EP-4741948-A1 - LIGHTWEIGHT AND ROBUST TIMEPIECE COMPONENT

EP4741948A1EP 4741948 A1EP4741948 A1EP 4741948A1EP-4741948-A1

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a watch component, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - Fabrication of a rough skeleton (10a) including through openings (11); - Manufacture of at least two rough inserts (20b); - Formation of a pre-assembled set (30b) by inserting with minimal clearance each rough-cut insert (20b) into a through opening (11) of the rough-cut skeleton (10a); - Molding of the pre-assembled assembly (30b) within a mold (201), resulting in the welding of each rough-cut insert (20b) with at least one other rough-cut insert (20b), so as to form a structure that is interlocked and inseparable with the skeleton (10); - Finishing machining to achieve the final dimensions and finishes of the watch component.

Inventors

Calame, Florian
DEFFAUGT, Guillaume
RIOTTE, THIBAUT

Assignees

ROLEX SA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20241112

Claims (14)

A method for manufacturing a watch component, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - Fabrication of a rough skeleton (10a) including through openings (11); - Manufacture of at least two rough inserts (20b); - Formation of a pre-assembled set (30b) by inserting with minimal clearance each rough-cut insert (20b) into a through opening (11) of the rough-cut skeleton (10a); - Molding of the pre-assembled assembly (30b) within a mold (201), resulting in the welding of each rough-cut insert (20b) with at least one other rough-cut insert (20b), so as to form a structure that is interlocked and inseparable with the skeleton (10); - Finishing machining to achieve the final dimensions and finishes of the watch component.
Method of manufacturing a watch component according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the manufacturing step of a rough skeleton (10a) forms rework portions (16) and finishing portions (15), and in that the finishing machining step leaves the finishing portions (15) unchanged and modifies or removes the rework portions (16).
A method for manufacturing a watch component according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the mold (201) includes portions forming reference elements (203) complementary to the rework portions (16) of the rough skeleton (10a), so as to position and orient the rough skeleton (10a) of the pre-assembled assembly (30b) at the bottom of the mold (201) by creating sealed interfaces to prevent the material of the rough inserts (20b) from covering the rework portions (16) of the rough skeleton (10a).
A method for manufacturing a watch component according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a step of assembling at least one protective element (60) onto the rough skeleton (10a) of the pre-assembled assembly (30b) before carrying out the molding step of the pre-assembled assembly, to protect all or part of the pre-assembled assembly, in particular the reworked portions (16) of the rough skeleton (10a) and/or the openings of the skeleton and/or the finishing portions (15), in particular the openings of the skeleton designed at the level of passage holes for controls such as pushers or a winding crown, and/or in that it comprises a step of assembling at least one protective element (60) onto the rough skeleton (10a) of the pre-assembled assembly (30b) before carrying out the molding step of the pre-assembled assembly, to stiffen the rough skeleton (10a) and preserve its integrity during the molding stage.
Method of manufacturing a watch component according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the rough skeleton (10a) delimits an internal enclosure (12), and in that a protective element (60) is advantageously assembled to the rough skeleton (10a) so as to hermetically close an open face of said internal enclosure (12).
A method for manufacturing a watch component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the molding step of the pre-assembled set (30b) includes a heating step so as to cause the rough inserts (20b) to flow and a compression step, to ensure filling of the through openings (11) of the skeleton by the material of the rough inserts, as well as welding between rough inserts (20b) and optionally their adhesion to the skeleton, the heating step being optionally a servo-controlled heating step.
A method for manufacturing a watch component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the manufacturing step of a rough skeleton (10a) is implemented by machining or by three-dimensional printing or by molding or by sintering, with optional rework by machining means to achieve the final accuracy of at least some finishing portions (15) of the rough skeleton (10a).
Method of manufacturing a watch component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the manufacturing step of a rough skeleton (10a) forms a rough skeleton (10a) comprising through openings (11) opening from the outside of the rough skeleton (10a) and communicating with each other, and optionally not opening from the inside at the level of an enclosure (12) of the rough skeleton (10a).
Method of manufacturing a watch component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it manufactures a skeleton (10) comprising housings (12b, 13a) for positioning sealing gaskets at the interfaces with other components such as a crystal, a case back, or a protective element.
Method of manufacturing a watch component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the manufacture of the rough inserts (20b) includes machining or molding from a single block in a material having a melting point lower than that of the material of the rough skeleton (10a).
A method for manufacturing a watch component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the manufacture of the rough inserts (20b) includes the formation of an overthickness or excess material on their outer part, said rough inserts (20b) being independent of each other or connected to each other by said excess material.
Method for manufacturing a watch component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the watch component is a case (30), is a component of a bracelet, is a bezel, a case back, a dial, or a component of the watch movement, such as a blank or a mainplate.
Method of manufacturing a watch component according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the watch component is a case (30), in that the rough skeleton (10a) delimits an internal enclosure (12) intended to receive a watch movement, and includes at least one portion forming at least one fixing device (12) for a case back and/or a crystal and/or a bezel and/or a control element and/or a strap.
Method of manufacturing a watch component according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the rework portions (16) comprise a bearing surface, a cylinder, and a flat, positioned on the upper side, outside the internal enclosure (12) of the case, and in that it comprises a finishing step comprising the removal of the rework portions (16) by machining a chimney and a flange, forming a device for fixing a crystal.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a watch component, in particular a case component, such as a case, or more generally any other component. It also relates to a watch component as such, such as a case, and to a timepiece, in particular a wristwatch, comprising at least one such watch component. A watch component, and more specifically a case component, must achieve numerous, sometimes conflicting, mechanical properties. Among these desired properties, we can mention: Lightness, which makes wearing a timepiece comfortable; A very attractive appearance, free from defects, compatible with the aesthetic requirements of luxury watchmaking; Robustness, to withstand the external stresses experienced by a watch part, so that the watch component retains the same appearance in a lasting way, and more generally all of its mechanical properties in a lasting way. In practice, existing solutions represent compromises between these properties. Generally, watch components are mass-produced from a material that can be both lightweight and hard. However, these existing solutions have limitations, and there is a need to identify new solutions that optimize the properties and/or appearance of watch components. An object of the present invention is therefore to propose a solution for obtaining a watch component, in particular a watch case component, that is light and robust, in an improved manner compared to the prior art. To this end, the invention is based on a method for manufacturing a watch component, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: Fabrication of a rough skeleton including through openings; Manufacturing of at least two rough-cut inserts; Formation of a pre-assembled set by inserting each rough-cut insert into a through opening of the rough-cut skeleton with minimal play; Molding of the pre-assembled assembly within a mold, resulting in the welding of each rough-cut insert with at least one other rough-cut insert, so as to form a structure that is interlocked and inseparable with the skeleton; Final machining to achieve the final dimensions and finishes of the watch component. The invention is more precisely defined by the claims. These objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description of a particular embodiment, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying figures, among which: There figure 1 represents a bottom view of a skeleton of a build according to an embodiment of the invention. There figure 2 represents a cross-sectional view through an unfolded transverse vertical plane AA of the skeleton of the frame according to the embodiment of the invention. There figure 3 represents a top view of the skeleton of the frame according to the embodiment of the invention. There figure 4 represents an exploded view in cross-section by an unfolded transverse vertical plane AA of a pre-assembled assembly according to the embodiment of the invention. There figure 5 represents a bottom view of the pre-assembled assembly according to the embodiment of the invention. There figure 6 represents a top view of the pre-assembled assembly according to the embodiment of the invention. There figure 7 represents a cross-sectional view through an unfolded transverse vertical plane AA of the pre-assembled assembly according to the embodiment of the invention. There figure 8 represents a cross-sectional view through an unfolded transverse vertical plane AA of a molding device of the pre-assembled assembly during a molding step according to the embodiment of the invention. There figure 9 represents the evolution respectively of the temperature T in °C and of the load C in kN during the molding stage of the manufacturing process according to the embodiment of the invention. There Figure 10 represents a cross-sectional view through an unfolded transverse vertical plane AA of a blank case resulting from the molding step according to the embodiment of the invention. There figure 11 represents a half-section view of the case according to the embodiment of the invention. There figure 12 represents a half-section view of a watch case comprising the case middle according to the embodiment of the invention. The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a watch component, particularly a casing, which can be positioned around the perimeter of a timepiece or constitute the perimeter of a timepiece, such as a case. Such a watch component comprises a first oriented part towards the interior of the timepiece, specifically towards the volume containing the watch movement, which we will call the housing, and a second part oriented towards the exterior, specifically intended to be visible from outside the timepiece. We will subsequently use the adjectives "interior" and "exterior" as defined above, even for a watch component considered independently of a timepiece, in reference to its intended positioning within a ti