The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd

Comadur Sa

Omega Sa

Pierry Vuille

Jean-Claude Martin

Yves Winkler

Stewes Bourban

Pascal Grossenbacher

Michel Willemin

Yvan Ferri

Alexis Boulmay

Denis Bubendorf

Paulo Arede

Pierpasquale Tortora

Cedric Nicolas

Alban Dubach

Thierry Scordilis

Bruno Besutti

Yoann Mosteiro Vazquez

Julien Meier

Simon Bourquin

Francois Erdemli

Jean-Luc Bazin

Rocco Catanese

Alexandre Netuschill

Alexandre Haemmerli

Pascal Haering

Cédric Nicolas

François Gueissaz

Daniel Knuchel

Loïc Curchod

Csilla Miko

Joël Allimann

Frédéric Jeanrenaud

Damien Cartier

Guido Plankert

Sébastien Retrouvey

Cyrille Gernez

Enzo Agustoni

Jan Lintymer

Nicolas Blanckaert

Damien Le Boudouil

Elias Laforge

Burhan Yildiz

François Erdemli

Benjamin Tixier

Jerome Thiault

Ariane Gachet-Mueller

Arne Kool

Johan Romand

Gabriel Rittiner

Roger Cochand

Eric Thionnet

Alexandra Amherd-hidalgo

Nicolas Aubry

Jérôme Thiault

Benoit Giry

Maxime Dole

Bastien Combotte

A method for manufacturing an external component of a watch, of a fashion item or of a jewellery item, including depositing an inner layer on all or part of the surface of an inner face of a substrate made of a transparent material, localised ablation of the inner layer, so as to conserve a part of the inner layer on a first portion of the inner face f the substrate, the ablation being performed so as to form at least one pocket opening onto a second portion of the inner face of the substrate and so as to structure the second portion of the inner fa of the substrate, treating the surface of the inner layer and of the second portion of the inner face of the substrate.

Method for manufacturing an external component of a watch, of a fashion item or of a jewellery item

A method is for manufacturing a stone, in particular for a timepiece, from a mineral body of monocrystalline or polycrystalline type. The method includes an ablation step in which the body is subjected to a material ablation by scanning on at least one face of the body using ultra-short pulse laser radiation whose duration is less than one hundred picoseconds, and whose beam is guided by a precession system having at least three axes to at least partially cancel the angle of the laser cone, which is due to the focusing of the laser. A mineral stone of monocrystalline or polycrystalline type, in particular for a horological movement, is likely to be obtained by the method. The stone includes in particular a face provided with a peripheral rim, in particular for laterally clamping an endstone in a bearing.

Stone, in particular for a horological movement, and the manufacturing method thereof

A method for manufacturing a stone for a timepiece from a mineral body of a monocrystalline type, the stone including a hole, includes ablating the body by scanning at least one face of the body with ultra-short pulse laser radiation from a laser for a duration less than one hundred picoseconds, and guiding a beam of the laser radiation using a precession system of at least three axes configured to at least partially cancel a conical focusing angle of the laser. The ablating includes digging of a cone of entrance to the hole. A mineral stone of monocrystalline type for a timepiece includes a face provided with a hole formed in a body of the stone, and a functional element at an entrance to the hole. The functional element has a shape of a cone.

Monocristalline type mineral stone equipped with a cone for centring a pivot, and manufacturing method thereof

A method for manufacturing a cutting tool () with lubrication orifices of complex shapes, including the steps of: producing a polymer insert (), overmoulding a body of the cutting tool () with the polymer insert () by injecting into a mould, removing the polymer insert (), so as to form in the body of the cutting tool () lubrication orifices, the shape whereof is complementary with that of a part of the insert (), machining the body of the cutting tool () on an active part thereof, and depositing an abrasive coating on a surface of the active part of the body of the cutting tool ().

Method for manufacturing a cutting tool with lubrication orifices of complex shapes and cutting tool with lubrication orifices of complex shapes

A support frame for a sintering step of a method for producing a part, in particular for watchmaking, from a green body having an initial shape, the body shrinking from the initial shape to a final shape during the sintering step, the support frame having at least one face for supporting the body during the sintering step, wherein the geometry of the supporting face is in relief and configured to support the body from its initial shape into its final shape, so that it retains its shape and proportions in line with a shrinkage coefficient related to the sintering operation. The disclosure further relates to a sintering method using this support frame.

Support frame for a method for sintering a body, in particular for watchmaking

An ornamental part, for example for a timepiece, jewellery or telephone, in particular a watch case middle, and its manufacturing method, the part at least partly including a hard material having a Vickers hardness greater than 1000 HV, the method including the following main steps: a step of producing a precursor from a mixture of at least one powder material with a binder, a step of injecting the precursor into a mould in order to form a green body, a step of sintering the green body in order to form a body of the future part from the hard material, and a step of depositing a polymer material coating on one face of the part, the deposition being carried out by moulding on the body, in particular by injection into a mould, the coating and the hard material being inseparable.

Method for manufacturing an ornamental hard material part provided with a polymer coating

A method for fabricating metal decorations on a domed dial made of insulating material, wherein the method includes the steps of forming a photosensitive resin mould by a UV LIGA type process, and electrodepositing a layer of at least one metal starting from the conductive layer to form a block, which substantially reaches the upper surface of the photosensitive resin.

Method for fabricating a metal decoration on a dial and dial obtained by this method

A method for protecting a neodymium-iron-boron watch magnet against corrosion is provided. The method includes a sandblasting treatment of the watch magnet surface following by an ion implantation in an oxygen plasma or a nitrogen plasma to obtain an impervious surface layer with all of the surface bonds saturated by the implanted ions acting as a barrier against oxidation and preventing corrosion of the watch magnet in a humid environment, under the usual conditions for wearing watches.

Corrosion-inhibiting protection for watch magnets, in particular neodymium-iron-boron magnets

A method for depositing a decorative and/or functional layer on at least a portion of a surface of a finished or semi-finished article made of a non-conductive ceramic material, this deposition method includes the following operations: subjecting the at least a portion of the surface of the article to a carburising or nitriding treatment during which carbon, respectively nitrogen atoms, diffuse in the at least a portion of the surface of the article, then depositing, by galvanic growth of a metallic material, the decorative and/or functional layer on at least a portion of the surface of the article which has undergone the carburising or nitriding treatment.

Method for depositing a decorative and/or functional metal layer on a surface of an article made of an electrically non-conductive ceramic material

A method is for manufacturing a part including a support made of an electrically non-conductive material, the support being provided with at least one recess filled with an aesthetic element made of an electrically conductive material, and the aesthetic element forms a decoration on a side of the part that is intended to be visible. The method includes inlaying by pressing a preform intended to form the aesthetic element into the at least one recess of the support, and treating the surface of the aesthetic element. The at least one recess opens in one or more places onto a side of the part that is intended to be non-visible, to respectively form one or more contact points for carrying current across the aesthetic element during the surface treatment.

Method for manufacturing decorative parts

A method for structuring a decorative or technical pattern in the thickness of an object made of an at least partially transparent amorphous, semi-crystalline or crystalline material, wherein the object is made of an at least partially transparent material including a top surface and a bottom surface which extends away from the top surface. The top or bottom surfaces is provided with a mask defining an opening whose outline corresponds to the profile of the pattern to be structured, the mask covering the top or bottom surface at the positions which are not to be structured. The pattern is structured with a mono- or multicharged ion beam through the opening of the mask, wherein the mechanical properties of the mask are sufficient to prevent the ions of the ion beam from etching the top or bottom surface at the positions where this top or bottom surface is covered by the mask.

Method for structuring a decorative of technical pattern in an object made of an at least partially transparent amorphous, semi-crystalline or crystalline material

A closing/opening system for a case of a timepiece is defined particularly in first and second parts of the case. The system includes a device for producing a mechanical connection, particularly a bayonet connection between these first and second parts and a device for creating a friction torque between these first and second parts. The device for creating a friction torque includes tightening faces to cooperate with one another when closing/opening the case and which are defined in the first and second parts. The system further includes a tightening element in one of these two tightening faces. The tightening element generates a constant friction torque during a course of travel of one of the two parts relative to the other when closing/opening the case of the timepiece.

Closing/opening system for a timepiece case

A watch includes a control member capable of managing a primary function of the watch, such as a rotating crown or a push-piece, as well as a magnetic ball that can be manually pivoted by the user about the centre thereof. A 3D magnetic sensor is arranged in the watch to detect the orientation of the magnetic field emitted by the magnetic ball, in addition to a processor for converting an electric signal generated by the magnetic sensor into an instruction for managing one or more other electronic functions of the watch. The magnetic ball is partially arranged inside the control member such that it is accessible to a user. The watch can further comprise a proximity sensor for detecting the axial position of the control member relative to the middle of the watch.

Watch provided with a control member

A watch includes a control member, for example a crown or a head of a push-piece, which is mounted in a resilient manner on the outer end of an elongated element projecting outside the middle, such that a user can tilt in a self-reverting manner the control member in two dimensions orthogonal and perpendicular to the central axis of the elongated element. At least one proximity sensor is incorporated into the middle of the watch, in a location allowing this proximity sensor to produce an electric signal that represents the tilting of the control member about an axis that is perpendicular to the central axis. A processor generates at least one instruction on the basis of the electric signal provided by at least one proximity sensor, for example to allow the user to browse a menu or a calendar displayed on a digital screen.

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Les Emibois, Switzerland

Pierry Vuille