HK1109463B - Watch with rotating element - Google Patents

Description

Watch with rotating element

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of horology. The invention relates more particularly to a watch comprising an internal rotating element equipped with a control member actuatable from outside the watch case.

Background

Such watches are known and marketed. They are usually diving watches comprising an internal rotating bezel. Also included are watches whose dial is rotated to produce an aesthetic or surprising effect, or watches equipped with a rotating polarizer interposed between the dial and the crystal.

Regardless of the type of rotary element, it is actuated using a control member accessible from outside the watch case. Such a control part is generally formed by a stem passing through the watch case in the radial direction, a crown fixed to the outer end of the stem, and a pinion fixed to the inner end of the stem. An assembly of this type is shown in fig. 1, which shows a partial cross section of a watch containing a mobile element.

The watch shown in figure 1 comprises, in a conventional manner, a case 10, case 10 being formed by a middle part 2, a cover 14 and a back 16, which together define a cavity 18 in which a movement 20 is mounted. Crystal 22 closes watch case 10 in a water-tight manner. A dial 24 is mounted on the movement 20. An annular groove 26 formed in the middle part 12 forms a shoulder 28 at the level of the dial 24. A rotary bezel 30 interposed between the dial 24 and the crystal 22 is partially housed in an annular groove 26 which locates and guides the rotary movement of the bezel in the axial direction. The bottom face of the rotary bezel 30 includes a first flat annular portion 32a disposed against the periphery of the dial 24 so as to conceal the periphery, and a second flat annular portion 32b abutting against the shoulder 28. The bottom face of the rotary bezel 30 also includes an intermediate annular portion 32c located between the first and second flat portions 32a and 32b and forming a cross-toothed ring gear 34.

The control member 36 actuates the rotary bezel 30. For this purpose, the holes 38 pass radially through the intermediate part 12. An intermediate sleeve 40 having a particularly well finished inner surface condition is screwed inside the bore 38. Stem 42 having longitudinal axis AA is mounted in sleeve 40 so that the ends of the stem protrude outside and inside case 10. Crown 44 is fixed on a first proximal end and pinion 46 is fixed on a second distal end. The stem 42-crown 44-pinion 46 assembly forms the control part 36 of bezel 30. The latter is arranged in the intermediate part 12 so that the pinion 46 meshes with the contrate ring gear 34. The rotational movement of crown 44 actuated by the user thus causes bezel 30 to rotate within case 10.

The pinion gear 46 is fixed to the distal end of the stem 42 by screws and by bonding. This method of securing the pinion gear 46 ensures that the pinion gear 46 is axially and angularly positioned relative to the stem 42 so that rotational movement of the control member 36 can be transmitted to the bezel 30. However, it was observed that this method of fixing by means of screws and adhesive bonding was so strong that it was practically definitive (definitive). During maintenance, it is almost impossible to remove the control member 36 without disconnecting the stem 42. A simple solution to this problem consists in using a stem 42 whose end, which has a square cross section, engages in a hole in the pinion 46, which also has a square cross section. Thereby angularly locking the pinion 46. Axial positioning may be achieved using a circlip provided at the end of the stem 42 which sits in a groove immediately adjacent the pinion gear 46. For this reason, stem 42 must be slightly longer than in the case of fixing by screw-gluing, which is not conceivable due to the lack of space between pinion 46 and movement 20.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention overcomes this problem by proposing the use of a fixing member which is not arranged on the side of the movement as in the previously proposed solution, but on the side of the intermediate member 12. This fixed component is anchored/fixed within the stem 42 and the pinion gear 46 to axially locate the pinion gear 46.

More specifically, the invention relates to a timepiece comprising a case and a crystal which together define a chamber for a movement, and further comprising an element actuatable for rotary movement by a control member comprising a stem with a longitudinal axis AA passing radially through the case, a crown mounted on a first proximal end of the stem, and a pinion rotatably fixedly mounted on a second distal end of the stem, characterized in that the control member is equipped with means arranged on the proximal side of the stem for axially fixing the pinion on the stem, the fixing member comprising:

-a split ring mounted to be axially and radially locked on a first one of the pinion/stem elements, and

axial locking means fixed to the split ring for axially locking the second of the stem/pinion members.

Since the fixed part is provided on the proximal end side of the stem 42, the control part 36 of the rotary element can be detached and reassembled without any risk of disconnecting the stem 42.

Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the watch according to the invention, given as a non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows an exploded partial cross-section of a watch according to the prior art,

figure 2 shows an exploded partial cross-section of a watch according to the invention, an

Figure 3 shows an exploded partial view of an advantageous embodiment of the control means located in the watch according to the invention.

Detailed Description

Similar to the watch shown in fig. 1, the watch shown in fig. 2 comprises a watch case 10, case 10 being formed by a middle part 12, a cover 14 and a back cover 16, which together define a chamber 18 in which a movement 20 is mounted. Crystal 22 closes watch case 10 in a water-tight manner. A dial 24 is mounted on the movement 20. A rotary bezel 30 fitted with a toothed rim 34 is interposed between the dial 24 and the crystal 22. Bezel 30 is actuated by control member 36 which includes stem 42, crown 44 and pinion 46.

The watch shown in fig. 2 differs from the watch shown in fig. 1 in that the pinion 46 is not screwed and glued to the inner end of the stem 42. In practice, the pinion 46 is rotatably fixedly mounted on the end of the stem 42. A detachable fixing member 48 on the proximal side of the stem 42 is anchored to the stem 42 and the pinion 46 to position the pinion 46 in the axial direction. The fixed part 48 also bears against the intermediate sleeve 40 so as to oppose any axial movement of the stem 42 towards the outside of the intermediate part 12.

The structure of the control member 36 mounted on the watch according to the invention, and in particular the way in which the pinion 46 is fixed to the stem 42, is better illustrated in figure 3. The distal end 50 of the stem 42 has a square cross-section. An annular groove 52 is formed near end 50. The pinion gear 46 includes a toothed portion 54 for mating with the contrate ring gear 34, and a short shank 56 in which an annular groove 58 is formed. The pinion 46 is passed through by a central bore 60 having a square cross-section so that the pinion 46 is positioned both angularly and radially relative to the stem 42. Of course, any other shape of cross-section capable of transmitting torque may be used, such as a triangular or hexagonal cross-section.

The fixed member 48 is formed by a ring 62 and an L-shaped rigid arm 64 fixed to the ring 62 and extending axially from the periphery of the ring. The ring 62 is open so as to have some radial flexibility, the slot flaring slightly outward. This feature facilitates assembly of the ring 52 by applying pressure on the cylindrical member. The ring 62 is mounted within the groove 52 such that the ring 62 is axially and radially positioned on the arbor 42. The L-shaped rigid arm 64 then engages in the groove 58, having the effect of locking the pinion 46 in the axial direction. By doing so, control member 36 can achieve the effect of transmitting the rotational movement from crown 44 to rotary bezel 30 while being easily detachable.

The watch according to the invention is of course not limited to the embodiment just described, a number of simple variants and modifications being conceivable to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

For example, it should be noted that the annular groove 58 could be replaced by a simple cavity in which the L-shaped arm 64 engages. In a second variant, the fixing means can be formed by two rings of the same type as the ring 62, which are connected to each other by rigid arms. In a third variant, the end 50 and the short stem 65 may be crossed by a hole perpendicular to the axis AA of the stem 42. L-shaped arm 64 would be formed by an axially extending rigid portion and an arbor extending radially into the bore formed in end 50 and arbor 56. Finally, it should be noted that the control 36 can actuate any rotating element such as a bezel, dial, or polarizer.

Claims (8)

1. Timepiece comprising a case (10) and a crystal (22) which together define a chamber (18) for a movement (20), and further comprising an element (30) actuated for rotary movement by a control member (36) comprising a stem (42) with a longitudinal axis (AA) passing radially through said case (10), a crown (44) mounted on a first proximal end of said stem, and a pinion (46) rotatably fixedly mounted on a second distal end of said stem (42), characterized in that said control member (36) is equipped with a member (48) arranged on a proximal side of said stem (42) for axially fixing said pinion (46) on said stem (42), said fixing member (48) comprising:

-a first split ring (62) mounted to be axially and radially locked on a first one of the pinion (46) and the stem (42), and

-axial locking means fixed on said first split ring (62) for axially locking the second of the pinion (46) and the stem (42).

2. The timepiece of claim 1, wherein the first split ring (62) is mounted in an annular groove (52) formed in a first one of the pinion (46) and the stem (42).

3. Timepiece according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the axial locking means are formed by an L-shaped arm (64).

4. Timepiece according to claim 3, characterised in that the L-shaped arm (64) engages in a cavity (58) formed in the second one of the pinion (46) and the stem (42).

5. Timepiece according to claim 4, wherein the cavity (58) is an annular groove.

6. Timepiece according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said axial locking means are formed by a second split ring connected to said first split ring (62) by a rigid arm.

7. The timepiece of claim 6, wherein the second split ring is mounted in a second annular groove formed in the second one of the pinion gear (46) and the stem (42).

8. Timepiece according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the stem (42) comprises an end portion (50) with a square cross section and in that the pinion (46) is crossed by a hole (60) with a square cross section in which the end portion (50) engages.