Portable watch

A portable watch is equipped with a watch exterior member, a crown, a crown lock button, and an urging member. In a case band with which the exterior member is equipped, there are formed a crown mounting hole and a member mounting portion communicating with this hole and vertically perpendicular thereto. The crown is arranged in the hole. The crown has a crown shaft portion passed through the hole and a crown head portion continuous therewith. The crown shaft is provided with a lock groove continuous in the peripheral direction. The lock button accommodated in the mounting portion has a button head portion (operation end portion) protruding from the mounting portion. The button is movable between a lock position where it is engaged with the groove to constrain the crown and a lock canceling position where it is detached from the groove to cancel the constraint of the crown, and is arranged at the lock canceling position through a one-touch operation of the button head portion. The watch is characterized in that the button is arranged at the lock position by an urging member accommodated in the mounting portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a portable watch such as a wristwatch or a pocket watch equipped with a structure helping to prevent an erroneous operation of a crown while the watch is being carried about.

In a wristwatch, it is required that the crown should be prevented from being erroneously operated while the watch is being carried about, that is, that the crown should be prevented from being erroneously pulled out and rotated inadvertently.

For this purpose, there is known as a prior-art technique capable of locking the crown, a watch in which a male screw portion is provided in the outer periphery of a tubular protrusion protruding to the case band exterior side of a winding stem pipe fixed to the case band, in which the crown is formed by a shaft portion inserted into the winding stem pipe and a crown head portion capable of receiving the tubular protrusion and equipped with a female screw portion, and in which a coil spring is arranged between the shaft portion and the crown head portion, with the female screw portion of the crown head portion being threadedly engaged with the male screw portion of the tubular protrusion to thereby make it possible to fix the crown to the winding stem pipe through threaded engagement (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

Apart from this, as a prior-art technique capable of locking the crown, there is known a watch in which a male screw portion is provided in the outer periphery of a tubular protrusion protruding to case band exterior side of a winding stem pipe fixed to the case band, with a stop ring being mounted thereto, in which a shaft portion of a crown having the shaft portion and a crown head portion integral therewith is inserted into the winding stem pipe, in which a female screw portion of a protector having a protection frame portion capable of receiving the crown head portion and the female screw portion is threadedly engaged with the male screw portion of the tubular protrusion, and in which the protector is provided so as to be movable between a protecting position where it is placed in position by the stop ring and arranged so as to surround the crown head portion and a standby position where it is arranged so as to expose the crown head portion, with an inadvertent crown operation being prevented through arrangement of the protector at the protecting position (See, for example, JP-A-2000-329867).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the prior-art technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, in both preventing an erroneous operation of the crown and enabling the operation of the crown, it is necessary to take the trouble to rotate the crown head portion or the protector protecting this crown head portion, resulting in a rather poor operability. Further, with the watch remaining attached to the arm, the arm is likely to constitute an obstruction to the operation of rotating the crown head portion or the protector, so that, to secure the requisite operation space for the finger to rotate the crown, etc., the user is generally obliged to detach the watch from his arm, which also leads to a rather poor operability.

As described above, the prior-art technique has a problem in that its operability for enabling the operation of preventing an erroneous operation of the crown and enabling the operation of the crown, is rather poor.

To solve the above problem, according to the present invention, there are provided a watch exterior member which is equipped with a case band and which has a crown mounting hole formed so as to extend radially through the case band and a member mounting portion communicating with a portion of the crown mounting hole offset from a central portion of the crown mounting hole, vertically perpendicular to the crown mounting hole, and formed in the case band so as to be open at an upper end; a crown which has a crown shaft equipped with a peripherally continuous lock groove and a crown head portion continuous with this shaft and which is arranged with the crown shaft inserted into the crown mounting hole; a crown lock member which has an operation end portion protruding from the open upper end of the member mounting portion and is accommodated in the member mounting portion, which is movable between a lock position where it is engaged with the lock groove to constrain the crown and a lock canceling position where it is off the lock groove and cancels the constraint of the crown, and which is arranged at the lock canceling position through a one-touch operation of the operation end portion; and an urging member accommodated in the member mounting portion and urging the crown lock member so as to arrange it at the lock position.

In the present invention, the expression: “the central portion of the crown mounting hole” indicates the central portion of the hole section taken in a direction orthogonal to the center axis of this mounting hole. Thus, in the present invention, the expression that the member mounting portion communicates with a position off the central portion of the crown mounting hole means that the member mounting portion communicates with the peripheral portion of the hole section of the crown mounting hole.

In the present invention, the member mounting portion may be formed as a through-hole or a bottomed hole, and it is desirable for the hole section taken in the direction orthogonal to the center axis of the member mounting portion to be circular from the viewpoint of facilitating the machining of the member mounting portion with respect to the case band, which, however, should not be construed restrictively. In the present invention, it is also desirable that the section of the crown lock member taken in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction thereof be circular in facilitating the machining, which, however, should not be construed restrictively; a crown lock member in conformity with the configuration of the hole section of the member mounting portion may be adopted.

In the present invention, the one-touch operation of the operation end portion means the operation of simply pressing down the crown lock member without allowing the crown lock member to rotate around the center axis thereof or the operation of simply tilting the crown lock member. In the present invention, it is possible to suitably use a coil spring or a plate spring as the urging member; however, it is also possible to use some other material capable of elastic deformation such as rubber or elastomer. In the present invention, the crown shaft may be formed of a single shaft member of an integral structure or formed of a combination of a plurality of shaft members.

In the portable watch of the present invention, the crown lock member is arranged at a lock position by the urging force of the urging member, and this lock member is retained in a state in which it is engaged with the lock groove of the crown. Thus, even if, while the portable watch is being carried about, there is applied a force directed to the case band exterior side of the crown, the crown is not erroneously pulled out, and, consequently, it is possible to prevent erroneous rotation of the crown.

In the portable watch of the present invention, for the user to operate the crown when, for example, performing time correction, a finger of the user is first applied to the operation end portion of the crown lock member protruding upwardly from the case band, and the crown lock member is moved to the lock canceling position from the lock position through a one-touch operation such as simple pushing-in of the crown lock member without involving any rotating operation. As a result, the crown lock member is detached from the lock groove of the crown, making it possible to move the crown in the axial direction. Thus, in this state, the user can apply his fingers to the crown head portion and pull out the crown to perform operation thereon.

After this operation of the crown, the crown is pushed in through a one-touch operation by the user. As a result, the lock groove of the crown is opposed to the crown lock member and, with this, the crown lock member is engaged with the lock groove by the urging force of the urging member, whereby the crown is retained so as not to be erroneously pulled out.

As described above, in the present invention, the prevention of an erroneous operation of the crown can be realized through a one-touch pushing-in operation of the crown, and the enabling of the operation of the crown can be realized through a one-touch operation of the crown lock member, so that it is possible to attain a satisfactory operability in both cases.

In a preferred mode of the present invention, the crown lock member consists of a crown lock button that can be downwardly pushed in, and this lock button has an engagement shaft portion that is engaged with the lock groove at the lock position and that is arranged at the lock canceling position away from the movement path of the crown shaft, and an escape shaft portion continuous with the upper side of this shaft portion and arranged at the lock canceling position away from the movement path of the crown shaft.

In this preferred mode, the crown lock member consists of a crown lock button, so that the operation of the crown can be made possible through the one-touch operation of pushing this in downwardly. That is, the crown lock button is pushed in downwardly from the lock position, whereby the engagement shaft portion and the escape shaft portion thereof are arranged at the lock canceling positions while offset from the movement path of the crown shaft so that they may not constitute an obstruction to the crown pulling-out operation. And, when, after the operation of the crown, the crown is pushed in through a one-touch operation, the lock groove of the crown is opposed to the crown lock member and, with this, the crown lock member is pushed up by the urging force of the urging member, and the engagement shaft thereof is engaged with the lock groove, retaining the crown so as to prevent it from being erroneously pulled out.

As described above, in this preferred mode, the prevention of an erroneous operation of the crown and the enabling of the operation of the crown can be realized through a one-touch pushing-in operation of the crown and a one-touch pushing-in operation of the crown lock member, resulting in a satisfactory operability.

In a preferred mode of the present invention, the crown lock member is a crown lock lever that can be tilted so as to move toward and away from the crown shaft around the lower end portion thereof.

In this preferred mode, the crown lock member consists of a tiltable crown lock lever, so that the operation of the crown can be made possible through a one-touch operation of tilting this. That is, the crown lock lever arranged at the lock position is tilted away from the crown shaft, whereby this lever is arranged at the lock canceling position while spaced apart from the movement path of the crown shaft so that it may not constitute an obstruction to the operation of pulling out the crown. And, when, after the operation of the crown, the crown is pushed in by a one-touch operation, the lock groove of the crown is opposed to the crown lock lever and, with this, the crown lock lever is pushed back by the urging force of the urging member so as to be brought into contact with the crown shaft and is engaged with the lock groove, so that the crown is retained so as not to be erroneously pulled out.

As described above, in this preferred mode, the prevention of an erroneous operation of the crown and the enabling of the operation of the crown can be realized through a one-touch push-in operation of the crown and a one-touch operation of tilting the crown lock lever constituting the crown lock member, so that a satisfactory operability is obtained.

In a preferred mode of the present invention, even in the state in which the crown has been pulled out to a maximum degree, the lock groove is arranged within the crown mounting hole, and shaft portions of the crown shaft continuous with both sides of the lock groove are supported by the inner surface of the crown mounting hole.

In this preferred mode, despite the fact that the strength of the crown shaft is reduced by the lock groove provided in the crown shaft, a pair of shaft portions continuous with both sides of the lock groove are supported by the inner surface of the crown mounting hole. Thus, even if the portable watch is dropped with the crown pulled out to a maximum degree, the resultant impact can be supported by the case band via the pair of shaft portions. As a result, the impact is not concentrated on the portion between the pair of shaft portions, so that there is no fear of the crown shaft being deformed.

In a preferred mode of the present invention, the crown shaft is equipped with a first shaft member connected to the winding stem and having a lock protrusion, and a second shaft member having a surrounding end portion receiving the first shaft member and the lock groove, continuous with the crown head portion, and having in the surrounding end portion a lock groove allowing sliding of the lock protrusion, with an urging body urging the second shaft member toward the case band exterior side being held in a compressed state between the two shaft members.

In this preferred mode, the crown lock member is arranged at the lock canceling position to enable the operation of the crown and, with this, the second shaft member of the crown and the crown head portion continuous therewith are pushed out toward the case band exterior side by the urging force of the urging body held in a compressed state between the first and second shaft members. In this case, the first shaft member does not move, so that the engagement groove of the second shaft member slides with respect to the lock protrusion thereof, thereby effecting the above-mentioned pushing-out operation. This makes it easier for the user to grasp the crown head portion with his fingers, so that the crown operations such as further extraction of the crown and the rotation thereof afterwards are facilitated. When the crown head is rotated with the crown pulled out, its rotation is transmitted to the first shaft member via the engagement portion between the engagement groove and the lock protrusion, whereby time correction, etc. are effected. Further, when the crown is pushed in, the surrounding end portion receives the first shaft member more deeply, with the engagement groove sliding on the lock protrusion, so that the urging body is compressed. And, when the pushing-in of the crown is completed, the crown lock member is engaged with the lock groove of the crown at this point in time, so that the urging body is maintained in the compressed state.

In the preferred mode of the present invention, the section of the crown lock button taken in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction is circular, and the urging force of the urging body is the same as or smaller than the urging force of the urging member.

In this preferred mode, the section of the crown lock button is circular, so that the machining for forming the crown lock button, and the machining for forming, in the case band, the member mounting portion accommodating the crown lock button, are facilitated. Thus, despite the possibility of the crown lock button of a circular section rotating within the member mounting portion, there is no fear of the crown lock button being rotated by the force of the urging body, with the result that the crown can be prevented from further inadvertently protruding to the case band exterior side.

In a preferred mode of the present invention, the member mounting portion has an upper hole portion whose upper end is open, a lower hole portion whose lower end is open, and an intermediate hole portion whose diameter is smaller than that of the upper and lower hole portions and which communicates with the crown mounting hole; the crown lock button has the engagement shaft portion sliding in the intermediate hole portion, the escape shaft portion, and a button head portion continuous with the upper side of the escape shaft portion and capable of retracting into the upper hole portion; the urging member is provided between the button head portion and the bottom of the upper hole portion; and a stopper moving toward and away from the bottom of the lower hole portion is mounted to the lower end portion of the engagement shaft portion.

In this preferred mode, the member mounting portion is provided so as to extend vertically through the case band, so that, as compared with the case in which a bottomed hole is formed in the case band by machining, the machining of the member mounting portion with respect to the case band is easier. Further, despite the fact that the crown lock button accommodated in this member mounting portion is upwardly urged by the urging member, it is possible to prevent this crown lock button from being detached upwardly due to the stopper. At the same time, the stopper does not prevent downward movement of the crown lock button, so that it is possible to arrange the crown lock button at the lock canceling position through a one-touch press-down operation.

In a preferred mode of the present invention, a cap closing the lower hole portion is mounted to the case band, and this cap is arranged higher than the surface of the case back of the watch exterior member.

In the portable watch of this preferred mode, when it is used while attached to the hand of the user, it is possible to suppress the discomfort because of the cap closing the lower hole portion being strongly held in contact with the hand skin, thus providing a satisfactory using comfort.

In a preferred mode of the present invention, a protrusion is formed on the case band in correspondence with the 3 o'clock side of the dial arranged on the inner side of the case band, and the crown lock member and the urging member are arranged on this protrusion.

In this preferred mode, it is possible to provide the crown lock member and the urging member on the case band without having to form the case as a whole in a large diameter.

In the portable watch of the present invention, it is possible to achieve an improvement in terms of operability in performing the operation of preventing an erroneous operation of the crown and in enabling the operation of the crown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference toFIGS. 1 through 9.

InFIGS. 1,2,5, and6, numeral11indicates a portable watch such as a wristwatch. As shown inFIGS. 2 and 6, inside a watch exterior member12of the wristwatch11, there are provided a built-in component such as a watch movement13and a time display portion such a circular dial14. The display on the dial14is effected by time indicating hands driven by the watch movement13, more specifically, by a short hand15, a long hand16, and a minute hand17shown inFIGS. 1 and 5.

As shown inFIGS. 2 and 6, the watch exterior member12is equipped with a case band21, a glass22, and a case back23. The case band21is formed in an annular shape of a metal such as stainless steel or titanium or synthetic resin. The glass22allowing the dial14to be viewed from the outside is attached liquid-tight to the front portion of the case band21. The case back23is formed of metal or synthetic resin, and is attached liquid-tight so as to close the back side of the case band21.

As shown inFIGS. 1 and 5, the case band21has an annular portion21asurrounding the periphery of the dial14as seen from the front side, a protrusion24, a pair of bow legs25, and another pair of bow legs26.

The annular portion21a, which is integral with the case band21, is circular, and the glass22is attached to the inner peripheral portion thereof. As shown inFIGS. 2 and 6, the protrusion24protrudes integrally from the 3 o'clock side of the dial14. The upper surface of the protrusion24is at a position lower than the upper end of the annular portion21a, and the lower surface of the protrusion24is at a position higher than the surface (lower surface) of the case back23. The protrusion24has a crown receiving surface24aperpendicular to the forward end portion thereof, and has a crown cover portion24cforming a recess24bwhose bottom is the crown receiving surface24a. The lower end of the recess24cis open in the lower surface of the protrusion24. The crown cover portion24cand the recess24c, which protect a crown31from the outer periphery thereof, may be omitted. The bow legs25protrude integrally from the upper portion of the case band21as seen inFIGS. 1 and 5, an the other bow legs26protrude integrally from the lower portion of the case band21as seen inFIGS. 1 and 5; an arm attachment member such as a belt (not shown) is mounted to these bow legs.

The case band21has a crown mounting hole27formed so as to radially extend therethrough. The crown mounting hole27is provided on the 3 o'clock time display side of the dial14. The crown mounting hole27is composed of a small diameter hole portion27aand a large diameter hole portion27bcontinuous therewith. The small diameter hole portion27ais open to the interior of the case band21, and the large diameter hole portion27bis open to the crown receiving surface24a. The inner surface of the small diameter hole portion27ais covered with a winding stem pipe28fixed to the small diameter hole portion27a.

The metal crown31is mounted to the crown mounting hole27. As shown inFIGS. 2,4,6,8, and9, the crown is equipped with a crown shaft31aand a crown head portion32continuous therewith, and the crown shaft31ais composed of a first shaft member33and a second shaft member36.

The section of the first shaft member33taken in a direction orthogonal to the center axis is circular. The first shaft member33is inserted into the winding stem pipe28from the large diameter hole portion27bside toward the interior of the case band21. A plurality, for example, a pair of lock protrusions34protrude integrally from the outer periphery of the end portion of the first shaft member33situated inside the large diameter hole portion27b. The lock protrusions34are spaced apart from each other by 180° in the peripheral direction of the first shaft member33. Further, at the end portion of the first shaft member33situated inside the large diameter hole portion27b, there is provided a hole33ain the end surface thereof.

A winding stem35is connected to the first shaft member33from the case band interior side. The winding stem35is connected to the watch movement13. The operation of the crown31is transmitted to the watch movement13via the winding stem35, whereby time correction, calendar date correction, etc. are effected.

The second shaft member36protrudes integrally from the central portion of the crown head portion32. The second shaft member36is slidably inserted into the large diameter hole portion27bfrom the case band exterior side, and has a surrounding end portion36aat the forward end portion thereof. The surrounding end portion36ais capable of receiving the end portion of the first shaft member33provided with the hole33a.

The surrounding end portion36ais provided with lock grooves37open in the inner peripheral surface thereof, and a stop ring38is fixed thereto. The lock grooves37are formed in the same number as the lock protrusions34, and extend in the axial direction of the second shaft member36. The stop ring38is fixed to the opening end of the surrounding end portion36a, closing the ends of the lock grooves37.

The second shaft member36is provided with a hole36bopen to the inner space of the surrounding end portion36a. The hole36bis opposed to the hole33aof the first shaft member33. The second shaft member36has a lock groove39formed in an intermediate portion in the axial direction thereof. The lock groove39is formed so as to be continuous in the peripheral direction of the second shaft member36. The section of the portion of the second shaft member36other than the surrounding end portion36ataken in the direction orthogonal to the center axis is circular. The diameter of shaft portions36c,36dcontinuous with both sides of the lock groove39is substantially equal to the diameter of the large diameter hole portion27b.

The second shaft member36is slidably inserted into the large diameter hole portion27bfrom the case band exterior side. The first shaft member33is received in the surrounding end portion36athereof, and the lock grooves37are slidably engaged with the lock protrusions34. As a result, the crown31is mounted to the watch exterior member12in correspondence with the 3 o'clock time display side of the dial14.

The crown31has an urging body40consisting, for example, of a coil spring. The two end portions of the urging body40are inserted into the holes33a,36b, and is provided in a compressed state between the first shaft member33and the second shaft member36, urging the second shaft member36toward the case band exterior. If the crown31is rotated, with the crown31being arranged at the pulled-out standby position shown inFIG. 2, the rotational force thereof exerts no action on the watch movement13. At the same time, the end surface of the first shaft member33of the crown31arranged at the pulled-out standby position is in contact with or close to the bottom of the surrounding end portion36a, so that the urging body40is in the compressed state. Further, the crown31arranged at the pulled-out standby position is retained in a state in which the back surface of the crown head portion32thereof is in contact with the crown receiving surface24aof the case band21.

The case band21has a member mounting portion41. As shown inFIGS. 3 and 7, the member mounting portion41is provided in the vicinity of the crown mounting hole27, and has an upper hole portion41a, a lower hole portion41b, and an intermediate hole portion41c. The upper hole portion41ais open in the upper surface of the protrusion24, and the section taken in a direction orthogonal to the center axis thereof is circular. The lower hole portion41bis open in the lower surface of the protrusion24, and the section taken in a direction orthogonal to the center axis thereof is circular. The lower hole portion41bis of the same diameter as, for example, the upper hole portion41a. The intermediate hole portion41cis provided so as establish communication between the upper hole portion41aand the lower hole portion41b. The section of the intermediate hole portion41ctaken in a direction orthogonal to the center axis thereof is circular, and its diameter is smaller than the diameter of the upper hole portion41aand the lower hole portion41b.

The center axes of the upper hole portion41a, the lower hole portion41b, and the intermediate hole portion41cconstitute the center axis of the member mounting portion41, and are vertically continuous in a straight line. Thus, the member mounting portion41is formed as a stepped hole vertically extending through the protrusion24. As shown inFIGS. 3,4, etc., the intermediate hole portion41cof the member mounting portion41communicates with the peripheral portion of the large diameter hole portion27bof the crown mounting hole27. In other words, the member mounting portion41is vertically orthogonal with respect to the crown mounting hole27, and is formed so as to communicate with a portion of the crown mounting hole27off the central portion thereof. The upper hole portion41aand the lower hole portion41bof the member mounting portion41are vertically off the crown mounting hole27.

A cap42closing the opening at the lower end of the lower hole portion41bof the member mounting portion41is threaded into the protrusion24of the case band21. The lower surface of the cap42resides at a position higher than a surface23aof the case back23.

A metal crown lock member such as a crown lock button45is mounted to the protrusion24of the case band21so as to allow downward pushing-in.

That is, as shown inFIGS. 2,3, etc., the crown lock button45has an engagement shaft portion46, an escape shaft portion47, and a button head portion48, the section of all of which taken in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction thereof is circular. The engagement shaft portion46is substantially of the same diameter as the intermediate hole portion41c. The button head portion48has a large diameter portion and a small diameter shaft portion protruding from the back side thereof. The large diameter portion of the button head portion48is substantially of the same diameter as the upper hole portion41a, and the small diameter portion of the button head portion48is substantially of the same diameter as the intermediate hole portion41c. The escape shaft portion47is continuous with the upper side of the engagement shaft portion46, and the engagement shaft portion46and the small diameter shaft portion of the button head portion48are integrally continuous with each other. The diameter of the escape shaft portion47is smaller than that of the small diameter shaft portion of the engagement shaft portion46and the button head portion48, whereby the escape shaft portion47never crosses the crown31.

The crown lock button45is accommodated in the member mounting portion41so as to be vertically movable, and the engagement shaft portion46is slidably fit-engaged with the intermediate hole portion41c. An urging member49consisting of a coil spring is provided in a compressed state between the large diameter portion of the button head portion48and the bottom of the upper hole portion41a. Due to the urging force of the urging member49, the crown lock button45protrudes upwardly from the open upper end of the upper hole portion41a. In other words, the crown head lock button45is provided so as to allow downward pressing-in. And, to prevent upward detachment of the crown lock button45, a stopper50is mounted to the lower end portion of the engagement shaft portion46. The stopper50can move toward and away from the bottom of the lower hole portion41bas the crown lock button45moves vertically. The stopper50is hidden behind the cap42.

The crown lock button45is movable between a lock position and a lock canceling position.FIG. 3shows a state in which the crown lock button45has been pushed up by the urging member49to be arranged at the lock position, andFIG. 7shows a state in which the crown lock button45has been pushed down to be arranged at the lock canceling position.

Normally, except when the crown31of the wristwatch11is operated, the crown lock button45is arranged at the lock position. And, in this state, as shown inFIG. 3, the upper portion of the engagement shaft portion46of the crown lock button45has been upwardly inserted from below into the communicating portion of the crown mounting hole27and the member mounting portion41. Thus, the engagement shaft portion46crosses the movement path of the second shaft member36of the crown31, with this crossing portion having entered the lock groove39of the second shaft member36as shown inFIG. 4.

Due to this engagement, the crown31is retained at the pulled-out standby position, and the crown31is constrained so that it cannot move in the axial direction thereof. Thus, if a pulling-out force is applied to the crown31thus constrained, the crown31is prevented from being inadvertently pulled out toward the case band exterior.

Next, the procedures for pulling out the crown31to a 1st step position or a 2nd step position for its operation will be illustrated.

First, the crown lock button45is pushed down to the lock canceling position shown inFIG. 7. This can be effected through a one-touch operation. As a result, the engagement shaft portion46of the crown lock button45is moved to a position below the communicating portion of the crown mounting hole27and the member mounting portion41, and the engagement shaft portion46is detached from the lock groove39of the second shaft member36to get off the movement path of the second shaft member36of the crown31. In this case, the small diameter portion of the button head portion48is inserted into the intermediate hole portion41cof the member mounting portion41from above; the small diameter portion of the button head portion48stays at a position off the movement path of the second shaft member36even in the state in which the crown lock button45has been pressed down to a maximum degree. Further, in any state, the escape shaft portion47is arranged off the movement path of the second shaft member36. Thus, through the one-touch pressing down of the crown lock head45, the constraint of the crown31by the crown lock button45is canceled.

Through this lock canceling, a state is attained in which axial movement of the crown31is possible. Thus, as the second shaft member36and the crown head portion32are pushed out automatically toward the case band exterior side by the urging force of the urging body40, the crown head portion32is arranged at the 0th step, and the urging body40is expanded.FIG. 8shows this state.

In this case, the first shaft member33is at rest, so that the lock grooves37of the second shaft member36slide with respect to the lock protrusions34of the first shaft member33to effect the above-mentioned pushing-out operation. As a result, the stop ring38of the second shaft member36is maintained in the state in which it is caught by the lock protrusions34from the case band inner side.

At the same time, as shown inFIGS. 8 and 9, the shaft portion36ccontinuous with the lock groove39on the left-hand side thereof enters the communicating portion of the crown mounting hole27and the member mounting portion41toward the case band exterior side. As a result, as shown inFIG. 7, the second shaft member36is engaged from above with the upper end corner (indicated by numeral46a) of the engagement shaft portion46of the crown lock button45. Thus, even if the crown lock button45is released from the hand, the crown lock button45is retained at the lock position.

When the crown31is pushed out to the 0th step position as described above, the crown cover portion24cconstitutes no obstruction to the grasping of the crown head portion32by the user, so that the crown32can be easily grasped by fingers to pull out the crown31. In this case, due to the catch between the stop ring38and the lock protrusions34, the first shaft member33follows the movement of the second shaft member36. InFIG. 9, the state in which the crown31has been pulled out to the 1st step position is indicated by the solid line. When the crown31is further pulled out to the 2nd step position, the forward end of the crown head portion32is situated as indicated by the chain double-dashed line inFIG. 9.

And, the user rotates the crown31, with the crown31thus pulled out to the 1st step or 2nd step position, whereby it is possible to effect time correction and calendar date correction. In this case, the rotation of the second shaft member36rotated integrally with the crown head portion32is transmitted to the first shaft member33due to the catch between the lock grooves37and the lock protrusions34and, at the same time, it is transmitted to the watch movement13via the winding stem35. Further, as described above, in this crown operation, there is no need to continue to press the crown lock button45with the hand, so that it is possible to perform the above crown operation with the wristwatch11attached to the arm.

After the above crown operation, the crown31is pushed in through a one-touch operation against the urging force of the urging member49by the user. In this case, the surrounding end portion36areceives the first shaft member33still more deeply with the lock grooves37sliding on the lock protrusions34, so that the urging body40is compressed. When, through this pushing-in, the back surface of the crown head portion32abuts the crown receiving surface24aof the case band21, the shaft portion36cof the second shaft member36is detached from the corner46aat the upper end of the engagement shaft portion46of the crown lock button45, and the lock groove39of the crown31is exactly opposed to the intermediate hole portion41cof the member mounting portion41.

Thus, at this point in time, the crown lock button45is pushed up to the lock position by the spring force of the urging member49, and the engagement shaft portion46enters from below the communicating portion of the crown mounting hole27and the member mounting portion41. As a result, as shown inFIG. 3, the engagement shaft portion46is engaged with the lock groove39of the second shaft member36, and is arranged so as to cross the movement path of the second shaft member36of the crown31. Thus, the crown31is retained at the pulled-out standby position shown inFIGS. 2 and 4. At the point in time when the pushing-in of the crown31has been thus completed, the crown lock button45is engaged with the lock groove39of the crown31, so that the urging body40is maintained in the compressed state.

As described above, the retention of the crown31at the pulled-out standby position to prevent erroneous operation of the crown31can be realized through a one-touch push-in operation of the crown31. At the same time, the extraction of the crown31and the enabling of its operation can be realized through a one-touch operation of the crown lock button45, more specifically, a one-touch push-in operation of the crown lock button45. Thus, a one-touch operation is possible in either case, which leads to a satisfactory operability.

The strength of the crown31of the wristwatch11is reduced by the lock groove39provided in the crown shaft31a. However, as indicated by the chain double-dashed line inFIG. 9, even in the state in which the crown31is pulled out to a maximum degree, the lock groove39of the crown31is arranged within the crown mounting hole27, and the shaft portions36c,36dof the crown shaft31acontinuous with both sides of the lock groove39are supported by the inner surface of the crown mounting hole27. Thus, when the wristwatch11is dropped with the crown31pulled out to a maximum degree, it is possible to support the resultant impact with the case band21via the pair of shaft portions36c,36d. Thus, it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned impact from concentrating on the small diameter shaft portion of low strength between the pair of shaft portions36c,36d, so that there is no fear of deformation of the crown shaft31a.

Further, since the section of the crown lock button45of the wristwatch11taken in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction thereof is circular, the machining for forming the crown lock button45, and the machining for forming in the case band21the member mounting portion41in which the crown lock button45is accommodated, are facilitated. Under these conditions, the urging force of the urging body40is set to be equal to or smaller than the urging force of the urging member49. Thus, despite the possibility of the crown lock button45of a circular sectional configuration rotating within the member mounting portion41, it is possible to prevent rotation of the crown lock button45with the force of the urging body and, with this, it possible to prevent inadvertent protrusion of the crown31to the case band exterior side.

Further, the member mounting portion41of the wristwatch11has an upper hole portion41awhose upper end is open, a lower hole portion41bwhose lower end is open, and an intermediate hole portion41cof a smaller diameter than the upper and lower hole portions and communicating with the crown mounting hole27. Thus, the member mounting portion41is provided so as to extend vertically through the case band21, so that, as compared with the case in which a member mounting portion consisting of a bottomed hole is formed by machining in the case band21, the machining of the member mounting portion41with respect to the case band21is easier.

At the same time, the crown lock button45of a circular sectional configuration accommodated in the member mounting portion41has an engagement shaft portion46sliding in the intermediate hole portion41c, an escape shaft portion47, and a button head portion48continuous with the upper side of the escape shaft portion47and retractable into the upper hole portion41a. Thus, the crown lock button45can be formed by machining portions of different diameters on a columnar material, thus facilitating the machining of the crown lock button45.

And, the urging member49is provided between the button head portion48and the bottom of the upper hole portion41a, and, at the same time, there is provided at the lower end portion of the engagement shaft portion46a stopper50moving from below toward and away from the bottom of the lower hole portion41b. The stopper50consists, for example, of a retaining ring mounting to the engagement shaft portion46. Thus, despite the fact that the crown lock button45accommodated in the member mounting portion41is upwardly urged by the urging member49, it is possible to prevent upward detachment of the crown lock button45due to the stopper50. Further, the stopper50does not hinder downward movement of the crown lock button45, so that it is possible to realize the pressing-down of the crown lock button45to the lock canceling position through a one-touch operation.

Further, a cap42closing the lower hole portion41bis mounted to the back side of the case band21, and the cap42is arranged so as to be higher than the surface of the case back23of the watch exterior member12. Thus, when the wristwatch11is used while attached to the hand of the user, it is possible to suppress the discomfort because of the closed cap42closing the lower hole portion41bcoming into strong contact with the hand skin, thus providing a satisfactory comfort in use.

Further, a protrusion24is formed on the case band21of the wristwatch11in correspondence with the 3 o'clock side of the dial14arranged on the inner side thereof, and the crown lock button45and the urging member49are arranged on the protrusion24. Thus, it is possible to provide the crown lock button45and the urging member49for locking the crown31at the pulled-out standby position as described above can be provided on the case band21without forming the case band21as a whole in a large diameter.

FIGS. 10 through 13show a second embodiment of the present invention. Except for the construction of the member mounting portion, the crown lock member, the urging member, etc., the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment inclusive of the construction not shown inFIGS. 10 through 13. In the following description, the components that are the same as those of the first embodiment are indicated by the same reference numeral as those of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, the member mounting portion41is formed as a bottomed round hole. The member mounting portion41crosses the crown mounting hole27in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the case band, and the member mounting portion41and the crown mounting hole27communicate with each other at this crossing portion. The upper end of the member mounting portion41is open in the upper surface of the protrusion24, and a plug55is attached to the protrusion24so as to close this opening portion.

The plug55has a rectangular guide hole56. The guide hole56is formed to extend such that its longitudinal direction in plan view is orthogonal to the direction in which the protrusion24protrudes. Further, one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the guide hole56is provided directly above the crossing portion so as to be opposed to the crossing portion (communicating portion) from above.

In the second embodiment, the crown lock member is formed as a crown lock lever58. The upper end portion of the crown lock lever58constitutes an operation end portion58athinner than the portion on the lower side thereof. The operation end portion58aof the crown lock lever58extends through the guide hole56, and is accommodated so as to be tiltable around the lower end portion of the crown lock lever58. The tilting of the crown lock lever58is effected in the direction in which the crown shaft31aof the crown moves toward and away from the second shaft member36, and, with this tilting, the crown lock lever58can be detachably engaged with the lock groove39. The operation end portion58ais slidable in the guide hole56, and, by pulling the operation end portion58aalong the guide hole56toward the 12 o'clock side of the wristwatch through a one-touch operation, it is possible to tilt the crown lock lever58and detach it from the lock groove39. The portion of the crown lock lever58other than the operation end portion58ais formed in a width larger than that of the guide hole56so that it may not be detached from the guide hole56.

In the second embodiment, the urging member49consists of a plate spring of a substantially U-shaped or a substantially V-shaped configuration, and is accommodated in the member accommodating portion41. The urging member49constantly urges the crown lock lever58toward the crown shaft31a. Due to this urging, the crown lock lever58can be engaged with the lock groove39as the crown31is pushed through a one-touch operation. Except for the construction described above, this embodiment is of the same construction as the first embodiment inclusive of the portions not shown inFIGS. 10 through 13.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the crown lock member consists of the crown lock lever58that is tiltable, so that it is possible to operate the crown31through a one-touch operation of tilting the same. That is, by tilting the crown lock lever58arranged at the lock position as shown inFIG. 11away from the crown shaft31aas shown inFIG. 13, the crown lock lever58is removed from the movement path of the crown shaft31aand is arranged at the lock canceling position so that it may not constitute an obstruction to the operation of pulling out the crown31. When, after the operation of the crown, the crown31is pushed in through a one-touch operation, the lock groove39of the crown31is opposed to the crown lock lever58and, with this, the crown lock lever58is pushed back by the urging force of the urging member49so as to be brought into contact with the crown shaft31a, entering the lock groove39to be engaged therewith, so that the crown31is retained so as not to be erroneously pulled out.

As described above, in the second embodiment also, the prevention of erroneous operation of the crown31and the enabling of the operation of the crown31can be realized through a one-touch push-in operation of the crown31and a one-touch operation of tilting the crown lock lever58constituting the crown lock member, thereby providing a satisfactory operability.