The invention relates to a balance wheel-hairspring oscillator (10) comprising: a balance wheel shaft (18) intended to be pivotably mounted on a frame of a timepiece; a balance wheel (12) secured to the balance wheel shaft (18); a hairspring (14) comprising an inner end (14a) secured to the balance wheel shaft and an outer end (14b) intended to be connected to a connecting member (16) to said frame, and a transmission member (20, 22) arranged to interact with an escapement. The balance wheel (12) and the hairspring (16) are arranged on either side of the transmission member.

The invention relates to a balance wheel-hairspring oscillator (10) comprising: a balance wheel shaft (18) intended to be pivotably mounted on a frame of a timepiece; a balance wheel (12) secured to the balance wheel shaft (18); a hairspring (14) comprising an inner end (14a) secured to the balance wheel shaft and an outer end (14b) intended to be connected to a connecting member (16) to said frame, and a transmission member (20, 22) arranged to interact with an escapement. The balance wheel (12) and the hairspring (16) are arranged on either side of the transmission member.

A method for manufacturing a spiral spring may include: (a) providing a blank with an Nb—Ti core; (b) beta-quenching the blank; (c) deforming the blank in several sequences; (d) winding to form the spiral spring; (e) final heat treatment on the spiral spring. The blank in (a) may include a layer of X including Cu, Sn, Fe, Pt, Pd, Rh, Al, Au, Ni, Ag, Co and Cr or an alloy of one of these elements around the Nb—Ti core. The method may include heat treating to partially transform the layer of X into a layer of X, Ti intermetals around the Nb—Ti core, and may be carried out between (b) and (c) or between two sequences of (c). The method may include removing the part of the layer of X, which may be carried out between (b) and (c), between two sequences of (c) or between (c) and (d).

A horological movement (6) including: a plate (7); a mechanical resonator (8) including an oscillating balance (11) rotatably mounted relative to the plate (7), and a spiral spring (22) coupled to the balance (11); an electromagnetic regulator (29) coupled to the mechanical resonator (8) to regulate the frequency of the oscillations of the balance (11), and including at least one permanent magnet (30) fixedly mounted relative to the plate (7), at least one coil (31), a quartz or silicon resonator (32) and an electronic circuit (33) connected to the resonator (32) and to the coil (31), all mounted on the balance (11) while being completely included in an inner cavity (18) delimited by the latter.

A balance for a horological movement, including rigid parts constituted by a hub defining the pivot axis of the balance, at least one felloe sector, at least one arm connecting the at least one felloe sector to said hub, and including a slot for receiving and gripping in position an inertia-block, the slot opening into a housing delimited on the one hand by a rigid part of the balance, and on the other hand an elastic arm including a first end integral with a rigid part of the balance, and a second free distal end. The elastic arm can have a body of a non-constant section, a part of the body having a greater thickness than the rest of the elastic arm so as to have a larger volume of material under stress and store a maximum of elastic energy.

A regulator device (200) for a watch movement has (a) an inertial element (11) of a resonator (10) of inertia I, pivoted about a first axis (A1) and inscribed within a cylinder of diameter D centered on the first axis; (b) an escapement mobile (30) of inertia I3, pivoted about a second axis (A3) and inscribed within a cylinder of diameter D3 centered on the second axis; and (c) a blocking member having (i) a first blocking lever mobile (20a) of inertia I2a, pivoted about a third axis (A2a) and inscribed within a cylinder of diameter D2a centered on the third axis; and (ii) a second blocking lever mobile (20b) of inertia I2b, pivoted about a fourth axis (A2b), inscribed within a cylinder of diameter D2b centered on the fourth axis, the axes (A3, A2a, A2b) contained within a cylinder centered on the first axis (A1) and of diameter D′<D.

The method of manufacturing a timepiece shaft (1) includes grinding a ceramic piece, especially to form a balance shaft (1), having a functional portion (2a; 2b) including at least one part (221a; 221b) of a pivot-shank (22a; 22b) and/or at least one part (211a; 211b) of a pivot (21a; 21b), the first functional portion being made of ceramic and a first outer diameter (D1) of the first functional portion being less than 0.5 mm, or less than 0.4 mm, or less than 0.2 mm, or less than 0.1 mm.

The present invention relates to a spiral spring for a balance wheel made of an alloy of niobium and titanium with an essentially single-phase structure, and the method of manufacture thereof which comprises: a step of producing a blank in a niobium-based alloy consisting of: niobium: balance to 100 wt %, titanium: between 40 and 49 wt %, traces of elements selected from the group consisting of O, H, C, Fe, Ta, N, Ni, Si, Cu, Al, between 0 and 1600 ppm by weight individually, and cumulatively less than 0.3 wt %, a step of type β hardening of said blank at a given diameter, in such a way that the titanium of the niobium-based alloy is essentially in the form of a solid solution with niobium in β phase, the content of titanium in α phase being less than or equal to 10 vol %, at least one deformation step of said alloy alternating with at least one step of heat treatment, the number of steps of heat treatment and of deformation being limited so that the niobium-based alloy obtained retains a structure in which the titanium of the niobium-based alloy is essentially in the form of a solid solution with niobium in β phase, the content of titanium in α phase being less than or equal to 10 vol % and it has an elastic limit greater than or equal to 600 MPa and an elastic modulus less than or equal to 100 GPa, a step of winding to form the spiral spring being carried out before the last heat treatment step.

The present invention relates to a spiral spring for a balance wheel made of an alloy of niobium and titanium with an essentially single-phase structure, and the method of manufacture thereof which comprises: a step of producing a blank in a niobium-based alloy consisting of: niobium: balance to 100 wt %, titanium: between 40 and 49 wt %, traces of elements selected from the group consisting of O, H, C, Fe, Ta, N, Ni, Si, Cu, Al, between 0 and 1600 ppm by weight individually, and cumulatively less than 0.3 wt %, a step of type β hardening of said blank at a given diameter, in such a way that the titanium of the niobium-based alloy is essentially in the form of a solid solution with niobium in β phase, the content of titanium in α phase being less than or equal to 10 vol %, at least one deformation step of said alloy alternating with at least one step of heat treatment, the number of steps of heat treatment and of deformation being limited so that the niobium-based alloy obtained retains a structure in which the titanium of the niobium-based alloy is essentially in the form of a solid solution with niobium in β phase, the content of titanium in α phase being less than or equal to 10 vol % and it has an elastic limit greater than or equal to 600 MPa and an elastic modulus less than or equal to 100 GPa, a step of winding to form the spiral spring being carried out before the last heat treatment step.

A horological movement including a tourbillon or karussel frame carried by an arm subjected to the torque of a first energy source, and a second energy source driving a frame pitch mobile driving the frame, and, for periodically controlling a retrograde movement of the arm, a release mobile connected to the second energy source and cooperating at a pallet-stone with an interrupted cam that a cam mobile kinematically connected to this arm includes, to allow advancing the arm in a direct direction as long as the pallet-stone is resting on the cam, and to control a rapid retrograde return of this arm during a drop of the pallet-stone between two of its successive support surfaces on the cam.