Sympathetic timepiece assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12487563-B2
Application number	US-202018005526-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2020
Priority date	Jul 30, 2020
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

A method for reference time setting of the displays ( 4; 5 ) of a sympathetic watch ( 200 ) by a sympathetic clock ( 100 ) forming a sympathetic assembly ( 1000 ) with the watch ( 200 ) which includes a coupling mechanism ( 706 ) between its display and finishing gear trains, and a hammer ( 701 ) movable between a coiled position where it is retained by a pawl, and an active position where it rests on an hour heart cam ( 702 ) carried by an hour wheel ( 708 ) of said watch ( 200 ), to constrain it in rotation to its smallest radius.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method for reference time setting of displays of a sympathetic watch ( 200 ) by a sympathetic clock ( 100 ), with which said watch ( 200 ) forms a sympathetic assembly ( 1000 ) including a connection mechanism including at least two distinct transmission lines between said clock ( 100 ) and said watch ( 200 ) when said watch ( 200 ) is deposited in a receptacle ( 150 ) included in said clock ( 100 ), in a transfer position, said watch ( 200 ) including at least one resonator ( 10 ), and a display gear train and a finishing gear train, and, or else a stop mechanism ( 20 ) arranged to stop the operation of said resonator ( 10 ), or else a coupling mechanism allowing to separate a display from the finishing gear train, or else both such a stop mechanism ( 20 ) and such a coupling mechanism, and said watch ( 200 ) including at least one hour display ( 4 ) and one minute display ( 5 ), a reference position of which is defined, said watch ( 200 ) including at least one power storage barrel, for power supplying at least one resonator ( 10 ), wherein use is made of one said watch ( 200 ) including a coupling mechanism ( 706 ) between a display gear train ( 705 ; 707 ; 708 ) and a finishing gear train ( 710 ), and including a hammer ( 701 ) movable between a coiled position where the hammer is retained by a pawl and tensioned by a spring, and an active position where said hammer ( 701 ) is arranged to rest on the periphery of a first hour heart cam ( 702 ) carried by an hour wheel ( 708 ) included in said watch ( 200 ), so as to constrain said first hour heart cam ( 702 ) in rotation to its smallest radius ( 200 ), and wherein a cycle including three phases is executed, a first phase during which, by a first displacement of an interface between said clock ( 100 ) and said watch ( 200 ), said coupling mechanism ( 706 ) is uncoupled by said interface which actuates the coupling mechanism to an uncoupled position, and wherein, after uncoupling a coupling-clutch ( 706 ), said interface releases said hammer ( 701 ), which returns by said first hour heart cam ( 702 ) the hour display ( 4 ), and, by the timer, the minute display ( 5 ) to said reference position, and a second phase where the position of said displays ( 4 ; 5 ) is maintained, for time setting, isolating or recoiling said hammer ( 701 ), and a third phase where, by a second displacement of said interface between said clock ( 100 ) and said watch ( 200 ), to reconnect said finishing gear train with said display gear train, said coupling mechanism ( 706 ) is coupled by said interface which actuates the coupling mechanism towards a coupled position and during which third phase it is possible to recoil said hammer ( 701 ) by said interface.

2 . The method for reference time setting of the displays according to claim 1 , wherein, at the end of the stroke of said hammer ( 701 ), the latter cooperates with a second minute heart cam ( 703 ) in the shape of a truncated heart and integral with said minute display ( 5 ), to guarantee the position at an exact minute.

3 . The method for reference time setting of the displays according to claim 1 , wherein a predetermined time-setting step value is determined, and wherein, during said second phase, the position of the display is maintained in said reference position, by cooperation between a jumper ( 704 ) and a star, included in said watch ( 200 ), then in each subsequent position step by step, to allow the recoiling of said hammer ( 701 ) without losing the display.

4 . The method for reference time setting of the displays according to claim 3 , wherein said star, carried by said minute display ( 5 ), is either a thirty-teeth star cooperating with one a simple one-tooth jumper ( 704 ), or else a pinion of a fifteen-teeth minute cannon-pinion cooperating at the same time with a single tooth of a double jumper ( 7040 ) including two teeth.

5 . The method for reference time setting of the displays according to claim 3 , wherein a cannon-pinion or a minute wheel of said watch ( 200 ) is precisely positioned by the combination of a star integral with said cannon-pinion or minute wheel, and a jumper with one or more teeth, a number of teeth of said star and a number of teeth of said jumper together defining the value of the predetermined step.

6 . The method for reference time setting of the displays according to claim 1 , wherein said coupling mechanism ( 706 ) is equipped with a friction spring ( 709 ).

7 . The method for reference time setting of the displays according to claim 1 , wherein as said coupling mechanism ( 706 ), use is made of a chronograph coupling mechanism, including a clamp ( 721 ) whose function is to ensure the coupling and the uncoupling, under the control of a column wheel ( 740 ) which controls the angular deviation of the arms of said clamp ( 721 ; 722 ), for opening or closing said clamp, corresponding respectively to the uncoupling or to the coupling.

8 . The method for reference time setting of the displays according to claim 7 , wherein a control mechanism of said three phases is used, said control mechanism including at least one said column wheel ( 740 ).

9 . The method for reference time setting of the displays according to claim 1 , wherein a control mechanism of said three phases is used.

Assignees

• Montres Breguet Sa

Inventors

• Matteazzi Daniel
• Zaugg Alain

Classifications

• G04C1/00

  Winding mechanical clocks electrically · CPC title

• G04B19/02

  Back-gearing arrangements between gear train and hands {(transmissions in general G04B13/00)} · CPC title

• G04B27/007 Primary

  otherwise than manually (G04B27/02 takes precedence; oscillator weights in general G04B5/04) · CPC title