (8)

1. Watch case comprising a sealed container intended to enclose a clockwork movement, the container being formed by a casing ring (5) to which are fixed in a sealed manner a bezel (7) provided with its glass (8) on the one hand and a back (1) on the other hand, this watch case also comprising a middle disposed around the casing ring (5) of the container and clamped between the bezel (7) and the back (1), this middle being formed by the assembly of a plurality of independent and interchangeable elements (12, 13, 14, 15, 16), characterised in that the middle comprises a plate (12), two horn-carrier pieces (13, 13a) screwed to the plate (12) and centred on a 6:00-12:00 axis, two end pieces (14, 14a) located between the horns of the horn-carrier pieces (13, 13a) and screwed to these horn-carrier pieces (13, 13a) and two lateral brancards (15, 16) screwed to the plate (12) and centred on a 9:00-3:00 axis and bearing against the horn-carrier pieces (13, 13a).
2. Watch case as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the upper face of the brancards (15, 16) and/or of the end pieces (14, 14a) comprises a groove into which a peripheral edge (24) of the bezel comes to be housed.
3. Watch case as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a back seal (6) is disposed between the back (1) and the casing ring (5) and that a bezel seal (11) is disposed between the bezel (7) and the casing ring (5).
4. Watch case as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the back (1) bears against the lower face of the plate (12) of the middle and that the bezel (7) bears against the upper faces of the brancards (15, 16) and of the end pieces (14, 14a).
5. Watch case as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the middle (12, 13, 14, 15, 16) is fixed to the casing ring (5) by flanges (22).
6. Watch case as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that this case is non-circular, square or rectangular in shape, the back (1) and the bezel (7) being fixed by screws to the casing ring (5) to form the sealed container.
7. Watch case as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that this case is circular, the back (1) and the bezel (7) being screwed to the lower part and upper part respectively of the casing ring (5) to form the sealed container.
8. Timepiece comprising a case as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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