The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd

Asulab S.a.

Em Microelectronic-Marin Sa

Jean-Claude Martin

Michel Willemin

Pierry Vuille

Gianni Di Domenico

Yves Winkler

Baptiste Hinaux

Stewes Bourban

Francois Gueissaz

Jean-Jacques Born

Jean-Luc Helfer

Pascal Winkler

Lionel Tombez

Jérôme Favre

Nakis Karapatis

Lionel Paratte

Alexandre Haemmerli

Dominique Dubugnon

Donald William Corson

Dominique Lechot

Thierry Hessler

Alban Dubach

Simon Springer

Christophe Germiquet

Stephane Lauper

Pascal Grossenbacher

Thierry Scordilis

Olivier Matthey

Michael Stalder

Jean-Charles Guanter

Laurent Nagy

Lionel Blaser

Cyrille Gernez

Vladislav Spassov

Ahmad Odeh

Cecile Barron

Yann Caloz

Yves Burri

Thierry Conus

Joachim Grupp

Pierpasquale Tortora

Yvan Ferri

Rudolf Dinger

Cedric Nicolas

Emmanuel Fleury

Jean-Pierre Mignot

Emil Zellweger

François Gueissaz

Stéphane Lauper

Joël Allimann

Sergio Rota

Nicolas François

Georges Nicolas Hayek

Thomas Gyger

Simon Garcin

Anne Monthéard

Carole Govaerts

Alexandre Pollini

Alexandros Mouskeftaras

Anne Montheard

Jean-Claude Eggen

Cécile Barron

Agnès Marlot Doerr

Nakis P Karapatis

A dial, and timepiece including the dial, including a mother-of-pearl wafer partially covering a support member, and a decorative element arranged on a reverse of the wafer, the decorative element being visible on an obverse of the wafer when subjected to a stimulus and invisible on the obverse of the wafer in the absence of the stimulus. The decorative element has a first empty area on a reverse of the wafer, and a second empty area on the obverse of the wafer, facing the first empty area. A colour compensation layer is deposited on the first empty area or the second empty area, the colour being selected such that the difference in colour ΔE in the CIE Lab colour space between the colour compensation layer and the decorative element in the absence of said stimulus, perceived by a user observing the obverse of the wafer, is less than 3.

Timepiece dial

A coiling limitation device for a timepiece barrel includes at least one non-return notch arranged to cooperate with a sliding flange of the spring of the barrel, which is integrated in a watch including a resonator cooperating with an escapement mechanism. This device includes an acoustic device for the acoustic monitoring of the coiling of the barrel of a watch positioned on a receptacle included by the device, which acoustic devices are arranged to identify a click noise during each start of cooperation between the sliding flange and a notch. The device includes piloting devices arranged to stop the coiling of the barrel at the instant of the perception of the click noise or the repetition of the click noise.

Coiling limitation device for a timepiece barrel

A device is for fastening a back on a middle of a watch. The back includes a cover arranged to form a bearing surface with the middle and a body arranged to rest in the middle. The device includes a ring disposed between the back and the middle, the ring being arranged to ensure the water resistance and indexing of the back. The ring includes an upper part ensuring the water resistance and a median part including positioning to ensure precise placement of the back.

Device for fastening a back on a middle for a timepiece

A balance for timepieces includes a rim, a hub, and at least one arm connecting the hub to the rim. At least one portion of the balance is made of an at least partially amorphous metal alloy. The at least partially amorphous metal alloy is based on an element chosen from the group consisting of platinum, zirconium and titanium, and has a coefficient of thermal expansion comprised between 7 ppm/&#xb0; C. and 12 ppm/&#xb0; C. The balance can be manufactured by moulding. A resonator can include such a balance and a monocrystalline quartz balance spring.

Balance for timepieces and method for manufacturing the same

Inertia mobile component () for a horological resonator (), oscillating about an axis of oscillation (D), and including at least one magnetic area (), the total resultant magnetic moment of all of the magnetic areas (), included in the inertia mobile component (), is aligned in the direction of the axis of oscillation (D), this inertia mobile component () bearing at least one magnetic compensating element (), the magnetisation component thereof in a direction perpendicular to the axis of oscillation (D) can be adjusted in order to obtain a total resultant magnetic moment that is aligned in the direction of the axis of oscillation (D).

Inertia mobile component for horological resonator with magnetic interaction device insensitive to the external magnetic field

A process for producing a metal alloy balance wheel by molding includes a) making a mold in the negative shape of the balance wheel; b) obtaining a metal alloy that has a thermal expansion coefficient of less than 25 ppm/&#xb0; C. and is able to be in an at least partly amorphous state when it is heated to a temperature between its glass transition temperature and its crystallization temperature; c) putting the metal alloy into the mold, the metal alloy being heated to a temperature between its glass transition temperature and its crystallization temperature so as to be hot-molded and to form a balance wheel; d) cooling the metal alloy to obtain a balance wheel made of the metal alloy; and e) releasing the balance wheel obtained in step d) from its mold. The process also includes a step for over-molding flexible centering components in the hub.

Process for producing a balance wheel for a timepiece

Horological resonator () including an inertia mobile component () oscillating about an axis of oscillation (D) and including at least one magnetic area (), the total resultant magnetic moment of all of the magnetic areas (), included in the inertia mobile component (), is aligned in the direction of the axis of oscillation (D), this inertia mobile component () bearing at least one balancing magnet (), the direction of the magnetic moment thereof crosses the axis of oscillation (D) to obtain magnetic balancing of the inertia mobile component ().

A process for producing a metal alloy balance wheel by molding, the process including the following steps: a) making a mold in the negative shape of the balance wheel, b) getting hold of a metal alloy that has a thermal expansion coefficient of less than 25 ppm/&#xb0; C. and is able to be in an at least partly amorphous state when it is heated to a temperature between its glass transition temperature and its crystallization temperature, c) putting the metal alloy into the mold, the metal alloy being heated to a temperature between its glass transition temperature and its crystallization temperature so as to be hot-molded and to form a balance wheel, d) cooling the metal alloy to obtain a balance wheel made of the metal alloy, e) releasing the balance wheel obtained in step d) from its mold.

A bracelet including two strands provided with a fastening system which includes at least one longitudinal groove on one of the two strands and at least one longitudinal protuberance on the other strand. The material and the shape of the groove and of the protuberance are configured such that these two elements interlock under pressure exerted by the bracelet user, over two overlapping portions of the bracelet strands. The connection between the strands can easily be separated, preferably by peeling the upper strand away from the lower strand. The bracelet is continuously adjustable in length, without requiring heavy or complex elements.

Bracelet fastening system

A portable object including a near-field communication device. The communication device includes an antenna, the ends of which are configured to be connected electrically to an electronic chip, forming, together with the chip, an electrical circuit. In an original manner, the portable object includes a control element which is able to be displaced between two predefined positions, i.e. an active position wherein the communication device is activated and a passive position wherein the communication device is deactivated. The portable object includes, furthermore, a mechanical switch which is able to switch between an open state and a closed state in response to a displacement of the control element from one to the other of its predefined positions.

Portable object comprising a near-field connection device

A safety valve for a watch including a head that is movably mounted on a tube and able to move between an open position and a closed position, the tube including in its internal volume a first spring and wherein the tube is provided on an external face with a cam surface allowing a manual movement and an automatic movement of the head into its open position, after the first spring, the tube includes a second spring having a higher stiffness than that of the first spring.

Safety valve for watches

An assembly includes a main terminal equipped with a communication module using at least a first communications protocol capable of connecting the main terminal to a communication network, which enables the use of at least one function, the main terminal being arranged to use at least one configuration program, and the configuration program enables at least one preferred function to be selected and a code representing the selected preferred function to be generated, and a second communications protocol. The assembly additionally comprises at least one secondary terminal equipped with a passive communication module using the second communications protocol to communicate with the main terminal in order to protect the code representing the selected preferred function.

Assembly of connected terminals for programming and managing a selection of functions

A battery or an accumulator including an anode case, an anode situated inside the anode case, a cathode case joined to the anode case, a seal sealing the cathode case to the anode case, a cathode situated inside the cathode case between the anode and the cathode case, and a membrane between the anode and the cathode. An outer surface of the battery includes at least one marking.

Battery with a non-conductive structured surface

A method for assembling a stone on a setting support, the stone being cut to exhibit a table, a crown, a girdle and a pavilion. A substrate with a recess for the stone, the recess forming, between the substrate and the stone, a peripheral free space in the vicinity of the girdle and of the zones of the crown and of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle, the peripheral free space including a bottom having a conductive surface. Electroplating, in the peripheral free space, a metal layer in the vicinity of the girdle and of the zones of the crown and of the pavilion contiguous to the girdle, so as to confine the girdle in the metal layer to form, around the girdle, the setting support. The stone and its setting support are released from the substrate.

Method for crimping a stone

A method for assembling a stone on to a mounting includes sinking the stone into an adhesive layer on a substrate and then positioning a setting sheet around the stone above the adhesive layer so as to form a peripheral free space between the setting sheet and the stone, at least at the level of the girdle and of areas of the crown and the pavilion adjacent to the girdle. Then, a metallic layer is deposited in the peripheral free space from the setting sheet, at least at the level of the girdle and of the areas of the crown and the pavilion adjacent to the girdle, such that the metallic layer and the setting sheet form the mounting.

Method for setting a stone

Growing community of inventors

Montmollin, Switzerland

Jean-Claude Martin