Watch case with interchangeable rotating bezel
AssigneeCertina S.A.
InventorsJean-Claude Wahler, Philipp Tschumi, Martial Bringolf
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A watch case including a middle defining a peripheral track; a rotating bezel; a toothed crown; a structure for detachably fastening the bezel on the middle with the possibility of axial clearance, the fastening structure includes a band supporting radially projecting fins, each capable of engaging with a bayonet formed in the middle; a coupling system including a male part and a female part, one of which is integral with the bezel and the other one of which is integral with the fastening structure, with this coupling system being able to adopt a decoupling configuration, in which the male part and the female part are decoupled, and a coupling configuration, in which the male part and the female part are coupled.
Claims20
A watch case comprising:
- a middle defining a peripheral track;
- a rotating bezel;
- a toothed crown;
- at least one angular indexing member that resiliently engages with the toothed crown to define a plurality of stable angular positions of the bezel relative to the middle;
- a structure for detachably fastening the bezel on the middle;
- wherein the fastening structure comprises an annular band supporting radially projecting fins, each capable of engaging with a bayonet formed in the middle;
- and wherein the watch case comprises a coupling system comprising a male part and a female part, one of which is integral with the bezel and the other one of which is integral with the fastening structure, with said coupling system arranged to be able to adopt two following configurations:
- a decoupling configuration, wherein the male part and the female part are decoupled, thus rotationally releasing the bezel relative to the annular band;
- a coupling configuration, wherein the male part and the female part are coupled, thus rotationally securing the bezel and the annular band and allowing their combined bidirectional rotation between a closed angular position of the annular band, wherein each fin is engaged in a corresponding bayonet, and an open angular position, wherein each fin is disengaged from the corresponding bayonet so as to release the bezel and the annular band from the middle;
- the bezel is mounted on the fastening structure with the possibility of axial clearance, when the bezel is mounted on the middle with the annular band in its closed angular position, between:
- a deployed position, wherein the coupling system is placed in a decoupling position and the bezel is capable of rotating in order to be placed in any one of the positions of the plurality of stable angular positions;
- a retracted position, wherein the coupling system is placed in a coupling position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.