Tool for separating a back from a middle of a timepiece, as well as a back having a slot adapted to receive the tool, and timepiece equipped with such a back

Abstract

A timepiece and a tool to separate a back from a middle, which jointly delimit a watch case of this timepiece, inside which a horological movement is housed, this tool having the appearance of a wedge, i.e. an acute-shaped part formed by a first face and a second face which intersect at an angle of less than 90 and which are connected to one another by a rounded portion, the first face of the tool being oriented such that it extends parallel to a mean plane wherein the horological movement is located when an horologist engages this tool between the back and the middle in order to separate this back from this middle, the rounded portion being connected to the second face by a curved portion, the curvature whereof is directed towards the inside of a surface delimited by the first and second faces.

Claims

1. A system comprising: a timepiece; and a tool intended to be used by a horologist to separate a back from a middle, which jointly delimit a watch case of said timepiece, inside which a horological movement is housed, said tool presenting a shape of a wedge including an acute-shaped part formed by a first face and a second face which intersect at an angle of less than 90 and which are connected to one another by a rounded portion, the first face of the tool being arranged such that the first face of the tool extends parallel to a mean plane wherein the horological movement is located when the horologist engages said tool between the back and the middle in order to separate said back from said middle, the rounded portion being connected to the second face by a curved portion, a curvature of the curved portion being directed towards an inside of a surface delimited by the first and second faces, the back of the timepiece being delimited externally by a perimeter, a portion of the perimeter including a slot which frees, between said back and the middle, a space configured to engage an end of the tool, said slot comprising a first planar surface parallel to the mean plane wherein the horological movement extends, said first planar surface being extended by a second inclined planar surface which forms, with the mean plane, an acute angle when the back is fixed to the middle, said second inclined planar surface extending away from the middle towards a bottom of the middle, the angle between the first face and the second face of the tool being less than the acute angle formed by the second inclined surface with the mean plane, and a gasket being disposed between the back and the middle, a bottom surface of the gasket abutting a shoulder provided on the back, a first side surface of the gasket abutting a surface of the back, a second side surface of the gasket abutting a surface of the middle, and a top surface of the gasket directly facing the horological movement.

2. A tool intended to be used by a horologist to separate a back from a middle which jointly delimit a watch case of a timepiece inside which a horological movement is housed, said tool having the appearance of presenting a shape of a wedge including an acute-shaped part formed by a first face and a second face which intersect at an angle of less than 90 and which are connected to one another by a rounded portion, the first face of the tool being oriented such that the first face of the tool extends parallel to a mean plane wherein the horological movement is located when the horologist engages said tool between the back and the middle in order to separate said back from said middle, and the rounded portion being connected to the second face by a curved portion, a curvature of the curved portion being directed towards an inside of a surface delimited by the first and second faces.

3. A timepiece comprising: a watch case, inside which is housed a horological movement which extends in a mean plane, the watch case being delimited by a middle closed at a base by a back, the back being delimited externally by a perimeter, a portion of the perimeter including a slot which frees, between said back and the middle, a space configured to engage an end of a tool, said slot comprising a first planar surface parallel to the mean plane wherein the horological movement extends, said first planar surface being extended by a second inclined planar surface which forms, with the mean plane, an acute angle when the back is fixed to the middle, said second inclined planar surface extending away from the middle towards a bottom of the middle, and a gasket being disposed between the back and the middle, a bottom surface of the gasket abutting a shoulder provided on the back, a first side surface of the gasket abutting a surface of the back, a second side surface of the gasket abutting a surface of the middle, and a top surface of the gasket directly facing the horological movement.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) Other features and advantages of the present invention will more clearly emerge upon reading the following detailed description of one example embodiment of a tool intended to allow a horologist to separate a back from a middle of a timepiece, this example being provided for the purposes of illustration only and not intended to limit the scope of the invention, given with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1, already mentioned, is a partial, sectional view of a watch case of the prior art in the region where a slot is provided enabling a horologist to insert a tool with which to separate the back from the middle;

(3) FIG. 2A is a partial, sectional view of a watch case showing the engagement of a tool according to the invention inside the space between the middle and the back of the watch case freed by a slot made in this back, and

(4) FIG. 2B is a view similar to that of FIG. 2A when the back has been separated from the middle of the watch case.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

(5) The present invention proceeds from the general inventive idea consisting of providing horologists with a tool allowing them to separate the back from a middle of a watch case without leaving a mark visible to the owner of the watch on the back after the back has been reassembled on the middle. The present invention further relates to a watch case back having a slot, the profile whereof is arranged such that if, despite all the care taken by the horologist when separating the back from the middle of the watch case, the back emerges marked by this removal operation, the mark left by the tool on the back will not be visible to the owner of the watch once the back has been reassembled on the middle.

(6) As shown in FIG. 2A, a tool 20 according to the invention has the appearance of a wedge, i.e. an acute-shaped part formed by a first face 20a and a second face 20b which intersect at an angle of less than 90 and which are connected to one another by a rounded portion 20c. More specifically, the rounded portion 20c is connected to the second face 20b of the tool 20 by a curved portion 20d, the curvature whereof is directed towards the inside of a surface 20e of the tool 20 delimited by the first and second faces 20a, 20b.

(7) As will be better understood from the description hereinbelow, the tool 20 is intended to be used by a horologist to separate a back 22 from a middle 24, which jointly delimit a watch case 26 of a timepiece 28, inside which a horological movement 30 is housed. More specifically, the first face 20a of the tool 20 is arranged such that, when the horologist engages the tool 20 between the back 22 and the middle 24 in order to separate this back 22 from this middle 24, this first face 20a extends parallel to a mean plane P in which the horological movement 30 is located.

(8) Still according to the invention, the back 22 of the timepiece 28 is delimited externally by a perimeter at at least one point whereon a slot 32 is made, which frees a space 34 between this back 22 and the middle 24, allowing the horologist to engage the end of the tool 20 with which the horologist will exert leverage on the back 22 to separate this back 22 from the middle 24. In order to allow the tool 20 to be engaged, the slot 32 comprises a first planar surface 32a parallel to the mean plane P in which the horological movement 30 extends, this first planar surface 32a being extended, via a first rounded portion 32c, by a second inclined planar surface 32b which forms an acute angle with the mean plane P when the back 22 is fixed to the middle 24. This second inclined planar surface 32b extends away from the middle 24 towards the bottom thereof and is extended by a portion 32d, that is for example rounded, procuring the connection between the second inclined planar surface 32b and a bottom surface 36 of the back 22.

(9) In order to facilitate the engagement of the tool 20 inside the slot 32, the angle between the first face 20a and the second face 20b of the tool 20 is less than the acute angle formed by the second inclined surface 32b with the mean plane P, which allows the tool 20 to come to bear, via the curved portion 20d thereof, in an area 38 of the first rounded portion 32c of the slot 32 that will not be perceptible to the owner of the timepiece 28 once the back 22 has been reattached to the middle 24. As a result, even if the area 38 is marked by the operation for separating the back 22 from the middle 24, this mark will no longer be visible when the back 22 is reassembled.

(10) It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and that various simple alternatives and modifications can be considered by a person skilled in the art without leaving the scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims.

NOMENCLATURE

(11) 1. Watch case 2. Middle 4. Back 6. Gasket 8. Slot 8a. Inclined surface 8b. Rounded portion 10. Space 12. Tool 12a. First face 12b. Second face 12c. Rounded portion 14. Horological movement 16. Bottom surface 18. Outer edge P. Mean plane . Angle of less than 90 19. Mark 20. Tool 20a. First face 20b. Second face 20c. Rounded portion 20d. Curved portion 20e. Surface 22. Back 24. Middle 26. Watch case 28. Timepiece 30. Horological movement 32. Slot 32a. First planar surface 32b. Second inclined planar surface 32c. First rounded portion 32d. Second rounded portion 34. Space 36. Bottom surface 38. Area P. Mean plane . Angle of less than 90 . Acute angle