Regulating members for a mechanical timepiece, specifically a system based on magnetic interaction between a resonator, in a form of a tuning fork for example, and an escape wheel, as a magnetic escapement. In the system plural areas of magnetic interaction between the resonator and the escape wheel are arranged such that torques produced at the escape wheel by the interactions compensate each other if the escape wheel is not synchronized at the frequency of the resonator. This results in negligible torque in the escape wheel when the escape wheel rotates slowly in a direction of an arrow or opposite direction. This allows the timepiece to start with a low mainspring torque and without any start procedure or device and provides better resistance of the timepiece against a loss of synchronization in event of a shock.

The mechanical timepiece movement includes an escapement having a pallet-lever arranged to move alternately into abutment with two banking elements in locking periods. The pallet-lever carries at least a first permanent magnet and the timepiece movement further includes a first element and a second element of high magnetic permeability and a second magnet and a third magnet respectively integral with first and second elements of high magnetic permeability and each arranged on an opposite side to a first magnet relative to the respective elements of high magnetic permeability. This magnetic system generates, in a first part of a first half vibration of any vibration of the pallet-lever, an overall force of magnetic attraction, defining a magnetic draw additional to the mechanical draw generated by the escape wheel, and, in a second part of this first half vibration, an overall force of magnetic repulsion.

In a magnet assembly, and an angle detection system embodying such a magnet assembly, for detecting a rotational angle of a rotating shaft, first and second magnet portions are mounted on the shaft, and have geometrical shapes and respective magnetizations with various symmetry features.

The invention concerns an oscillator for a timepiece movement, comprising a staff rigidly connected to a balance carrying first and second bipolar magnets spaced apart from the staff and capable, depending on the angular position of the balance, of being positioned alternately within range of a magnetic field produced by a fixed bipolar magnet, the latter being located on the trajectory of the first and second bipolar magnets and being arranged in such a way that, when one of the bipolar magnets approaches the fixed bipolar magnet, identical polarities are located opposite each other in order to produce a repulsive force. The oscillator further comprises a pallet assembly and an escape wheel for establishing a kinematic connection between a source of energy of the timepiece movement and the balance staff, and arranged in such a way that the balance is capable of having a sustained periodic oscillating movement of an amplitude greater than 90 degrees.

Timepiece movement including a flexible strip resonator cooperating with a magnetic escapement mechanism, wherein an escape wheel set includes tangential magnetized areas repelling first magnetized areas of an inertial element of the resonator, this movement includes isochronism correction means combining the first magnetized areas and compensating magnets on the escape wheel set, each arranged in proximity to a tangential magnetized area and producing a leakage field in a different direction from that of the field of the tangential magnetized area, the leakage field intensity being low compared to that of the field of the second tangential magnetized area, and this leakage field interacting with one of the first magnetized areas to produce a low variation in the operation of the resonator mechanism.

Watch with a timepiece movement, a resonator mechanism, including a magnetic escapement mechanism including an escape wheel set including a magnetized track, with a succession of areas according to a scrolling period in which its magnetic features are repeated, each area including an increasing magnetic field ramp followed by a magnetic field barrier with an increasing field and of higher field gradient that that of the ramp, the track includes a continuous, closed magnetic layer over the entire periphery of the escape wheel set, of constant thickness and variable width, whose geometry defines these magnetic field ramps and barriers, this escape wheel set cooperating with a sprung balance via a pivoting magnetic stop member comprising a pole piece arranged to cooperate alternately with an internal track and an external track of the magnetic layer.

A timepiece escapement mechanism including a resonator and an escape wheel arranged to cooperate with this resonator directly or indirectly through a stopper forming part of this escapement mechanism, this escape wheel including a succession of tracks carrying magnetic or electrostatic field potential ramps arranged to cooperate with the resonator or respectively with the stopper, this escapement mechanism comprising a non-return device arranged to oppose the recoil of the escape wheel, and the stopper cooperates, on the one hand, with a plate forming part of the resonator and, on the other, with these magnetic or electrostatic field potential ramps by at least one pole shoe forming part of the stopper and arranged to move in the field corresponding to the magnetic or electrostatic field potential ramps.

A timepiece escapement mechanism including a resonator and an escape wheel arranged to cooperate with this resonator directly or indirectly through a stopper forming part of this escapement mechanism, this escape wheel including a succession of tracks carrying magnetic or electrostatic field potential ramps arranged to cooperate with the resonator or respectively with the stopper, this escapement mechanism comprising a non-return device arranged to oppose the recoil of the escape wheel, and the stopper cooperates, on the one hand, with a plate forming part of the resonator and, on the other, with these magnetic or electrostatic field potential ramps by at least one pole shoe forming part of the stopper and arranged to move in the field corresponding to the magnetic or electrostatic field potential ramps.

A method for orienting a timepiece component including ferromagnetic material, where, on both ends of this component, two magnetic fields each attract it onto a pole piece, with an unbalance in the intensity of these fields around this component, in order to create a differential in the forces thereon and to press one of these ends onto a contact surface of one of the pole pieces, and to hold the other end at a distance from the other pole piece. A magnetic pivot includes such a component with two ends. It includes a guide device with surfaces of two pole pieces each generating a magnetic field attracting one of these ends, the magnetic forces exerted on the two ends being of different intensity, in order to attract only one end into contact with only one of these pole piece surfaces.

The present invention concerns regulating members for a mechanical timepiece, specifically a system based on the magnetic interaction between a resonator, in the form of a tuning fork for example, and an escape wheel, called a magnetic escapement. The system is characterized in that there are several areas of magnetic interaction between the resonator and the escape wheel which are arranged such that the torques produced at the escape wheel by these interactions compensate each other if the escape wheel is not synchronized at the frequency of the resonator. This results in negligible torque in the escape wheel when the latter rotates slowly in the direction of the arrow or the opposite direction. This allows the timepiece to start with a low mainspring torque and without any start procedure or device and provides better resistance of the timepiece against a loss of synchronization in the event of a shock.