Dial for a timepiece
AssigneeETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
InventorStefan Stark
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Dial (1) for a timepiece (100) comprising a front face (2) which forms a visible display surface and is opposite a back face (3), characterized in that the dial includes, either at least one cavity (4) extending into at least one portion of the thickness of said dial (1) between said visible surface (2) and said back surface (3), or at least one peripheral surface (40) extending into at least one portion of the thickness of said dial (1) between said visible surface (2) and said back surface (3). At least one said cavity (4) or at least one peripheral surface (40) includes at least one undercut surface (5), extending into at least one portion of the thickness of said dial (1) between said visible surface (2) and said back face (3).
Claims19
A timepiece comprising;
- a reinforced dial including a rigid sole at a bottom back side;
- and
- at least one upper dial at a top side, said upper dial including
- a front face which forms a visible display surface and is opposite a back face,
- at least one cavity extending into at least one portion of a thickness of said upper dial between said visible surface and said back face, and
- at least one undercut surface extending into at least one portion of the thickness of said upper dial between said visible surface and said back face,
- wherein said upper dial is a single piece made of flexible material selected from among materials including a flexible elastomer, silicon, rubber, and leather, and
- wherein at least one back face is secured to said rigid sole.
A method of making a reinforced dial comprising:
- preparing a mold that includes at least one relief surface including at least one undercut surface, and at least one rigid sole is inserted therein;
- molding a flexible material or silicon or flexible elastomer in a liquid or paste state in said mold, over-molded on said at least one rigid sole;
- said flexible material or silicon or flexible elastomer is left in said mold for a sufficient time to achieve polymerisation or vulcanisation until an ambient temperature stable upper dial is obtained;
- and
- said reinforced dial is removed from the mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.