Montres Breguet S.a.

The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd

Sylvain Marechal

Davide Sarchi

Polychronis Nakis Karapatis

Jérôme Favre

Benoit Junod

Eric Goeller

Nakis Karapatis

Benoit Legeret

Stephane Beugin

Olivier Karlen

Arnaud Todeschini

Jean-Jacques Born

Alain Zaugg

Thierry Conus

Jerome Favre

Younes Kadmiri

Jan Pittet

Gaetan Villard

Patrick Ragot

Jean-François Pesenti

Rene Piguet

Sylvain Dauby

Lucien Germond

Simon Lauper

Jacques Mieville

A device for displaying at least one time-related magnitude including a timepiece movement including at least one time base and at least one energy source which extend in a first same plane, and at least one roller pivotably mounted about an axis of rotation A and which extends in a second plane parallel to the first plane, at least one roller including a display strip arranged on an outer periphery and on which at least one indication of the time-related magnitude is inscribed, the timepiece movement driving at least one roller in rotation about axis A via drive device which extend in the same second plane as at least one roller, at least one roller and the timepiece movement being centred on axis A.

Roller display device

A musical timepiece includes a gong fastened to a structure or a resonator of a watch case, the resonator rigidly assembled to the structure around a chamber, by lugs allowing vibration of the resonator within a determined frequency range, the chamber enclosing a sealing element forming with the lugs the only mechanical connection between the structure and the resonator. The structure or the resonator includes a groove receiving a gasket in contact with the structure and the resonator The structure structure or the resonator or the sealing element includes a rigid protruding relief portion compressing a gasket in its groove, with a hardness less than 20 Shore A, for minimum damping of the vibration of the resonator.

Striking or musical timepiece with a resonant bezel

A method for orienting a timepiece component including ferromagnetic material, where, on both ends of this component, two magnetic fields each attract it onto a pole piece, with an unbalance in the intensity of these fields around this component, in order to create a differential in the forces thereon and to press one of these ends onto a contact surface of one of the pole pieces, and to hold the other end at a distance from the other pole piece. A magnetic pivot includes such a component with two ends. It includes a guide device with surfaces of two pole pieces each generating a magnetic field attracting one of these ends, the magnetic forces exerted on the two ends being of different intensity, in order to attract only one end into contact with only one of these pole piece surfaces.

Magnetic and/or electrostatic pivot

Watch comprising a case containing an energy accumulator recharged by a winding mechanism, this watch is arranged to receive, attached to the case or in immediate proximity thereto, an additional self-winding mechanism arranged to be worn by a user at the same time as the watch and comprising a transmitter wheel set arranged for contactless cooperation with a receiver wheel set comprised in the winding mechanism, by remote interaction under the action of a field in the air-gap between the transmitter wheel set and the receiver wheel set, the intensity of the field and the maximum air-gap distance being defined to transmit to the receiver wheel set, to recharge the energy accumulator, a torque or a force imparted by a user to the transmitter wheel set, and the additional self-winding mechanism is removable and portable with respect to the case.

Self-winding mechanism for watches

The device for pivoting an arbor about a determined axis includes at least one magnetic bearing including a magnet which exerts a force of attraction on a pivot, made of magnetic material, of the arbor. Further, the bearing includes a magnetic flux centring structure arranged between the magnet and the pivot, and a support for the centring structure. This centring structure includes a peripheral portion and a central portion resiliently connected to the peripheral portion by at least one connecting element, the central portion being formed of a highly magnetically permeable material and having smaller dimensions than those of the magnet. The peripheral portion is rigidly force fitted to the support so that the central portion is centred on the pivot axis.

Magnetic device for pivoting an arbor in a timepiece movement

The device for pivoting an arbor of a rotating member, on a determined pivot axis, inside a timepiece movement includes at least one magnetic bearing including a magnet which exerts a force of attraction on a pivot made of magnetic material, of the arbor, and an endstone arranged between the magnet and the pivot, the endstone being formed of a material having a hardness greater than 500 HV and a friction coefficient less than or substantially equal to 0.1 with the material of which the pivot is made. The material forming the endstone has a high magnetic permeability and the endstone has, in cross-section to the pivot axis, smaller dimensions than those of the magnet, said endstone being arranged in the timepiece movement to be centred on the determined pivot axis.

Magnetic device for pivoting an arbor of a rotating member in a timepiece movement

A timepiece balance spring made of micromachinable material including a plurality of stages, each forming a spiral wound spring, parallel to each other and all attached to a common axial collet or to the same balance staff, each stage including, at its respective outer end, its own attachment to a balance spring stud which are independent of those of the other stages, the attachment including a position adjustment with respect to a balance spring stud which are also independent of those of the other stages, the attachment and the position adjustment together forming built-in isochronism correction mechanism for the balance spring, and the position adjustment including a plurality of discrete position adjustment positions including housings each arranged to retain a stud.

Balance spring made of micromachinable material with isochronism correction

An automatic winding device for a spring of a watch movement including a weight fixed on a support via a bearing including a ring which drives, in only one direction of rotation called the winding direction, a transmission gear in order to wind the mainspring, this winding device wherein, on the one hand, the bearing is of the one-way type and blocks the rotation of the weight in the opposite direction to the winding direction, called the blocking direction and wherein, on the other hand, the device includes a means for decoupling the weight from said bearing in at least the blocking direction when the weight exerts on the bearing a torque higher than a desired value.

Mechanical winding device for a watch

Balance spring stud including, around a housing receiving a balance spring of reference thickness, a one-piece component made of a shape memory alloy and including two lugs, each arranged to rest on one of the surfaces of the balance spring, and wherein, in the free state, the minimum width of the air gap of the lugs is greater than the maximum value of the reference thickness when the component is in an open position corresponding to a martensitic structure, and wherein the maximum width of the air gap is less than the minimum value of the reference thickness when the component is in a closed position corresponding to an austenitic structure, and the balance spring includes an area of lesser thickness having a minimum thickness equal to the reference thickness, surrounded by areas of large thickness having a minimum thickness greater than the reference thickness.

Balance spring stud for a timepiece

The invention concerns a method for adjusting the vibration frequency range of a sound producing device with vibrating tongues. The device includes an assembly formed of a comb extended by at least one vibrating tongue, said comb having at least one hole for the securing thereof to a support by means of a support jaw and of a tightening element traversing the support jaw and the hole in the aforecited comb. According to the method, the frequency range is adjusted by reducing the free length of the vibrating tongue or tongues by the localized clamping of said tongues between the support jaw and a local counter-support.

Method for adjusting the vibration frequency range of a sound producing device with vibrating tongues

Escapement mechanism () for a watch movement including a pallet lever () with a fork () and a roller device () with an impulse-pin coupled to a balance (). The fork includes an entry horn () and an exit horn (), the impulse-pin including a first cam portion () configured to engage the entry horn, and a second cam portion () configured to engage the exit horn. The first cam portion includes a first cam surface () configured to engage the entry horn on a first level (), and the second cam portion includes a second cam surface () configured to engage the exit horn on a second level (), the first and second levels being staggered in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation (A) of the roller device.

Escapement mechanism for a watch movement

A method and device for orienting a timepiece component on both ends of which two magnetic/electrostatic fields each attract it onto a pole piece, with an unbalance in the intensity of the fields around the component, in order to create a differential in the forces thereon and to press one of the ends onto a contact surface of one of the pole pieces, and to hold the other end at a distance from the other pole piece. A magnetic/electrostatic pivot includes such a component with two ends. It includes a guide device with surfaces of two pole pieces each attracted by a magnetic/electrostatic field transmitted by one of the ends, or generating a magnetic/electrostatic field attracting one of the ends, the magnetic/electrostatic forces exerted on the two ends are of different intensity, in order to attract only one end into contact with only one of the pole piece surfaces.

The watch movement comprises a motor barrel (), a fusee () having a main surface that has a spiral groove (), means () for winding the movement arranged to drive the fusee, a going train () arranged to be driven by the fusee, and a wire () extended between the fusee and the barrel. The watch movement additionally comprises a fixed guide () and a winding roller () mounted to slide on the fixed guide, wherein the winding roller is arranged to guide the wire when the fusee turns and to simultaneously assure the insertion of the wire into the groove () and its removal therefrom.

Watch movement comprising a fusee

A timepiece wheel governor for regulating the pivoting speed (&#x3c9;) of a wheel set, about a pivot axis, including a pivoting inertia-block. It includes a spring to return this block towards this axis, and, when the wheel set pivots at a lower speed than a reference speed (&#x3c9;c), this block remains confined within a first volume of revolution, and, when the wheel set pivots at a higher speed than the reference speed (&#x3c9;c), this block is engaged, in one peripheral portion thereof, in a second volume contiguous with and external to the first one, this peripheral portion cooperating in this second volume with a regulator arranged to brake the wheel set and return the pivoting speed (&#x3c9;) thereof to the reference speed (&#x3c9;c), and to dissipate the surplus energy.

Governor for a timepiece wheel set or strike wheel set

Anti-shock device for the protection of a timepiece component pivotally mounted between a first and a second end in a chamber. The component is freely mounted in the chamber between pole pieces, which are distinct from the component and located in proximity to the chamber and the device includes a device for attracting the first end held in abutment on only the first pole piece, and a device for attracting the second end towards a second pole piece, the devices for attracting the first end and the second end, which are of magnetic and/or electrostatic nature, can move along an axial direction between stop members.

Growing community of inventors

Bois-d'Amont, France

Sylvain Marechal