US 8,876,371 B2Granted

Watch case

AssigneeRolex SA

InventorsRaoul Behrend, Julien Cattaneo, Olivier Kuffer, Antonio Meleddu

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A watch case includes a middle (2, 24, 34), one opening of which is closed by a bezel (8, 18, 28) and/or a crystal (1, 11, 21), or by a back (40). An element for closing the opening is connected to the middle by a resilient metal member (3, 23, 33) having a recessed cross-section defined by the profile of a non-rectilinear wall having a constant thickness, whose ends (3a, 3b) are connected to the periphery of the closing element (1, 11, 21, 18), respectively. The profile of the non-rectilinear wall defines at least one annular fold having an orientation parallel to the plane of the opening, the fold being formed by a curvature whose arc defines an angle of between >90° and 180°, so as to impart to the closing member (1, 11, 21, 18) a freedom of movement relative to the plane of the opening.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A watch case comprising:

a middle having at least one opening,
at least one element closing said at least one opening, the closing element being selected from (i) a bezel and/or a crystal, and (ii) a back,
a resilient metal member linking the closing element and the middle, said resilient metal member being in the form of a ring or a continuous frame and having a recessed cross section defined by the profile of a non-rectilinear wall whose ends are attached to the periphery of said at least one closing element and to the periphery of the middle, respectively,
wherein said resilient metal member includes at least one annular fold formed by a curvature, the arc of which describes an angle in a range of more than 90° and up to 180°, wherein ends of the arc of the curvature of the fold along the profile of the non-rectilinear wall are on opposite sides of a plane parallel to the plane of the at least one opening, and the fold protrudes in a direction parallel to the plane of the at least one opening with respect to both ends of the arc of the curvature of the fold.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/257,041Filed 8 Mar 2010
Priority: EP 0940505219 Mar 2009
Published: US 2012/0002513 A15 Jan 2012
Granted: 4 Nov 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G04B 37/052
Fixed mountings for pocket or wrist watches: with shock damping means not related to the winding stem
G04B 37/11
Hermetic sealing of openings, joints, passages or slits: of the back cover of pocket or wrist watches
G04B 39/02
Watch crystals; Fastening or sealing of crystals; Clock glasses: sealing crystals or glasses
G04B 43/002
Protecting clockworks by shields or other means against external influences, e.g. magnetic fields: component shock protection arrangements