Watch and item of jewellery with interchangeable wristband
AssigneeThe Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
InventorJean-Marc Von Allmen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Watch or item of jewelry including a case or setting including main and secondary slots that enable the fixture of interchangeable removable wristbands including an end link with an end piece with studs arranged to cooperate in a complementary manner with the secondary slots. The link includes a lock with a slide catch arranged to cooperate in a complementary manner and with minimal play with the main slot in a locking position, and the lock further includes a pushbutton operable by a user to move the slide catch away from the main slot and control an unlocking of the lock by retraction of the slide catch by an application of pressure to the pushbutton.
Claims19
An end link of a wristband for a watch or item of jewelry for removable fitting of a watch case or jewel setting, the end link comprising:
- an end piece including at least one complementary stud for a fixture to the watch case, the at least one complementary stud being configured to be inserted in at least one secondary transverse slot of the watch case, wherein the watch case includes at least one main longitudinal slot delimited by two main support surfaces parallel to a main plane and the at least one secondary transverse slot delimited by two secondary support surfaces parallel to a secondary plane defining a direction of insertion of the end link;
- and
- at least one lock including,
- a slide catch configured to be inserted in the at least one main longitudinal slot in a locking position, towards which the slide catch is moved by elastic restoring means belonging to said lock,
- intrinsic unlocking means configured to be operated directly by a finger of a user to move the slide catch away from the main longitudinal slot of the watch case,
- a pushbutton configured to control an unlocking of the at least one lock by retraction of the slide catch by an application of pressure to the pushbutton imposed by the finger of the user, the pushbutton including at least one cam or an oblique bevel configured to cooperate with a complementary cam or a complementary oblique bevel of the slide catch, and
- a cover being a front guide of the slide catch close to the main slot forming a latch of the case configured to receive the end piece.
A watch comprising:
- a watch case including at least one secondary transverse slot and at least one main longitudinal slot delimited by two main support surfaces parallel to a main plane;
- and
- at least one wristband end link for insertion and locking to the watch case, the at least one wristband end link including an end piece and at least one lock, the end piece including at least one complementary stud being configured to be inserted in the at least one secondary transverse slot of the watch for a fixture, and the at least one lock including a slide catch configured to be inserted in the at least one main longitudinal slot in a locking position, towards which the slide catch is moved by elastic restoring means belonging to said lock, intrinsic unlocking means configured to be operated directly by a finger of a user to move the slide catch away from the main longitudinal slot of the watch case, a pushbutton configured to control an unlocking of the at least one lock by retraction of the slide catch by an application of pressure to the pushbutton imposed by the finger of the user, and a cover being a front guide of the slide catch close to the main slot forming a latch of the case configured to receive the end piece wherein the pushbutton including at least one cam or an oblique bevel configured to cooperate with a complementary cam or a complementary oblique bevel of the slide catch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.