Technical or decorative piece associating a transparent material and a silicon based amorphous material and method of manufacturing the same
AssigneeThe Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
InventorsGilles Derriey, Christian Verdon, Stewes Bourban, Giancarlo Poli
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A transparent substrate (10) made of a transparent material resistant to temperatures higher than 500° C., such as sapphire, includes recesses (13, 14) in at least one of its faces (11, 12) and/or a groove (15) machined into its thickness, that are covered with opaque, translucent or transparent enamel depositions (23 to 30) that may or may not be colored, depending upon the pigments used in the enamel composition. The invention is applicable to a dial of a timepiece.
Claims22
A timepiece with a piece for technical or decorative or technical and decorative use comprising:
- (a) a transparent substrate having a top face, a bottom face and a thickness, wherein the thickness is the distance between the top face and the bottom face;
- (b) a deposit of an enamel material layered in a groove formed in the thickness of the transparent substrate;
- wherein the enamel material is selected from the group of physical characteristics consisting of one or more of opaque, translucent, transparent and coloured, and wherein the transparent substrate is a material that does not experience any heat-induced injury at temperatures higher than 500° C.;
- and
- wherein the groove does not touch or connect with the top face or the bottom face.
A method of manufacturing a timepiece with a piece for technical or decorative or technical and decorative use including a transparent substrate made of a material resistant to temperature higher than 500° C. at least one face of which or in the thickness of which depositions are carried out formed by opaque, translucent or transparent enamel layers, including the steps of:
- machining a plurality of recesses having an inclined surface that gradually varies in at least a groove in the thickness of the piece;
- filling the plurality of recesses or the groove, via a succession of depositions and firings;
- and
- polishing the zones including an enamel deposition;
- wherein the groove does not touch or connect with the top face or the bottom face.
A timepiece with a piece for technical or decorative or technical and decorative use comprising:
- a transparent substrate having a top face, a bottom face and a thickness, wherein the thickness is the distance between the top face and the bottom face, wherein there are opaque, translucent or transparent depositions that may or may not be coloured on at least one of the top face and the bottom face or in the thickness,
- wherein the transparent substrate is a material that does not experience any heat-induced injury at temperatures higher than 500° C.,
- wherein the opaque or translucent depositions are formed by enamel layers layered in a groove formed in the thickness of the transparent substrate;
- and
- wherein the transparent substrate includes, on at least one of the top face and the bottom face, a plurality of recesses having an inclined surface that gradually varies a thickness of the enamel layers and acts as a means for varying a hue of a given enamel shade, or making the enamel layers translucent;
- and
- wherein the groove does not touch or connect with the top face or the bottom face.
A timepiece with a piece for technical or decorative or technical and decorative use comprising:
- (a) a transparent substrate having a top face, a bottom face and a thickness, wherein the thickness is the distance between the top face and the bottom face;
- (b) metal coatings including markings or decorations on at least one zone of the transparent substrate;
- and
- (c) a deposit of an enamel material layered in a groove in the thickness of the transparent substrate;
- wherein the enamel material is selected from the group of physical characteristics consisting of one or more of opaque, translucent, transparent and coloured, and wherein the transparent substrate is a material that does not experience any heat-induced injury at temperatures higher than 500° C.;
- wherein the groove does not touch or connect with the top face or the bottom face.
A timepiece with a piece for technical or decorative or technical and decorative use comprising:
- (a) a transparent substrate having a top face, a bottom face and a thickness, wherein the thickness is the distance between the top face and the bottom face;
- (b) a deposit of an enamel material layered in a groove in the thickness thereof;
- and
- (c) visible symbols disposed on a face of the transparent substrate;
- wherein the enamel material is selected from the group of physical characteristics consisting of one or more of opaque, translucent, transparent and coloured, and wherein the transparent substrate is a material that does not experience any heat-induced injury at temperatures higher than 500° C.;
- wherein the groove does not touch or connect with the top face or the bottom face.
A timepiece with a piece for technical or decorative or technical and decorative use comprising:
- (a) a transparent substrate having a top face, a bottom face and a thickness, wherein the thickness is the distance between the top face and the bottom face, wherein there are opaque, translucent or transparent depositions that may or may not be coloured in a groove in the thickness of the transparent substrate,
- wherein the transparent substrate is a material that does not experience any heat-induced injury at temperatures higher than 500° C.,
- wherein the opaque or translucent depositions are formed by enamel layers, and
- wherein the transparent substrate includes, on at least one of the faces thereof, recesses for varying a thickness of the enamel layers and acting as means for varying a hue of a given enamel shade, or making the enamel layers translucent;
- and
- (b) metal coatings including markings or decorations on certain zones of the transparent substrate and beneath portions of the enamel layers;
- wherein the groove does not touch or connect with the top face or the bottom face.
A timepiece with a piece for technical or decorative or technical and decorative use comprising:
- (a) a transparent substrate having a top face, a bottom face and a thickness, wherein the thickness is the distance between the top face and the bottom face, wherein there are opaque, translucent or transparent depositions that may or may not be coloured in a groove in the thickness of the transparent substrate,
- (b) visible symbols disposed on a face of the transparent substrate,
- wherein the transparent substrate is a material that does not experience any heat-induced injury at temperatures higher than 500° C.,
- wherein the opaque or translucent depositions are formed by enamel layers, and
- wherein the transparent substrate includes on at least one of the surfaces thereof, recesses for varying a thickness of the enamel layers and act as means for varying a hue of a given enamel shade, or making said enamel layers translucent;
- wherein the groove does not touch or connect with the top face or the bottom face.
A timepiece with a piece for technical or decorative or technical and decorative use comprising:
- a transparent substrate having a top face, a bottom face and a thickness, wherein the thickness is the distance between the top face and the bottom face, wherein there are opaque, translucent or transparent depositions that may or may not be coloured in a groove in the thickness,
- wherein the transparent substrate is a material that does not experience any heat-induced injury at temperatures higher than 500° C.,
- wherein the opaque or translucent depositions are formed by enamel layers, and
- wherein the transparent substrate includes, on at least one of the top face and the bottom face, a plurality of recesses having a surface that varies a thickness of the enamel layers and acts as a means for varying a hue of a given enamel shade, or making the enamel layers translucent;
- wherein the groove does not touch or connect with the top face or the bottom face.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.