Electronic time setting for a quartz analog watch

Abstract

An electronic analog timepiece with time zone and time setting modes selected by appropriate rotation and axial movement of a crown that controls a high speed stepping motor is disclosed. The stepping motor provides high frequency signals to produce time correction rotation of the timepiece hands. The speed of the stepping motor is reduced by a deceleration ramp from high speed prior to stopping the motor at the end of time correction. The time setting mode may be selected when the watch is in the shutdown mode and the time zone mode is selected when the watch is in the normal clockwise running mode by rotating the crown in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The shutdown mode may be selected from the normal running mode by pulling the crown to its out/setting position and the normal running mode may be selected from the shutdown mode by pushing the crown to its on/run position. Time setting mode includes as a first option a slow time correction speed in which the hour and minute hands advance step by step at a frequency of 1 Hz followed by automatic high speed correction of the hands at a speed which is a whole number multiple of the slow correction speed until the crown is released. As a second option, the time setting mode begins with the slow time correction speed followed by a high speed hour hand correction performed by the time zone function when the watch is in its normal running mode. The motor obtains high speed at the end of an acceleration ramp. After time correction is completed, the second hand will be in its initial position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.