METHOD FOR PRODUCING A WATCH GLASS HAVING AT LEAST ONE GEMSTONE

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a watch glass having at least one gemstone, comprising the steps of providing a support glass, providing a cover glass, introducing at least one recess into the support glass, providing at least one gemstone, inserting the at least one gemstone into the at least one recess in the support glass, placing the cover glass onto the support glass and securing the entire arrangement consisting of the support glass and the cover glass by means of a holding element surrounding a circumference of the entire arrangement. Furthermore, the invention relates to a watch glass which is produced by the method according to the invention.

Claims

1. A method for producing a watch glass having at least one gemstone, the method comprising: providing a carrier glass; providing a cover glass; forming at least one recess into the carrier glass; providing at least one gemstone; inserting the at least one gemstone into the at least one recess of the carrier glass; placing the cover glass onto the carrier glass; and fixing an entire arrangement composed of the carrier glass and the cover glass via a holding element which surrounds a circumference of the entire arrangement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein fixing the entire arrangement includes producing a cohesive connection between the holding element and the circumference of the entire arrangement.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the cohesive connection extends over an entire contact surface between the holding element and the circumference of the entire arrangement.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising forming the cohesive connection as an adhesive connection.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising producing a positively locking connection between the carrier glass and the cover glass via the holding element.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein producing the positively locking connection includes producing the positively locking connection as a screw connection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the holding element is a multi-part holding element.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the holding element includes at least a part of a watch housing.

9. (canceled)

10. The method of claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the carrier glass and an inner surface of the cover glass are of planar form at a contact point of the two glasses.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the carrier glass and an inner surface of the cover glass have identical and complementary curvatures.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the holding element is sleeve-shaped, and wherein the internal shape of the holding element corresponds to the external shape of the carrier glass and the cover glass.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact surfaces of the cover glass and the carrier glass are held together solely via the holding element.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the holding element includes a sleeve and a pedestal, wherein fixing the entire arrangement includes threadably engaging the sleeve with the pedestal.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising positioning the cover glass and the carrier glass between the sleeve and the pedestal.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the holding element presses the cover glass against the carrier glass via a contact point between a domed protuberance of the holding element and a bevel of the cover glass.

17. The method of claim 6, wherein the holding element is a multi-part holding element.

18. The method of claim 3, further comprising forming the cohesive connection as an adhesive connection.

19. The method of claim 2, wherein the holding element includes at least a part of a watch housing.

20. The method of claim 5, wherein the holding element includes at least a part of a watch housing.

21. The method of claim 7, wherein the holding element includes at least a part of the watch housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a watch, which comprises a watch glass with diamonds,

[0023] FIG. 2 shows a highly simplified, schematic sectional view of a watch glass composed of a cover glass and a carrier glass according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention in the assembled state,

[0024] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the watch glass according to the invention from FIG. 2 without diamonds, and

[0025] FIG. 4 shows a highly simplified, schematic sectional view of a watch glass composed of a cover glass and a carrier glass according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention in the assembled state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] A watch glass 1 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a watch 10 in the form of a wristwatch with a housing 11 and with a watch glass 1 according to the invention, which watch glass is arranged in the housing 11 and is equipped with gemstones 5. The housing 11 and the watch glass 1 are of circular form, though may have any other suitable shape, such as for example a rectangular, polygonal or other shape. For example, the watch glass 1 may also be of cushion-shaped or rectangular form. In particular, in this case, four gemstones 5, which are illustrated as diamonds, are arranged in the watch glass 1 with a constant radius and at uniform intervals with respect to one another in the circumferential direction. The position and the number of gemstones 5 may however be selected as desired in accordance with the watch design. For example, it is likewise possible to install one gemstone, two gemstones or 12 gemstones into the watch glass 1. The watch 10 furthermore has a clock face 12 which is formed for example from gold leaf, and three clock arms 13 for displaying the hours, minutes and seconds, and two connectors for a watch strap 14.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a highly simplified, schematic view of a section A-A of the watch glass 1 from FIG. 1 in the assembled state. The watch glass 1 has a carrier glass 2 and a cover glass 3. The carrier glass 2 and the cover glass 3 are formed from the same glass type, in particular mineral glass. Other glass types may also be used. It is possible in the context of the invention to combine different glass types.

[0029] In the carrier glass 2 there are arranged recesses 4 which serve for accommodating gemstones 5. The cover glass 3 and the carrier glass 2 are of circular form and have the same diameter. The glasses 2, 3 differ in terms of their thickness, wherein the cover glass 3 is of relatively thin form. It is however also possible for the two glasses 2, 3 to have the same thickness. Furthermore, an inner surface 20 of the carrier glass 2 and an inner surface 30 of the cover glass 3 are of planar form at the contact point of the two glasses 2, 3. In an alternative embodiment, it is however also possible for the inner surfaces 20, 30 to have identical and complementary curvatures.

[0030] In the fully manufactured watch glass 1, the glasses 2, 3 are held together by means of a holding element 7 which fully surrounds a circumference 6 of the entire arrangement composed of the carrier glass 2 and the cover glass 3. The holding element 7 is of sleeve-shaped form, wherein the internal shape thereof corresponds to the external shape of the glasses, such that stable fixing of the two glasses 2, 3 to one another is achieved.

[0031] To realize the watch glass 1 of FIGS. 2 and 3, the already provided glasses 2, 3 are placed onto one another after recesses 4 have been formed into the carrier glass 2 by means of a laser and gemstones have been inserted into the recesses 4. The recesses 4 may be formed not only by means of a laser, which is the most practical drilling method, but also mechanically by means of diamond drills, or by means of a water jet or ultrasound. Subsequently, the entire arrangement composed of the carrier glass 2 and the cover glass 3 is inserted into the holding element 7. Subsequently, the carrier glass 2 and the cover glass 3 are cohesively connected to the holding element 7. In particular, the holding element 7 is adhesively bonded to a circumferential surface 60 of the entire arrangement composed of the carrier glass 2 and the cover glass 3. For this purpose, a liquid adhesive is used, which cures after a certain amount of time. It is alternatively also possible for an adhesive foil to be used.

[0032] Furthermore, the holding element 7 and the entire arrangement composed of the carrier glass 2 and the cover glass 3 have substantially the same length in the vertical direction V. The vertical direction V runs perpendicular to the large surfaces of the glasses 2, 3. Here, the cohesive connection 8 between the holding element 7 and the entire arrangement of the glasses 2, 3 extends over an entire contact surface 80 of the holding element 7 and the entire circumferential surface 60. Alternatively, the holding element 7 may be partially connected to the circumferential surface 60. This can reduce the time and the costs for the fixing of the two glasses 2, 3 to one another.

[0033] In this exemplary embodiment, the holding element 7 is formed as part of the housing 11 of the watch 10. Thus, no additional component is required, whereby the assembly process is facilitated and potential assembly errors are reduced.

[0034] By means of the method according to the invention, the carrier glass 2 and the cover glass 3 are fixed to one another in a simple, inexpensive and fast manner and thus form a glass unit 15 in the assembled state. The two glasses 2, 3 bear closely against one another in air-tight fashion in the assembled state, such that they are no longer optically distinguishable to a viewer.

[0035] The watch glass 1 produced by means of the method according to the invention has an elegant appearance, because the glasses 2, 3 of the watch glass 1 are held together at their end by means of the holding element 7 and not by means of the contact surface between the inner sides 20, 30 of the two glasses 2, 3.

[0036] A watch glass 1 according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows the watch glass 1 in the assembled state.

[0037] The watch glass 1 of the second exemplary embodiment basically differs from the first exemplary embodiment in that the carrier glass 2 and the cover glass 3 are engaged by the holding element 7 by means of a positively locking connection 9.

[0038] In particular, the positive locking connection 9 between the carrier glass 2 and the cover glass 3 is formed as a screw connection.

[0039] Here, a multi-part holding element 7 is used which has a first part and 70 in the form of a sleeve and a second part 72 in the form of a pedestal. The first part 70 is equipped with a first thread 71, and the second part 72 is equipped with a second thread 73. The first thread 71 is formed as an internal thread and the second thread 73 is formed as an external thread.

[0040] The second part 72 is connected to the carrier glass 2, in particular is adhesively bonded to the carrier glass 2. Such a connection between the second part 72 of the holding element 7 and the carrier glass 2 is however optimal.

[0041] The second part 72 is arranged on the lower side of the carrier glass 2, whereby the second part 72 is not optically visible at all, or is not easily optically visible. It is however alternatively possible for the second part 72 to be connected to the upper side of the cover glass 3.

[0042] Furthermore, in the case of the cover glass 3, on the outer surface, there is an inwardly chamfered bevel 31, wherein the first part 70 of the holding element 7 has a domed protuberance 74.

[0043] To fix the glasses 2, 3 to one another, the first part 70 is screwed onto the second part 72. Thus, in the assembled state of the watch glass 1, the glasses 2, 3 are firmly held together. The first part 70 of the holding element 7 presses the cover glass 2 against the carrier glass 3 by way of a contact point between the domed protuberance 74 and the bevel 31. Owing to the provision of the domed protuberance 74 and the bevel 31, an even neater optical effect of the watch glass 1 is made possible. Instead of a domed protuberance and a bevel, it is possible in an alternative refinement of the invention for the holding element 7 to be flanged over the entire circumference at both ends. To prevent the screw connection between the first part 70 and the second part 72 from loosening of its own accord, it is possible, depending on the application, for the first part 70 and the second part 72 to be adhesively bonded to one another.

[0044] In addition to the above written description of the invention, reference is hereby explicitly made, for the additional disclosure thereof, to the diagrammatic illustration of the invention in FIGS. 1 to 4.

[0045] Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.