CH662921GA3 - Wrist-watch case - Google Patents

Abstract

The bows (12) for fixing the strap (10) to the case body (4) each have an arc-of-circle groove (13), of rectangular section, engaging on an annular thread (4a) of the case body. Assembly is furthermore ensured by tenons (15) each passing through the bows (12) and the case body and held, inside the latter, by keys formed by split washers (17). This mode of assembly ensures a rigid link between the bows (12) and the case body (4) which absorbs the bending and torsional loads caused by the forces exerted by the strap (10) on the horns (12) by reason of the fact that these forces are not located in the plane of the case. <IMAGE>

Description

** ATTENTION ** start of the DESC field may contain end of CLMS **.

CLAIMS 1. Wristwatch box, the strap attachment members of which are attached to the body of the box, characterized in that the means for assembling each attachment member to the box body include, in combination, d 'a part of the reciprocal means of embedding these two elements - attachment member and box body -' absorbing at least partially the deformation forces caused by the tensile forces exerted by the bracelet on the box, and on the other hand at least one stud secured to the attachment member, which passes through the box body, this stud being retained inside the box body by a key.

2. wristwatch case according to claim 1, characterized in that the post is adjusted without appreciable play in the hole of the case body which it crosses, at least over part of the length of said hole, so that the post is capable of at least partially absorbing the deformation forces caused by the tensile forces exerted by this bracelet on the case.

3. wristwatch case according to claim 2, characterized in that the diameter of the post is less than that of the hole in the case through which it passes, a ring mounted on said post being interposed between the latter and the wall of said hole, over at least part of the length thereof.

4. Wristwatch case according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one seal is engaged on said stud, interposed between the latter and the wall of the hole in the case body through which it passes.

5. Wristwatch case according to claim 1, characterized in that said stud has, at its outer end, a head bearing on the attachment member of the bracelet.

6. wristwatch case according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer end of said stud is threaded and carries a locking nut with the aid of which an outer shoulder which said stud has is pressed radially against the face of the strap attachment member facing the case body.

7. wristwatch case according to claim 1, of quadrangular shape, in which the strap attachment members are mounted on two opposite faces of the case body, characterized in that each attachment member is provided with two parallel joining studs.

The subject of the present invention is a wristwatch case, the strap attachment members of which are attached to the case body.

The production of wristwatch boxes with attached strap attachment elements, whether handles, horns or hinges, has the advantage of facilitating the manufacture of the box, by simplifying the machining operations which can , especially in the case of round boxes, although the turning of shaped parts, using adhoc machines, is feasible, be carried out by simple turning operations.

However, in this case, the question arises not only of the attachment of the strap attachment members to the box body, but also that of the rigidity of the assembly. Indeed, the tensile forces exerted by the bracelet on the fastening members are not located in the plane of the watch case, so that they produce deformation forces (folding, twisting) which, at long, could cause the fasteners to be torn from the box.

The object of the present invention is to provide a wristwatch case which is easy to machine, owing to the fact that the strap fastening members are attached to the case body, and in which, in addition, the assembly means said attachment members are both simple both in their construction and in their assembly, and capable of producing a perfectly rigid connection between the box body and the attachment members.

This object is achieved by the means defined in claim 1.

It should be noted that constructions are known (see Swiss patents Nos. 61 247 and 67 363) in which hinges for attaching a bracelet to a watch case are held in place on the case body by tenons through themselves retained by keys located inside the box. However, in these old constructions, these tenons are the only ones to not only keep the strap fastening members in place. but also absorb the folding and twisting forces that the bracelet exerts on them. It is therefore not a construction offering the robustness guarantees that we are entitled to expect from a modern wristwatch box.

There are also known constructions (see Swiss patents Nos 340 786, 355 094 and 591109). in which the handles or horns for attaching the bracelet are attached to the body of the case and maintained by an assembly comprising a projection of one of the elements fitting into a recess of corresponding shape on the other, in connection with embedding.

However, no arrangements are known in which these two modes of connection or assembly of the strap attachment members to the case are found in combination.

The drawing shows, by way of example. an embodiment of the subject of the invention and variants.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of part of a first embodiment of a round wristwatch.

Fig. 2 is a section along the line Il - Il of FIG. 1.

on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a detail, on an enlarged scale.

Figs. 4 to 8 are sections similar to that of FIG. 2, on a smaller scale, of five variants, and Fig. 9 is a plan view of part of a second embodiment of a wristwatch.

The wristwatch shown in figs. I to 3 comprises a movement 1, provided with its dial 2, housed, via a casing frame 3, in a box comprising a box body or middle part 4, a crystal 5, made of tempered mineral glass, engaged in a rebate 6 of the box body 4, with the interposition of a gasket 7, and an attached bottom 8 mounted on the notch on the box body 4 with the interposition of a gasket 9. The body of box 4 will preferably be made of extra hard material, sintered metal, ceramic or other.

The bracelet, designated by 10, of which only one of the strands is visible in the drawing, is hung, by means of transverse bars 11, on handles or horns 12, only one of which is also visible, attached to the box body, in position diametrically opposite.

Each handle 12 has a groove in an arc 13, of rectangular section, engaging, by a built-in assembly, on an annular thread 4a, of corresponding section, which has the box body 4. Each handle 12 carries, passing through a hole 14 which it has for this purpose, a tenon 15, provided with a head 15a bearing against said handle, and which passes through a radial hole 16 formed in the box body 4. Each tenon 15 protrudes from the inside the box body

4 and is held in place by a key formed by a split washer 17, of the so-called circlip type, engaged in a groove 18 that has the tenon.

Thanks to this arrangement, each handle 12 is firmly applied against the box body. The pins 15 ensure the assembly and, being adjusted without appreciable play in the holes 16, at least over a part of the length of these, contribute to ensuring the rigidity of the connection between the handles 12 and the box body 4 already largely ensured by the embedding that constitutes the engagement of the net 4a of the box body 4 in the grooves 13 of the handles. Thus, the deformation forces such as folding and twisting that the bracelet 10 exerts on the handles 12, due in particular to the fact that the tensile forces of the bracelet on the handles do not act in the plane of the case, are perfectly absorbed.

It should be noted that an annular seal 19 constituted by an O-ring, partially housed in a groove 20 that has the stud 15, ensures the seal between the latter and the wall of the hole 16 of the box body 4 .

Thanks to this arrangement, the production of the box body 4 only implements very simple operations, such as turning and drilling, so that the box body can be obtained without difficulty in extra-hard material, difficult to machine. .

The variant of fig. 4 differs from the first embodiment mainly by the fact that the box body, designated by 21, is constituted by a case back, the box being of the so-called monocoque type.

The variant of fig. 5 differs from the first embodiment in that the retention pin of the handle 12, designated by 22, has two annular grooves 23 in which are housed two O-ring seals 24.

In the variant of FIG. 6, the fixing pin of the handle 12, designated by 25, is stepped and has a part 25a whose diameter corresponds to the diameter of the hole 16 of the box body 4 and a part 25b, of smaller diameter, surrounded by 'A sealing sleeve 26 of flexible and compressible material. The part 25a being adjusted without appreciable play in the hole 16 ensures the rigidity of the assembly, absorbing part of the bending and twisting forces exerted by the bracelet on the handle 12.

In the variant of FIG. 7, the assembly pin of the handle 12, designated by 27, is of smaller diameter than the hole, designated by 28, of the box body 29 through which it passes. A rigid ring 30 is interposed between the stud 27 and the hole 28, at the outer end of the latter, to increase the rigidity of the assembly. The post 27 has an annular groove 31 ensuring the connection between it and a sealing sleeve 32 which surrounds it.

In all of the embodiments and variants described above, the connecting studs are provided with a head coming from a part cooperating with the strap attachment handle. The variant of fig. 8 is somewhat different in this regard. In this variant, the assembly pin, designated by 33, has a portion 33a of larger diameter, providing with its end portion a shoulder 34 applied axially against the face of the fixing handle facing the box body 4 by a nut 35 screwed onto the threaded end of the tenon, designated by 33b. The diameter of the part 33a corresponds to the diameter of the hole 16 of the box body 4 in which the pin 33 is engaged, so that the connection is rigid. A sealing sleeve 36 surrounds the portion 33c of the stud 33 located after the portion 33a of larger diameter.

In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the wristwatch is quadrangular in shape. Its box includes two strap attachment handles 37, only one of which is visible in the drawing, mounted on two opposite sides of the box body designated by 38. Each of these sides has a thread 38a engaged in a rectilinear groove 39, of section corresponding, handle 37.

Each handle is further held in place by two parallel pins 40, located in the plane of the box, and which are themselves retained, inside the box body 38, by keys or split washers, as in the case of the first embodiment and of the variants described above.

 It should be noted that the present invention will also apply to the case where the wristwatch box does not include handles or horns for attaching the bracelet, but hinges.

Claims (7)

1. Wristwatch box, the strap attachment members of which are attached to the body of the box, characterized in that the means for assembling each attachment member to the box body include, in combination, d 'a part of the reciprocal means of embedding these two elements - attachment member and box body -' absorbing at least partially the deformation forces caused by the tensile forces exerted by the bracelet on the box, and on the other hand at least one stud secured to the attachment member, which passes through the box body, this stud being retained inside the box body by a key. 2. wristwatch case according to claim 1, characterized in that the post is adjusted without appreciable play in the hole of the case body which it crosses, at least over part of the length of said hole, so that the post is capable of at least partially absorbing the deformation forces caused by the tensile forces exerted by this bracelet on the case. 3. wristwatch case according to claim 2, characterized in that the diameter of the post is less than that of the hole in the case through which it passes, a ring mounted on said post being interposed between the latter and the wall of said hole, over at least part of the length thereof. 4. Wristwatch case according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one seal is engaged on said stud, interposed between the latter and the wall of the hole in the case body through which it passes. 5. Wristwatch case according to claim 1, characterized in that said stud has, at its outer end, a head bearing on the attachment member of the bracelet. 6. wristwatch case according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer end of said stud is threaded and carries a locking nut with the aid of which an outer shoulder which said stud has is pressed radially against the face of the strap attachment member facing the case body. 7. wristwatch case according to claim 1, of quadrangular shape, in which the strap attachment members are mounted on two opposite faces of the case body, characterized in that each attachment member is provided with two parallel joining studs. The subject of the present invention is a wristwatch case, the strap attachment members of which are attached to the case body. The production of wristwatch boxes with attached strap attachment elements, whether handles, horns or hinges, has the advantage of facilitating the manufacture of the box, by simplifying the machining operations which can , especially in the case of round boxes, although the turning of shaped parts, using adhoc machines, is feasible, be carried out by simple turning operations. However, in this case, the question arises not only of the attachment of the strap attachment members to the box body, but also that of the rigidity of the assembly. Indeed, the tensile forces exerted by the bracelet on the fastening members are not located in the plane of the watch case, so that they produce deformation forces (folding, twisting) which, at long, could cause the fasteners to be torn from the box. The object of the present invention is to provide a wristwatch case which is easy to machine, owing to the fact that the strap fastening members are attached to the case body, and in which, in addition, the assembly means said attachment members are both simple both in their construction and in their assembly, and capable of producing a perfectly rigid connection between the box body and the attachment members. This object is achieved by the means defined in claim 1. It should be noted that constructions are known (see Swiss patents Nos. 61 247 and 67 363) in which hinges for attaching a bracelet to a watch case are held in place on the case body by tenons through themselves retained by keys located inside the box. However, in these old constructions, these tenons are the only ones to not only keep the strap fastening members in place. but also absorb the folding and twisting forces that the bracelet exerts on them. It is therefore not a construction offering the guarantees of robustness that we are entitled to expect from a modern wristwatch box. There are also known constructions (see Swiss patents Nos 340 786, 355 094 and 591109). in which the handles or horns for attaching the bracelet are attached to the body of the case and maintained by an assembly comprising a projection of one of the elements fitting into a recess of corresponding shape on the other, in connection with embedding. However, no arrangements are known in which these two modes of connection or assembly of the strap attachment members to the case are found in combination. The drawing shows, by way of example. an embodiment of the subject of the invention and variants. Fig. 1 is a plan view of part of a first embodiment of a round wristwatch. Fig. 2 is a section along the line Il - Il of FIG. 1. on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a detail, on an enlarged scale. Figs. 4 to 8 are sections similar to that of FIG. 2, on a smaller scale, of five variants, and Fig. 9 is a plan view of part of a second embodiment of a wristwatch. The wristwatch shown in figs. I to 3 comprises a movement 1, provided with its dial 2, housed, via a casing frame 3, in a box comprising a box body or middle part 4, a crystal 5, made of tempered mineral glass, engaged in a rebate 6 of the box body 4, with the interposition of a gasket 7, and an attached bottom 8 mounted on the notch on the box body 4 with the interposition of a gasket 9. The body of box 4 will preferably be made of extra hard material, sintered metal, ceramic or other. The bracelet, designated by 10, of which only one of the strands is visible in the drawing, is hung, by means of transverse bars 11, on handles or horns 12, only one of which is also visible, attached to the box body, in position diametrically opposite. Each handle 12 has a groove in an arc 13, of rectangular section, engaging, by a built-in assembly, on an annular thread 4a, of corresponding section, which has the box body 4. Each handle 12 carries, passing through a hole 14 which it has for this purpose, a tenon 15, provided with a head 15a bearing against said handle, and which passes through a radial hole 16 formed in the box body 4. Each tenon 15 protrudes from the inside the box body ** ATTENTION ** end of the CLMS field may contain start of DESC **.