The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd

Em Microelectronic-marin Sa

Michel Willemin

Jean-Claude Martin

Jean-Jacques Born

Gianni Di Domenico

Dominique Lechot

Sylvain Grosjean

Pascal Winkler

Lionel Paratte

Christophe Germiquet

Simon Springer

Jean-Luc Helfer

Thierry Hessler

Yves Winkler

Lionel Tombez

Pierry Vuille

Pierpasquale Tortora

Jerome Favre

Baptiste Hinaux

Olivier Matthey

Alexandre Haemmerli

Francois Gueissaz

Thierry Conus

Nakis Karapatis

Thierry Scordilis

Beat Gilomen

Yvan Ferri

Jérôme Favre

Kevin Scott Buescher

James Harold Lauffenburger

Matthias Imboden

Dominique Dubugnon

Gil Afriat

François Gueissaz

Marc Stranczl

Cedric Nicolas

Emmanuel Fleury

Jean-Luc Bazin

Bernat Monferrer

Francois Klopfenstein

Cédric Nicolas

Lawrence Bieber

Donald William Corson

Bruno Scagliarini

Alexandre Deschildre

Loïc Curchod

Marc Degrauwe

André Grandjean

Cédric Faure

Ahmad Odeh

Cedric Decosterd

Georges Nicolas Hayek

Beat Pfefferli

Cédric Blatter

Alain Jornod

Cedric Faure

Sergio Rota

François Klopfenstein

Nicolas François

Patrick Ragot

Abdul-Hamid Kayal

Thomas Gyger

Victorio Quercia

Steve Tanner

Nicolas Livat

Hans-Rudolf Gottier

Andreas Hirt

Jérôme Stauffer

Carole Govaerts

Alexandros Mouskeftaras

Jean-Claude Eggen

Agnès Marlot Doerr

Dario Greco

Cédric Decosterd

James Harlod Lauffenburger

Dominique Léchot

M Cédric Blatter

Luc Testa

Nakis P Karapatis

Dominique LÉCHOT

The invention relates to a timepiece including, in addition to a crystal (), the following external elements: a back (), a middle (), a dial () and two bracelet strands (), at least one of these external elements comprising at least one part made of an at least partially transparent or translucent ceramic material, the timepiece further including at least two point light sources () releasing heat, each light source () being capable of being separately switched on/off and being disposed in or directly beneath said at least one external element comprising the ceramic material, each light source () producing light that passes through the ceramic material of said external element, and wherein each light source () is configured to produce localised light on a point or quasi-point area () of the ceramic material of the external element concerned, so as to produce localised illumination on said external element.

Timepiece with localized illumination

Provided is a timepiece including, in addition to a crystal, the following external elements: a back (), a middle part (), a dial (), and two bracelet strands (), at least one of these external elements includes a body formed of a first portion made of a first opaque material and of a second portion made of a second partially transparent or translucent material. The first material being integral with the second material and the timepiece also includes at least one light source () producing light which passes through the second portion made of a partially transparent or translucent ceramic material comprising zirconia.

Timepiece comprising an external element provided with a zirconia portion

Method for adjusting the rate of a basic oscillator of a watch arranged to oscillate at a nominal frequency N0, with a master oscillator generating an excitation frequency NE approximately equal to an integer multiple of this nominal frequency N0, the master oscillator subjecting the watch to excitation or a modulated motion during a transition phase after which the basic oscillator is stabilised at the excitation frequency NE, and a state of display correction method with a winder for mechanical or automatic watches, moving a support carrying the watch and comprising a state of display correction oscillator, having a lower variation of rate value than the initial variation of rate value DI of this basic oscillator, and oscillating at a correction frequency NC to impose oscillation or a motion on the watch, during a state of display correction phase whose duration is adjusted to exactly correct a state of display error measured at the initial moment of actuation.

Device and method for adjusting the rate and correcting the state of display of a watch

The present invention relates to a device () for displaying the moon for a timepiece on demand. The display device () including a first movable indicator member () and having a representation of the moon (). This representation of the moon () is completely or partially occulted by an occulting element () that is located on a second movable indicator member () when the user so requests and in particular via a control unit.

Device for displaying the moon on demand

An annular fluidic device includes a closed annular tube, wherein the tube includes at least one portion of transparent wall and contains a rigid torus bathed in a fluid filling the internal volume of the tube, in that the torus is arranged to be movable in the tube, and wherein at least one permanently polarised magnetic element integral with the torus allows it to undergo a moment of force causing it to be aligned in the direction of the external magnetic vector. A watch case can include this device.

Annular fluidic system with compass function

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 power management method for a solar watch or a solar automatic watch. The power management method including at least one providing a primary power supply from at least one energy supplier. The primary power supply is converted to a secondary power supply when the primary power supply reaches at least one primary threshold and/or at least one secondary threshold. A motor is supplied with the secondary power supply such as to wind a mainspring via the motor.

Power management method for a solar watch

A magnifying device () with multiple magnifications including: an outer shell () forming a body of revolution with an axis of revolution (X-X) and having an inner cavity (), a first lens () mounted at a first end () of said outer shell (), and a second lens () capable of moving between a retracted position and an extended position in which said second lens () is superimposed on said first lens () so as to change the optical characteristics of the magnifying device ().

Magnifying device with multiple magnifications

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 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 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 winding device includes a motor for driving a watch holder carrying at least one automatic watch with a mobile oscillating mass, and a multimeter for measuring a variation in a resistive torque opposed to the motor by the watch holder equipped with watches, depending on a degree of winding of the watches. The multimeter includes a speed meter to determine a speed and/or a variation in the speed of the motor, a torque meter to determine a value of a torque and/or a variation in the torque at the watch holder, and/or a current meter to determine a value of a current and/or a variation in the current of an electric motor.

Winding device for automatic watch

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

A method for calibrating an electronic temperature sensor connected to a mobile device. The device includes a microprocessor and memory linked to the microprocessor, to store an application coupled to a data entry interface. The temperature sensor is initially placed in a plurality of predetermined environments, where it provides an initial raw temperature value measured in each environment, and, for each of these environments, a predetermined initial temperature value corresponding to the actual temperature of this environment is entered beforehand directly into the application via the interface. The method includes in computing a calibration curve according to each predetermined initial temperature value entered from the application and according to each corresponding initial raw temperature value provided by the temperature sensor, storing in the device or in the sensor, calibration parameters determined from the calibration curve, and correcting by the calibration parameters each raw temperature value measured by the sensor.

Method for calibrating at least one electronic temperature sensor

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

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Preles, Switzerland

Michel Willemin