Mechanical movement watch with force control mechanism

11994,828

17/370118

July 08, 2021

A watch (1) with a mechanical movement with force control mechanism, and of the jumping seconds type. The mechanism is disposed in a finishing train of the mechanical movement between an energy source and an escape wheel set (11) linked to an oscillator (14) in oscillation to drive the escape wheel set in the same direction of rotation. The escape wheel set meshes with a seconds wheel (2). A rotary locking element (7) is arranged to cooperate with a stop member (3) mechanically linked to the accumulation seconds wheel to lock in a stop mode or release in a jump mode the finishing train according to the angular position of the seconds wheel. A stop member spring (4) rotates the accumulation fixed seconds wheel and the escapement mechanism linked to the oscillator at each half oscillation of the oscillator in stop mode.

Montres Breguet S.A. (L'Abbaye, CH)

Montres Breguet S.A. (L'Abbaye, CH)

1. A mechanical movement watch with force control mechanism, and of the jumping seconds type, the force control mechanism being disposed in a finishing train of the mechanical movement, which is arranged between an energy source and an escape wheel set that includes an escapement mechanism linked to an oscillator intended to be set in oscillation in normal function by a driving force generated by said energy source in order to make said escape wheel set rotate always in a single direction of rotation at each half oscillation of the oscillator, said escape wheel set meshing with a seconds wheel, wherein said force control mechanism comprises a rotary locking element arranged to cooperate with a stop member mechanically linked to said seconds wheel in order to lock in a stop mode or release in a jump mode said finishing train according to the angular position of said seconds wheel, a stop member spring in order to rotate the seconds wheel and the escapement mechanism linked to the oscillator at each half oscillation of the oscillator in stop mode, and the finishing train making it possible for the rotary locking element and for a seconds pinion coaxial to said seconds wheel to rotate in order to perform a jump of one second in jump mode, and also making it possible to perform a rewinding of the stop member spring in connection with the seconds pinion, while making it possible to lock the rotary locking element and the finishing train for the stop mode following the jump mode.

2. The mechanical movement watch according to claim 1 , wherein the spring once wound, is arranged to push the stop member against a cam or a guide portion in order to rotate the seconds wheel and make it possible to drive the escapement mechanism linked to the oscillator in a stop mode.

3. The mechanical movement watch according to claim 2 , wherein the stop member is a rack rotatably mounted about an arbor at a first end and comprising at a locking portion at a second end, an edge portion arranged to, under the action of the rack spring, follow the profile of said cam or of the guide portion in order to rotate the seconds wheel, and a stop part, such as a pallet-stone, disposed on one side opposite the edge portion and arranged to lock the rotary locking element in a stop mode.

4. The mechanical movement watch according to claim 1 , wherein the rotary locking element is a flirt, which is produced according to a LIGA or DRIE method.

5. The mechanical movement watch according to claim 3 , wherein the spring is mounted on a plate by a fastening rod passing through either a first hole, or a second hole of an end plate of the spring according to the desired position of the spring, wherein a metal spring is composed from the fastening plate of a spring blade, where a free end of the spring blade is fastened to an eccentric part disposed next to the arbor of the first end of the rack, in such a way as to push the rack in the direction of the cam, in order to make it possible to adjust the force of the spring.

6. The mechanical movement watch according to claim 3 , wherein the edge portion of the rack is a finger bearing against the tooth-shaped cam.

7. The mechanical movement watch according to claim 1 , wherein the stop member and the spring only form one single part, defined as spring part.

8. The mechanical movement watch according to claim 1 , for which the watch is a tourbillon watch, of which the arbor of a cage of the tourbillon enclosing the escapement mechanism linked to the oscillator, is the seconds pinion, wherein in a stop mode with locking of the finishing train, the seconds wheel is arranged in order to drive by small pitches in a first direction of rotation, the escape wheel set at each half oscillation of the oscillator by the action of the spring against a cam integral with the seconds wheel, and that in a jump mode upon the release of the finishing train, the seconds pinion is driven by a wheel of the finishing train in order to perform an angular jump of one second corresponding to the number of small pitches performed to drive the seconds wheel in the stop mode, in a second direction of rotation opposite the first direction of rotation, the cage of the tourbillon, the escapement mechanism with the oscillator and the seconds wheel linked to the escapement mechanism being moved in rotation by an angle of 6° corresponding to one second in the jump mode, and a rewinding of the spring is performed to start a successive stop mode with the locking of the finishing train.

9. The mechanical movement watch according to claim 8 , wherein the first direction of rotation is an anti-clockwise rotation, whereas the second direction of rotation is a clockwise rotation.

10. The mechanical movement watch according to claim 3 , wherein the locking element is a flirt, which comprises a first locking rod portion and a second locking rod portion in relation to its centre which comprises the axial locking portion in such a way as to perform a half revolution in the jump mode before being locked by the pallet-stone of the rack in the stop mode.

11. The mechanical movement watch according to claim 1 , wherein the seconds wheel includes a peripheral toothing meshing with a toothed escape pinion coaxial to said escape wheel set, a medium wheel of the finishing train having a peripheral toothing meshing with the seconds axial toothed pinion coaxial to said seconds wheel, an intermediate wheel that also includes said finishing train including an intermediate axial toothed pinion meshing with a peripheral toothing of the medium wheel, said intermediate wheel including a peripheral toothing in order to mesh with said axial locking pinion integral with said rotary locking element.

12. The mechanical movement watch according to claim 1 , wherein the escapement mechanism is a Swiss lever escapement mechanism of the mechanical movement, and wherein said oscillator is a sprung balance intended to be set in oscillation by a driving generated by a barrel spring constituting said energy source in normal function mode.

13. The mechanical movement watch according to claim 3 , wherein the pallet-stone of the rack is made of a hard material, such as ruby, in order to reduce the frictions.

14. The mechanical movement watch according to claim 1 , for which the watch comprises a traditional mechanical movement without tourbillon, wherein the seconds wheel pivots on the seconds pinion, which is connected by one or two rotary planetary wheels to a crown forming a differential gear not integral with the seconds wheel, wherein the crown supports a toothed cam portion in the shape of a circular arc as guide portion, wherein the stop member is rotatably mounted about the arbor and comprises an edge portion, which is produced in the shape of a toothed circular portion, which meshes with the toothed cam portion, wherein in a stop mode with locking of the finishing train, the seconds wheel is arranged in order to drive by small pitches in a first direction of rotation, the escape wheel set at each half oscillation of the oscillator by the action of the spring, which pulls the stop member up to a release position of the finishing train for the jump mode, wherein in a jump mode upon the release of the finishing train, the seconds pinion is driven by a wheel of the finishing train in order to perform an angular jump of one second corresponding to the number of small pitches performed to drive the seconds wheel in the stop mode, and wherein the crown is driven by the seconds pinion clockwise in order to rewind the spring and lock the finishing train for a successive stop mode.

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330 892 June 1958
702 179 May 2011
WO-2011113757 September 2011
2011/157797 December 2011

European Search Report for EP 20 00 0355 dated Mar. 8, 2021. cited by applicant

edspgr.11994828