The invention relates to a method which comprises the steps of providing a plate (2) made of a micromachinable material, forming the timepiece component (1) with at least one attachment (3) for keeping the component attached to the rest of the plate (2), by etching the plate (2); and creating, along a desired breakage line of the attachment, a pre-detachment area (4) comprising at least one gap (5) obtained by etching into the body of the plate (2).

Some embodiments are directed to adjusting the oscillation frequency of an oscillating system for a watch movement, including: selecting a hairspring, selecting a balance belonging to a predetermined class, without a balance rim, at least two weight elements for balancing in a predetermined batch, pairing the hairspring with the balance and the at least two weight elements, measuring an oscillation frequency of the oscillating system including the hairspring, the balance and the at least two weight elements, and selecting at least one of a balance of another class or of the at least two weight elements of another batch if the measured oscillation frequency does not correspond to a desired oscillation frequency.

A timepiece includes a mechanical oscillator, formed by a balance and a piezoelectric balance spring, and a regulating device for regulating the frequency of the mechanical oscillator which is arranged to be able to produce time-separated regulating pulses, each consisting of a momentary decrease in an electrical resistance applied by the regulating device between two electrodes of the balance spring relative to a nominal electrical resistance. Each regulating pulse produces a variation of rate which varies as a function of its moment of starting in a half-period of the mechanical oscillator, the characteristic function of this variation of rate relative to the moment of starting of at least one regulating pulse respectively in at least one half-period of the mechanical oscillator being negative in a first temporal zone of at least one half-period and positive in a second temporal zone of at least one half-period.

A timepiece resonator mechanism includes a structure carrying, via a flexible suspension system, an anchor unit to which is suspended an inertia element oscillating about a pivot axis extending in a first direction Z, in a first rotational degree of freedom RZ, under the action of the return forces of a flexure pivot including longitudinal elastic strips each fixed to this inertia element and to this anchor unit. The flexible suspension system includes, between the anchor unit and a first intermediate mass directly or indirectly fixed to the structure, a transverse translation table with a flexure bearing and including transverse strips or transverse flexible shafts which are rectilinear and extend in this second direction X orthogonal to the first direction Z and symmetrically around a transverse axis crossing this pivot axis.

A natural escapement (1) for a horological movement, including a first escapement wheel (8) driven by a second mobile (2), the first escapement wheel (8) in turn driving a second escapement wheel (12) arranged in the same plane as the first escapement wheel (8), an anchor (30) capable of pivoting around an anchor rod (32), the anchor (30) including means for temporarily locking the first escapement wheel (8) during a first alternation, and means for temporarily locking the second escapement wheel (12) during a second alternation, the anchor rod (32) being located outside an angle (α) less than 180° and delimited by two straight lines which pass through the axis (20) of the balance wheel (18) and through a pivot axis (6) of the first escapement wheel (8), and through the axis (20) of the balance wheel (18) and through a pivot axis (14) of the second escapement wheel (12).

A process for producing a metal alloy balance wheel by molding includes a) making a mold in the negative shape of the balance wheel; b) obtaining a metal alloy that has a thermal expansion coefficient of less than 25 ppm/° C. and is able to be in an at least partly amorphous state when it is heated to a temperature between its glass transition temperature and its crystallization temperature; c) putting the metal alloy into the mold, the metal alloy being heated to a temperature between its glass transition temperature and its crystallization temperature so as to be hot-molded and to form a balance wheel; d) cooling the metal alloy to obtain a balance wheel made of the metal alloy; and e) releasing the balance wheel obtained in step d) from its mold. The process also includes a step for over-molding flexible centering components in the hub.

A regulating member for a horological movement including an inertial mass, for example a balance, a balance spring, and an index-assembly system for adjusting the rate of the balance spring, the index-assembly system including a stud-holder including a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being movable relative to the second portion, wherein the regulating member includes locking device configured to block the second portion of the stud-holder in one position with respect to a plate of the movement.

A regulating member for a horological movement includes an inertial mass, for example a balance, a balance spring, and an index-assembly system for adjusting the rate of the balance spring, the balance spring including a coiled strip and a device for adjusting the rigidity of the balance spring fitted with a resilient element arranged in series with the coiled strip, the index-assembly system being configured to adjust the rate of the regulating member with a resolution lower than or equal to 1 second per day.

A balance spring for a balance with a blank containing: niobium: the remainder to 100 wt %, titanium: between 40 and 60 wt %, traces of elements selected from the group formed of O, H, C, Fe, Ta, N, Ni, Si, Cu, Al, between 0 and 1600 ppm by weight individually, and less than 0.3 wt % combined, a step of β-quenching the blank with a given diameter, such that the titanium of the alloy is essentially in solid solution form with β-phase niobium, the α-phase titanium content being less than or equal to 5% by volume, at least one deformation step of the alloy alternated with at least one heat treatment step such that the niobium and titanium alloy obtained has an elastic limit higher than or equal to 600 MPa and a modulus of elasticity lower than or equal to 100 GPa, a winding step to form the balance spring being performed prior to the final heat treatment step, prior to the deformation step, a step of depositing, on the alloy blank, a surface layer of a ductile material such as copper, the surface layer of ductile material being retained on the balance spring, the thermoelastic coefficient of the niobium and titanium alloy being adapted accordingly.

A one-piece silicon device with flexible blades (2, 3), in particular for timepieces, for example a pivot with crossed blades, and to a method for manufacturing the device (1). The method includes: forming (21) a one-piece silicon device (1) blank from a wafer of the SOI type, the device (1) including two flexible blades (2, 3), each formed in a different layer of the SOI wafer, the blades (2, 3) being arranged in two different substantially parallel planes, the blades (2, 3) being separated by a clearance (7); growing a first silicon oxide layer on the surface of at least one of the blades (2, 3) bordering the clearance, the first silicon oxide layer being formed from a first sub-layer of silicon of the one or more blades (2, 3); and removing the first silicon oxide layer to increase the clearance (7) between the two blades (2, 3).