EP1240559A1

EP1240559A1 - Annual, perpetual or centennial calendar mechanism

Info

Publication number: EP1240559A1
Application number: EP00940695A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Daniel Knuchel
Original assignee: Belpanoram AG
Current assignee: Belpanoram AG
Priority date: 1999-12-24
Filing date: 2000-07-13
Publication date: 2002-09-18
Anticipated expiration: 2020-07-13
Also published as: WO2001048568A1; DE60022389D1; DE60022389T2; EP1240559B1; AU5559600A; ATE303616T1

Abstract

The invention concerns a perpetual calendar mechanism actuated by a power wheel (23) of a clockwork movement and displaying at least the calendar date of the day. It exclusively consists of rotary mobile elements formed by gears and the power wheel (23) completes one revolution per day instantaneously at midnight. One of the gears is a date wheel (31) driving a mobile element displaying (18) the date. Said date wheel (31) comprises thirty one teeth and is driven at the rate of one pitch per day by a driving tooth (24) integral with the power wheel (23). At least another of said gears is a mobile element for the duration of the months (42, 43) capable of being driven in the four last days of the month by a control wheel (30) integral with the date wheel, said mobile element for the duration of months (42, 43) comprising a set of teeth consisting of a set of 0 to 3 tooth groups, each of the groups corresponding to a month of the year. The date wheel (31) is driven at the end of the months of thirty one days by a number of pitches corresponding to the difference between thirty one and the number of days of the month concerned by an adjusting clock train comprising at least a drive pinion (25) integral with the power wheel (23), the mobile element for the duration of the month (42, 43), the date driving pinion (36) and the control wheel (30).

Description

Annual, perpetual or secular calendar mechanism

The present invention relates to annual or perpetual calendars for a watch movement and more particularly to a simple and space-saving perpetual calendar mechanism capable of being integrated into the movement or of being in the form of an additional module which can be placed between the clockwork movement and the dial of a timepiece such as a pocket watch or a wristwatch, pendulum, clock, etc. Many mechanisms of annual or perpetual calendars are known, however almost all of these use cams, rockers and levers of complex shape and performing oscillating movements. These mechanisms are complex to realize and assemble as well as to regulate. Such perpetual calendar mechanisms are, for example, described in documents CH 504,706 or CH 653,843.

Also known from document CH 680.630 is a perpetual calendar mechanism composed solely of wheels, excluding cams, rockers or levers. This realization is however very complex and requires a significant bulk both in surface and in height. A major drawback of all the mechanisms of perpetual or annual calendars lies in the fact that the passage from one day to another is dragging over a few hours, generally from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. and that during this time It is not possible to set the time, by rotating the winding stem forward or back, without risking damaging the mechanism.

The object of the present invention is to allow the realization of an annual or perpetual calendar mechanism that takes up little space both in surface and in height, simple to manufacture, to assemble and to adjust, including the passage of a day. the next one is almost instantaneous and allows manual time setting at any time.

The perpetual calendar mechanism according to the invention achieves the aforementioned aims and obviates the drawbacks of the existing mechanisms and is distinguished by the characteristics listed in claim 1.

The accompanying drawing illustrates schematically and by way of example several embodiments of the perpetual calendar mechanism according to the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a perpetual calendar mechanism according to the invention, illustrating the general principle of operation of the mechanism specific to all embodiments of the mechanism.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of Figure 1 along line A-A.

Figures 3 to 9 are plan views of the mechanism during the transition to midnight from February 28 to March 1 illustrating its successive positions.

Figure 10 is a partial plan view of a dial illustrating the display of a first embodiment of the perpetual calendar.

Figure 1 1 is a sectional view of this first embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism.

Figures 12 to 15 illustrate the workings of the perpetual calendar mechanism illustrated in Figures 10 and 1 1 located in each of the four levels of the mechanism.

FIG. 16 illustrates in section a second embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism, the display of which is identical to FIG. 10.

Figure 17 illustrates in plan the cogs of the lower level of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 16. Figures 18 to 21 are partial views of the lower level of the mechanism illustrating the successive positions of the cogs of this level during the transition from February 28 to 1 March.

Figures 22 to 25 illustrate the workings of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 16 located in the other four levels. FIG. 26 illustrates in section a third embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism, the display of which is identical to that illustrated in FIG. 10.

Figures 27 to 31 illustrate the workings of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 26 located in each of the five levels of this mechanism.

FIG. 32 is a section of the mechanism along line B-B of FIGS. 34 to 37.

Figure 32A is a section of the mechanism along line D-D of Figure 36. Figure 33 is a section of the mechanism along line C-C of the figures

34 to 37.

Figures 34 to 37 illustrate in plan the four levels of the mechanism according to this fourth embodiment.

FIG. 38 illustrates the movable members of the display of this fourth embodiment of the mechanism.

Figures 39 and 40 illustrate, for the transition from February 28, 1999 to March 1, 1999, the successive positions of the display members and the four levels of the mechanism of this fourth embodiment.

Figure 41 illustrates the display of a fifth embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism.

FIG. 42 is a section of a fifth embodiment of the mechanism along the line D-D of FIG. 45.

FIG. 43 is a section of this fifth embodiment of the mechanism along the line E-E in FIG. 48. FIG. 44 is a section of this fifth embodiment of the mechanism along the line F-F of FIG. 48.

Figures 45 to 49 are plan views of the six levels of the mechanism of this fifth embodiment of the perpetual calendar. Figure 50 is a plan view of the display of a sixth embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism.

Figures 51 to 57 are plan views of the six levels of this sixth embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism. FIG. 58 is a plan view of a gear train for actuating the PTO of the perpetual calendar mechanism.

FIGS. 59 to 62 are plan representations of another embodiment of the gear train for actuating the PTO of the perpetual calendar mechanism. Figure 63 is a plan view of the display of a seventh embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism in three different positions.

Figure 64 is an axial section of this seventh embodiment of the mechanism.

Figure 65 is an overall top view of this seventh embodiment of the mechanism.

Figures 66 to 68 are plan views of the three levels of the mechanism illustrated in Figures 64 and 65.

Figure 69 is a plan view of the date display disc of the eighth embodiment of the mechanism. Figure 70 illustrates a section of this eighth embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism.

Figures 71 to 76 illustrate in plan the elements of this eighth embodiment of the mechanism located in the different planes of the mechanism.

The annual or perpetual calendar mechanism according to the invention is actuated from a power take-off of the clockwork movement which it equips and it displays at least the date of the day but in general also the day, the month and the year within a four-year cycle. This mechanism can, in a simplified variant, form an annual calendar, in its complete form in perpetual calendar taking into account leap years and even secular calendar changes.

When the mechanism is mounted on a plate it can be presented in the form of a module which is fixed on a clockwork movement. As will be seen below, this mechanism has the following main characteristics:

- it can be moved forward or backward at any time to be set to a desired date. - the change of date, day and month is done instantly at midnight.

- it can be used interchangeably with mechanical, electromechanical or electrical movements.

- It has a high operating security due to its simplicity, the small number of parts constituting it and the fact that all of its elements are cogs or rotating mobiles, excluding all levers, rockers or cams.

- it can be adjusted manually using the winding crown when it is in the date correction position. There is no need for a correction pusher.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2 illustrating a simplified perpetual calendar mechanism according to the invention, the operating principle of the mechanism will be described and explained. This basic principle, which is found in all forms of execution of the mechanism, is based on two fundamental characteristics which are as follows:

1. The PTO driving the mechanism performs a full revolution, a 360 ° rotation, at midnight each day. 2. A thirty-one star, that is, a date wheel, is driven on the one hand, every day at midnight by one step directly by the PTO and, on the other hand, the months comprising less than thirty and one day, by a number of steps corresponding to thirty-one minus the number of days in the month concerned, by means of a take-up train comprising at least one drive pinion, a control member and a mobile the duration of the months.

In other words, the thirty-one star or date wheel is driven by two different kinematic chains, both driven by the PTO, one causing this daily date wheel to work step by step. and the other causing the advance at the end of the month of this wheel of the dates by the number of steps necessary to compensate for the missing days compared to a month of thirty-one days.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the simplified perpetual calendar mechanism comprises a thirty-one star 1 or date wheel, comprising thirty-one teeth and carrying out a complete revolution step by step in one month. This date wheel 1 is driven at the rate of one step per day by a drive tooth 2 integral with the PTO 3 carrying out a complete revolution per day at midnight.

The axis of this date wheel carries a hand (not shown) cooperating with a graduation of thirty-one carried by the dial of the timepiece, this hand indicating the date.

The tooth 2 also cooperates with the toothing with seven teeth of a day wheel 4 whose axis carries the movable member for displaying the name of the days of the week. This day wheel 4 is driven at a rate of one step per day by said tooth 2 integral with the PTO 3. In the rest position of the PTO 3, the drive tooth 2 is engaged with the teeth of the wheel of days and maintains this in a given angular position corresponding to the indication of the day.

The mechanism illustrated also includes a mobile of the duration of the months 5 constituted here by a crown divided into forty-eight sectors corresponding to four times twelve months, that is to say four years. This crown can bear in each sector the name of a month which is likely to appear in a window (not shown) that includes the dial of the timepiece. In addition, each month written on this crown has an indication I, II, III or IV indicating to which year of a four-year cycle it belongs. This indication appears simultaneously in the month on the dial window so that the user knows whether it is a leap year or not.

This crown 5 has an internal toothing of forty eight notches 6 each corresponding to a month. Each twenty-eighth day of a month a pin 7 carried by the date wheel 1 meshes until the first day of the following month with a notch 6. The months of thirty-one days the crown 5 is therefore driven in four steps of a position corresponding to a month up to the position corresponding to the following month by the date wheel 1 and its pin 7.

The crown 5 also has an external toothing formed by twenty seven teeth 8. These teeth are distributed around this crown 5 so as to correspond to the months of less than thirty-one days. Thirty-day months have one tooth, twenty-eight day February have three teeth, and twenty-nine day February have two teeth.

The PTO 3 also includes a drive pinion 9 whose teeth are intended to cooperate with the external toothing 8 of the crown 5. It should be noted that the axis of rotation of the crown 5, that of the date wheel 1 and that of the PTO 3 are aligned so that when a tooth 8 of the crown 5 is placed on the right connecting the axis of the PTO 3 to that of the date wheel 1, this tooth 8 is superimposed on a tooth of this wheel of dates. This drive pinion 9 integral with the PTO, the crown 5 and the pin 7 constitute the take-up train.

Figures 1 and 3 illustrate the position of the mechanism on February 28 of a non-leap year. At midnight on February twenty eight, the PTO performs an instant rotation of 360 °. During this rotation the following successive movements are carried out:

The driving tooth 2 causes the rotation of the day wheel 4 by about half a step and then arrives (Figure 4) against a tooth of the date wheel 1 which is thus advanced by one step (Fig. 5). Continuing its race, the pinion 9 of the PTO meshes with the three teeth 8 of the external toothing of the crown 5 placing the latter on the following month. In doing so, the crown 5 drives through its notch 6 and the pin 7 the date wheel 1 by three additional steps (Fig. 6 and 8). Thus the date indication spent from February 28 to March ^1. Finally, the PTO ends its 360 ° rotation (Fig. 9) and the tooth 2 drives the day wheel by one step, so that it indicates the next day.

We therefore see that the date wheel 1 is driven one step every day directly by the PTO 3 and its tooth 2 and that, for months less than thirty-one days, this date wheel is driven by the take-up train 8, 9, 5, 6, 7 of a number of additional steps corresponding to the number of teeth 6 of the crown 5 being in the engagement position with the pinion 9.

This mechanism also includes a jumper 10 to maintain the date wheel in a stable angular position between its daily drive and a jumper 11 to maintain the successive angular positions of the crown 5 between its drives.

This perpetual calendar mechanism is very simple since it only has four mobiles, the PTO 3 provided with its pinion 9 and the drive tooth 2, the date wheel 1, the crown 5 and the day wheel 4. Despite this small number of components, all rotating, this perpetual calendar indicates the day, the calendar, the month and the year in a four-year cycle.

To transform this perpetual calendar mechanism into an annual calendar, it suffices that the external toothing of the crown 5 has twenty eight teeth 8, one for each month of thirty days and three for each month of February.

A first variant or embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism according to the invention is illustrated in Figures 10 to 15 to which the following description refers. Figure 10 illustrates in plan the display of the perpetual calendar mechanism. This display includes a day indicator comprising a graduation 15 carried by a dial 21 indicating the name of the days. A needle 16 moves opposite this graduation. The display also includes a graduation 17 of the calendars cooperating with a hand 18. Finally, this display comprises a graduation of the months 19 over a period of four years cooperating with a hand 20. This display makes it possible to simultaneously indicate the month and the year in a four-year cycle.

In the example illustrated, we have chosen to place the day, date and month indicators aligned on a horizontal axis. Any other arrangement is however possible and depends only on the choice of construction and positioning of the elements of the mechanism. These indicators could be arranged in a triangle, concentrically or in any other way dictated by the aesthetics which one wishes to give to the timepiece.

This first embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism comprises mounted on a plate 22 and under the dial 21 of the timepiece four groups of mobiles, each group comprising a pivot axis driven into the plate 22 as well as an axis 23 passing through the plate 22 and carrying a pinion 3 situated below this plate and constituting the PTO of the mechanism driven by the clockwork movement on which the plate 22 is mounted.

This axis 23 carries a driver constituted by a tooth 24 and a drive pinion 25 comprising seven teeth. This axis 23, driven by the PTO 3, as well as the drive tooth 24 and the drive pinion 25 performs a complete revolution of 360 ° per day at midnight.

This mechanism comprises a day wheel 27 pivoted on a first axis 26 integral with the plate 22, day wheel 27 having a toothing of forty-nine teeth meshing with the drive pinion 25. This day wheel carries the needle 16 of the day indicator 15.16. This day wheel 27 is driven each day at midnight by the drive pinion 25 with an angular value corresponding to seven teeth of this wheel, which moves the hand 16 by one step on the scale of days 15. This day wheel constitutes the first group of mobiles in the mechanism. The second group of mobiles comprises two coaxial mobiles pivotally mounted on a second axis 28 driven into the plate 22. The first mobile of this second group is a drive wheel 29 pivoted on the axis 28 and having a toothing of thirty-one teeth engaged with the PTO drive pinion 25. The second mobile of this second group comprises three wheels, a control wheel 30 pivoted on the axis 28 and the toothing of which comprises a group of four teeth, a date wheel 31 comprising a toothing of thirty-one teeth and a wheel of indexing of 32 months with a tooth. These three wheels 30, 31 and 32 are angularly integral, a pin 33 passing through them. The teeth of thirty-one teeth of the date wheel 31 cooperate with the drive tooth 24 of the power take-off, which drives this second mobile 30, 31, 32 of the second group of mobile at the rate of one step per day at midnight. The date hand 18 which is fixed on the month wheel 32 therefore takes one step per day opposite the graduation of the dates 17. This second mobile 30, 31, 32 of the second group of mobiles makes a complete revolution per month, even in the months of less than thirty-one days as will be seen below.

The third group of mobiles pivots around the third axis 34 driven into the plate 22 has three pinions. A second drive pinion 35 comprising seven teeth meshing with the drive wheel 29, a date drive pinion 36 comprising seven teeth cooperating with the four teeth of the drive wheel 30 and a month drive pinion 37 of seven teeth driven by the tooth of the indexing wheel for months 32. These three pinions 35,36,37 are pivoted idly, independently of each other on the third axis 34.

The fourth group of mobiles pivoting around an axis 38 driven into the plate 22 comprises two mobiles. The first mobile of this fourth group comprises a wheel for months 39, the toothing of forty-eight teeth of which engages the drive pinion for months 37. This wheel for months 39 is integral with an eccentric 40 extending up to to the plate 22. This eccentric has an outer surface of truncated cylindrical shape. The cylindrical part extends over 270 ° or% of its periphery. The month wheel 39 carries the hand 20 of the months cooperating with the graduation 19 carried by the dial 21. This first mobile 39.40 performs a complete revolution in four years, at the rate of one step per month. The second mobile of this fourth group comprises a transmission wheel 41 having a toothing of forty eight teeth and a month duration wheel 42 comprising a toothing of six teeth, four isolated teeth corresponding to the months of thirty days and a group of two teeth corresponding to the months of February. This wheel for the duration of the months 42 also comprises a retractable tooth 43 sliding radially in a countersink for the wheel for the duration of the months 42, located in front of the group of two teeth corresponding to the month of February. This retractable tooth is subjected to an elastic action or spring 44 tending to move it in a retracted position for which it does not cooperate with the drive pinion 35. This retractable tooth is maintained in active position, cooperating with said drive pinion 35 by the eccentric 40 for three years corresponding to 270 ° of the cylindrical portion of this eccentric. During the fourth year of a cycle, leap year, it is the flat portion of the eccentric 40 which is opposite the retractable tooth 43 and the latter is then in the retracted position under the effect of the spring 44. The transmission wheel 41 and the wheel for the duration of months 42 are angularly secured by a pin and pivot around the cylindrical outer surface of the eccentric 40. This second mobile 41, 42 of the second group is driven during the last four days of the month by the control wheel 30 and by the second drive pinion 35. It performs a complete revolution in one year.

This mechanism also comprises four jumpsuits, a jumper for the days holding the day wheel 27 between two successive actuations in a determined angular position corresponding to the display of a day, a jumper for date holding the date wheel 31 and therefore also the wheels 30 and 32 in a determined angular position corresponding to the display of a date between two successive actuations of this date wheel 31, a month jumper maintaining the angular position of the month wheel 39 between its successive actuations and a jumper transmission maintaining the angular position of the transmission wheel 41 and therefore of the wheel for the duration of the months 42 between two successive actuations.

The operation of this first embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism is described in the following.

Every day at midnight the PTO performs an entire revolution instantly. Assuming that the mechanism is positioned on February 28, 1999, ie a non-leap year, the cogs occupy the position illustrated in FIGS. 12 to 15. The retractable tooth 43 is in the active position under the action of the eccentric 40 and the group of three teeth comprising the retractable tooth 43 and the group of two teeth of the wheel of the duration of the months 42, is arranged in a position such that it is just not yet engaged with the drive pinion 35.

The rotation of a complete revolution of the PTO 3 causes, on the one hand, the day wheel 27 of seven teeth to be driven by the day drive pinion 25, which positions the day hand 16 on the following day and, on the other hand, the driving of a step of the date wheel 31 by the driving tooth 24.

On February 28, the group of four teeth of the control wheel 30 is ready to mesh with the date drive pinion 36. This wheel 30 therefore drives, via this date drive pinion 36, the transmission wheel 41 by one step and therefore also the month duration wheel 42 which is integral with it. In doing so, the group of three teeth comprising the retractable tooth 43 and the group of two February teeth of the wheel for the duration of the months 42, comes into engagement with the second drive pinion 35. This pinion 35 is driven by the grip. force 3 via the first drive pinion 25 and the drive wheel 29 and then causes the drive of three steps of the wheel for the duration of months 42 and therefore of the transmission wheel 41 which drives in turn via the date drive pinion 36 the control wheel 30, three teeth of which are still engaged with this pinion, also by three steps. This control wheel 30 being integral with the date wheel 31, the latter is therefore also advanced by three steps, that is to say that it is found on March 1. At the same time the tooth of the month indexing wheel 32 actuates the month driving pinion 37 which drives the month wheel 39 one step and the hand 20 indicates the month of March. Then each day of the month of March at midnight the day wheel 27 is driven by one step or seven teeth, the date wheel 31 is also driven by one step. During this time, the drive wheel 29 and the second drive pinion 35 are driven but the second pinion 35 is not engaged with the teeth of the wheel for the duration of months 42. On 28, 29, 30 and 31 March the toothing of the control wheel 30 meshes with the date drive pinion 36 causing the rotation of four steps of the transmission wheel 41 and the wheel for the duration of the months 42 which therefore advances by an angular value corresponding to one month, since the transmission wheel has forty-eight teeth.

So on until April 30 when a tooth isolated from the toothing of the wheel for the duration of months 42 is ready to mesh with the second drive pinion 35, so that this wheel for the duration of months 42 and the transmission wheel 41 are driven by an additional pitch by this second drive pinion 35. This additional rotation causes, via the date drive pinion 36, the advance of an additional pitch of the wheel 30 and therefore the date wheel 31 which therefore advances on April 30 by two steps to find itself in a position for which the date hand 18 displays May 1. Once every four years the eccentric 40 has its truncated face opposite the second drive pinion 35 and that year, in February when the wheel for the duration of months 42 engages with this second pinion d drive 35, which occurs on February twenty-nine, only two additional steps are caused by the group of two teeth of the wheel for the duration of months 42, the retractable tooth 43 being in the retracted position inactive. Thus, the date wheel 31 jumps from February 29 to March 1, which corresponds to a leap year.

As in the principle execution described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9, the date wheel 31 actuating the date display hand 18 is driven directly by the drive tooth 24 at the rate of one step per day and the months of less than thirty-one day of a number of additional steps corresponding to the difference between thirty-one and the number of days of the current month by a gear train. In this embodiment, this take-up train comprises the first drive pinion 25, the drive wheel 29, the second pinion drive 35, the month duration wheel 42, the transmission wheel 41, the date drive pinion 36 and the control wheel 30 which is integral with the date wheel 31.

In this embodiment, the date wheel 31 is driven by two different routes. On the one hand it is driven each day by the drive tooth 24 of a tooth, respectively of a value corresponding to one day. On the other hand, during the last four days of each month, additional training can take place via the first drive pinion 25, the drive wheel 29, the second drive pinion 35 and the wheel for the duration of months 42, its retractable tooth 43, the transmission wheel 41 and the date drive pinion 36 meshing with the control wheel 30. This additional drive of the date wheel 31 by this gear train catch-up only intervenes, however, if the retractable tooth 43 or one of the teeth of the wheel for the duration of the months 42 is engaged with the second drive pinion 35.

The second embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism is illustrated in Figures 16 to 25. Here also the position of the various cogs is illustrated in their state on February 28 of a non-leap year, the third in the four-year cycle. This second embodiment of the mechanism comprises five groups of mobiles pivoted around axes 26, 28, 34, 38 and 45 driven into the plate 22 as well as an axis PTO 23.

The PTO is identical to that of the first embodiment, it comprises mounted on a rotary axis 23 the PTO 3 formed of a seven-tooth pinion, the first drive pinion 25 also with seven teeth and the drive tooth 24. This PTO makes a complete 360 ° revolution at midnight of each day.

The first group of mobiles is identical to that of the first embodiment and has the day wheel 27 of forty nine teeth rotated around the axis 26 and in engagement with the first drive pinion 25. This day wheel carries the day hand 16 cooperating with the graduation 15 of the dial 21.

The second group of mobiles pivots about the axis 28 is also constituted like the second group of mobiles of the first embodiment and comprises a first mobile formed by the first drive wheel of thirty-one teeth 29 of a on the other hand, and on the other hand, a second mobile formed by the control wheel 30, the teeth of which comprise a group of four teeth, the date wheel 31 to thirty-one teeth and the indexing wheel for the months 32 to one tooth which carries the date hand 18 cooperating with the graduation 17 of the dial 21. These three wheels 30, 31 and 32 are joined together angularly using a pin 33.

The third group of mobiles pivots around the axis 34 comprises, as in the first embodiment, the second drive pinion 35 with seven teeth meshing with the first drive wheel 29, the date drive pinion 36 with seven teeth cooperating with the group of four teeth of the control wheel 30, and the drive pinion for the months 37 with seven teeth also cooperating with the single tooth of the indexing wheel for the months 32. These three pinions are crazy pivots on the axis 34 and are therefore angularly independent of each other.

The fourth group of mobiles pivots around the axis 38 includes three angularly independent mobiles. A first mobile formed by a second drive wheel 46 having forty-eight teeth and meshing with the second drive pinion 35. A second mobile formed by three wheels. A wheel lasting 47 months with a set of six teeth. Two successive teeth located in the sector of this wheel corresponding to the month of February and four isolated teeth located in the sectors of this wheel corresponding to the months of thirty days. This toothing of six teeth cooperates with the second drive pinion 35. A transmission wheel 41 comprising forty-eight teeth and meshing with the drive pinion dates 36 and an indexing wheel for years 48, the toothing of which comprises only one tooth. These three wheels 47, 41 and 48 are angularly secured using a pin 49. This second mobile 47, 41, 48 performs a complete revolution in one year driven by the control wheel 30 the last four days of the month, a second drive gear or the second leap drive gear 51.

The third mobile of this fourth group of mobile pivots on the axis 38 is constituted by the month wheel 39 having a toothing of forty eight teeth driven at a rate of one step per month by the drive pinion of months 37 and bearing the month hand 20 cooperating with the graduation 19 of the dial 21. This third mobile 39 performs a complete revolution in four years.

The fifth group of mobiles pivots around the axis 45 has two mobiles. A first mobile formed by a barrel comprising a first leap drive pinion 50 of three teeth cooperating with the teeth of the second drive wheel 46 and a second leap drive pinion 51 also of three teeth cooperating with the teeth of the transmission wheel 41. The three teeth of the leap drive sprockets 50 and 51 are not uniformly distributed, they are each located in a sector of 2/7 of the circumference of these sprockets corresponding to normal years, the sector of 3 / 7 of the circumference of these pinions 50 and 51 corresponding to the leap year does not have teeth. These pinions perform a complete revolution in four years.

The second mobile of this fifth group of mobile is constituted by a third leap drive pinion 52 of seven teeth cooperating with the teeth to a tooth of the indexing wheel of years 48. This third leap drive pinion 52 is angularly integral with the first and second leap drive gears 50 and 51.

The operation of this second embodiment is as follows: Exactly at midnight on February 28, 1999 the PTO 3 performs a complete revolution of 360 ^α. The day wheel 27 is driven by the first drive pinion 25 of seven teeth, that is to say the value of one day. The drive tooth 24 drives the date wheel 31 by one step and goes to the next calendar. This date wheel 31 drives the control wheel 30 which is angularly fixed to it by the pin 33, the first of the four teeth of which is in position to mesh with the transmission wheel 41 and drives the latter by one step. As this transmission wheel 41 is integral with the four-year indexing wheel 48 and the month duration wheel 47, these two wheels also advance one step (Fig. 23). The tooth of the years 48 indexing wheel drives the third leap drive pinion 52 by one step (Fig. 24) which, being integral with the first and second leap drive pinions 50,51, drives these two pinions 50.51 also by one step. In doing so, the first leap drive pinion 50 meshes with the second drive wheel 46. This second drive wheel 46 then drives the first leap drive pinion 50 by an additional step (FIG. 19) which is reflected. by the second leap drive pinion 51 on the wheel group 41, 47,48. The transmission wheel 41 transmits this additional step by the drive pinion of dates 36 to the control wheel 30 and therefore to the date wheel 31. This date wheel therefore passes from February 28 to March 1. Indeed, it is driven by one step by the drive tooth 24, then by an additional step by the leap drive pinions 50, 51, 52, then by two steps by the group of two teeth of the wheel. for the duration of the months 47 which come into engagement with the second drive pinion 35. The date wheel 31 being integral with the indexing wheel for months 32 with a tooth, the latter drives the wheel for months 39 at a rate one step per month.

Thus, in this second embodiment also, the date wheel 31 is driven on the one hand each day by one step by the driving tooth 24 and, on the other hand, during the last four days of each month can intervene a additional drive of this date wheel 31 by a take-up gear comprising the first drive pinion 25, the first drive wheel 29, the second drive pinion 35, the second drive wheel 46, the second mobile 41 , 47,48 of the fourth group of mobiles, as well as the pinions 50,51 and 52 of the fifth group of mobiles. This additional training of the date wheel 31 at the end of each month corresponds to a number of steps equal to the difference between 31 and the number of days in the current month. This additional drive takes place only if the teeth of the wheel for the duration of months 47 are engaged with the second drive pinion 35.

In leap years the first and second leap drive gears 50,51 are not engaged with the second drive wheel 46, respectively the transmission wheel 41, and on February twenty-nine at midnight only two additional steps are transmitted to the wheel of dates 31 by the wheel of the duration of months 47.

Thus in the three embodiments described above the indexation of the wheel for the duration of the months is caused from the date wheel 31 in the last four days of each month by a gear train comprising at least one member for control, the pin 7 or the four-tooth control wheel 30, so as to place in the engagement position with a pinion 9.35 driven by the power take-off a group of one or more teeth of the wheel of the duration of the months 42.47.

The gables 50, 51 and 52, for their part, only take one more step and communicate it to the wheel of dates 31 in non-leap years in February. This set of pinions 50, 51, 52 has the same function as the retractable tooth 43 of the first embodiment.

Sautoirs maintain the angular position of the date wheel 31, the day wheel 27, the transmission wheel 41, the third gear leap transmission 52 and 39 months wheel between their successive actuations.

The third embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism is illustrated in FIGS. 26 to 31. This embodiment includes a display identical to the two previous embodiments illustrated in FIG. 10.

This embodiment of the mechanism also includes five groups of mobiles, like the second embodiment, pivot on axes 26, 28, 34, 38 and 45 driven into a plate, as well as a power take-off 3 comprising integral with the axis 23 a first drive pinion 25 of seven teeth and a drive tooth 24.

The first group of mobiles has the day wheel 27 with forty-nine teeth carrying the day hand 16, a wheel meshing with the first drive pinion 25.

The first mobile of the second group pivoted on the axis 28 is formed by the first drive wheel 29 of thirty-one teeth engaged with the first drive pinion 25. The second mobile of the second group comprises the date wheel 31 thirty-one teeth, the control wheel 30, the toothing of which comprises a group of four teeth and the month indexing wheel 32 comprising only one tooth and carrying the date hand 18. As before, these three wheels 30, 31, 32 are connected by a pin 33 making them angularly integral with one another.

The third group of mobiles pivots around the axis 34 includes the second drive pinion 35, the date drive pinion 36 and the month drive pinion 37 all independent of each other. The second drive pinion 35 is engaged with the first drive wheel 29, the date drive pinion 36 cooperates with the group of four teeth of the control wheel 30 and the month drive pinion 37 cooperates with the tooth of the indexing wheel for months 32. These three pinions each have seven teeth. The fourth group of mobiles pivots around the axis 38 includes three mobiles.

A first mobile comprising a first wheel of the duration of the months 53 comprising a toothing of twenty seven teeth. This first wheel, lasting 53 months, spins in four years. The first three quarters of this wheel have a group of three teeth corresponding to the month of February of three normal years and four isolated teeth corresponding to the months of 30 days of a normal year; the fourth quarter of this wheel 53 corresponding to a leap year comprises a group of two teeth corresponding to the month of February and four isolated teeth corresponding to the months of thirty days.

This first mobile of the fourth group of mobiles also includes a first transmission wheel 54 angularly integral with the first wheel for the duration of the months 53 using a pin 55. This first transmission wheel has a toothing of forty eight teeth . The second mobile of this fourth group of mobile comprises a second wheel for the duration of months 56 of seven teeth, that is to say a group of three teeth and four isolated teeth, and a second transmission wheel 57 of forty eight teeth angularly fixed to the wheel 56 by a pin 58 and in engagement with the drive pinion for the dates 36. This fourth group of mobiles also has a third mobile formed, as in the previous embodiments, by a wheel of the months 39 of forty eight teeth in taken with the drive pinion for months 37. The fifth group of movable pivots on the axis 45 is constituted by a control pinion 59 of seven teeth cooperating simultaneously with the teeth of the first transmission wheel 54 and of the second wheel the duration of the months 56.

The operation of this third embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism is as follows: Every day at midnight, the PTO 3 instantly performs a full 360 ° rotation. By doing this the first drive pinion 25 drives the day wheel 27 by seven teeth, which corresponds to the advance of one day .

At the same time, the first drive gear 25 drives the first drive wheel 29 and the second drive gear 35 which also performs a full rotation.

Simultaneously the drive tooth 24 drives the date wheel 31 one step and the hand 18 indicates the next date. On the last day of the month, the single tooth of the month indexing wheel 32 actuates the month wheel 39 through the month drive pinion 37 and the hand 20 indicates the following month.

During the last four days of each month, the control wheel 30 drives the first month duration wheel 53 via the second transmission wheel 57, the second month duration wheel 56, the drive pinion 59 and of the first transmission wheel 54, of an angular value corresponding to one month so that the teeth of the teeth of this first wheel for the duration of months 53 are positioned relative to the second drive pinion 35 depending on the current month, so that this first wheel of the duration of the months 53 is driven by 0.1, 2 or three steps according to the months of thirty-one or thirty days and depending on whether the month of February has 28 or 29 days.

Sautoirs keep the day wheel 27, the first transmission wheel 54, the date wheel 31, the second transmission wheel 57 and the month wheel 39 in a determined angular position between two actuations. For example, for the transition from February 28, 1999 to March 1, 1999, the following operations are performed:

At exactly midnight the PTO rotates 360 ° instantly. This causes the day wheel 27 to drive seven teeth corresponding to the value of one day. The drive tooth 24 drives the wheel one step dates 31. The control wheel 30 integral with the date wheel 31 advances the mobile 57.56 of a tooth by the date drive pinion 36. The second wheel lasting months 56 drives the control pinion 59 which transmits to it this rotation to the mobile 54.53. The first wheel of duration 53 months will be engaged with the second drive gear 35 by one of its groups of teeth. This first wheel for the duration of months 53 will therefore be actuated by the second drive pinion 35 and the ensuing rotation will be transmitted to the date wheel 31 by the control pinion 59, the mobile 56, 57, the date drive pinion 36 and the drive wheel 30. As can be seen in figure 27, on February 28, 1999 it is a group of three teeth of the first wheel of the duration of 53 months which is ready to mesh with the second drive pinion and these are therefore three additional steps which are transmitted to the date wheel 31, so that it goes well from February 28 to March 1. In this third embodiment again, the date wheel 31 is driven from two different sides. On the one hand, it is driven one step each day by the drive tooth 24.

On the other hand, it can undergo additional training during the last four days of each month from the drive wheel 29, the second drive pinion 35, the mobile 53.54, the pinion 59, the mobile 56 , 57, the date drive pinion 36 and the drive wheel 30. However, such an additional rotation is only possible if the teeth of the first wheel for the duration of 53 months are engaged with the second pinion 35. It should be noted that in this embodiment the first wheel of the duration of the months 53 only comprises a group of two teeth for the month of February in leap years, followed by four equally spaced teeth for the April, June, September and November at 30 days, then a group of three teeth for the month of February of the following normal year followed by four teeth for the 30-day month of this year, the latter set being repeated three times in succession for the normal three years of a four-year cycle.

As we can see, there is no sector with zero teeth corresponding to thirty-one day months in this execution, because this first wheel of the duration of 53 months is not indexed every month. Indeed, the second wheel of the duration of the months 56 with its group of three teeth corresponding to the month of February and its four teeth corresponding to the months of thirty days causes the first wheel of the duration of the months 53 to be indexed by three steps in February and a step in April, June, September and November, to put the next tooth in place for a gear with the second drive pinion 35. This allows easier toothing of the teeth of the first wheel of the duration of months 53.

In this third embodiment, the indexing of the first wheel for the duration of the months 53 can be done, from the control wheel 30 integral with the date wheel 31, only when the second wheel for the duration of the month 56 is in a position to actuate the control pinion 59.

The fourth embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 32 to 41 comprises a power take-off comprising angularly mounted integral with an axis 60, a pinion 61 driven by the clockwork movement, a first drive pinion 62, a second pinion d drive 63 and a drive tooth 64.

This fourth embodiment also comprises seven groups of concentric mobiles pivoted around a barrel C and axes 60a, 66,67,68 and 69 driven in or fixed on the plate 70. The first group of concentric mobiles pivots around of the barrel C comprises a wheel of the days 71 comprising a toothing of fourteen teeth integral with a barrel 72 carrying the display member of the days 73. A wheel of the years 74 of twelve teeth provided with a barrel 75 carrying the member mobile display of the years 76 and a wheel of the months 77, also of twelve teeth, secured to a canon 78 carrying the movable member for displaying the months 79. This group of mobiles also comprises a crown of dates 80 angularly integral with a control crown 81.

The date crown 80 has a toothing of thirty-one teeth and carries the movable date display member 82. The toothing of thirty-one teeth of this date crown 80 cooperates with the drive tooth 64.

The control crown 81 has a toothing comprising a group of four teeth which cooperates with the date drive pinion 65.

The second group of concentric mobiles comprises, pivoted about the axis 66 and angularly integral with one another, a drive pinion for the months 83 of eight teeth engaged with the wheel of the months 77 and cooperating with a tooth inner 85 which comprises the crown of dates 80, and a drive pinion of the years 84 of two teeth arranged at 180 ° cooperating with the wheel of the years 74. The third group of concentric mobiles comprises pivots around the axis 67 a first day 86 drive pinion comprising a group of two teeth cooperating with the toothing of the day wheel 71, this pinion 86 being integral with a second day 87 drive pinion of seven teeth. The two teeth of the first drive pinion on days 86 cooperate with the teeth of the wheel on days 71.

The fourth group of concentric mobiles is formed by a drive wheel 88 having a toothing of fourteen teeth in engagement with the toothing of the drive pinion of days 87, this drive wheel 88 being pivoted about the axis 68 The fifth group of concentric mobiles consists of four superimposed crowns, also concentric with cannon C.

The first crown is a drive crown 89 and has an internal toothing of forty eight teeth engaged with the first drive pinion 62 of seven teeth. The second crown is a crown of the duration of the 90s with internal toothing comprising a group of two teeth and four isolated teeth corresponding respectively to the months of February and to the months of thirty days. This internal toothing cooperates with the second drive pinion 63. The third crown is a transmission crown 91 comprising an internal toothing of forty eight teeth engaged with the drive pinion of dates 65 of seven teeth.

The fourth crown is a four-year indexing crown 92 with an internal toothing of a single tooth. The second, third and fourth rings 90, 91 and 92 are angularly integral with each other and form a single mobile.

The sixth group of concentric mobiles consists of three pinions, angularly integral with one another, pivoting around the axis 69. A first leap drive pinion 93 of three teeth cooperating with the drive crown 89. A second pinion leap drive 94 also of three teeth cooperating with the teeth of the transmission crown 91 and a third leap drive pinion 95 of seven teeth cooperating with the single internal tooth of the four-year indexing crown 92. The seventh group of mobiles comprises a pinion 65 pivoted idly on the axis

60a meshing with the internal toothing of the third ring 91 and cooperating with the four teeth of the control ring 81.

The mobile date display member consists of a crown 82 carrying on its periphery, arranged radially, the numbers from 1 to 31. The mobile month display member 79 consists of a disc located in the plane of the crown 82 carrying on its periphery, and arranged radially, the indication of the months.

The mobile display unit of the 76's cycle is formed by a disc whose diameter is less than the unregistered central part of the disc of the month 79, bearing on its periphery the series of figures 1.1.1.2.2.2. 3.3.3.4.4.4. The 4 can be replaced by another symbol indicating the leap year.

The mobile day indication member 73 consists of a star with seven branches, the outside diameter of which corresponds to that of the disc of the months 79. Each branch bears the name of a day.

Two or three of these indications appear simultaneously through a window 96 on the dial 21. During normal operation, the name of the day and the date appear in this window 96. During the passage from one month to the next month, that is to say while the mechanism is in motion, we can see through the window 96 the calendar, the month and the year within a four-year cycle. In this fourth embodiment of the mechanism which is very compact and fits into a circle, the operating principle is identical to that of the embodiments described above.

Indeed, the crown of dates 80 is driven by two different routes. On the one hand, this crown of dates 80 is driven every day by one step, or one day, by the drive tooth 64. On the other hand, this crown of dates 80 can be driven during the four last days of the month of one or more additional steps via a take-up train formed by the second drive pinion 63, the date drive pinion 65, and the group of mobiles comprising the transmission crown 91 , the crown for the duration of the months 90 and the control crown 81. This additional training of the crown for the dates 80 is only done, however, when the teeth of the crown for the duration of the months 90 are engaged with the second pinion d drive 63. This mechanism also comprises a jumper for months acting on the wheel of months 77, a jumper for years acting on the wheel for years 74, a jumper for days acting on the wheel for days 71 and a transmission jumper acting on the transmissio crown n 91, as well as a leap necklace acting on the third leap drive pinion to maintain these mobiles in their angular position between two successive actuations.

Figures 39 and 40 illustrate the mechanism in the position it occupies on February 28, 1999. In the window (s) juxtaposed with the dial, you can see the date and day of the week in the basic position. A date change can be made by a rapid correction by the crown of the clockwork movement or at midnight automatically. During this date change, firstly the branch of the star 73 bearing the name of the day is angularly shifted. We then see the underlying discs with the cycle of the years 76 and the name of the month 79. If the process of changing the date continues until its end, the branch with the name of the new day covers the discs 76 and 79 and the new date becomes visible.

At midnight on February 28, 1999 the PTO 61 performs an instantaneous rotation of 360 ° and thus drives the first drive pinion 62. This pinion 62 in turn drives the day wheel 71 with two teeth, that is to say of a value angular corresponding to a day. This is done by means of the drive crown 89, the drive wheel 88, the first pinion for days 86 and the second pinion for days 87, the teeth of which have two teeth.

The drive tooth 64 drives the crown of dates 80 by one step, or one day. Under the date crown 80 is fixed the control crown 81 which drives the date drive pinion 65 and with it the group of mobiles 91, 92 and 90 of a tooth. The four-year indexing crown 92 meshes with the third leap indexing pinion 95 and introduces a tooth of the first leap indexing pinion 93 into the teeth of the drive crown 89. This crown 89 being driven by the first drive pinion 62, this drive ring 89 drives the set of mobiles 91, 92 and 90. This drive is transmitted by the date drive pinion 65 to the control ring 81 and therefore to the date ring 80 which is him solidarity. Thus the crown of dates 80 goes instantly from February 28 to March 1.

Indeed, as in the second embodiment, an additional step is introduced by the leap drive pinion and two additional steps are caused by the crown for the duration of the 90 months.

The internal periphery of the date crown 80 has a tooth which drives the month wheel 77 through the month drive pinion 83 of a tooth, that is to say of a month. This pinion of the months 83 comprising eight teeth it carries out in one year, that is to say twelve actuations, a revolution and a half as well as the drive pinion of the years 84 which is integral with it. Thus, the display disc of the years cycle is advanced three steps per year. The years wheel comprising twelve teeth each group of three teeth corresponds to a year within a cycle and each year, as of December 31, the index of years changes number in the window of the dial. As in the previous embodiments, the months of less than thirty-one days the crown of the dates 80 is driven by one step by the drive tooth and two or three additional steps by a catch-up train to compensate for the missing days of the current month. In this case, the take-up train comprises the first drive pinion 62, the drive ring 89, the mobile formed by the three crowns 90, 91 and 92, the date drive pin 65 and the control ring 81, as well as the leap drive sprockets 93, 94 and 95.

Figures 39 and 40 illustrate successive positions of the display and the four levels of the mechanism of this fourth embodiment during the transition from February 28, 1999 to March 1, 2000. Column I illustrates in plan the first level, the column II the second level, column III the third level, column IV the fourth level and column V the display for eight positions, the lines a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, of the mechanism between February 28 just before midnight and March 1 just after midnight. When this passage is done automatically, it is very fast, a fraction of a second, and therefore only the time necessary for a complete revolution of the PTO. On the other hand, if the user causes this passage manually during a time correction, this process can take as long as the user wishes. The time setting can be done forwards or backwards, since all the components of the mechanism are reversible gears nothing therefore prevents a passage from March 1 to February 28 in the opposite direction.

Line a illustrates the position of the mechanism members on February 28, 1999. At midnight the PTO 61 and therefore the first and second drive pinions 62,63 and the drive tooth 64 begin their revolution.

When the PTO 62,63,64 has made a rotation of about 1/7 of a turn (line b) the first drive pinion 62 drives the drive gear 89 which drives the drive wheel 88 and the first pinion for days 87. The second pinion for days 86 with two teeth moves the day wheel 71 by one tooth, that is to say by half of the angular value corresponding to a day. The branch of the movable member 73 for displaying the days is shifted by half a step and lets appear in the counters of the dial instead of the day the indication of the month and the position of the year in a cycle four years old. During the rotation of 2/7 of the following revolutions of the PTO only the drive ring 89 continues to be driven by the first drive pinion 62 (lines c and d). Indeed, the second pinion of days 86 with two teeth no longer meshes with the wheel of days 71. The drive tooth 64 came to be positioned in contact with the teeth of the crown of dates 80. During a new 1/7 turn rotation (line e) of the PTO, the drive tooth 64 advances the date crown 80 which carries the movable date display member 82 and the number 29 appears in the dial window. Simultaneously the single tooth of the 4-year-old indexing crown 92 advances the third leap drive pinion 95 by one tooth. pinion 95 being integral with leap drive pinions 94 and 93, these are also advanced by a tooth and come into engagement with the transmission crown 91 and the drive crown 89. From this moment the drive crown 89 drives the first leap drive pinion 93 which drives the second leap drive pinion 94 and the latter advances the transmission crown 91 by one step. This transmission crown 91 advances the date crown 80 by one step via the date drive pinion 65 and the control crown 81 (line f). At this time the crown of the duration of the months 90, which advanced jointly with the transmission crown 91 and the indexing crown of four years 92, presents its group of two teeth at the engagement with the second drive pinion 63 and the three crowns 90, 91 and 92 are advanced during an additional 90 ° rotation of the PTO of two additional teeth (lines g and h). These two additional steps are transmitted to the date crown 80 by the date drive pinion 65 and the control crown 81. At this instant the date display shows March 1.

During this last rotation of 45 °, the single inner tooth of the date crown 80 drives the month drive gear 83 one step, which advances the month wheel 77 by one step. The leap years are the first and second leap drive pinions 93 and 94 are not in engagement with the teeth of the drive crowns 89 and transmission 91, so that the latter is not driven by an additional step on February 29, so that the crown of dates 80 is driven only by two additional steps by the group of two teeth of the internal toothing of the crown of the duration of the months 90 corresponding to the month of February. The date display therefore spends leap years from February 29 to March 1.

The fifth embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism constitutes a true perpetual calendar which takes into account leap years 2100s, 2200s, 2300s etc. The basis of this mechanism is constituted by the second embodiment described above to which is added a cog which removes every hundred years, except in 2000, 2400, 2800 etc., the leap year. An additional cog operates a display of years. This fifth embodiment is described with reference to Figures 36 to 45.

This fifth embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 42 to 50 repeats for the base of the mechanism the second embodiment described above which comprises:

A power take-off comprising a pinion 3 with seven teeth driven by the clockwork, a first drive pinion 25, in engagement with the day wheel 27, also with seven teeth and a drive tooth 24 all angularly integral . This PTO performs a complete revolution at midnight each day.

A first group of concentric mobiles formed by the day wheel 27 of forty eight teeth and which carries the day hand 16 cooperating with the graduation 15 of the dial.

A second group of concentric mobiles comprising two mobiles. A first mobile formed by the first drive wheel 29 of thirty-one teeth. A second mobile formed by the control wheel 30, the toothing of which comprises a group of four teeth, the date wheel 31 of thirty-one teeth and the month indexing wheel 32 with a single tooth which carries the needle date 18 cooperating with the graduation 17 of the dial 21. The first drive wheel 29 is engaged with the first drive pinion 25 and the date wheel 31 is driven by the drive tooth 24. A third group of mobile formed by the second drive pinion

35 of seven teeth meshing with the first drive wheel 29, the drive pinion of dates 36 of seven teeth cooperating with the group of four teeth of the drive wheel 30, and the drive pinion of months 37 of seven teeth cooperating with the single tooth of the indexing wheel for 32 months. three pinions are madly pivoted on an axis 34 and are angularly independent of each other.

A fourth group of concentric mobiles pivot about the axis 38 comprising three angularly independent mobiles from each other. The first mobile formed by a second drive wheel 46 of forty eight teeth meshing with the second drive pinion 35. The second mobile formed by three wheels, a wheel of the duration of months 47 having a toothing of six teeth. Two successive teeth located in the sector of this wheel corresponding to the month of February and four isolated teeth located in the sectors of this wheel corresponding to the months of thirty days. This toothing of six teeth of the wheel of the duration of the months 47 cooperates with the second drive pinion 35. A transmission wheel 41 of forty eight teeth and meshing with the drive pinion of the dates 36, and a wheel of indexing of years 48 comprising only one tooth. These three wheels 41, 47 and 48 are angularly integral with each other. A third mobile of this fourth group of mobile pivots on the axis 38 is formed by the month wheel 39 having a toothing of forty-eight teeth driven at a rate of one step per month by the drive pinion of the months 37.

In this fifth embodiment, this fourth group of concentric mobiles pivotable about the axis 38 also includes a four-year indexing wheel 100 comprising a tooth and carrying the month hand 20 cooperating with the graduation 19 of the dial 21.

A fifth group of concentric mobiles comprises, as in the second embodiment, pivots about the axis 45, two mobiles. A first mobile formed by two angularly integral pinions, a first leap drive pinion 50 formed by three teeth cooperating with the teeth of the second drive wheel 46 and a second leap drive pinion 51, also with three teeth, cooperating with the teeth of the transmission wheel 41. The three teeth of these pinions 50, 51 are not uniformly distributed, they are each located in a sector of 2/7 of the circumference of these pinions corresponding to normal years, the sector of 3/7 of the circumference of these pinions 50 and 51 corresponding to leap years does not have a tooth. These pinions, angularly integral with one another, carry out a complete revolution in four years.

The second mobile of this fifth group of concentric mobiles is constituted by a third leap drive pinion 52 of seven teeth cooperating with the indexing wheel of years 48. This third leap index pinion 52 is angularly integral with the first and second leap indexing gears 50 and 51.

As for the operation of this portion of the mechanism of this fifth embodiment, it is identical to the operation of the second embodiment and will therefore not be described again.

This fifth embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism also includes a secular cog acting on the date wheel 31 to suppress leap years in the first, second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth centuries of each millennium.

This train is driven by the four-year indexing wheel 100 integral with the month wheel 39 which actuates with a step a transfer pinion 101 pivoted on an axis 102 every four years. This pinion 101 transfers this impulse by one step every four years to a transfer wheel 103 of twenty-five teeth which therefore performs a complete revolution in one hundred years. This transfer wheel 103 is pivoted on an axis 104 and is angularly integral with a hundred year indexing wheel 105 comprising a single tooth. This tooth of the hundred year indexing wheel 105 cooperates with a sixth group of concentric mobiles pivoted around an axis 106 comprising three pinions angularly integral with each other. An upper transfer pinion 107 with three teeth distributed over three-quarters of its periphery, a lower transfer pinion 108 also with three teeth distributed over three quarters of its periphery and an intermediate transfer pinion 109 of seven teeth which is driven one or two steps every hundred years by the hundred year indexing wheel 105. The lower transfer pinion 105 cooperates with the first wheel d 'drive 29. This age-old train allows by acting by a third way on the wheel of dates 31 to eliminate February twenty-nine from the leap years 2100, 2200, 2300, 2500, 2600, 2700 and 2900.

In this fifth embodiment of the perpetual calendar, the date wheel 31 is driven in three different ways. On the one hand, this date wheel 31 is driven one step per day by the drive tooth 24. On the other hand, this date wheel 31 can be driven during the last four days of each month by a gear train take-up comprising the first drive pinion 25, the first drive wheel 29, the second drive pinion 35, the second drive wheel 46, the second mobile 41, 47, 48 of the fourth group of mobiles as well as the pinions 50, 51 and 52 of the fifth group of mobiles, the date pinion 36 and the control wheel 30.

This additional training of the date wheel 31 at the end of each month corresponds to a number of steps equal to the difference between 31 and the number of days in the current month. This additional drive takes place only if the teeth of the wheel of duration of months 47 are engaged with the second drive pinion 35.

This date wheel 31 is finally driven by the age-old train 100, 102,103,105,109,108,107 once every hundred years. This training takes place only if the teeth of the mobile 107, 108, 109 are engaged with the first drive wheel 29 and the date wheel 31.

This fifth embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism also includes a cog in the display of the vintage.

This vintage display cog comprises a transfer pinion from the 110s pivoted around an axis 111 driven by the single tooth of the wheel. indexing years 48. This pinion of seven teeth 110 meshes with an intermediate wheel 112 of thirty-one teeth pivoted about an axis 113 driven at a rate of one step per year by the pinion 110.

This intermediate wheel 112 is engaged with a pinion of the units 114 of ten teeth pivoted on an axis 115. This pinion of the units 114 carries a display disc of the units of the vintage 116 carrying on its periphery the series of numbers from 0 to 9 .

This pinion of the units 114 is integral with a first index 117 to a tooth driving a tens pinion 118 of ten teeth pivoted about an axis 119 at a rate of one step every ten years.

This tens pinion 118 is integral with a second index 120 comprising a tooth and carrying a display disc for the tens of the vintage 121 comprising at its periphery a series of numbers from 0 to 9.

The finger of the second index 120 drives at a rate of one step every hundred years a pinion of the hundreds 122 of ten teeth pivoted around an axis 123. This pinion of the hundreds 122 carries a display disc 124 of the hundreds of the vintage comprising at its periphery a series of numbers from 0 to 9.

This hundreds pinion 122 is integral with a third index 125 comprising a tooth driving at a rate of one step per thousand years a pinion of the thousands of the vintage 127 pivoted around an axis 126 and carrying a display disc of the thousands of vintage 129.

A number from each of the display discs 116, 121, 123 and 129 appears in the counters 130, 131, 132 and 133 that the dial 21 contains.

This mechanism also includes jumpers to maintain the angular position between two successive actuations of the day wheel 27, the thousands pinion 127, the tens pinion 118, the transmission wheel 41, the date wheel 31, the pinion hundreds 123 and the intermediate wheel 112.

As in the other forms of execution already described, the perpetual calendar mechanism of this fifth form of execution is instantaneous, at midnight of each day, and can be corrected forwards or backwards at any time of the day since it is composed only of gears.

The sixth embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism illustrated in Figures 50 to 57 is also a secular calendar like the fifth embodiment. This sixth embodiment differs from the fifth only in the embodiment of the secular train and only this will be described, for the rest of the mechanism we will refer to the description of the fifth embodiment, (Figures 46 to 49 ).

The age-old train of this sixth embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism is driven by the four-year indexing wheel 100, the single tooth of which drives at a rate of one step every four years a transfer pinion 101 meshing with a transfer wheel 103 of twenty-five teeth pivoted around the axis 104. This transfer wheel 104 is integral with a hundred-year indexing wheel with a finger 105 cooperating with an eight-tooth pinion 130 pivoted on an axis 132 This pinion 130 therefore takes one step every hundred years.

The transfer wheel 103 and the index finger wheel of one hundred years 105 are angularly secured to an eccentric 131 having the shape of a truncated cylinder. The cylindrical portion of this eccentric 131 extends over three quarters of its periphery corresponding to normal years, the sector of this eccentric corresponding to leap years being cut. A retractable tooth 133 subjected to an elastic action 134 is maintained for the three consecutive normal years in the active position by the eccentric 131 and it is retracted the leap years secular under the effect of the spring 134. This retractable tooth drives a pinion 135 pivoted on axis 106 in engagement with the date wheel 31.

The retractable tooth 132 can also be driven by a pinion 136 which is pivotally idle on the axis 106 which is engaged with the first drive wheel 29. The pinion 130 is integral with a two-tooth pinion 137 cooperating with a wheel of twenty-five teeth 138 integral with the eccentric 131, the hundred-year indexing wheel with a finger 105 and the transfer wheel 103.

In this sixth embodiment also the date wheel 31 is driven by three different ways. On the one hand by the drive tooth 24 of one step per day. On the other hand, by the take-up gear comprising the first drive pinion 25, the first drive wheel 29, the second drive pinion 35, the second drive wheel 46, the mobile 41, 47, 48 of the fourth group of mobiles, as well as the pinions 50, 51, 52 of the fifth group of mobiles, the drive pinion for dates 36 and the control wheel 30. This additional drive at the end of each month corresponds to a number of steps equal to the difference between 31 and the number of days in the current month. This additional drive takes place only if the teeth of the wheel for the duration of months 47 are engaged with the second drive pinion 35. Finally, this date wheel 31 is also driven by the age-old train which makes it possible to eliminate certain years. leap as in the fifth embodiment.

In this sixth embodiment also, the mechanism only consists of reversible gears and the daily automatic drive is instantaneous. In this way a manual correction can be done at any time, either forward or backward, without disturbing or damaging the mechanism.

It is obvious that in variants of the perpetual calendar mechanism the first, second and third embodiments described could also be provided with a secular cog and / or a cog of vintage display as described with reference to fifth and sixth embodiments.

In this case the group of concentric mobiles comprising the mobile of the duration of the months is provided with an additional wheel with a tooth which serves as grip force for driving the age-old train. This additional tooth wheel performs one turn in four years in the embodiments described.

On the other hand, the mechanism has been described in several embodiments and variants to show the diversity of execution of its operating principle described schematically with reference to Figures 1 and 2. It goes without saying that modifications of embodiment can be made to the mechanism without departing from the scope of the claimed protection. Thus, it is without other possibility to reverse the order of certain cogs in the groups of mobiles as long as the functions are respected. It is the same for the number of teeth of certain mobiles which can be modified as long as the gear reduction ratio in which they participate remains unchanged. Furthermore, multiple mobiles have been described as being formed by independent wheels made angularly integral with one another by means of a pin. This pin could be replaced by welding points or a bonding between them of the wheels making up the mobile. As a variant, the multiple mobiles could be produced in a single machined part and comprising several teeth at different levels. The original principle of the present invention resides, as we have seen, in the fact of driving the date wheel 31 by different routes.

This date wheel 31 is driven by a first kinematic link, the direct link, at the rate of one step per day at midnight.

This date wheel 31 can also be driven by a second kinematic link, formed by the take-up train, which can be automatically put into service during the last four days of each month. This second kinematic link drives this wheel of dates 31 by one, two or three additional steps for months whose duration is 30, 29 or 28 days respectively.

Finally, this date wheel 31 can also be driven an additional step by a third kinematic chain formed by the age-old train in the first year of certain centuries, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2500, 2600, 2700, 2900 etc to remove the twenty nine February of these years which would normally be leap years, which corresponds to the secular correction.

In all the embodiments described, it is assumed that the power take-off 3 makes its instantaneous rotation of 360 ° at midnight in the counterclockwise direction. As the mechanism is reversible, it is of course possible to rotate this power take-off 3 clockwise, in this case it is simply necessary to modify on the display the order of the succession of days, dates, months and years in a four-year cycle for the display to be correct. In all of the embodiments described, the power take-off 3 is mounted on the axle carrying the first drive pinion 9.25 and the drive tooth 2.24. In variants this PTO 3 could be arranged differently, for example integral with a pinion which would be engaged either with the toothing of the day wheel 27 or with the toothing of the first 29 or the second 46 training only. This PTO 3 has the function only of driving one of the wheels or sprockets of the drive chain 25,29,35,46 or the day wheel 27 each day with a determined number of teeth. In another variant, this PTO could include the pinion 3 secured to an actuating finger acting on a star of seven teeth secured to the day wheel 27. In this case, each day the PTO 3 causes rotation 1/7 of the day wheel.

As seen from the description of the various embodiments, the various mobiles can take the form of wheels or crowns, in the general part of this description as well as of the claims the term mobile has been used, while for define particular embodiments these same mobiles have been defined as wheels or crowns according to the particular embodiments. Similarly, the control wheel whose teeth have four teeth is, as will be understood, the equivalent of the control pin or the control crown according to the embodiments. In the game general in particular of the claims, this member is called a control member and it is only in the specific part that this control member is defined precisely as a crown, a pin or a control wheel. Many other variants of the perpetual calendar mechanism are possible on the same principle. For example, if the height of the mechanism is to be reduced, the various mobiles of the groups of mobiles can be mounted one beside the other instead of being superimposed as long as the different kinematic chains are respected. The display of the embodiments of the mechanism where the day wheel, the date wheel and the month wheel are not concentric does not necessarily have to be online as illustrated. Indeed, the display of the different indications, day, calendar, month and year in a four-year cycle can be concentric or arranged in any desired way if one adds a gear train to the day wheel, the dates, and the month wheel.

It is also possible to provide the display of the month and the cycle of the years in the form of a code. This code may include a letter A, B, C or D indicating the year in a four-year cycle, this letter being followed by a number from 1 to 12 to indicate the month. Such a display can be produced by a disc carried by the month wheel, having on its periphery the indications A1 ... A12. B1 ... B12. C1 ... C12. D1 ... D12; these indications being visible one by one through a window on the dial. This display disc for the months and the cycle of the years performs one revolution in four years.

The PTO 3 can be driven by an electric motor driven by a time base or mechanical for example by a clockwork movement. As we have seen throughout the description of this perpetual calendar mechanism, it requires for its actuation a PTO performing a complete revolution of 360 ° at midnight each day. This training can be carried out very easily using an electric motor controlled either electronically or electro-mechanically from an electronic or electromechanical clockwork movement, so that this motor drives the pinion 3 of the power take-off of the mechanism by one revolution at midnight.

However, when the timepiece movement to be fitted with the perpetual calendar mechanism is a mechanical movement for an actuation train for this pinion 3 of the PTO must be provided.

A first embodiment of such a gear train for actuating the PTO is described with reference to FIG. 58.

This actuation train drives the pinion 3 of the PTO from a conventional date crown 140 of a clockwork movement by means of a multiplying kinematic chain.

The internal toothing of the date crown 140 which is used for its daily actuation by one step, for example using the driver 141 driven in continuous rotation by the clockwork movement, meshes with a first pinion 142 integral with 'A first wheel 143 meshing with a second pinion 144 secured to a second wheel 145 meshing with the pinion 3 of the PTO. The reduction in this actuation train is such that, when the first pinion 142 is driven by one step by the date crown 140, the pinion 3 of the PTO is driven by seven steps or by one complete revolution. In this embodiment, the driver 141 may include a tooth connected to a drum by a spiral spring, the drum driven continuously by the clockwork movement. During its training the drum turns and the tooth of the trainer abuts against a tooth of the date crown 140. From this moment the spiral spring stretches until its force exceeds that of a jumper which maintains the angular position of the crown 140 which then jumps one step instantly.

In variants of the mechanism the PTO may not make an instant full revolution per day, but only one step per day at midnight. This is the case if one of the axes 26, 28 or 38 of the mechanism is actuated with a not per day with an angular value corresponding to one day. This is achieved for the embodiments described if one of these axes 26,28,38 carries a pinion of seven teeth meshing with for example the pinion 142 (Fig. 58). In this case, the actuating train comprises only this pinion 142 driven one step per day, instantaneously, by the date crown 140.

Of course, the PTO is in direct connection with the winding crown R when the latter is placed in the time setting position so that the perpetual calendar mechanism can also be manually driven. This connection is carried out in a conventional manner. In this first embodiment of the gear train for actuating the power take-off 3, the latter is driven almost instantaneously at the rate of once a day at midnight clockwise.

The second embodiment of this PTO actuation mechanism 3 illustrated in FIGS. 59 to 62 in different positions allows mechanical drive of the PTO 3 in the counterclockwise direction.

This second embodiment of this gear train for actuating the power take-off comprises a floating crown 146 which can move in rotation and in translation around a hub 147. This crown comprises on its outer periphery a stop 148 cooperating with a stop pin 149 defining its position at the start of the cycle just after midnight. This floating crown 146 is subjected to the return action of a spiral spring 150 tending to maintain this crown in its position at the start of the cycle.

This floating crown 146 also has a second partial internal toothing 152 driving the pinion 3 of the power take-off 3 at midnight under the action of the spring 150 and a first toothing 151 which is used to arm the floating crown 146 by a mobile of armament whose wheel 153 is driven at the rate of one revolution per day from the hour wheel 154 of the clockwork movement by means of a mobile 155. The armament mobile comprises integral with the wheel 153 a driver 156 comprising four teeth distributed over approximately 180 ° and cooperating with the first internal toothing 151 of the floating crown 146 and a solid part over the rest of its periphery whose outside diameter is greater than that on which its four teeth are located . The operation of this gear train for actuating the PTO 3 of the perpetual calendar mechanism is as follows:

At the start of the cycle (fig. 59) just after midnight and after a change of date, the floating crown 148 is in abutment against the pin 149 and the winding mobile trainer has its teeth placed at the start of engagement with the first partial internal toothing 151 of the floating crown 146. As the rotation of the winding mobile moves one revolution per day, the driver 156 drives the crown 146 (FIGS. 55 and 56). When the solid part of the driver is facing the first toothing 151 of the crown, the latter is displaced radially as it is by this part of larger diameter of the driver, which causes the positioning of the second partial internal toothing 152 for its gear with the pinion 3 of the PTO (fig. 62). From this moment the crown is free to move in rotation under the effect of the spiral spring 150 and this crown 146 by returning to its position at the start of the cycle (fig. 59) drives the pinion 3 of the PTO of a counterclockwise.

The seventh embodiment of the perpetual calendar mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 63 to 69 has the particularity of presenting a concentric arrangement well suited to circular clockwork movements and of displaying the day, month and year in a cycle of four years in a single window.

Figure 63 illustrates three positions of the mechanism during the passage from 15 to 16 of a month, where in the intermediate position the month and the year are displayed by a code A, B, C, S indicating the years inside d '' a four-year cycle and the numbers 1 to 12 indicating the current month. Figure 64 illustrates the mechanism of this seventh embodiment in section along line AA of Figure 65 which is an overall plan view.

Figures 66, 67 and 68 illustrate in plan the cogs of the mechanism of this latter embodiment located in the lower, middle and upper level of the mechanism, while Figure 69 illustrates the date display disc.

The mechanism of this seventh embodiment comprises mounted on a plate 160 a central barrel 161 around which are pivoted a date wheel 162 carrying a date disc 163, an additional mobile 164 to a tooth 165 and a control wheel 166 comprising four teeth. These three mobiles 162, 164 and 166 are angularly integral with each other and form a first group of concentric mobiles. The date disc 163 has the numbers 1 to 31 and inserted between the 15 and the 16 a notch 163a. A PTO 167 driven at the rate of one revolution per day at midnight by the clockwork movement is integral with a drive pinion 169 and a drive tooth 170. A transfer pinion 168 is pivoted idly on axis 171 of the PTO 167.

The drive tooth 170 cooperates with the teeth of thirty two teeth of the date wheel 162, the drive pinion 169 meshes with the tooth 165 of the mobile 164 and the transfer pinion 168 cooperates with the four teeth of the date wheel. command 166.

A second group of concentric mobiles comprises a transmission crown 172 comprising an internal toothing of forty eight teeth in engagement with the transfer pinion 168. This transmission crown 172 is angularly integral with a crown of the duration of the months 173 whose toothing Internal includes a group of two teeth occupying the angular position corresponding to the month of February and four isolated teeth located in the angular zone corresponding to the months of 30 days. A retractable tooth 174 slides in this crown 173 and can be in the active position inserted after the group of two teeth.

A third group of mobiles is made up of a crown of 175 months with internal toothing of forty eight teeth and performing a revolution in four years. This crown of the months 175 bears on its upper surface coded indications A, B, C and S corresponding to a year within a cycle of four years and four series of figures from 1 to 12 corresponding to the months. This crown for months 175 carries a pin 176 driving a ring 177. This ring 177 performing one revolution in four years has on its internal surface a recess 178 corresponding to VA of its periphery. This internal surface of the ring 177 cooperates with the retractable tooth 174 to maintain it in the active position for three years then during the fourth year of a cycle, leap year, this retractable tooth 174 can retract in the recess 178 under the action of its return spring. Thus, in leap years, the crown of the duration of the months 173 comprises a group of two teeth and not three teeth. A fourth group of mobiles has crazy pivots on an axis 179, a pinion of eight teeth 180 meshing with the transmission crown 172 as well as a pinion of two teeth 181 meshing with the teeth of the crown of the months 175. This seventh form of Execution of the mechanism works on the same principle as the other forms of execution already described. What differs is that the date wheel 162 has thirty two teeth and that the date disc has the numbers from 1 to 31 plus a sector comprising the notch 163a. When this notch 163a is opposite the single window 182 of the dial, this notch 163a reveals a portion of the upper surface of the crown of the months 175 bearing the codes corresponding to the year in a cycle of four and of the current month.

In this embodiment, the date wheel 162 is driven by three separate tracks. On the one hand, this date wheel 162 is driven at the rate of one step per day by the drive tooth 170 actuated by the PTO 167.

Secondly, this date wheel 162 is driven during the night of the 15th to the 16th of each month by the drive pinion 169 and the single tooth 165 of the additional mobile 164 by an additional step. This corrects the presence of the thirty second tooth of the date wheel 162 which therefore advances by one additional step per month between the 15th and the 16th of each month. If the date change is obtained automatically by the PTO, this process is not visible because it is carried out in a fraction of a second. If, on the other hand, the calendar is actuated by hand by the time-setting crown, it is possible by slowly turning this crown between the 15th and the 16th of the month to display the codes corresponding to the year and the months through the notch 163a and the window. Figure 63 shows the display of the 15th of a month on the left, and the display of the 16th of the month on the right. In the middle is illustrated the intermediate position between the 15 and the 16 where the notch 163a of the date disc 163 is opposite the window 182 and where the code of the current year and the current month appears carried by the crown of the month 175. This crown of months 175 is driven by the transmission crown 172, the first pinion of eight teeth 180 and the second pinion of two teeth 181 which is angularly integral with it. This crown of 175 months goes around in four years.

Finally, during the last four days of each month, the date wheel 162 can be driven by the drive pinion 169, the crown for the duration of the months 173, the transfer pinion 168 and the control crown 166 from 1 to 3. additional steps depending on whether the current month has 1, 2 or three days less than the maximum number of thirty-one days. This training can however take place only if the retractable tooth 17 or one of the teeth of the crown for the duration of the months 173 is in position to mesh with the drive gear. This kinematic link constitutes the catch-up train.

In this embodiment, the date wheel 162 could have more than one additional tooth, for example four or more. In this case, the additional mobile 164 has a number of teeth 165 equal to the number of additional teeth of the date wheel 162. The date disc 163 then has a number of notches 163a equal to the number of additional teeth of the date wheel dates 162. The teeth 165 and the notches 163 a can be uniformly distributed around the circumference of the additional mobile 164 and of the date disc 163. Thus, the user when he wishes to know the year in a four-year cycle and the current month, can have access to this information quickly by rotating the date disc with an angular value of at most 1/4 or 1/8 of a turn using the winding crown. The mechanism of the eighth embodiment illustrated in Figures 70 to 76 comprises mounted on a plate 160 a central barrel 161 around which are pivoted a date wheel 162 carrying a date disc 163, an additional mobile 164 to a tooth 165 and a control wheel 166 comprising four teeth. These three mobiles 162, 164 and 166 are angularly integral with each other and form a first group of concentric mobiles. The date disc 163 has the numbers 1 to 31 and inserted between the 31 and the 1 a notch 163a.

A PTO 167 driven at the rate of one revolution per day at midnight by the clockwork movement is integral with a drive pinion 169 and a drive tooth 170. A transfer pinion 168 is pivoted idly on axis 171 of the PTO 167.

The driving tooth 170 cooperates with the toothing of thirty-two teeth of the date wheel 162, the driving pinion 169 meshes with the tooth 165 of the mobile 164 and the transfer pinion 168 cooperates with the four teeth of the drive wheel 166.

A second group of concentric mobiles, cooperating with the mobiles of the first group of mobiles, comprises a transmission crown 172 comprising an internal toothing of forty-eight teeth engaged with the transfer pinion 168. This transmission crown 172 is angularly integral with a crown for the duration of the months 173, the internal teeth of which comprise three groups of three teeth and a group of two teeth occupying the angular positions corresponding to the month of February and four isolated teeth situated in the angular zone corresponding to the months of 30 days between each of these groups of two or three teeth.

The transmission crown 172 has an external toothing of seven teeth, a group of three corresponding to the months of February and four isolated teeth corresponding to the months of thirty days. This transfer crown 172 thus constitutes a second crown for the duration of the months. The crown for the duration of the months 173 still has an external toothing of forty-eight teeth.

A third group of mobiles, also coaxial with the first group of mobiles, consists of a crown of the months 175 with internal toothing of forty-eight teeth and carrying out a revolution in four years. This crown of the months 175 bears on its upper surface coded indications A, B, C and S corresponding to a year within a cycle of four years and four series of figures from 1 to 12 corresponding to the months.

A fourth group of mobiles has loose pivots on an axis 179, a pinion of eight teeth 180 meshing with the internal toothing of the transmission crown 172 as well as a pinion of two teeth 181 meshing with the toothing of the crown of the months 175.

A fifth group of mobiles is formed by a pinion 190 pivoted on an axis 191 and engaged with the external toothing of the crown for the duration of months 173 and cooperating with the external toothing of the transmission crown 172. This eighth embodiment of the mechanism operates on the same principle as the other embodiments described in the foregoing. What differs is that the date wheel 162 has thirty-two teeth and that the date disc has the numbers from 1 to 31 plus a sector comprising the notch 163a. When this notch 163a is opposite a window 182 which the periphery of the dial comprises, this notch 163a reveals a portion of the upper surface of the crown of the months 175 bearing the codes corresponding to the year in a cycle of four and of the current month.

In this embodiment, the date wheel 162 is driven by three separate tracks.

On the one hand, this date wheel 162 is driven at the rate of one step per day by the drive tooth 170 actuated by the PTO 167.

Secondly, this date wheel 162 is driven on the night of 31 to 1 of each month by the drive pinion 169 and the single tooth 165 of the additional mobile 164 by an additional step. This corrects the presence of the thirty-second tooth of the date wheel 162 which therefore advances by an additional step per month between the 31st and the 1st of each month. If the date change is obtained automatically by the PTO, this process is not visible because it is carried out in a fraction of a second. If, on the other hand, the calendar is actuated by hand by the time-setting crown, it is possible by slowly turning this crown between the 15th and the 16th of the month to display the codes corresponding to the year and the months through the notch 163a and the window. In FIG. 71 we see the intermediate position between the 1 and the 31 where the notch 163a of the date disc 163 is opposite the window 182 and where the code of the current year and of the current month appears carried by the crown of the months 175. This crown of the months 175 is driven by the transmission crown 172, the first pinion of eight teeth 180 and the second pinion of two teeth 181 which is angularly integral with it. This crown of 175 months goes around in four years. Finally, during the last four days of each month the date wheel 162 can be driven by the drive pinion 169, the crown for the duration of the months 173, the pinion 190, the transfer pinion 168, the transmission crown 172 and the control crown 166 from 1 to 3 additional steps depending on whether the current month has 1, 2 or three days less than the maximum number of thirty-one days. This drive can however only take place if one of the teeth of the crown for the duration of the months 173 is in position to mesh with the drive pinion 169. This kinematic connection constitutes the gear train. In this embodiment, the transmission crown 172 with the seven outer teeth serves as a selector. It gives the months of less than 31 days an impetus to the crown for the duration of the months 173 which is then driven by the PTO.

In this embodiment, the date wheel 162 could have more than one additional tooth, for example four or more. In this case, the additional mobile 164 has a number of teeth 165 equal to the number of additional teeth of the date wheel 162. The date disc 163 then has a number of notches 163a equal to the number of additional teeth of the date wheel dates 162. The teeth 165 and the notches 163a can be uniformly distributed around the circumference of the additional mobile 164 and of the date disc 163. Thus, the user when he wishes to know the year in a four-year cycle and the current month, can have access to this information quickly by rotating the date disc with an angular value of at most 1/4 or 1/8 of a turn using the winding crown.

This eighth embodiment also comprises a sixth group of concentric mobiles and coaxial with the first group of mobiles comprising a day wheel 192 secured to a tube 193 pivoted on the barrel 161 and carrying at its upper end a disc for displaying the 194 days. This disc from 194 days includes, written radially, the name of the days which appear in a second window of the dial more in the center than that 182 revealing the date or the code of the year.

The day wheel 193 has a toothing of seven teeth cooperating with the pinion of two teeth 194 rotated by the PTO 167. This eighth group of mobiles can be deleted if the name of the days must not be displayed.

Collars 195, 196, 197 and 198 maintain the angular position of the crown of the months 175, of the date wheel 162, of the transmission crown 172 and of the crown of the duration of the months 173 between two successive actuations.

Many modifications can be made to this mechanism without departing from the scope of the protection claimed. In particular, this mechanism can be completed by secular and / or millennial cogs as described above, similarly the PTO drive can be carried out as described in the foregoing.

All the embodiments and variants of the perpetual calendar mechanism described make it possible to resolve the goals set and have in particular the following advantages and characteristics: - The mechanism is reversible, that is to say that it can be driven during manual time setting one way or the other at any time.

- The change of day, date, month and year is done instantly at midnight in a fraction of a second.

- It can be used indifferently with mechanical, electric or electromechanical clock movements.

- It has a very high operating security due to the fact that all of its moving components are cogs or gears that are easy to manufacture, assemble and adjust. - It is simple due to the simplicity of its components, the low number of parts, which makes it inexpensive to manufacture.

- It can be indifferently executed in an annual, perpetual or secular calendar by the simple addition of the corresponding cogs. - It can be in the form of a module that can be adapted to a watch movement or be integrated into the watch movement itself.

- The setting of the day indication can be done by the winding crown of the clock movement. There is no correction pusher.

Of course, many minor modifications can be made to the mechanisms described without going beyond the scope of the protection claimed.

Claims

claims

1. Perpetual calendar mechanism actuated from a PTO and displaying at least the date of the day, characterized in that it consists exclusively of rotary mobiles formed by gears; that one of these gears is a date wheel driving a movable date display member; by the fact that this date wheel is driven instantaneously at the rate of one step per day corresponding to the angular value of a day by a drive member; by the fact that at least one other of these gears is a mobile of the duration of the months driven on the last four days of the month by a control member secured to the date wheel, this mobile of the duration of the months comprising a toothing formed at least one set of groups of teeth, each of these groups corresponding to a month of the year and the number of teeth of each group depending on the number of days in the corresponding month; and by the fact that the date wheel is instantaneously driven at the end of months of less than thirty-one days by a number of steps corresponding to the difference between thirty-one and the number of days in the month considered by a take-up train comprising at least one drive pinion, the mobile for the duration of the months and the control member.

2. Mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises, mounted fixed on an axis (23), a first drive pinion (9,25.62) and a drive tooth (2,24,64) , activating the date wheel (1, 31).

3. Mechanism according to claim 1 and claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a first group of mobiles formed by a day wheel (4,27,71) driven by the first drive pinion (9, 25.62) and causing the movable member (16.73) to display the days.

4. Mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a second group of mobiles formed of two mobiles, one consisting of a first drive wheel (29) engaged with the drive pinion (25) and the other comprising a control wheel (30), the toothing of which comprises a group of four teeth, the date wheel

(31) and a month indexing wheel (32), having a toothing with one tooth, and driving the movable display member (18) of the date.

5. Mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a third group of mobiles comprising a second drive pinion (35) engaged with the first drive wheel (29), a drive pinion for dates (36) cooperating with the four-tooth toothing of the control wheel (30) and a month drive pinion (37) driven by the single tooth of the month indexing wheel (32).

6. Mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises a fourth group of concentric mobiles formed by two mobiles, a first mobile comprising a month wheel (39) driving the mobile member for displaying the months and years (20) and meshing with the driving pinion of the months (37) as well as an eccentric (40) comprising a truncated cylindrical wall whose cylindrical part extends over 270 °, this first mobile carrying out a revolution in four years , and a second mobile comprising a transmission wheel (41) meshing with the date drive pinion (36) and making one revolution per year, this transmission wheel being integral with a first wheel for the duration of the months (42), the toothing of which comprises a group of two teeth corresponding to the month of February and four isolated teeth positioned to correspond to the months of thirty days, this toothing cooperating with the second drive pinion (35).

7. Mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that the wheel for the duration of the months (42) comprises a retractable tooth (43) held in the service position against an elastic action (44) by the cylindrical wall of the eccentric (40).

8. Mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises a fourth group of mobiles comprising three mobiles, the first formed by a month wheel (39) having a toothing in engagement with the drive pinion for months ( 37) and performing a tour in four years; the second formed of three angularly integral wheels and making one revolution per year, an indexing wheel for the years (48) comprising only one tooth, a transmission wheel (41) comprising a toothing in engagement with the drive pinion dates (36) and a wheel for the duration of the months (47) comprising a toothing formed by a group of two teeth corresponding to the month of February and four isolated teeth corresponding to the month of thirty days, this toothing of the wheel of the duration of months (47) cooperating with the second drive pinion (35); the third mobile being formed by a second drive wheel (46) having a toothing in engagement with the second drive pinion (35).

9. Mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that it also comprises a fifth group of mobiles comprising three pinions angularly integral with each other, a first and a second leap drive pinion (50,51) with three teeth distributed over 4/7 of their periphery meshing respectively with the second drive wheel (46) and the transmission wheel (41) and a third leap drive pinion (52) cooperating with the four-year indexing wheel (48).

10. Mechanism according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first drive pinion (25), the second drive pinion (35), the date drive pinion (36), the pinion d month drive (37) and the third leap drive pinion (52) all have seven teeth; by the fact that the date wheel (31) has thirty-one teeth and that the month wheel (39) and the transmission wheel (41) have forty eight teeth.

11. Mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises a fourth group of concentric mobiles comprising three mobiles, the first formed by a month wheel (39) having a toothing in engagement with the drive pinion of the months (37) and carrying out a revolution in four years; the second formed by a second transmission wheel (57) having a toothing meshing with the date drive pinion (36), this second transmission wheel (57) being angularly integral with a second wheel for the duration of the months (56) comprising a toothing formed by a group of three teeth corresponding to the month of February and four isolated teeth corresponding to the months of thirty days; and the third formed by a first transmission wheel (54) integral with a first wheel for the duration of the months (53), the toothing of which is formed by four sets of teeth, three sets comprising a group of three teeth corresponding to the months of February normal and four isolated teeth corresponding to the months of thirty days, and the fourth set comprising a group of two teeth corresponding to the month of February of leap years and four isolated teeth corresponding to the months of thirty days, this toothing cooperating with the second drive pinion (35).

12. Mechanism according to claim 1 1, characterized in that it comprises a fifth group of mobiles comprising a control pinion (59) whose teeth cooperate simultaneously with those of the first transmission wheel (54) and of the second month duration wheel (56).

13. Mechanism according to claim 12, characterized in that the first drive pinion (25), the second drive pinion (35), the date drive pinion (36), the drive pinion of month (37) and the drive pinion (59) all have seven teeth and the month wheel (39) and the transmission wheel (54) have a toothing of forty eight teeth.

14. Mechanism according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the PTO comprises a first and a second drive pinions

(62,63) as well as the drive tooth (64).

15. Mechanism according to claim 14, characterized in that it comprises a first group of concentric mobiles pivoted around a barrel (C) driven into the plate comprising a day wheel

(71) integral with a barrel (72) carrying the movable day display member (73); a years wheel (74) integral with a barrel (75), pivoted around the barrel (72), and carrying a movable member for displaying the year in a four-year cycle; and a month wheel (77) whose barrel (78) pivoted around the barrel (75) carries a movable member for displaying the month

(79).

16. Mechanism according to claim 15, characterized in that this first group of mobiles also comprises a date crown (80) comprising an external toothing of thirty-one teeth and an internal toothing of a single tooth, the external toothing of this crown (80) cooperating with the drive tooth (64), this date crown (80) carrying a movable member of the date display; and a control crown (81), angularly integral with the date crown (80), comprising an external toothing formed by a group of four teeth cooperating with the date drive pinion (65).

17. Mechanism according to claim 16, characterized in that it comprises a second group of movable pivots about an axis (66) driven into the plate comprising; an eight-tooth month drive gear (83) engaged with the month wheel (77) and cooperating with the tooth in the internal toothing of the date crown (80); and a years drive pinion (84) with two diametrically opposite teeth cooperating with the years wheel (74); these two pinions (83,84) being angularly integral with one another.

18. Mechanism according to claim 17, characterized in that it comprises a third group of movable pivots about an axis (67) comprising a first drive pinion for the days (86), the teeth of which comprise a group of two teeth cooperating with the day wheel (74); this pinion (86) being angularly integral with a second drive pinion for the days (87) of seven teeth.

19. Mechanism according to claim 18, characterized in that it comprises a fourth group of mobiles constituted by a drive wheel (88) having a toothing in engagement with the second drive pinion for days (87).

20. Mechanism according to claim 19, characterized in that it comprises a fifth group of mobiles comprising a first mobile formed by a drive ring (89) having an internal toothing in engagement with the first drive pinion ( 62); and a second mobile comprising three crowns angularly integral with one another, a crown of the duration of the months (90) comprising an internal toothing formed by a group of two teeth and four isolated teeth corresponding respectively to the months of February and in the months of thirty days, this internal toothing cooperating with the second drive pinion (63); a transmission crown (91) having an internal toothing in engagement with the date drive pinion (65); and a four-year indexing crown (92) having an internal toothing of a single tooth.

21. Mechanism according to claim 20, characterized in that it comprises a sixth group of mobiles constituted by three pinions fixed angularly to each other and pivot around an axis (69) either; a first leap drive pinion (93) of three teeth arranged on 4/7 of their circumference and cooperating with the drive crown (89); a second leap drive pinion (94) also of three teeth arranged on 4/7 of their circumference and cooperating with the teeth of the transmission crown (91); and a third leap drive pinion (95) of seven teeth cooperating with the single internal tooth of the four-year indexing crown (92); as well as a seventh group of mobiles formed by a tooth drive pinion (65) pivotally idle on an axis (60a) meshing with the transmission crown (91) and cooperating with the control crown (81).

22. Mechanism according to claims 15 to 21, characterized in that the mobiles of the first and fifth groups are coaxial.

23. Mechanism according to claims 15 to 22, characterized in that its display comprises at least one fixed window in the dial and four mobile display members carrying indications appearing successively in this window, a date display member ( 82), a month display unit (79), a year display unit in a four-year cycle (76) and a day display unit (73).

24. Mechanism according to claim 23, characterized in that in normal operation only the date and the name of the day are visible in the window of the dial and that when the day and date change appear in this window the date, the month and year in the four-year cycle.

25. Mechanism according to one of claims 1, 2,9,12 or 21, characterized in that the group of mobiles comprising the mobile (s) for the duration of the months (6; 16; 47; 53.56; 90 ;) also includes a four-year indexing mobile (100) causing a centuries-old train requiring the date wheel (31) to advance an additional step on February twenty-eight of the years 2100, 2200, 2300, 2500, 2600, 2700, 2900 etc.

26. Mechanism according to claim 25, characterized in that this age-old train comprises a transfer pinion (101) driven by the four-year indexing wheel (100) integral with the month wheel (39) and meshing with a transfer wheel (103) integral with a hundred year indexing wheel (105) having a tooth driving an intermediate transfer pinion (109) angularly integral with an upper transfer pinion (107) cooperating with the date wheel (31) and a lower transfer pinion (108) cooperating with the first drive wheel (29) and by the fact that the upper transfer pinions

(107) and lower (108) have three teeth distributed over 4/7 of their circumference.

27. Mechanism according to claim 25, characterized in that this age-old train comprises a transfer pinion (101) driven by the four-year indexing wheel (100) integral with the month wheel (39) and meshing with a transfer wheel (103) secured to a hundred year indexing wheel (105) to a tooth driving a pinion (131) angularly secured to a pinion (137) engaged with a wheel (138) angularly secured to the transfer wheel (103) and the hundred year indexing wheel (105).

28. Mechanism according to claim 27, characterized in that this age-old train further comprises an eccentric (131) angularly integral with the transfer wheel (103), the hundred year indexing wheel (105) and the wheel (138) comprising over 270 ° of its periphery a cylindrical surface, the rest being truncated, this eccentric cooperating with a retractable tooth (133) subjected to an elastic return action (134), and by the fact that when this retractable tooth ( 133) is in the active position it cooperates simultaneously with a pinion (135) meshing with the date wheel (31) and a pinion (136) meshing with the first drive wheel (139).

29. Mechanism according to one of claims 1, 2,9,12,21, 26 or 28, characterized in that it also comprises a vintage display mechanism comprising a gear for transferring the years (1 10) driven by the years indexing wheel (48) and meshing with a transfer wheel (1 12) meshing with a pinion of the units (114) integral with a first index to a tooth (117) and carrying a disc of the units (116) carrying at its periphery the series of numbers from 0 to 9; by the fact that the first index (117) drives a tens pinion (1 18) carrying a tens display disc (121) provided with a series of numbers from 0 to

9 and secured to a second index to a tooth (120); by the fact that this second index (120) drives a pinion of hundreds (122) carrying a hundreds display disc (124) provided with a series of numbers from 0 to 9 and integral with a third index (125) comprising a tooth driving a thousands pinion (127) carrying a display disc (129) thousands of the vintage.

30. Mechanism according to claim 29, characterized in that the dial (21) comprises at least one window simultaneously revealing a number from each of the display discs (116,121, 124,129) to indicate the current year.

31. Mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a crown for the duration of the months (5) having an internal toothing (6) of forty eight teeth cooperating with a control pin (7) of the wheel of the dates (1) during the last four days of each month; by the fact that this crown for the duration of the months (5) comprises an external toothing of twenty seven teeth (8) comprising three sets formed by a group of three teeth corresponding to the months of February and four isolated teeth corresponding to the months of thirty days and a fourth set formed by two teeth corresponding to the months of February and four isolated teeth corresponding to the months of thirty days; and by the fact that this external toothing of the crown for the duration of the months (5) cooperates with the first pinion (9).

32. Mechanism according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an electric motor driving the PTO controlled electronically or electromechanically.

33. Mechanism according to one of claims 1 to 31, characterized in that it comprises a gear train for actuating the PTO from a clockwork movement.

34. Mechanism according to claim 33, characterized in that the gear train for actuating the power take-off comprises a multiplicative kinematic link (142,143,144,145) driven by the internal toothing of a date crown of the clock movement (140) causing for each step of this crown (140) an instantaneous complete rotation of the pinion (3) of the PTO.

35. Mechanism according to claim 33, characterized in that the gear train for actuating the power take-off comprises a floating crown (146) around a hub (147) comprising a stop (148) cooperating with a pin stop (149) to determine the cycle start position of this floating crown (146); by the fact that this floating crown (146) has a first internal partial toothing (151) cooperating with a winding mobile (153,156) and a second internal partial toothing (152) cooperating with the PTO gear (3) ; by the fact that the floating crown (146) is subjected to the return action of a spiral spring (150); by the fact that the winding mobile comprises a wheel (153) driven at the rate of one revolution per day by the hour wheel (154) via a mobile (155); and by the fact that this winding mobile also comprises a driver (156) comprising teeth distributed over a part of its periphery and meshing with the first internal toothing (151) of the floating crown (146) and a solid part on the rest of its periphery which is of larger diameter than that where the top of the four teeth of this coach (156) is found causing the radial displacement of the floating crown (146) and the meshing of its second internal toothing (152) with the pinion (3) of the PTO before releasing the floating crown (146) which returns to its position at the start of the cycle under the action of the spiral spring (150) by driving the pinion (3) by one turn.

36. Mechanism according to one of claims 1 to 13 or 14, characterized in that the PTO performs a complete revolution instantaneously at midnight each day.

37. Mechanism according to claim 36, characterized in that this power take-off is formed by a pinion (3) angularly integral with the first drive pinion (25).

38. Mechanism according to claim 36, characterized by the fact that this power take-off is formed by a kinematic connection driving each day instantaneously at midnight the day wheel (27), the first drive wheel (29) or the second drive wheel (46) having an angular value corresponding to a step of one day.

39. Mechanism according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a first group of mobiles comprising a date disc (163), a date wheel (162), an additional mobile (164) and a four-tooth drive wheel (166).

40. Mechanism according to claim 39, characterized in that the date wheel (162) comprises at least one additional tooth and that the date disc (163) comprises at least 32 sectors, 31 of these bearing the numbers of 1 to 31 and the additional sectors being constituted by a notch (163a).

41. Mechanism according to one of claims 39 or 40, characterized in that it comprises a power take-off (167) axially integral with a drive pinion (169) and a drive tooth (170 ), the drive tooth cooperating with the toothing of the date wheel (162) and the drive pinion cooperating with the tooth or teeth (165) of the mobile to an additional tooth (164); a transfer pinion (168) is pivotally idle on the axis of this PTO (171).

42. Mechanism according to one of claims 39 to 41, characterized in that it comprises a second group of mobiles comprising a transmission crown (172) angularly integral with a crown for the duration of the months (173) comprising a toothing having a group of two teeth corresponding to the month of February and four isolated teeth corresponding to the months of 30 days, this crown for the duration of the months (177) cooperating with the drive pinion (169) and the transmission crown (172 ) meshing with the transfer pinion (168); and by the fact that these mobiles (172 and 173) are coaxial with the mobiles of the first group of mobiles (162,163,164,166).

43. Mechanism according to claim 42, characterized in that it comprises a third group of mobiles comprising a month crown (175) driving a ring (177), this month crown (175) and this ring (177) being coaxial with the mobiles of the first (162,163,164,166) and second (172,173) groups of mobiles.

44. Mechanism according to claim 43, characterized in that it comprises a fourth group of mobiles comprising a first pinion

(180) meshing with the transmission crown (172) angularly secured to a second pinion (181) meshing with the months crown (175).

45. Mechanism according to claim 42, 43 or 44, characterized in that it comprises a retractable tooth (174) sliding in the crown for the duration of the months (173) between an active position for which it is located after of the group of two teeth of this crown (173) and a retracted position.

46. Mechanism according to claim 45, characterized in that the retractable tooth (174) cooperates with the internal surface of the ring (177), this internal surface having a recess (178) on VA of its circumference.

47. Mechanism according to claim 46, characterized in that it comprises a single window (182) made in the dial revealing successively the numbers from 1 to 31 of the date disc (163) and, when a notch (163a ) of this disc is opposite the aperture (181), the code of the years and months written on the upper surface of the month wheel (175) located immediately below the date disc (163).

48. Mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises mounted on an axis (171) a drive pinion (169) and a drive tooth (170); a transfer pinion (168) being mounted idly on this axis (171); by the fact that it comprises a first group of four concentric and angularly fixed mobiles comprising a date disc (163) having at least 32 sectors, 31 of these bearing the numbers from 1 to 31 and the additional sectors each being made up by a notch (163a), a date wheel (162) comprising at least 32 teeth cooperating with the drive tooth

(170), an additional mobile (164) comprising at least one tooth cooperating with the drive pinion (169) and a drive wheel with four teeth (166) cooperating with the transfer pinion (168); by the fact that it comprises a second group of mobiles concentric with one another and coaxial with the mobiles of the first group of mobiles comprising three mobiles, a crown of the months (175), a crown of the duration of the months (173) comprising an internal toothing having several sets of teeth each comprising a group of teeth and four isolated teeth, this crown of the duration of the months cooperating with the drive pinion (169), and a crown of transmission (172) integral with the crown for the duration of the months (173) and meshing by its internal toothing with the transfer pinion (168); and by the fact that it comprises a third group of mobiles comprising a first pinion (180), meshing with the transmission crown (172), angularly integral with a second pinion (181) meshing with the months crown.

49. Mechanism according to claim 48, characterized in that it also comprises a fourth group of mobiles comprising idly pivoted on an axis (179) a pinion of eight teeth (180) meshing with the internal toothing of the transmission crown ( 172) and a two-tooth pinion (181) meshing with the crown of the months (175).

50. Mechanism according to claim 48 or claim 49, characterized in that it also comprises a fifth group of mobiles comprising a pinion (190) meshing with an external toothing of forty-eight teeth which comprises the crown of the duration of the months (173) and cooperating with an external toothing of the transfer crown (172) comprising a group of three teeth corresponding to the months of February and four isolated teeth corresponding to the months of thirty days; and by the fact that the internal toothing of the crown of the duration of the months (173) comprises four sets of groups of teeth, three sets comprising a group of three teeth and four isolated teeth corresponding to the normal years and one set comprising a group of two teeth and four isolated teeth corresponding to leap years.

51. Mechanism according to one of claims 48 to 50, characterized in that it also comprises a sixth group of concentric mobiles and coaxial with the first group of mobiles, comprising a day wheel (192) cooperating with a day pinion (194) integral with the axis (171) and a day disc (194) located above the central part of the date disc (163).

52. Mechanism according to one of claims 48 to 51, characterized in that it comprises a window made in the dial revealing successively the numbers from 1 to 31 of the date disc (163) and, when a notch ( 163a) of this disc is opposite the window (182), the code of the years and months written on the upper surface of the month wheel (175) located immediately below the date disc (163).

53. Mechanism according to claim 51 and claim 52, characterized in that the window of the dial, or a second window of this dial, lets appear successively the names of the days of the week carried by the days disk (194).