Rolex Sa

Richard Bossart

Jerome Daout

Olivier Hunziker

Edward Michelet

Florian Calame

Frédéric Burger

Denis Favez

Jérôme Daout

Marc Cerutti

Jean-Marc Bonard

Nima Merk

Jérome Daout

A method of manufacturing a clock or watch component () includes (i) providing (E; E) a wafer () having a single slice () including a material of the component, notably silicon, diamond, quartz, sapphire or ceramic, optionally first coating the lower surface of the slice () with a lower layer (), (iii) etching (Eto E; Eto E) the slice () starting from its upper surface to form at least one clock or watch component, (iv) revealing (E; E) at least one clock or watch component (), by removing a layer that served as a mask for etching (E; E) and (y) optionally releasing (E) the slice and the at least one etched clock or watch component by removing the lower layer ().

Method of manufacturing a clock or watch component

The invention relates to a method which comprises the steps of providing a plate () made of a micromachinable material, forming the timepiece component () with at least one attachment () for keeping the component attached to the rest of the plate (), by etching the plate (); and creating, along a desired breakage line of the attachment, a pre-detachment area () comprising at least one gap () obtained by etching into the body of the plate ().

Method for manufacturing a timepiece component

A balance spring for an oscillator of a timepiece, wherein it comprises a component part, in particular at least a coil or a portion of a coil, provided with heavily doped silicon having an ion density greater than or equal to 10at/cm, in order to permit the thermo-compensation of the oscillator.

Balance spring made of heavily doped silicon for a timepiece

Process for manufacturing a hybrid timepiece component, comprising structuring at least one wafer () of a first micromachinable material so as to form at least one through-opening () within the wafer (), said structured wafer () being intended to form a first part () of the hybrid timepiece component; and depositing a metal by electroforming, so that the metal extends through the through-opening () and over the two upper and lower faces of the wafer () as a single piece resulting from one and the same electroforming step, the electroformed metal being intended to form a second part () of the hybrid timepiece component.

Process for manufacturing a hybrid timepiece component

A method for determining an imbalance characteristic of a hairspring () balance () oscillator () of a timepiece movement (), the method comprising at least the following steps: &#x2014;Setting the hairspring balance oscillator in an oscillating motion at at least two amplitudes, &#x2014;Determining, for each amplitude and for at least two positions of the oscillator, a piece of data representative of the oscillation period of the oscillator, &#x2014;Using the data from the previous step to calculate the imbalance characteristic of the hairspring balance oscillator.

Method for determining an imbalance characteristic of an oscillator

An integral assembly of a single or double hairspring and an unsplit collet including two portions opposite one another for receiving the balance staff, one portion including one of the bearing surfaces (or) for the balance staff and a point () for attaching the hairspring, and the other portion including another bearing surface (or) for the balance staff, the two portions being connected together by two linking portions that are less rigid than the receiving portions so as to be capable of elastically deforming during the fitting of a balance staff. According to another aspect, the invention also relates to an integral assembly of a hairspring and a collet, including at least two stages, as well as to a method for manufacturing such an assembly.

Integral assembly of a hairspring and a collet

The present invention relates to a hairspring for a timepiece hairspring-balance oscillator, which can be produced, in particular, from a low-density material such as silicon, diamond or quartz, and to a method of manufacturing such a hairspring. According to the invention, this hairspring comprises at least one leaf () the cross section of which has a thickness and a height and its characterizing feature is that the leaf () comprises a plurality of apertures () extending in the heightwise direction of the leaf and alternating with bridges (). The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such a hairspring.

Hairspring for timepiece hairspring-balance oscillator, and method of manufacture thereof

Hairspring for a balance wheel/hairspring resonator, comprising n blades, where n&#x2267;2, which are fastened via at least one of their respective homologous ends and wound in spirals with an angular offset capable of neutralizing the lateral forces liable to be exerted on its central arbor when one of the ends of each blade is moved angularly around said central arbor relative to its other end.

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Lausanne, Switzerland

Richard Bossart