The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd

Blancpain Sa

Eta Sa Manufacture Horlogere Suisse

Cédric Blatter

Pierpasquale Tortora

Dominique Dubugnon

Michel Willemin

Bernat Monferrer

Nicolas Debaud

Simon Springer

Cyrille Gernez

A method for manufacturing a luminescent hand for a horological movement, preferably for a watch. The method includes providing a support comprising a light guide and structuring an emergent surface of the light guide so as to extract a maximum amount of light from the luminescent hand. The luminescent hand includes, over a lower face, a layer of luminescent material including one or more deposit(s) of fluorescent material, opposite a light source. The light source is laced at locations close to the axis of rotation or away from the axis of rotation but at a distance from the luminescent material. Thus, the light source is not placed on the luminescent hand.

Method for manufacturing luminescent hands

An assembly () for measuring a relative humidity level inside a watch (), comprising the watch () and a device () for determining the humidity level present in the enclosure () of a case () of this watch (), the determination device () comprising a free space optical system and a control unit (). The system includes: an emitter module () for emitting at least one light beam (); and a receiver module () for receiving the at least one light beam (); the control unit () being connected to the modules () and the at least one light beam () emitted by the emitter module () defining an optical path partly comprised in the case () and extending as far as the receiver module () and the control unit () being configured to evaluate the absorption of the light beam () by the water vapour capable of being present inside the enclosure () of the case ().

Assembly for measuring the relative humidity level inside a watch case

A display device for a timepiece representing the lunar libration phenomenon thanks to at least one Moon disk, to at least one aperture and to at least one drive organ. The at least one Moon disk includes a set of Moon phase representations including at least three Moon phases with a first surface, a second surface and/or a delimitation configured to delimit this first surface and this second surface. The at least one aperture being configured to reveal this set of Moon phase representations and this at least one drive organ is configured to move this at least one Moon disk so as to represent the lunar libration phenomenon.

Rotary disk moon phase indicator

An intermittent display mechanism for a timepiece includes a mobile component in motion, an energy source for supplying a light emission source coupled with a light guide, and light emission control means. The light emission control means includes a flexible body bearing a flexible piezoelectric film or coating coated in an electrically insulating shell and attached to a fixed structure and including a distal zone overhanging with respect to the structure, arranged to interfere mechanically, at periodic or random times, with the mobile component during the travel thereof and move away from the rest position thereof before starting vibration of the flexible body and the piezoelectric film or coating, which constitutes an energy source, to convert the mechanical energy supplied by the mobile component into electrical energy supplied to the light emission source.

Intermittent display mechanism for timepiece

A device () for measuring a relative humidity level inside the enclosure () of a case () of a watch (), the device () including: an emitter module () provided with a source of light radiation capable of emitting light beams () towards the enclosure () of the case (); a receiver module () for receiving at least one acoustic signal () from the enclosure (), and a control unit () connected to the modules () and which is configured to evaluate the water vapour content of a gaseous fluid () contained inside the enclosure () as a function of the at least one acoustic signal () received by the receiver module ().

Device for measuring a relative humidity level inside the enclosure of a watch case

A moon phase display mechanism driven by a horological movement, this moon phase display mechanism including a transparent support provided with an upper face and a lower face which extends at a distance from the upper face, a representation of the Moon being transferred, for example by printing or by engraving, to one of the upper or lower faces of this transparent support, a substrate being disposed under the transparent support, at a distance therefrom, the moon phase display mechanism also including a shutter which is driven by drive means moved by the horological movement and which is arranged so as to displace between the transparent support and the substrate, the shutter and the substrate having display contrasts which are inverted relative to each other.

Moon phase display mechanism

An optical device including a transparent support provided with an upper face and a lower face which extends at a distance from the upper face, the transparent support forming a lens of plano-concave shape delimited on a first side by a planar surface, and delimited on a second side, opposite the first side, by a concave surface, the optical device also including a shutter which is disposed under the concave surface of the transparent support, at a distance therefrom, the optical device finally including a substrate disposed after the shutter.

Optical device allowing to create optical aesthetic and technical effects

An assembly () for measuring a relative humidity level inside a watch (), the watch () provided with a movement () and a device () for determining the humidity level present in the enclosure () of a case () of this watch (). The determination device () includes a receiver module () for receiving at least one acoustic signal from a timepiece component () of said movement (), and a control unit () connected to said receiver module (). The control unit () is configured to run a model for evaluating a water vapour content of a gaseous fluid contained inside the enclosure () based on the at least one acoustic signal received by the receiver module ().

A display device () for displaying a decorative object (), including a case () provided with a support element () on which an area of interest () is defined, inside which the decorative object () is likely to be disposed and/or handled. A processing unit generates a command for controlling the illumination properties of a main illumination device () and/or of a secondary illumination device () as a function of criteria concerning the viewer's visual perception of the object () and controls the main illumination device () and/or the secondary illumination device () as a function of the command for controlling the properties of the illumination devices ().

Display device for a decorative object

The invention concerns a timepiece (), notably a diver's watch, comprising a case () provided with a case middle (), a light source (), an element () movable between several positions relative to the case (), and movable means for assembling the movable element () on the middle part () of the case (). More particularly, the movable element () includes a light guide () and an upper cover () comprising an index (), the guide () being configured to receive a light beam () from the light source through an entry face (), and to guide light rays () through an exit face () of the light guide () in order to illuminate the index (), whatever the position of the movable element () relative to the case ().

Timepiece comprising a movable element provided with a luminous index

A method for managing a lighting of a zone of interest including at least one object liable to be manipulated by a user, the lighting being carried out by a main lighting device and a secondary lighting device both provided with electroluminescent elements, the method including identifying the user and/or the object; configuring the lighting of the zone of interest according to the profile of the identified user relative to vision and/or at least one characteristic of the identified object, the step including generating an instruction for controlling the lighting properties of the main lighting device and/or of the secondary lighting device according to criteria of visual perception of the object by the user; controlling the main lighting device and/or the secondary lighting device according to the instruction for controlling the lighting properties.

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Commugny, Switzerland

Cédric Blatter