A bearing for an arbor or staff of a rotary wheel set of a timepiece movement, the bearing including a bearing block provided with a housing and an endstone arranged inside the housing, the endstone having a main body provided with a cavity configured to receive a pivot of the arbor of the rotary wheel set, the pivot having the shape of a first cone having a first solid angle, the apex of the first cone being rounded with a predefined first radius of curvature in a range from 0.2 m to 50 m, the cavity having a second cone shape with a second solid angle, greater than the first solid angle, so that the pivot can rotate in the cavity, the apex of the second cone being rounded and having a predefined second radius of curvature. The second radius of curvature is smaller than the first radius of curvature.

A substrate for forming timepiece components includes a first part based on photostructurable glass and at least a second part based on at least one second material. One surface of the first part is made integral with a surface of the second part so as to form a one-piece timepiece component.

A substrate for forming timepiece components includes a first part based on photostructurable glass and at least a second part based on at least one second material. One surface of the first part is made integral with a surface of the second part so as to form a one-piece timepiece component.

A polycrystalline ceramic solely formed based on alumina, on chromium oxide and on magnesium oxide, where the polycrystalline ceramic contains between 0.8% and 1.2% of chromium oxide by total weight of the polycrystalline ceramic and between 0.03% and 0.09% of magnesium oxide by total weight of the polycrystalline ceramic, making it possible to obtain a red ceramic with a toughness (K.sub.c) at least equal to 2.8 MPa.Math.m.sup.1/2.

A polycrystalline ceramic solely formed based on alumina, on chromium oxide and on magnesium oxide, where the polycrystalline ceramic contains between 0.8% and 1.2% of chromium oxide by total weight of the polycrystalline ceramic and between 0.03% and 0.09% of magnesium oxide by total weight of the polycrystalline ceramic, making it possible to obtain a red ceramic with a toughness (K.sub.c) at least equal to 2.8 MPa.Math.m.sup.1/2.

The present invention relates to a shock-absorbing device for a staff of a wheel set of a timepiece arranged on a support, wherein said support is provided with an at least partially through slot for a pivot element cooperating with a pivot shank of the staff of the wheel set to be inserted therein, wherein said device additionally comprises a spring means comprising at least a first blade and a second blade.

A method for manufacturing a flexible strip, including forming a plate of the required thickness with one or more micromachinable substrate wafers; affixing, on either side of the plate, an upper mask with an upper window and a lower mask with a lower window, of identical geometry; etching the plate, at least to mid-thickness, from the upper side of each upper etching window, and from the side of each lower etching window; removing the upper mask and the lower mask, to delimit a flexible strip having a height equal to the thickness of the plate, and whose edges are as-etched. A flexible strip made of micromachinable material, including, between two parallel upper and lower surfaces, two peripheral, tapered and reverse-tapered edge surfaces, for a flexible pivot, a resonator, a movement or a watch.

A method for manufacturing a flexible strip, including forming a plate of the required thickness with one or more micromachinable substrate wafers; affixing, on either side of the plate, an upper mask with an upper window and a lower mask with a lower window, of identical geometry; etching the plate, at least to mid-thickness, from the upper side of each upper etching window, and from the side of each lower etching window; removing the upper mask and the lower mask, to delimit a flexible strip having a height equal to the thickness of the plate, and whose edges are as-etched. A flexible strip made of micromachinable material, including, between two parallel upper and lower surfaces, two peripheral, tapered and reverse-tapered edge surfaces, for a flexible pivot, a resonator, a movement or a watch.

A method for manufacturing a micromechanical timepiece part starting from a silicon-based substrate, including, forming pores on the surface of at least one part of a surface of said silicon-based substrate of a determined depth, entirely filling the pores with a material chosen from diamond, diamond-like carbon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, ceramics, polymers and mixtures thereof, in order to form, in the pores, a layer of the material of a thickness at least equal to the depth of the pores. A micromechanical timepiece part including a silicon-based substrate which has, on the surface of at least one part of a surface of the silicon-based substrate, pores of a determined depth, the pores being filled entirely with a layer of a material chosen from diamond, diamond-like carbon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, ceramics, polymers and mixtures thereof, of a thickness at least equal to the depth of the pores.

Timepiece sub-assembly including a component made of micromachinable material including an attachment area with a peripheral contact surface, and a shell element deformable between two shapes, one contracted and one expanded, arranged to hold the attachment area inside a housing with at least one degree of freedom, and which includes a complementary contact surface arranged, in its contracted shape, to exert a clamping force on the contact surface and to securely immobilise the attachment area in all directions, the shell element including a first element and a second element that are movable with respect to each other in its expanded shape, each including a complementary contact surface, and including clamping means for holding the first and second elements clamped together in its contracted shape.