Montres Breguet S.a.

The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd

Benoit Legeret

Davide Sarchi

Deirdre Lenoir

Marc Stranczl

Gianni Di Domenico

Polychronis Nakis Karapatis

Jean-Philippe Rochat

Alain Zaugg

Jerome Favre

Sylvain Marechal

Benoit Junod

Dominique Lechot

Sylvain Dauby

Rene Piguet

Sebastian Alagon Carrillo

Stephane Beugin

Marc Jung

Marc Abt

A timepiece movement includes a magnetic escapement formed of a magnetic escape wheel with an annular magnetized structure and a pallet fork whose shaft is formed by a ferromagnetic material. The pallet shaft exerts on the escape wheel a magnetic disturbance torque due to the fact that the annular magnetized structure exhibits an angular variation of at least one defining physical parameter thereof, such that the magnetic attraction varies as a function of the angular position of the escape wheel and has a tangential component. A magnetic compensation pin is incorporated in the timepiece movement, this magnetic compensation pin being arranged such that the second magnetic disturbance torque that it exerts on the escape wheel exhibits an angular phase shift relative to the first magnetic disturbance torque generated by the pallet shaft, so as to compensate largely for this first magnetic disturbance torque.

Timepiece movement comprising a rotating element provided with a magnetized structure having a periodic configuration

The timepiece includes a tourbillon including a carriage that bears a sprung balance and a magnetic escapement device, the latter including an escape wheel set, formed of an annular magnetic structure, and a magnetic element coupled with the magnetic structure and having an oscillating movement that is synchronous with the oscillation of the mechanical resonator. The mechanical escapement is arranged so as to have alternately energy accumulation phases, from a conversion of mechanical energy supplied by the barrel into magnetic potential energy in the magnetic escapement, and transfer phases of energy accumulated in the magnetic escapement to the magnetic resonator. During the energy transfer phases, the magnetic element is subjected to a magnetic force such that the magnetic escapement then converts into mechanical energy magnetic potential energy accumulated in the preceding energy accumulation phase to be able to maintain the oscillation of the mechanical resonator.

Timepiece comprising a tourbillon

A timepiece striking mechanism including a mechanism for controlling a hammer arranged to strike a resonant component in an impact position, and movable within a working zone between a recoil and rest position and this impact position, this mechanism includes a device for limiting recoil of the hammer after impact, formed either by eddy current braking means arranged to brake the hammer when it enters a back zone, connected and contiguous to the working zone and opposite the impact position, and/or by mechanical friction and/or elastic return means integral with the hammer or an anchor-piece integral with the hammer, and arranged for friction and/or abutting engagement with a moving braking component or a surface of a fixed part of the striking mechanism.

Timepiece striking mechanism

A magnetic device for centring a shaft on a predetermined axis in a clockwork movement includes at least one first magnetic bearing provided with a magnet to exert an attractive force on a first ferromagnetic end pivot of the shaft. The first magnetic bearing includes a central part made of soft ferromagnetic material mounted between the magnet and the first end pivot of the shaft. The central part is positioned centrally in a washer made of non-magnetic material so as to centre the magnetic field flux generated by the permanent magnet through the central part in order to magnetically attract the first end pivot of the shaft on the predetermined axis. The diameter of the central part can be identical to, or 0 to 20% less than, or 0 to 20% greater than, the diameter of the first end pivot.

Magnetic device for centring a shaft in a clockwork movement

A timepiece movement with a movable element capable of being momentarily immobilized in any one of N discrete positions, and with a device including a lever and a first magnet integral with the lever, with N second magnets integral with the movable element and arranged along an axis of displacement, and with a magnetically permeable element arranged facing one polar end of the first magnet located on the side of the movable element. The polarity of the first magnet is reversed with respect to that of the second magnets. A first magnetic torque exerted on the lever has a first direction over a first section and a second direction, opposite to the first direction, over a second section of the distance between two successive stable positions, the first direction defining a return torque towards the movable element for a contact portion of the lever.

Timepiece movement provided with a device for positioning a moveable element in a plurality of discrete positions

A timepiece movement includes a date ring having display positions, and a device for positioning the ring in a display position. The positioning device includes a lever and a first fixed magnet, a second magnet integral with the lever and a magnetic structure integral with the ring and moving between the two magnets, this magnetic structure being formed of a magnetically permeable material and having a radial dimension that varies periodically to define periods corresponding to the distances between the display positions. The magnetic axes of the two magnets are substantially aligned and their respective polarities are opposite. The magnetic torque applied to the lever can vary, so that it is pressed against the ring in the display positions but tends to move away from the ring on one part of the angular movement between these display positions.

Timepiece movement provided with a device for positioning a movable element in a plurality of discrete positions

Sub-assembly for watches, including an arbor including a magnetized or electrically charged surface pivoting inside a housing, and a pole piece subjecting this surface to a magnetic or electrostatic field about an axis, one pole piece cooperating axially with this surface to absorb a shock and then return the arbor to an operating position, and creating, in proximity to this surface, a magnetic or electrostatic field, which radially attracts the arbor towards a wall of the housing.

Magnetic anti-shock system for a timepiece arbor

Timepiece movement including a mechanism, a spring barrel for driving the mechanism, and an equalization device connected to the spring barrel. The spring barrel includes a drum and a motor spring to exert a driving torque which is variable as a function of the degree of winding-up of the motor spring. The equalization device is driven by the spring barrel and exerts an auxiliary torque which varies as a function of the degree of winding-up of the motor spring to counter variations in the motor torque. The equalization device includes a first and second magnetic elements being displaced from each other by exerting a magnetic force which varies as a function of the relative position of the first and second magnetic elements and produces the auxiliary torque.

Timepiece movement comprising a device for equalising a motor torque

The timepiece includes a chronograph mechanism with a coupling device including an operating member and a switching member which can be switched alternately between two stable positions coupled state and uncoupled state. This timepiece includes a magnetic system formed of a first bipolar magnet fixed to the switching member, a second bipolar magnet fixed to the support of the switching device in order to continually offer a magnetic interaction with the first bipolar magnet, and at least one highly magnetically permeable element forming the operating member and able to undergo a reciprocating motion between two operating positions. The switching device is arranged so that, when the highly magnetically permeable element is in its first operating position, the two magnets generate between them a force of magnetic repulsion and so that, when the highly magnetically permeable element is in its second operating position, the two magnets generate between them a force of magnetic attraction.

Timepiece comprising a device for switching a timepiece mechanism

A timepiece oscillator includes a sprung balance assembly including a balance with a rim, which is returned by a balance spring and pivoted with respect to a structure, on a first side by a torsion wire, fixed by an anchoring element to the structure, and on a second side, opposite to the first side, by a contactless magnetic pivot. The balance includes a first pole embedded with the balance and the torsion wire, this first pole having a symmetry with respect to the axis of the sprung balance assembly, and cooperating with a second pole included in the structure, for the magnetic suspension of the first pole, and to exert on the distal end of the torsion wire, opposite to this anchoring element, a magnetic force for tensioning the torsion wire.

Hybrid timepiece oscillator

Mechanism for regulating energy to achieve the function of a timepiece mechanism including a functional mobile component, controlling a dissipation of energy through eddy currents in the event of racing by this mobile component, including a magnetically permeable or magnetized rotor kinematically connected to this mobile component, and a magnetized or respectively magnetically permeable stator, facing this rotor in an annular area where these eddy currents develop, this rotor and this stator are external to each other, this rotor and/or this stator including an alternation of raised areas where it can move into superposition with the other in an interaction generating eddy currents, and hollow areas in which it cannot move into superposition with the other. Escapement mechanism including such a regulating mechanism, limiting the effect of accelerations on an escape wheel.

Safety regulation for a timepiece escapement

The timepiece movement comprises a pivoting element, a bearing for a pivot of this pivoting element and an anti-shock device associated with this bearing and including a resilient member arranged to exert a restoring force on at least one endstone. The anti-shock device further includes a magnetic system comprising two magnets having opposite polarities and a highly magnetically permeable element arranged between these two magnets and secured to one of them, the two magnets being respectively fixed to a support of the anti-shock device and to the resilient member and arranged to produce between them, in association with the highly magnetically permeable element, an overall force of magnetic attraction on a first section of a possible distance of displacement for the endstone in the event of a shock and an overall force of magnetic repulsion on a second section of this distance of displacement corresponding to greater distances of separation than those of the first section.

Anti-shock device for a timepiece movement

The mechanical timepiece movement includes an escapement having a pallet-lever arranged to move alternately into abutment with two banking elements in locking periods. The pallet-lever carries at least a first permanent magnet and the timepiece movement further includes a first element and a second element of high magnetic permeability and a second magnet and a third magnet respectively integral with first and second elements of high magnetic permeability and each arranged on an opposite side to a first magnet relative to the respective elements of high magnetic permeability. This magnetic system generates, in a first part of a first half vibration of any vibration of the pallet-lever, an overall force of magnetic attraction, defining a magnetic draw additional to the mechanical draw generated by the escape wheel, and, in a second part of this first half vibration, an overall force of magnetic repulsion.

Mechanical timepiece movement with a lever escapement

Watch with a timepiece movement, a resonator mechanism, including a magnetic escapement mechanism including an escape wheel set including a magnetized track, with a succession of areas according to a scrolling period in which its magnetic features are repeated, each area including an increasing magnetic field ramp followed by a magnetic field barrier with an increasing field and of higher field gradient that that of the ramp, the track includes a continuous, closed magnetic layer over the entire periphery of the escape wheel set, of constant thickness and variable width, whose geometry defines these magnetic field ramps and barriers, this escape wheel set cooperating with a sprung balance via a pivoting magnetic stop member comprising a pole piece arranged to cooperate alternately with an internal track and an external track of the magnetic layer.

Magnetic escape wheel set for timepieces

The vertical coupling/uncoupling device includes a switching member and a control member, the latter being arranged to pivot about an axis of rotation to be able to be driven in rotation step-by-step successively into a plurality of distinct angular positions. The control member and the switching member respectively include a first magnetic structure and a second magnetic structure arranged to exhibit a magnet interaction therebetween. These first and second magnetic structures are arranged such that, depending on the angular position of the control member, a first magnetic force or a second magnetic force is produced, these first and second magnetic forces being oriented along said axis of rotation but in opposite directions. The switching member is subjected to an alternate movement between its first and second stable axial positions when the second magnetic structure is driven in rotation step-by-step in said given direction of rotation.

Growing community of inventors

Ecublens, Switzerland

Benoit Legeret