WATCH CASE FOR A WRISTWATCH WITH A MUSICAL OR RINGING MECHANISM HAVING A BOTTOM WITH A COVER

Abstract

A watch case for a wristwatch with a musical or ringing mechanism, the case being configured to comprise an acoustic membrane held by its periphery at a bottom of the watch case The watch case comprises a cover comprising a bottom. The cover is articulated mounted between an open position and a closed position in which the bottom of the cover covers an outer face of the acoustic membrane so as to ensure that the membrane can vibrate freely. The watch case further comprises at least one sound diffusion opening

Claims

1. Watch case for a wristwatch with a musical or ringing mechanism, configured to comprise an acoustic membrane held by its periphery at a bottom of the watch case, said case comprising a cover with a bottom, the cover being articulated mounted between an open position and a closed position, wherein the bottom of the cover covers an outer face of the acoustic membrane so as to ensure that said membrane can vibrate freely, the watch case further comprising at least one sound diffusion opening.

2. Watch case of claim 1, comprising multiple openings distributed around the acoustic membrane.

3. Watch case of claim 1, wherein the combined width of all the openings represents at least 50%, preferably at least 80%, or even at least 95% of the perimeter of the acoustic membrane.

4. Watch case of claim 1, wherein the acoustic membrane is held in place by a bottom edge covering the periphery of the acoustic membrane.

5. Watch case of claim 4, further comprising a seal positioned between the bottom edge of the watch case and the acoustic membrane to ensure the sealing of the bottom side of the watch case.

6. Watch case of claim 1, wherein said at least one opening consists of one or more holes with a circular or oblong shape, preferably in the form of a slot.

7. Watch case of claim 4, said at least one opening consists of one or more interstices located between the bottom edge and the cover in the closed position.

8. Watch case of claim 4, wherein said at least one opening consists of one or more radial grooves formed on the surface of the bottom edge.

9. Watch case of claim 1, wherein the cover further comprises an edge surrounding the bottom and a bottom support configured so that the bottom of the cover is spaced from a general plane defined by the edge surrounding the bottom, said at least one opening being located between the bottom and the edge of the cover.

10. Watch case of claim 1, wherein at least one of the bottom of the cover and the acoustic membrane is opaque, at least partially transparent, or at least partially translucent.

11. Watch case of claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism for securing the cover in said closed position.

12. Watch case of claim 11, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a slider that can be operated to open the cover.

13. Watch case of claim 4, wherein the cover is hinge-mounted on the bottom edge.

14. Watch case of claim 1, wherein the cover is mounted articulated via an articulation in the form of a pivot-joint, a ball-and-socket joint, or a slider.

15. Wristwatch comprising the watch case of claim 1.

Description

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE FIGURES

[0027] Examples of embodiments of the invention are provided in the description illustrated by the attached figures, in which:

[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a watch case for a wristwatch with musical or ringing mechanism, comprising a transparent-bottom cover in an open position, according to a preferred embodiment,

[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the watch case from FIG. 1, shown from a different orientation.

EXAMPLES OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0030] According to a preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wristwatch with musical or ringing mechanism comprises a watch case 10 inside of which a watch movement (not shown) is intended to be mounted. This watch movement includes a musical or ringing mechanism, such as a grande sonnerie or minute repeater movement.

[0031] The watch case 10 comprises a middle case 12 and, on the bottom side, an acoustic membrane 28, which is preferably transparent to allow viewing of the movement, particularly the hammers and the gong of the musical or ringing mechanism. The acoustic membrane is preferably in the form of a disk, with its periphery typically held between a bottom edge 30 and the middle case 12 of the watch case. The bottom edge 30 is fixed to the middle case 12, preferably by means of several screws 31 that pass through the acoustic membrane from one side to the other.

[0032] Preferably, a seal (not visible in the figures) is positioned between the bottom edge 30 and the periphery of the acoustic membrane 28 so that the assembly comprising the acoustic membrane 28, the bottom edge 30, and the seal ensures the sealing of the watch case on the bottom side. The external surface of the membrane 28, as well as the external surface of the bottom edge 30 surrounding the membrane, are preferably coplanar. According to another embodiment, the external surface of the membrane 28 could be positioned in a plane closer to the movement, namely the musical or ringing mechanism, than the external surface of the bottom edge 30.

[0033] The acoustic membrane 28 must be able to vibrate freely to ensure proper sound transmission between the interior and exterior of the watch case 10. To provide a good dynamic response, the acoustic membrane is preferably flat and made of a lightweight, rigid material, such as in the form of a sapphire, mineral glass, or plexiglass plate. In cases where the acoustic membrane does not need to be transparent, it can be made from another material, such as metallic glass, titanium, steel, or a copper-based material.

[0034] To vibrate freely, the acoustic membrane 28 of such a wristwatch must be isolated from the wearer's wrist. For this purpose, the watch case 10 comprises a cover 14 designed to isolate the membrane 28 from the wrist. In a preferred embodiment, the cover 14 comprises one or more sound diffusion openings 24 arranged around the acoustic membrane to facilitate the diffusion of sound, propagated by the vibration of the membrane, outside the watch case 10. The cover 14 further comprises a bottom 20, for example of circular shape, and an edge 22 surrounding the bottom 20 of the cover. The bottom 20 is preferably flat.

[0035] The edge 22 of the cover 14 is preferably pivotally connected to the watch case, for example by means of a hinge 16 fixed to the base edge 30, allowing the cover 14 to occupy a closed position and an open position. In an alternative embodiment, the cover may be mounted pivotally on the middle case 12 of the watch case. Other articulation mechanisms may be considered instead of the hinge, such as a ball joint, a sliding joint, or even another pivot joint with a rotation axis orthogonal to the general plane of the acoustic membrane, enabling the cover 14 to pivot in a plane parallel to that of the acoustic membrane.

[0036] The cover 14 further includes a bottom support 18 mounted on the external side 14a of the cover 14 and configured so that the bottom 20 of the cover 14 is positioned at a distance from the general plane defined by the edge 22. In the closed position, the edge 22 of the cover 14 is preferably in contact with the bottom edge 30 of the watch case. Since the bottom 20 of the cover 14 is offset from the edge 22, which is located at the level of the acoustic membrane 28, a space on the order of several tenths of a millimetre can thus be created between the bottom 20 and the acoustic membrane 28. This ensures that the membrane is protected and can vibrate freely under the action of the musical or ringing mechanism.

[0037] The bottom support can, for example, act as a spacer and include several legs 18 that separate the edge 22 from the bottom 20. As illustrated in FIG. 2, these legs 18 are integral with the edge 22 and with a circular portion 21 of the bottom 20 of the cover. In the closed position, the cover preferably has a convex shape such that the distance separating the plane of the membrane 28 from the plane of the bottom 20 is greater than the distance separating the plane of the membrane 28 from the plane in which the edge 22 is located. Sound diffusion openings in the form of slits 24 are thus created within the thickness of the cover, particularly between the legs.

[0038] The number and position of the legs can vary depending on the chosen design to define the number of slits and their respective lengths around the perimeter of the bottom 20. The various slits could be dimensioned to extend along circular arcs around the bottom 20 and, consequently, around the acoustic membrane 28 when the cover 14 is in the closed position. Together, these slits or openings could cover or extend over at least 200, preferably at least 300, or even at least 340 of the circumference of the bottom 20 or the acoustic membrane. At least one of these slits 24 may extend over at least 30, or even 60 or 90, of the circumference of the bottom of the cover.

[0039] More generally, particularly if the bottom 20 or the elastic membrane 28 are not circular in shape, it can be noted that the total width of the openings 24 represents at least 50%, preferably at least 80%, or even at least 95% of the perimeter of the acoustic membrane 28 or that of the bottom 20.

[0040] In another, non-illustrated embodiment, the openings are circular in shape and are preferably distributed around the perimeter or circumference of the bottom 20 or the acoustic membrane 28, preferably in a regular manner.

[0041] In another non-illustrated embodiment, one or more sound openings are formed at the interface between the edge 22 of the cover 14 and the bottom edge 30 of the watch case when the cover is in the closed position. In this case, the cover 14 does not have any sound diffusion openings. Instead, the surface of the bottom edge 30, which is intended to come into contact with the edge 22 of the cover 14 when it is brought into the closed position, may include at least one radial groove extending radially from an inner edge to an outer edge of the bottom edge 30 and acting as an opening 24 for the diffusion of sound out of the watch case.

[0042] In another non-illustrated example, at least one opening could be created by a gap located between the bottom edge 30 and the cover 14 when the latter is in the closed position. To achieve this, a plurality of protrusions or other projections could serve as spacers, preventing the edge 22 of the cover from directly contacting the bottom edge 30. These projections could be integral with the edge 22 and/or the bottom edge 30.

[0043] Alternatively or additionally, a locking mechanism for the cover could hold the edge 22 of the cover away from the bottom edge 30, creating at least one gap between these two parts that serves as an opening 24 when the cover is, in the closed position, locked to the middle case 12 or another part of the watch case.

[0044] In another example, the edge 22 of the cover 14 is mounted pivotally, for instance by rotation, on the bottom edge 30 or on the middle case 12 of the watch case.

[0045] In an unillustrated variant, the bottom support 18 could take the form of a ring with at least one radial sound diffusion opening 24. In one embodiment, the bottom support 18, the edge 22, and the circular portion 21 of the bottom 20 are made as a single piece, for example by moulding or galvanic growth.

[0046] In the open position of the cover 14, the external surface (or outer face) of the acoustic membrane 28, the bottom 20 on the inner side 14b of the cover, and, if applicable, the openings 24 formed in the bottom support 18 or on the surface of the bottom edge 30 are advantageously directly accessible to the user. This allows the user to regularly and easily clean not only these openings 24 but also the inside of the bottom 20 of the cover and the external surface of the acoustic membrane 28 to prevent the accumulation of dirt particles that could obstruct the visual appearance of the movement's back as seen through the back of the cover and the membrane. Moreover, cleaning the acoustic membrane helps prevent it from becoming clogged over time with deposited particles, which could hinder the optimal vibration of the membrane and affect the sound quality of the sound diffused out of the watch case through one or more sound openings.

[0047] In one embodiment, the cover 14 can be held in the closed position by a locking mechanism. According to the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the locking mechanism comprises a male element 32 and a slot 26. The male element 32 is located on the bottom edge 30, for example at the position of the crown 34 (i.e., at 3 o'clock). This male element 32 is intended to cooperate with the slot 26 located opposite it on the edge 22 of the cover, particularly on its inner side 14b. This cooperation allows the cover 14 to be locked to the middle case 12, particularly to the bottom edge 30 integral with the middle case.

[0048] In this example, the slot 26 is diametrically opposite to the hinge 16 of the cover 14. The opening of the cover 14 can, for example, be done via a sliding mechanism 35 located at the position of the crown 34. Alternatively, the opening of the cover could be achieved by positioning the crown in a predetermined axial position.

[0049] In a preferred embodiment, the bottom 20 of the cover 14 and the acoustic membrane 28 are transparent or partially transparent, allowing the movement to be visible from the bottom without the need to open the cover. The bottom is, for example, made of sapphire glass. Alternatively, at least one of the bottom 20 and the acoustic membrane could be at least partially translucent or opaque. In addition or as an alternative to these embodiments, at least one of the bottom 20 and the acoustic membrane 28 could include an ornament or engraving, for example.

[0050] The bottom of the cover of the watch case can have other visual appearances depending on different design variants. For example, the bottom could be a transparent glass with decals, markings made preferably by laser, or any other pattern created by various methods. The use of a frosted glass for the bottom, with or without transparent areas in places, a glass with a gradient from opaque to transparent, or even a smoked glass, could also be considered.

LIST OF REFERENCES

[0051] Watch case 10 [0052] Middle case 12 [0053] Cover 14 [0054] External side 14a [0055] Inner side 14b [0056] Articulation 16 (e.g. hinge) [0057] Bottom support 18 [0058] Bottom 20 [0059] Circular portion 21 [0060] Edge 22 [0061] Opening 24 [0062] Slot 26 [0063] Transparent membrane 28 [0064] Bottom edge 30 [0065] Screw 31 [0066] Male element 32 [0067] Crown 34 [0068] Sliding mechanism 35