TITLE

WRISTWATCH WITH A BEZEL ROTARY MOTION ADJUSTMENT BUTTON

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention is part of the technical field of sports watches for underwater use, especially watches equipped with adjustable circular bezel with references for time measurement and watertight movement mechanism.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] In the practice of scuba diving, the constant knowledge of the respiratory autonomies guaranteed by the present oxygen sources, i.e. the capacity of the scuba tanks, is crucial. The autonomy guaranteed by these sources can be quantified temporally and therefore it can be managed with the support of adequate instruments for viewing the elapsed and remaining time of the dive.

[0003] One of the most used and valuable tools in this case is the watch, of the wrist type, provided with obvious characteristics of impermeability at different atmospheres (depending on type and use). The diver's watch allows the direct and immediate vision of the elapsed time of the dive and, thanks to the presence of a manually adjustable circular bezel provided with references, it also guarantees the vision of the residual autonomy. This feature obviously requires manual setting by the user who, prior to immersion, adjusts the bezel by turning it until it properly aligns the movable references with the fixed ones.

[0004] During the dive, it is crucial that the bezel is not subjected to interference or adjustment variations, above all of an accidental type, since a possible modification in a greater sense of the residual time of the dive would involve a fatal extension well beyond the capacity limits guaranteed by the sources of oxygen. [0005] For this reason there are systems for blocking the accidental rotation of the bezel which prevent it from rotating in one direction (increasing the time reference) but do not prevent it from rotating in the opposite direction (decreasing the time reference). In this way, as a precaution, the fatally worst eventuality is prevented, but the accidental modification in a general sense is not prevented.

[0006] Technical literature and market already present instruments and devices which are able to manage the rotation of the bezel, manually locking and unlocking it from the outside on request.

[0007] The patent document n. US6200019 protects a locking device of the rotation of the bezel which allows the simultaneous watertightness of the casing to which it is coupled. Such device is suitable to impose the locking of the rotation of the bezel by means of meshing members which are coupled to the external milling of the bezel by means of the manual closure of a lever present on the external profile of the device. As an alternative, it is possible to unlock the rotation of the bezel by lifting the lever.

[0008] The patent document n. US3512353 protects a locking member which is able to tighten the rotation of the bezel by means of the externally-exerted pressure on the same by means of a rotating button. This button is able to firmly join the watch by means of a screw which is suitable for coupling to a thread present inside a hole on the external profile of the watch. The coupling brings the head of the button in contact with the milling of the bezel, thus locking it.

[0009] Both the above-disclosed patent documents protect devices and instruments which are capable of locking the bezel of the watch, even from outside, but do not allow adjustment. In fact, the possibility of being able to completely manage the bezel

(movement and locking) directly by means of a button or an external crown suitable for fixing to the watch itself is very convenient and important. In this way, the surface of accidental incidence would be considerably reduced and it is therefore also preferable that the adjustment of the rotation mechanism of the bezel can occur only when subject to the "unlocking" mechanism of the same. That is, it would be appropriate the presence of an adjustment mode of the bezel, external to the same, which keeps it rigidly locked until the release of the unlocking command by the user, thereby making the adjustment possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An object of the present invention is therefore to propose a watch provided with suitable technical devices which can overcome the drawbacks of the above-disclosed prior art.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to propose a watch which is able to allow the manual adjustment of the bezel by means of a crown which is external to the bezel itself.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to propose a watch which is able to allow the manual locking of the bezel by means of a crown which is external to the bezel itself.

[0013] A further object of the present invention is to propose a watch which is able to allow manual adjustment of the bezel without interfering with the internal movement.

[0014] Conventionally, a wristwatch of this type comprises a casing comprising a carrure designed for containing a movement therein, a bezel rotatably coupled to said carrure and a bottom, at least one adjustment button comprising a head portion extending radially from the carrure and a relative pin engaged in the carrure, wherein the aforementioned at least one button can be selectively displaceable between an inserted position in which it is screwed to the carrure, thus preventing its extraction, and an extracted position in which the adjustment button is freely rotatable around its own axis.

[0015] According to the present invention, the objects set forth above are achieved thanks to the fact that a watch as disclosed above further comprises a cogwheel being mounted coaxial and sliding around the pin of the adjustment button, an integral toothed portion on the lower surface of the bezel, with the toothed portion arranged to be engaged with the cogwheel in such a way that the rotation of the cogwheel causes the rotation of the bezel, a brake element arranged to selectively hold the cogwheel braked, and wherein when the adjustment button is in the extracted position, the relative pin interacts with the cogwheel so that the rotation of the pin causes the rotation of the cogwheel, and moreover the brake element is disengaged from the cogwheel allowing its rotation; whereas when the adjustment button is in said inserted position, the relative pin is released from the cogwheel so that the rotation of the pin does not cause any rotation of the cogwheel, and moreover the brake element interacts with the cogwheel preventing its rotation.

[0016] In a watch as outlined above, the adjustment button, when in the extracted position, allows precise adjustment of the angular position of the bezel, whereas, when in the inserted and locked position, it prevents voluntary or accidental rotations of the bezel.

[0017] Further characteristics and advantages of a watch according to the present invention are expressed in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Furthermore, these and other advantages and characteristics associated with the watch of the present invention will be more easily understood by means of the illustration of a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, as disclosed below with the aid of the attached tables of drawings, wherein:

[0019] Fig. 1 shows a front view of a watch according to the present invention,

[0020] Fig. 2 shows a side view of the watch of Fig. 1

[0021] Fig. 3 shows a sectional view of the watch of Fig. 1 , performed along the E-E line,

[0022] Fig. 4 shows a portion of the detail of the view of Fig. 1 wherein an adjustment button is visible,

[0023] Fig. 5 shows a sectional view taken along the D-D line of Fig. 4 with the adjustment button in a first operational configuration,

[0024] Fig. 6 shows the view of Fig. 5 with the adjustment button in a second operating configuration, [0025] Fig. 7 shows an exploded view of the sectional views of Figs. 5 and 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] With reference to Figs from 1 to 3, a watch, O, according to the invention, comprises a casing, A, formed by a main element of carrure, C, an upper element of carrure, CS, associated above with the main element of carrure C, a bottom, F, and a bezel, L, rotatably associated with the upper element of carrure CS. The watch O further comprises an adjustment button, 1 , arranged laterally along the external profile of the main element of carrure C, as well as further buttons, P, arranged in correspondence with other angular positions along the external profile of the carrure C.

[0027] With reference to Figs from 4 to 7, the adjustment button 1 comprises a head portion 11 , protruding radially from the casing A and shaped to be gripped to operate the adjustment button 1 itself, and a pin 10, integral with the head portion 11 and protruded in the casing A to transmit the command action imparted to the head portion 11.

[0028] The adjustment button 1 is associated with the casing A in correspondence with a housing for button 2, formed in the outer perimeter surface of the main element of carrure C. A first elastic element, 15, coaxial with the pin 10, acts in compression between the main portion of carrure C and the pin 10 to push the pin 10 towards the extracted position. More specifically, the first elastic element 15 is compressed between a cylindrical bottom section, 21 , of the housing for button 2 and a tail portion, 101 , of the pin 10 itself. The tail portion 101 has a concave end, 102, which faces the bottom of the housing 2 so as to receive inside it an end of the first elastic element 15.

[0029] The housing for button 2 also houses a cogwheel, 12, which is mounted around the pin 10 in a sliding mode so that the cogwheel 12 is kept in a fixed axial position whereas the pin 10 can slide with respect to it in the passage from an inserted position

(Fig. 5) to an extracted position (Fig. 6), and vice versa, of the adjustment button 1. In correspondence with a central hole, 121 , for the passage of the pin 10, the cogwheel 12 is provided with rotary motion transmission members of the wheel, 32, and the pin 10 is provided with rotary motion transmission members of the pin 33, in correspondence with a tail end, 101 , which has an increased outer diameter with respect to the diameter of the central portion of the pin suitable for sliding in the central hole of the cogwheel 12. The rotary motion transmission member of the wheel 32 and the rotary motion transmission member of the pin 33 are advantageously cylindrical milled or splined surfaces complementary to each other. When the adjustment button is in the aforesaid extracted position, the rotary motion transmission members of the pin 33 interact with the rotary motion transmission members of the cogwheel 32, so that a rotation of the adjustment button 1 causes the same rotation of the cogwheel 12, whereas when the adjustment button is in the aforesaid inserted position, the rotary motion transmission members of the pin 33 are disengaged from the rotary motion transmission members of the cogwheel 12 so that a rotation of the adjustment button 1 does not cause any rotation of the cogwheel 12.

[0030] The upper element of carrure CS is arranged to receive above, in a rotatable coupling, the bezel L whose upward removal is prevented by the presence of a plurality of peripheral screw elements, VL, radially arranged integral with the bezel itself and which engage an annular peripheral groove, S, of the upper element of carrure CS, according to methods which are, inter alia, conventional. The upper element of carrure CS also has an annular recess, 38, in its upper surface, inside which an annular toothed portion, 13, is inserted coaxial and integral with the bezel L and protruding from the lower surface of the latter. In the angular portion occupied by the adjustment button 1 , the upper element of carrure CS has an aperture, 39, in correspondence with the annular recess 38, the aperture being crossed by the cogwheel 12, which has a peripheral toothing, 31 , arranged to mesh with the annular toothed portion 13. The annular toothed portion 13 has a bevel gear complementary to the peripheral toothing 31 , which is bevel as well, of the cogwheel 12 and with which it meshes thus transmitting the rotary motion from the cogwheel 12 to the bezel L. [0031] The adjustment button 1 is kept axially in position by a fixing plate 17, provided with a calibrated through hole, 171 , which allows the passage of the pin 10. The fixing plate 17 closes the housing for button 2 and is made integral with the main element of carrure C by means of screws, V (shown in Fig. 2). The fixing plate 17 has on its outer side a cylindrical protuberance, 172, coaxial with the hole 171 , which is externally threaded so that the head portion 11 can engage with it by means of a corresponding female thread, 111 , in order to steadily constrain the adjustment button 1 in the inserted position.

[0032] A brake element, 14, suitable to prevent the movement of the cogwheel 12 comprises a sleeve coaxial with the pin 10 mounted in a sliding mode around it so that it is movable between a braking position corresponding to the inserted position of the adjustment button 1 , wherein it abuts against the cogwheel 12 exerting a braking action thereon, and a release position wherein it is not in contact with the cogwheel 12 and abuts against the fixing plate 17, and more specifically against a shoulder, 173, of the relative hole 171. The portion of the brake element 14 which abuts against the outer surface of the cogwheel 12 has mechanical properties such as to allow the rotation of the cogwheel 12 to be locked. Advantageously, the aforementioned mechanical properties are obtained by means of a material having a high friction coefficient with which the portion of the brake element 14 arranged to come into contact with the cogwheel 12 is made or coated.

[0033] A second elastic element, 16, acts in compression between the cogwheel 12 and the brake element 14, and is arranged to exert a thrust tending to remove and thus disengage the brake element 14 from the cogwheel 12, abutting it against the fixing plate 17. When the adjustment button 1 is in the inserted position, a thrust element, 112, integral with it presses against the brake element 14, overcoming the thrust of the second elastic element 16 and maintaining the brake element pressed against the cogwheel 12. [0034] From the above description of a preferred embodiment, the operation of a button for adjusting the movement of the bezel in a watch according to the invention is easily deducible.

[0035] When the adjustment button 1 is in the extracted position (Fig. 6) the pin 10 is pushed by the first elastic element 15 to abut against the cogwheel 12 with the rotary motion transmission members 32 and 33 engaged so that the rotation of the pin 10 causes the rotation of the cogwheel 12, and this, by means of the coupling with the toothed portion 13, causes the rotation of the bezel L, adjusting its angular position. At the same time, in the extracted position, the brake element 14 is disengaged from the cogwheel 12 allowing it to rotate, thanks to the action of the second elastic element 16 which tends to move it away from the cogwheel 12 keeping it abutted against the fixing plate 17.

[0036] The passage from the extracted position to the inserted position occurs conventionally by exerting a manual thrust on the head portion 11 thereof, and then screwing the latter to the fixing plate 17 by means of the female thread 111 which is screwed onto the cylindrical protuberance 172.

[0037] In the inserted position of the adjustment button 1 , which is a stable position thanks to the screw connection between the head portion 11 and the fixing plate 17, the pin 10 is released from the cogwheel 12 so that the rotation of the pin 10 does not cause any rotation of the cogwheel 12. At the same time, the brake element 14 interacts with the cogwheel 12 preventing its rotation, as the thrust element 112 presses against the brake element 14 overcoming the thrust of the second elastic element 16 and keeping the brake element 14 pressed against the cogwheel 12 to exert a braking action. Although in the inserted position the rotation of the bezel L is not constrained to the rotation of the adjustment button 1 , a manual and/or involuntary rotation of the bezel L is prevented by the action of the brake element 14. [0038] The above-disclosed wristwatch is particularly suitable for underwater activities or in general for any activity where it is essential to be able to rely on the information which are assumed by the angular position of the bezel. In fact, in the watch of the invention, the position of the bezel is extremely accurately adjustable by rotating the adjustment button after being brought to the extracted position. Moreover, after the adjustment of the position of the bezel has been carried out, by bringing the same adjustment button back to the inserted position and locked to the watch casing, a lock of the bezel is obtained thanks to the action of the brake element. In this configuration, the rotation of the bezel, whether voluntary or accidental, is effectively prevented.

[0039] Furthermore, the actuation and locking mechanism of the bezel by means of the adjustment button is extremely reliable and precise thanks to the strength and constructive simplicity of its constituent elements.

[0040] The embodiment disclosed above and represented in the accompanying tables of drawings is merely exemplary since the various components of the watch can certainly be modified for practical application reasons into modes that are within the reach of a person skilled in the art without this implying an inventive activity.

[0041] Variations or different embodiments of a wristwatch according to the present invention can certainly be provided without this prejudicing the advantages associated with it and without departing from the protection scope provided by the following claims.