The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd

Asulab S.a.

Alain Vuilleumier

Jean-Jacques Born

Dominique Lechot

Frédéric Meylan

Dominique LÉCHOT

Dominique Léchot

A universal timepiece includes a manual mechanism to shift selectively some of geographical labels borne by a dial by 1/24th of a revolution, to make it possible to change, by one hour, local times associated with the geographical labels during a change from wintertime to summertime or from summertime to wintertime.

Universal timepiece

The universal timepiece comprises a winter/summer switching mechanism (H,E,H,E,E,H,E,H,E,H,A,A,A,A,A,) arranged to be driven intermittently by the movement to selectively displace some of the geographic indications carried by the dial () by 1/24th of a turn in order to change by one hour the local time associated with these geographic indications during a change from winter time to summer time or from summer time to winter time.

A watch includes a mechanical or electromechanical timepiece movement, analog time indicators, a lunar indicator indicating lunar date on a scale and driven by the timepiece movement to perform one revolution in one or two synodic months, and Chinese calendar indicator members actuated by a calendar mechanism driven from the lunar indicator. A month moving part provided with an indicator of lunar months is driven via a rocking lever so as to perform one revolution per ordinary year of twelve months and per leap year of thirteen months. The other Chinese calendar indicators are driven from the month moving part and comprise a first year indicator performing one revolution in twelve years, a second year indicator performing one revolution in ten years, and a third year indicator performing one revolution in nineteen years and associated with a cam representing the Chang cycle of ordinary years and leap years.

Chinese mechanical calendar timepiece

The invention relates to an electronic timepiece comprising manual control means () for the selection of different modes and an analog display provided with indicators () moved separately by electric motors to indicate the time on a dial () in a time mode and other information in one or more other modes, said indicators comprising at least an hour hand (), a minute hand (), a day indicator () and a month indicator (). In addition, at least one of the modes to be selected is an event indication mode, in which the Gregorian date of a movable event is delivered by the electronic circuits of the timepiece and is displayed at least by the day indicator () and month indicator (), said timepiece having means for the display of the number of the Gregorian year.

Timepiece with analog display capable of indicating a date of one calendar in another calendar

The invention concerns a lunar month display mechanism, for a lunisolar calendar mechanism. The mechanism includes concentrically a plate, which determines the position of the additional month in the bissextile years. The plate is provided with a hand associated with a scale of twelve months and carries a planetary wheel permanently braked by a restraining device. The drive wheel, driven over one twelfth of a revolution at each new moon, meshes with the planetary wheel and moves the plate and hand forward. At the start of a bissextile month, the stop fingerforces the wheel to rotate overcoming the force of the restraining device while the drive wheel is rotating, such that the hand remains close to the number of the preceding month. The position of the stop finger is determined by a year cam. This mechanism can be used in particular in a Chinese calendar display.

Growing community of inventors

La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland

Alain Vuilleumier