EP1625879B1 - Electronic watch able to count the golf score - Google Patents

Abstract

The wristwatch has an integrated circuit (20) generating control signals to be sent to a motor control circuit (25), to display information relating to golf play, by hour and minute hands (9, 10) during a golf mode. The hands (9, 10) respectively indicate number of strokes played at a given hole and number of holes in question. The circuit has a memory zone (23) storing scores at each hole in addition to total number of strokes played.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

The present invention relates to a portable electronic timepiece with a golf counter function comprising a case containing a watch movement surmounted by a dial. The watch movement comprises electronic circuits capable of generating time signals for motor means respectively controlling at least a first and a second analog display members. These are arranged above the dial to display the current time in a first mode of operation said time mode.

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

Watches having a golf counter function are already known from the prior art.

International patent application WO 94/21338 A1 describes an electronic watch with an analogue display enabling the wearer to count the number of strokes played during a round of golf.

A basic principle of the watch described in this patent application, which is common to all the embodiments described, is to use small eccentric counters on the dial, in the manner of a chronograph display, which are associated with small needles. The electronic circuits of the watch are arranged to control motor means driving these small needles, so that they indicate information relating to the practice of golf, in a golf counter mode of operation.

The international application further provides to implement a large central needle additional to complete the display of small hands in the golf mode, appropriate graduations being provided on a bezel and / or on the dial of the watch.

However, such an electronic device is complex to use, both from the point of view of its handling as reading its display. The understanding of the information displayed relating to the practice of golf quickly becomes complicated if one considers more particularly the number of graduations appearing on the watch, some of them being further reduced in size.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing a portable electronic timepiece providing its holder with information relating to golf practice in an intuitive and readable manner. This object is achieved by a timepiece having the technical features described in claim 1.

For this purpose, the invention provides in particular a portable electronic timepiece of the type mentioned above characterized in that it has a second mode of operation, or golf mode, in which the electronic circuits are arranged to produce signals control device for the motor means, for performing a display of information relating to the practice of golf, by the first and second analog display members.

In particular, the information relating to golf practice of interest to a player is the number of shots played on each hole and an indication of the number of the current hole.

Another object of the invention is to propose a portable electronic timepiece enabling the user to access, at a given moment, information relating to a golf game previously stored in a simple, fast and legible manner.

Thus, it is intended to provide the timepiece according to the present invention with a controller and storage means to allow the user to enter and store the data relating to the golf portion in progress. According to an advantageous characteristic of the present invention, the electronic circuits of the timepiece are also arranged to allow the user to view the previously stored data, such as the number of strokes played on any one of the preceding holes, in response to a predefined manipulation of the controller.

On the other hand, additional display means can be provided for displaying the value of the total number of shots played since the beginning of a game in progress. According to a preferred embodiment, such display means are made in the form of a digital display, visible through a suitable opening in the dial of the timepiece.

According to another preferred embodiment of the timepiece according to the present invention, provision is made to implement a third analog display member to indicate additional information relating to the practice of golf, this third display member eg indicating the second in the time mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

• la figure 1 représente une vue de face schématique d'une pièce d'horlogerie électronique portable selon un premier mode de réalisation préféré de la présente invention;
• la figure 1 a représente de manière schématique des éléments constitutifs de la pièce d'horlogerie électronique portable représentée sur la figure 1;
• la figure 2 représente un diagramme schématique général du circuit électronique de la pièce d'horlogerie électronique représentée sur la figure 1, et
• la figure 3 représente une vue de face schématique d'une pièce d'horlogerie électronique portable selon un second mode de réalisation préféré de la présente invention.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly on reading the detailed description which follows, made with reference to the accompanying drawings given by way of non-limiting examples and in which:

• Figure 1 shows a schematic front view of a portable electronic timepiece according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;
• Figure 1a schematically shows the constituent elements of the portable electronic timepiece shown in Figure 1;
• FIG. 2 represents a general schematic diagram of the electronic circuit of the electronic timepiece shown in FIG. 1, and
• FIG. 3 represents a schematic front view of a portable electronic timepiece according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 represents an example of a first preferred embodiment of a portable electronic timepiece or wristwatch according to the present invention.

The watch 1 is in appearance as a watch of conventional type. It comprises, in fact, a housing 2 which may, for example, be of the type background-middle molded plastic or metal, including horns 3 provided for the attachment of a bracelet 4 and including a movement watchmaker (not shown), a dial 5. The casing 2 is closed on its upper face by a lens 6 surmounted by a bezel 7 on its periphery. The watch 1 further comprises a control member 8, namely a crown rod, which can be used in particular as a pusher in addition to its conventional use in rotation.

The telescope 7 carries contiguous sectors including indications relating to different modes of operation of the watch 1. Indeed, according to a preferred embodiment, the telescope 7 can fulfill the function of an additional control member to make the selection in particular. the mode of operation of the watch 1.

The skilled person can implement the teaching of the EP 0 738 944 describing a bezel structure fulfilling the function of control member by the use of "reed" contacts, namely contacts involving interactions between permanent magnets. The teaching of this patent is indeed an example of non-limiting embodiment of a control member of this type particularly suitable for the implementation of the present invention.

The watch 1 also comprises three hands, respectively, for indicating the hours 9, minutes 10 and seconds 11, in a first mode of hourly operation.

The dial 5 carries first circular graduations 12 having numbers from 1 to 18, whose function will be explained later, and extending in the clockwise direction substantially between the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions. The dial also carries second circular graduations 13 having numbers from 0 to 12 and extending in the anti-clockwise rotation direction substantially between 8 hours and 4 hours. The second graduations 13 are here represented in the form of dots, however it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to the appearance shown and described for the graduations 12 and 13 of the dial 5 and, the skilled person can put any other suitable form of graduations without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The dial 5 also has an opening 14, generally called a large aperture, through which two portions of rings 15, 16 carrying numbers, respectively "3" and "8" appear in the configuration shown.

In the time mode, the opening 14 is used in combination with the rings 15, 16 to display the date.

The watch 1 according to the present invention comprises at least a second mode of operation, called golf mode, in which it can be used to count the points during golf practice.

According to the first preferred embodiment of the watch 1, in accordance with the present invention, the hands of hours 9 and 10 minutes are controlled to indicate, respectively, the number of shots played on a given hole of the golf course and the number of the hole in question, facing, respectively, seconds 13 and first 12 graduations of the dial 5. Thus, according to the example shown in Figure 1, the second graduations 13 have shapes reminiscent of the shape of a golf ball to allow the user to identify more quickly the information they indicate, namely the number of shots played on the hole in progress.

On the other hand, the second hand 11 is controlled in the golf mode so as to remain stationary next to the position corresponding to 9 o'clock to indicate to the wearer of the watch 1 that the hands of the hours 9 and 10 minutes n do not indicate the current time. Of course, the behavior of the seconds hand 11 in the golf mode is described in a non-limiting manner and the skilled person can predict a different behavior of this needle without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In the golf mode, the rings 15, 16 are controlled to indicate the total number of strokes played since the start of the course. Thus, in the example shown, the wearer of the watch 1 has already played 38 shots in total, while the minute hand 10 indicates that he is playing on the seventh hole of the course on which he has already played five times, this being indicated by the hour hand 9.

Figure 1a shows schematically the two rings 15, 16 and, more particularly, the inscriptions they carry. The inner ring 15 has, in addition to the inscriptions "0" to "3" of a conventional date disc, inscriptions dedicated to the practice of golf ranging from "4" to "13". Likewise, the outer ring 16 has, in addition to the conventional "0" to "9" inscriptions, inscriptions relating to the additional modes of operation of the watch 1 "n", "ff '," A "and" P ". The operation of the additional indications will be explained in detail below.

The implementation of the functions described above is explained in relation with FIG. 2 which represents a schematic diagram of the general structure of the electronic circuit of the electronic timepiece according to the present invention.

In general, the electronic circuit of the watch 1 includes an integrated circuit 20 comprising a controller circuit 21 capable of managing the conventional time functions of the watch 1 comprising, for this purpose, a time division circuit, the controller circuit 21 being connected in particular to a resonator 22 serving as a time base. From this time base, time information is produced by the controller circuit 21, in particular to provide the functions of the time mode as well as functionalities relating to additional modes of operation.

The integrated circuit 20 also comprises memory zones, in particular a first memory zone 23, which may optionally be of volatile type, in which calculation results carried out by the control circuit 21 are stored periodically. This first memory zone 23 is especially designed to store scores per hole as well as the total number of moves played, during the course of a round of golf. A particular architecture that can be envisaged for the memory zone 23 consists, for example, in providing in particular 18 registers, a register being associated with each hole of a golf course. In addition, an optional extra register may be provided for storing the value of the total number of moves played since the beginning of a game.

In the time mode, the controller circuit 21 is arranged to send signals adapted to a control circuit 25 of motor means, for example five bi-directional motors, so that the hands 9, 10 and 11 display the current time , while the rings 15 and 16 display the date opposite the large aperture 14.

Furthermore, the integrated circuit 20 of the watch comprises conventional means (not shown) for detecting pressures made by the user on the crown rod 8 and when the latter is rotated in one direction or the other. The latter is in position A at rest and has two extreme axial positions B, unstable, and C, stable.

On the other hand, according to the preferred embodiment described in connection with the representation of Figure 1, the bezel 7 of the watch 1 also performs the function of a control member. Thus, the integrated circuit 20 of the watch comprises conventional means for detecting the rotational movements of the telescope in one direction or the other. More specifically, the integrated circuit is arranged so that each sector carried by the bezel 7 corresponds to a particular operating mode of the watch 1. Preferably, the integrated circuit 20 is arranged so that, following a change mode, the current mode is the one corresponding to the indication of the sector arranged at 12 o'clock. Conventionally, the mode of operation selected by rotation of the telescope is activated in response to a short pressure exerted on the crown rod 8.

Preferably, it is expected that the time and golf modes are disabled when another mode of operation is activated by the above procedure, while the additional modes of operation are automatically disabled after a few seconds of inactivity, to return in the time mode.

According to the example provided by way of nonlimiting illustration, the bezel 7 comprises in particular successive sectors carrying the numbers ranging from "1" to "4". The use of these four sectors makes it possible to implement the golf watch function of the watch according to the present invention for a number of players ranging from 1 to 4. Thus, in the configuration represented in FIG. 1, the score corresponding to the second player is indicated by the display means of the watch to the extent that the sector bearing the number "2" is set at 12 o'clock. It is thus understood that, if the user rotates the telescope 7 to place the sector bearing the number "3" at 12 o'clock, then exerts a short pressure on the crown rod 8, the display means are controlled by the integrated circuit 20, via the engine control circuit 25 to display the score of the third player.

A sector of the telescope 7 bears the indication "time" and makes it possible to activate the time mode when it is placed at 12 o'clock before exerting a short pressure on the crown rod 8.

In addition, conventional means well known to those skilled in the art are implemented to allow a correction of the current time indicated by the needles 9 and 10, in time mode, when the stem-crown 8 is pulled in the position stable C.

On the other hand, when the current time correction mode is activated as indicated above, the inner ring 15 is preferably controlled to be positioned so that no inscription appears in the aperture 14 , while the outer ring 16 is arranged so that one of the above-mentioned "A" or "P" markings is visible through the opening 14. These inscriptions make it possible to inform the wearer of the watch as to the nature of the current 12-hour cycle, that is, if the current time indicated is "am" (ante meridiem) or "p.m." (post meridiem), which typically has an influence on when the displayed date change is made.

It can also be provided alternately or additionally that the indication of the 12-hour cycle can be effected by a display of the indication "12" for the morning and "24" for the afternoon by the rings 15 and 16 through the large window 14. In the second case, it can be provided that the passage from one type of display to another is made from the time mode, by the exercise of a long pressure on the rod. -couronne 8, then by its rotation to alternate the indications "A" and "24" in the large window for example.

Additional modes of operation of the watch 1 are further described herein by way of non-limiting example, the controller circuit 21 being programmed in a conventional manner to manage a perpetual calendar function. The bezel 7 of the watch 1 as represented in FIG. 1 thus comprises a sector bearing a "day" indication corresponding to a date adjustment function, a sector bearing the "month" indication corresponding to a display function of the date month in the main window, in order to correct the value, a similar function being provided for the setting of the current year through the positioning of a sector marked "year" at 12 o'clock. Preferably, the settings respective values of the date, the month and the year are conventionally made by rotating the stem-crown 8 once the desired function has been selected via the telescope 7. It is generally expected that the crown rod 8 must be in its pulled position C to be active in its adjustment function so as to avoid the risk of untimely manipulation.

A sector marked "alarm" is also shown for illustrative purposes on the telescope of FIG. 1, a predefined alarm hour then being indicated by the hands 9 and 10 when this sector is arranged at 12 o'clock. It is preferably provided that the setting of the alarm time can be changed by rotation of the crown rod 8 when the latter is arranged in its pulled position C, while the operating mode is set to "alarm". In this alarm display and adjustment mode, it is optionally provided that the rings 15 and 16 are used to indicate to the wearer of the watch the 12-hour cycle corresponding to the time set for the alarm. alarm, as well as in the current time correction mode.

An additional mode of operation is provided and activated by a disposition of the telescope 7 such that a sector marked "on-off" is set at 12 o'clock. This operating mode is provided to activate or deactivate the alarm function, preferably by rotating the crown rod 8 in its pulled position C. In this mode of operation also, the rings 15 and 16 are used to inform the wearer of the watch 1 on the status of the alarm function. The inner ring 15 is arranged so as to reveal the inscription "0" opposite the opening 14 while the outer ring 16 is arranged so as to show the indications "ff" or "n" following the alarm function is respectively deactivated or activated. Thus, in this mode "on-off", with each new rotation of the stem-crown 8 in one direction or the other, the ring 16 is rotated in one direction and then in the other so that the large alternatively, the counter indicates "Off" or "On" alternately, alternatively, the inner ring 15 may be provided with a specific "O" position rather than using the "0". "already used in the display of the date.

It is also possible to combine the two modes relating to the alarm in a single mode in which the display of the alarm time is indicated by the indication "On" or "Off" displayed in the opening 14. Similarly in this case, the alarm time can be adjusted by rotation of the stem-crown 8, the latter being arranged in its pulled position C. On the other hand, the activation state of the function of alarm can be directly modified by pressing on the stem-crown 8 in its pushed position B.

The operation of the watch 1 as a golf counter will now be described in more detail. As mentioned above, the golf counter function is activated when the bezel 7 of the watch 1 is placed so that one of the sectors marked "1" to "4" is located at 12 o'clock, as shown in FIG. is the case on the representation of Figure 1, the crown rod 8 is then briefly pressed to its pushed position B.

A preferred method of programming the integrated circuit 20 of the watch 1 according to the present invention is to provide that, in the golf mode, the passage of the information display relating to a given hole to the display of information relating to a another hole is made in response to a detection of the rotation of the stem-crown 8, the latter being disposed in its rest position A.

During a round of golf, when the watch 1 is in the golf mode, the integrated circuit 20 is programmed to increment a number of shots played for a given hole in response to the detection of a short pressure exerted on the crown rod 8 bringing it into its pushed position B.

At the same time, the integrated circuit 20 is also programmed to memorize the value of the total number of shots played from the beginning of a game and, to produce a suitable electrical signal to the control circuit 25 of the motors. On the basis of this signal, the control circuit of the motors drives the rings 15 and 16 so that they display this value through the opening 14. Thus, each short pressure exerted on the crown rod 8 during the game has the effect of incrementing not only the value of the number of strokes played on a given hole, but also the value of the total number of strokes played since the beginning of the game.

Initially, it is provided in a non-limiting manner that the values previously stored for the number of shots played per hole and for the entire corresponding course can be reset to zero in the memory zone 23. For this purpose, the user must activate the golf mode for a given player and apply a long pressure on the stem-crown 8 to place it in its pushed position B, for a predefined period of the order of five seconds for example.

At the beginning of the game, when the wearer of the watch 1 activates the golf mode, the minute hand 10 is placed next to the indication "1" of the first graduations 12 of the dial 5. At the same time, the hand hours 9 is positioned next to the second graduations 13, at the value of the number of strokes played on the first hole in the previous part, while the seconds hand 11 is positioned opposite the 9 o'clock position. The bearer initiates then simply the values stored in the previous part by a long pressure on the stem-crown 8 before starting the new part.

At each stroke played on the first hole, the wearer of the watch exerts a short pressure on the stem-crown 8 to increment the value of the number of played moves stored. As already mentioned, the value displayed by the rings 15 and 16 through the opening is incremented simultaneously with the incrementation of the number of strokes played on the current hole. When the first hole is completed, the carrier rotates the crown rod 8, preferably in the clockwise direction, to increment the number of the current hole, until the minute hand 10 jumps next to the indication "2" of the first graduations 12. These operations are then repeated to the end of the game for each hole played.

At each moment of the game, the wearer can recall the scores corresponding to the holes already played, by rotation of the crown rod 8 in the counter-clockwise direction. The minute hand 10 then moves to the decreasing hole numbers while the hour hand 9 indicates, for each of the holes, the value of the number of played strokes memorized.

In addition to excellent readability of its display, the watch according to the present invention offers exceptional usability from the point of view of its use and the necessary manipulations to navigate in its various modes of operation.

Indeed, thanks to the particular arrangement of the integrated circuit 20 as well as the display means, it is possible to visualize at any moment of a part the numbers of shots played on each of the preceding holes, including the hole in progress. only by the implementation of elementary manipulations.

Of course, the skilled person is able to program as desired the integrated circuit 20 of the watch according to the present invention, to provide responses respectively adapted to different possible actions on the stem crown 8.

On the other hand, it can be noted that it is also possible for a single player to exploit the four positions corresponding to the sectors of the telescope 7 bearing the indications "1" to "4", each of these sectors then being associated with a given golf course.

According to a variant of the embodiment which has just been described, it is possible to provide a second memory zone 24 for storing the characteristics of a given path, in particular, in terms of par. It is indeed possible for the user to enter the par of each of the holes of a given course. For this purpose, when the shows is in the golf mode, the integrated circuit 20 of the watch is arranged to activate a mode "seized by" in response to the detection of a positioning of the stem-crown 8 in its drawn position C.

The second memory zone 24 is preferably of non-volatile reprogrammable type (Flash or EPROM, for example) to allow a later update of the stored data, especially when the user plays on a golf course different from that whose data is stored.

In addition, the architecture previously described in relation to the first memory zone 23 is also conceivable for the second memory zone 24, to memorize the associated per each of the 18 holes of a given golf course.

In the "capture by" mode, it can be optionally provided that the rings 15 and 16 are rotated by the control means of the motors 25 to reveal only the indication "P" carried by the outer ring 16 through the opening 14. Such an indication can indicate to the user of the watch 1 that the latter is in the input mode characteristics of the golf course.

Thus, when a given hole is selected, it is provided that the corresponding one can be grasped when the stem-crown 8 is rotated in its pulled position C. The value of par is incremented by rotation of the stem-crown in a first direction of rotation and decremented in the other direction. The value thus obtained is stored in the memory zone 24 when the crown rod 8 is depressed in its rest position A.

The integrated circuit 20 of the watch according to this embodiment variant can be programmed in such a way that the seconds hand 11 is also controlled to display information relating to the practice of golf in the golf mode. Indeed, it can be provided that the seconds hand 11 is controlled to indicate the number of the current hole next to the first graduations 12 of the dial 5, while the hands of hours 9 and 10 minutes are controlled to indicate respectively the values of the par and the number of strokes played on this hole, opposite the second ticks 13.

Such a distribution of the indications provided by the time display hands in the golf operating mode allows the watch according to the present invention to offer excellent readability to its user. In particular, the wearer of the watch can estimate at a glance his situation with respect to a given hole during a round of golf.

At the beginning of the game, when the wearer of the watch 1 activates the golf mode, the seconds hand 11 is placed next to the indication "1" of the first graduations 12 of the dial 5. At the same time, the hands of hours 9 and 10 minutes are positioned opposite the second graduations 13, respectively at the value of the number of strokes played on the first hole in the previous part and at the level of the value of the first hole stored in the second memory area 24. For the sake of simplicity, it will be assumed that the values of by preset at this stage correspond to the current golf course. The carrier then simply initializes the values, other than the par, stored in the previous part by a long pressure on the stem-crown 8 to place it in its pushed position B, before starting the new part.

Preferably, the manipulations to be performed on the crown rod 8 during the golf portion are identical to those described above and will not be repeated in detail.

On the other hand, it can be noted that it is also possible for a single player to exploit the four positions corresponding to the sectors of the telescope 7 bearing the indications "1" to "4", each of these sectors then being associated with a given golf course. For this purpose, it can be provided in a general manner that the stored values for the first player are, by default, automatically duplicated in the locations of the memory zone 24 corresponding to the other three players. If, however, only one player wishes to use the watch for several golf courses on which he is used to playing, he must enter new par values for the following courses, the new values entered overwriting the values memorized by default during the game. entering the values of the first course.

FIG. 3 represents a second embodiment of the electronic timepiece according to the present invention, in a view similar to the view of FIG. 1.

The timepiece or watch 100 according to this second embodiment has an outer appearance very close to that just described in connection with the first embodiment. As a result, the elements already described with reference to FIG. 1 bear the same numerical references in FIG. 3, for the sake of simplification.

The dial 5 carries an additional indication 101, "stableford" which distinguishes the present embodiment from that previously described. On the other hand, the first and second graduations 112 and 113 respectively extend over substantially shorter lengths than the graduations 12 and 13 of the first embodiment.

The watch 100 shows a further example of embodiment of the electronic timepiece according to the present invention, according to which the arrangement of the integrated circuit 20 is different from that which has just been described.

The rotating bezel 107 is similar to the bezel 7 of the first embodiment and also has ten contiguous sectors corresponding to different modes of operation of the watch 100.

The bezel has four sectors bearing the respective indications "1" to "4" and four additional sectors bearing the indications "init1", "init2", "init3" and "init4", these eight sectors corresponding to different functions of the mode. golf. A sector marked "time" is provided to activate the hourly mode of operation as well as a sector marked "alarm" to activate, deactivate or set an alarm function similar to that previously described.

Preferably, the crown rod 108 has four axial positions, a neutral or rest position, A, a pushed position B, a first drawn position C and a second drawn position D.

As the indication 101 suggests, the watch 100 according to the second embodiment allows the wearer to count the points of a golf game according to the so-called "stableford" method. Of course, the present invention is in no way limited to the strict application of the corresponding rules. Indeed, the skilled person can program the integrated circuit of the watch differently to apply different counting rules, such as a "modified stableford" method, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Preferably, it is expected that the integrated circuit 20 of the watch 100 is arranged to allow the wearer of the latter to choose between the conventional point counting system or the "stableford" system.

Figure 3 shows the appearance of the watch 100 in a given game configuration while the point counting system implemented is the conventional system.

In this case, it is expected that the hands of the hours 9, minutes 10 and seconds 11 respectively indicate the values of the current hole par and the number of strokes played on this hole, opposite the second graduations 113, and the number the current hole next to the first graduations 112.

Such a configuration provides an additional advantage from the point of view of legibility in that the par is permanently displayed for each current hole during the round of golf. Thus, the wearer of the watch 100 can have an idea, at a glance, of his situation on a given hole relative to the corresponding.

The manipulations of the crown rod 108 in this counting system are identical to those described in relation to the first embodiment.

Additional manipulations are however provided to allow the counting of points in the "stableford" counting system. In this counting system, each hole has a handicap value in addition to its par. It is anticipated that this handicap value may be adjusted for a given hole, from the golf mode, when the crown rod 108 is disposed in its second drawn position D, then rotated in either direction to increment or decrement. the value of the handicap.

The "stableford" counting system also includes a handicap value associated with each of the players. The values of the respective handicaps of four players can be entered and stored in the memory zone 23, when the bezel 107 is in a configuration such that the four respective sectors carrying the indications of "init1" to "init4" are arranged at 12 o'clock . In this case, the minute hand 10 is placed at first in front of the first graduations 112 to indicate the handicap of the selected player. When the crown rod 108 is disposed in its first drawn position C, its rotation then causes a modification of the handicap value of the player concerned.

Preferably, at the same time, the integrated circuit 20 produces a signal intended for the control circuit 25 of the motors to move the seconds hand 11 so that it is placed, immobile, facing the 9 o'clock position. , in other words superimposed on the indication 101 "stableford".

In addition, the memory zone 24 includes a program adapted to the counting of points according to the "stableford" method which allows the integrated circuit 20 to calculate the score of each player according to this method throughout a round of golf. Preferably, each player may consult his score "stableford" at any time by disposing the telescope 107 to display his handicap, as described above, the rings 15, 16 being controlled in this mode to simultaneously display the score value "stableford" through the big ticket office 14.

It may be noted that the electronic timepiece according to the present embodiment has different functionalities from that of the first embodiment while similarly offering a very readable display and very simple manipulations of the control elements to change the mode. operation or enter data.

As in the previous mode, the use of the same display members for the time mode and for the golf mode advantageously makes it possible to avoid an overloading of the dial 5 of the watch 100, while maintaining a size of characters, for the various indications, amply sufficient to ensure a good readability.

In addition, the subsequent exploitation of the data entered, such as the number of shots played on a given hole, is very user-friendly because of the structure of the storage of this information as well as the programming of the integrated circuit 20 according to the present invention.

The foregoing description corresponds to preferred embodiments of the invention and can in no way be considered as limiting, with particular reference to the structure described for the watch, the nature and the number of control members used or still the location of the graduations. It is possible to imagine variants in which the timepiece according to the present invention comprises additional functions such as a compass function for example. Likewise, the invention is not limited to the operating modes described and the means selected for their respective activations insofar as these parameters can be modified by appropriate programming of the controller circuit.

Claims (12)

1. Portable electronic timepiece (1, 100) with a golf score keeping function comprising a case (2) containing a watch movement above which there is mounted a dial (5), said watch movement including electronic circuits (20) able to generate time signals to be sent to motor means respectively controlling at least a first (9) and a second (10) analogue display member, said analogue display members being arranged above the dial (5) to display the current time in a first operating mode called the time mode, characterized in that said timepiece has a second operating mode, or golf mode, in which said electronic circuits (20) are arranged for generating control signals to be sent to said motor means (25), to display information relating to golf play, by said first (9) and second (10) analogue display members.
2. Timepiece (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes at least one control member (8) as well as storage means (23), said electronic circuits (20) being arranged in golf mode to produce first electrical signals to be sent to said motor means (25) on the basis of predefined manipulations of said control member (8), said electrical signals being representative in particular of the number of strokes played by the wearer of the timepiece for a given hole of a golf course, so that a first (10) of said analogue display members indicates the number of said hole, the second (9) of said analogue display members indicating the number of strokes played at said given hole, said electronic circuits also being arranged for transmitting said first electrical signals to said storage means (23) in order to store data representative of the number of strokes played for a given hole of said golf course.
3. Timepiece (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said electronic circuits (20) and said storage means (23) are arranged for storing said data relating to each of the holes of said golf course.
4. Timepiece (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that said electronic circuits (20) are further arranged for producing second electrical signals to be sent to said motor means (25), on the basis of said stored data and in response to a predefined manipulation of said control member (8), such that said first (10) of said analogue display members indicates a number of a previously played hole whereas said second (9) of said analogue display members indicates the corresponding number of strokes played.
5. Timepiece (1) according to any of claims 2 to 4, said control member being a stem-crown (8) having in particular a pushed-in position (B), characterized in that in the golf mode, said electronic circuits (20) are arranged so that a rotation of said stem-crown in the clockwise direction increments the hole number, a rotation of said stem-crown in the anti-clockwise direction decrements the hole number, whereas an application of pressure on the stem-crown causes an increment of the number of strokes played for a given hole.
6. Timepiece (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said dial (5) has an aperture (14) through which digital display means (15, 16) are visible, said digital display means (15, 16) being controlled by said electronic circuits (20) to display the total number of strokes played since the start of a game in golf mode.
7. Timepiece (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the digital display means (15, 16) are controlled, in said time mode, so as to indicate a date.
8. Timepiece (1) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that said digital display means include two concentric rings (15, 16) bearing figures and driven in rotation by said motor means (25).
9. Timepiece (1, 100) according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes at least a third analogue display member (11) controlled so as to indicate the second in said time mode and additional information relating to golf play in golf mode.
10. Timepiece (100) according to claim 9, characterized in that, in golf mode, said motor means are arranged for controlling a first (11) of said analogue display means such that it indicates the number of said hole, a second (10) of said analogue display means such that it indicates the number of strokes played at said given hole and, the third analogue display member (9) such that it indicates the corresponding par of said given hole.
11. Timepiece (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it includes at least a third analogue display member (11) controlled such that it indicates the second in said time mode and remains immobile opposite a predefined position in golf mode.
12. Timepiece (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further includes a rotating bezel (7) arranged for fulfilling the function of a control member when activated.

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