WATCHCASE BASE BODY, WATCH AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A WATCH

Abstract

A watchcase base body is formed from a mixed ceramic including titanium carbide and silicon carbide. A method for manufacturing a watch, wherein the watchcase base body is manufactured by liquid phase sintering.

Claims

1. A watchcase base body formed of a mixed ceramic including titanium carbide and silicon carbide.

2. The watchcase base body according to claim 1, wherein the watchcase base body comprises a ceramic granulate having a titanium carbide content of 50% to 70% and a silicon carbide content of 30% to 50%.

3. A watch having the watchcase base body according to claim 1.

4. The watch according to claim 3, further comprising a clockwork carrier including a clockwork that is arranged in the watchcase base body.

5. The watch according to claim 4, wherein the clockwork carrier further includes a crown, at least one pusher element, and/or a watchglass.

6. The watch according to claim 4, wherein the clockwork carrier is formed of titanium.

7. The watch according to claim 4, further comprising: two wristband fasteners mounted to the watchcase base body, wherein the two wristband fasteners are further configured to be fastened to a wristband, screws for fastening the clockwork carrier to the watchcase base body, wherein the screws are arranged in the wristband fasteners such that the screws are obstructed by the wristband fastened to the wristband fasteners.

8. The watchcase base body of claim 1, wherein the watchcase base body consists entirely of the mixed ceramic including titanium carbide and silicon carbide.

9. A method for manufacturing a watch, said method comprising forming, by liquid phase sintering, a watchcase base body of the watch from a mixed ceramic comprising titanium carbide and silicon carbide.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the watchcase base body is manufactured from a ceramic granulate having a titanium carbide content of 50% to 70% and a silicon carbide content of 30% to 50%.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the ceramic granulate is manufactured by spray granulation.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein forming the watchcase base body comprises: pressing a green body blank from a ceramic granulate, and forming a watchcase base body green body from the green body blank by mechanical processing.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising inserting into the watchcase base body a clockwork carrier having a clockwork, and then fastening the clockwork carrier to the watchcase base body.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, prior to inserting the clockwork carrier into the watchcase base body, the method comprises fastening a watchglass to the clockwork carrier.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein, after insertion of the clockwork carrier into the watchcase base body, the method further comprises fastening a crown and/or at least one pusher element onto the clockwork carrier.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the watchcase base body consists entirely of the mixed ceramic including titanium carbide and silicon carbide.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] An embodiment example of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying figures. The following are shown:

[0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded view of a watch according to aspects of the invention with a watchcase base body according to the invention,

[0023] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of the watch from FIG. 1, and

[0024] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a manufacturing process of the watchcase base body from FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a watch 100 having a watchcase base body 10. The watchcase base body 10 consists entirely of a mixed ceramic comprising titanium carbide and silicon carbide and is manufactured as schematically shown in FIG. 3.

[0026] The watchcase base body 10 is specifically manufactured from a ceramic granulate 1 having a titanium carbide content of 60% and a silicon carbide content of 40% and having been manufactured by spray granulation.

[0027] A green body blank 2 is manufactured from the ceramic granulate 1 in a step S1 by isostatic pressing. A watchcase base body green body 3 is subsequently formed from the green body blank 2 in a step S2 by means of mechanical processing. The watchcase base body green body 3 is subsequently liquid-phase-sintered in a step S3, whereby a watchcase base body blank 4 is created. By means of hard machining, the finished watchcase base body 10 is manufactured in a step S4 from the watchcase base body blank 4.

[0028] Two opposing wristband fasteners 12 are formed on the watchcase base body 10. Four screw passage openings 14, two pusher element passage openings 16, and a crown passage opening 18 are further configured in the watchcase base body 10. The screw passage openings 14 are arranged within the wristband fasteners 12 such that the screw passage openings 14 are obscured by a wristband (not shown here) fastened to the wristband fasteners 12.

[0029] In the assembled state of the watch 100, a substantially annular clockwork carrier 20 is arranged in the watchcase base body 10, which carrier consists of titanium and carries a clockwork (not shown herein) of the watch 100 in its interior. Four screw receptacles 22, two pusher element receptacles 24, and a crown receptacle 26 are configured on the clockwork carrier 20, which are arranged corresponding to the four screw passage openings 14, the two pusher element passage openings 16, and the crown passage opening 18 of the watchcase base body 10. A watchglass 28 is arranged on a front side of the clockwork carrier 20, and a lid 30 is arranged on a rear side of the clockwork carrier 20, each of which is fastened to the clockwork carrier 20.

[0030] When the watch 100 is assembled, the clockwork as well as any other present technology is mounted in the clockwork carrier 20, and the clockwork carrier 20 is subsequently closed by fastening the watchglass 28 and the lid 30. The pre-assembled clockwork carrier 20 is then inserted into the watchcase base body 10 and fastened to the watchcase base body 10 with the aid of four screws 32, each extending through screw passage openings 14 of the watchcase base body 10 and engaging one of the screw receptacles 22 of the clockwork carrier 20. Because the screw passage openings 14 are arranged within the wristband fasteners 12, the screws 14 are obscured by the wristband fastened to the wristband fasteners 12 in the fully assembled state of the watch 100.

[0031] After the clockwork carrier 20 has been inserted into the watchcase base body 10, two pusher elements 34 and a crown 36 are fastened to the clockwork carrier 20. The pusher elements 34 each extend through one of the pusher element passage openings 16 of the watchcase base body 10 and are fastened in one of the pusher element receptacles 24 of the clockwork carrier 20, and the crown 36 extends through the crown passage opening 18 of the watchcase base body 10 and is fastened in the crown receptacle 26 of the clockwork carrier 20.