Abstract:
Timepiece including indicator members actuated or not actuated by the movement. These indicator members are composed of movable hour marks represented by the faces of the studs ( 30, 40 ) mounted on staffs having planet wheels ( 34 ) driven by a rack ( 50 ). The faces of the studs carry stones of various colors. When the movement operates the rack, it determines the change of the hour marks. When operation by the movement is disengaged, manual control elements allow the hour marks appearing on the dial to be changed.

Description:
STATE OF THE ART 
     The manufacturers of watches are constantly seeking to vary the appearance of the hour-dial. To this end, numerous suggestions have already been made in order to make the dial and the hour circle look particular and unusual. Furthermore, additional indications related to time are frequently displayed. Thus, display devices indicate the day of the month, the weekday, the moon phases, or the hour over 24 hours. Sometimes the watch has a second hour hand that can be set to any chosen time zone. All these devices are added to improve the time display and make it more attractive. In so-called medium or top of the line watches, these indications are often symbolized by a semi-precious or a precious stone, for example a diamond. All hour indications &lt;&lt;1, 2, . . . , 12&gt;&gt; can be represented materially by such stones, or only a part thereof. In fact, in many watch models, the representation of the hour circle is symbolized by four hour marks, for example by the presence of a diamond at hour points &lt;&lt;12&gt;&gt;, &lt;&lt;3&gt;&gt;, &lt;&lt;6&gt;&gt;, and &lt;&lt;9&gt;&gt;), or by a single diamond at the location of twelve o&#39;clock only. 
     These indications representing the hour circle are static, and it is understood that the owner of such a timepiece cannot modify their aspect in any case. However, in many situations, it may be interesting to vary these indications through a changeable system. 
     The references cited hereinafter illustrate the search for attractiveness of the hour display by clockmakers. 
     Swiss Patent CH 684 814 describes a timepiece with means making it possible to modify the presentation of the hour circle. A rack is arranged to cooperate with a crown and to allow the rotation. Studs which are free to rotate and are provided with satellites engaging with the rack are provided at the location of the hour points. The faces of prisms mounted on these studs are inset with precious stones, the latter appearing through openings made in the middle or the dial. 
     German Patent DE 33 129 describes a watch dial that allows seeing the twenty-four hours of the day. A window arranged at the location of the hour reference shows a face of a cubic body provided with an axle that is held by bearings. On the faces, the corresponding hours from 1 to 12 and from 13 to 24 are inscribed. The axle carrying this body is provided with pins that are actuated at every turn of the dial by a stem that is itself connected to the axle that moves the hands. During the passage of the hour hand, the visible face of the body turns a quarter turn and changes e.g. from one o&#39;clock to thirteen o&#39;clock. 
     French Patent 2 776 785 describes an assembly that constitutes the exterior of a watch and comprises a watch casing and a strap provided with a clasp for connecting it to the casing and a movable element having four decorative faces that is pivotably mounted on one of the two parts. The part comprising the movable element is provided with a cutout that lets appear one of its faces. Clamping the mobile organ in either one of its positions is achieved by fixing the strap to the casing. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     With regard to this prior art, important further developments have been conceived to vary the hour circle:
         The actuation by the movement of the watch, in a disconnectable manner and allowing functions such as the indication of day/night by changing the visible face of the hours;   The actuation by a quartz movement, through a specific rotor and in a disconnectable manner;       

     To this end, the present invention suggests a timepiece according to claim  1 . 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Hereinafter, several embodiments of the invention that have been chosen in a non-limiting manner will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a 3D view illustrating the appearance of a watch according to the invention without the case; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the watch according to one embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a partly exploded perspective view depicting the prior art; 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate examples of rotatable studs provided with stones, which are meshing with a rack; 
         FIGS. 5A ,  5 B, and  5 C illustrate means for actuating the rack or racks; 
         FIGS. 6 and 7  illustrate another solution for the variation of the rotation speed of the studs; 
         FIG. 8  shows the crown that rotates the studs; 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic view of the visible side of a wristwatch according to the invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a plan view of the upper surface of the movement of this watch which illustrates a position of the actuating mechanism of the automatic actuation, 
         FIG. 11  is a view illustrating the automatic actuating device; 
         FIG. 12  is a view describing the hour setting operation; 
         FIGS. 13 ,  14 , and  15  are sectional views according to lines V-V, VI-VI, and VII-VII in  FIGS. 10 and 12 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a partial development of a particular application of the actuating mechanism of the hour signs. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows the appearance of a watch having a variable hour circle. Dial  3  and hands  4  seem to be conventional. However, dial  3  is pierced with twelve apertures  16  at the location of every hour to let the stones appear which are mounted on studs  30 ,  40 . 
       FIG. 2  depicts the mechanism of the variable hour circle according to one particular embodiment. Two-part middle  10 , provided with the required millings and cutouts, holds rack  50  and the twelve studs  30 ,  40  that are each provided with an axle  33  allowing their rotation and with a satellite  34  allowing their actuation. 
       FIG. 3  describes the prior art disclosed in Patent CH 684 814. The figure shows a wristwatch  1  composed of a case formed of a middle  10  and a back  20  containing a dial  3 , hands  4 , a movement  5 , a glass  6 , and a crown  7 . An actuating device  60  drives circular rack  50 . Studs  30 ,  40  integral with satellites  34 ,  44  are driven by rack  50 . A precious stone  35 A . . .  48 A is mounted on each face of studs  30 ,  40 . Apertures  16  in dial  3  allow the stones to be seen. By actuating device  60 , different stones appear in apertures  16 . Due to the fact that studs  30 ,  40  may have three or four faces and satellites  34 ,  44  may have nine or twelve teeth, the arrangement of the stones visible according to the hours in function of the rotation of rack  50  comprises twelve possibilities. 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  show the operation of the studs in detail. Stud  40  is visible in  FIG. 4A  with its pin  42  of axis  43 , its satellite  44 , and its cube  41  mounted on pin  42 . The edges and particularly corners  49  are rounded in order to be able to arrange the stud as close as possible to portion  14  of middle  10 , i.e. to aperture  16 . In fact, the curvature of the edges obtained by rounding the corners avoids that cube  41  conflicts with portion  14  in the vicinity of aperture  16  during its rotation. In face  45  of cube  41 , e.g. a diamond  45 A is inserted or set. In adjacent face  46 , a ruby  46 A is inserted. In face  47  opposite face  45 , an emerald  47 A is inserted. In face  48 , adjacent to face  45  and opposite face  46 , a sapphire  48 A is inserted. As mentioned above, satellite  44  cooperates with tooth array  51  of rack  50 . In the example illustrated in  FIG. 4A , satellite  44  has twelve teeth. 
       FIG. 4B  shows another example of a stud of global reference  30  that is not shown in the exemplary arrangement of  FIG. 3 . This stud has a pin  32  of axis  33 . It is freely rotatable about this axis. The body of stud  30  has the shape of a triangular straight prism  31  whose edges  39  are curved for the same reasons as already explained in the preceding paragraph with regard to stud  40 . The three faces, which are parallel to axis  33 , are designated by reference numerals  35 ,  36 ,  37 . These faces are e.g. provided with a diamond  35 A, a ruby  36 A, and an emerald  37 A, respectively. A satellite  34  cooperates with tooth array  52  of rack  50 . In the illustrated example, satellite  34  has nine teeth. 
       FIG. 5A  shows the actuating device  60  of rack  50  and a pressure or brake device  70 . The actuating device is guided in middle  10  by means of bores that are adapted to the dimensions of portions  66 ,  67  of stem  61  and support this part. The gear characteristics of toothed driving wheels  63 ,  64  are adapted to those of tooth array  51 ,  52  of rack  50  (same module and correspondence of the pitch diameters or pitch lines). The rack further has a stepped profile  68  that cooperates with a corresponding guide profile (not shown) performed in back  20 . 
     At least one brake device  70  is provided. This device consists of a plate  71 , e.g. of glass, and of a spring  72  arranged in a cavity made in back  20 , such that a force is applied to the rack by said spring through plate  71 . This device has a double function: on one hand, to prevent any involuntary rotation of the rack, e.g. due to wrist movements, and on the other hand, to allow an easy and continuous rotation through actuation of crown  65 . Preferably, two devices will be provided which are diametrically opposed to one another. 
       FIGS. 5B and 5C  show an embodiment variant in which the rack is formed of two independent parts  55 ,  56 . Exterior rack  55  is actuated by a device  60 B whose single toothed driving wheel  60 D is meshing with the tooth array of part  55 . Interior rack  56  in turn is meshing with single toothed driving wheel  60 C of device  60 A. The fit of the surfaces carrying the global reference  57  is such that there is no friction between the two racks, thereby preventing that the rotation of one rack causes an involuntary rotation of the other one. The other characteristics are similar to those of device  60 . 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  illustrate another solution for allowing the variation of the rotation speed of the studs. To drive triangular studs  30  and cubic studs  40  by means of the same rack  50 , a conical tooth array is used. Thus, satellite  34  of smaller diameter is placed on the highest portion of rack  50  while satellite  44  having a larger diameter is placed on the lowest portion. 
       FIG. 8  indicates an advantageous possibility of arranging crown  65  in direct engagement with a stud stem  32 ,  42  to drive a satellite  34 ,  44 , thereby causing the rotation of rack  50  and of the other eleven studs connected to rack  50  via their respective satellites. 
     As appears in  FIG. 9 , the watch of the invention comprises the elements of a usual wristwatch. The case of this watch is not illustrated. It may be of a usual construction. Dial  3  is provided with twelve hour signs  8  that are distributed on its rim and have the appearance of stones. Hour hands  4 , minute hands  4 A and second hands  4 B turn above dial  3 . A setting stem  9  carrying a crown  65  passes through the wall of the case. This stem  9  actuates a setting mechanism by the axial movement of crown  65 , which may take three different positions: A: pushed-in position, B: intermediate position and C: outer position. 
     In  FIG. 10 , dial  3  has been removed, and stem  9  and setting crown  65  are placed in their middle positions so that different mechanisms accommodated under the dial are visible. In fact, hour signs  8  are decorations that are provided on studs  30 ,  40  of cylindrical or prismatic shape with convex lateral faces, which are distributed around the movement and rotatable about radial axes. 
       FIG. 13  shows that movement  5  of the described watch is enclosed in a circular cage that is formed of two portions: a lower casing ring  80  and an upper casing ring  81 , and that studs  30 ,  40  are mounted on stems  32 ,  42  whose ends pivot in grooves made in rings  80  and  81 . Stud  30 ,  40  directed to three o&#39;clock turns on stem  9 . It is mounted on a sleeve  82  that turns on stem  9 . Like stems  32 ,  42 , this sleeve  82  is connected to a satellite  34 ,  44 . The axes  33 ,  43  of stems  32 ,  42  located at 2/4/6/8/10 and 12 o&#39;clock are slightly closer to the surface of plate  73  than the axes of the other stems, the latter being at the same height as the axis of setting stem  9 . These differences in height between the axes of satellites  34 ,  44  are also visible in  FIG. 16 . A circular rack  50  ( FIG. 13 ) that is coaxial to the movement is arranged on plate  73 . At its periphery, this rack  50  is provided with a tooth array  51  whose teeth project downwards and mesh with satellites  34 ,  44 . The diameters of the latter are of course selected such that their teeth likewise mesh with tooth array  51 . This arrangement allows providing the different studs  30 ,  40  with adapted specifications and making them turn at different speeds, as has been described in patent CH 684 814 already. 
     At its inner edge, rack  50  has another tooth array  18  of spaced teeth that are directed radially. Hour wheel  19 , which is a usual element of movement  5 , in turn carries a star wheel  38  having twelve teeth. The latter cooperate with a pawl wheel  21  that is accommodated in a circular recess of plate  73 . This wheel  21  is made with an arched elastic arm  22  whose free end is hooked between two posts that are inserted in the bottom of the recess. Pawl wheel  21  further carries a pawl  23  that pivots on a post which is connected to the plate of wheel  21 . Pawl  23  is under the action of a spring wire  24  bearing against a second post, and its rotation is limited by a third post.  FIG. 10 , compared to  FIGS. 11 and 12  and independently from the actuating mechanism that will be explained later on, shows how pawl wheel  21  operates. It has a radial finger  25  that gets in the way of the triangular teeth of wheel  38 . In  FIG. 10 , this finger is about to be liberated. Elastic arm  22  is wound to the maximum and acts upon star wheel  38 . In  FIG. 11 , the finger of pawl  23  engages a tooth of tooth array  18  and moves rack  50  forward until the tip of jumper  26  has passed the tooth on which this jumper is pressing. From this moment on, it is jumper  26  that brings rack  50  to its final position. In this manner, every hour, rack  50  advances by an angle that is equal to the sum of the angles marked by double arrows in  FIG. 11 . All studs  30 ,  40  turn by an angle that is determined by the modules of tooth arrays  51  and satellites  34 ,  44 . Since studs  30 ,  40  may be prisms having a different number of faces and may carry decorations on their faces which represent hour signs  8  having different appearances  35 A,  45 A, an hour circle is thus obtained whose appearance changes every hour. By combining the number of teeth of the tooth arrays and the number of faces of the studs, simple or complex cyclic variations can be realized. 
     In  FIG. 10 , an actuating mechanism that adds other possibilities of animations of the studs is illustrated in part. It is composed of parts that are those of a usual mechanism. Thus, stem  9  acts upon a setting lever  27  whose positions are set by a setting lever jumper spring  28 . A linkage cooperates with setting lever  27 . It is composed of a rocking lever  29  and of an angled lever  74  whose curved free end may engage in front of the nose of pawl  23  and keep it from actuating tooth array  18  during the alternating rotation of pawl wheel  21 .  FIG. 13  shows that linkage  29 ,  74  is located in a cavity of dial  3 . 
     The position of the mechanism as shown in solid lines in  FIG. 10  is an intermediate position designated by (B). However, the movement of crown  65  to its pushed-in position (A) and the movement to its outer position (C) both bring lever  74  to the position shown in dotted lines in  FIG. 10  due to the curvature of its slotted rear part. Pawl  23  may actuate rack  50  when wheel  21  returns to its unwound position, as seen above. Furthermore, in one position of the mechanism, preferably in the intermediate position (B), a setting wheel  75  comprising a star having three teeth at its upper level and a tooth array at its lower level is connected to stem  9  in such a manner that the rotation of the latter rapidly displaces rack  50 , thereby allowing to set a particular constellation of the different faces of studs  30 ,  40  as desired. Finally,  FIG. 12  shows how the mechanism behaves during hand setting. While hour wheel  19 ,  38  is actuated in the counterclockwise direction, nose  25  of wheel  21  is moved to the right and bends elastic arm  22  outwards without pawl  23  acting on rack  50 . 
     Casing rings  80  and  81  are fastened to each other by ring screws  76 , and dial  3  is fastened by its feet  78  and by dial screws  78  to assembly  80 ,  81  ( FIGS. 12 ,  14  and  15 ). As the dial has to be fastened so as to secure the positions of various functional members, four feet  77  with dial screws  78  are provided and four ring screws  76  for the rigidity of the fitting circle. 
     In the previously described construction, due to the fact that tooth array  51  of rack  50  is continuous on its entire rim, all studs  30 ,  40  are actuated every hour when the mechanism is in the activated position, i.e. when stem  9  is in the pushed-in position (A). However, it is possible to conceive a different operation. Thus,  FIG. 16  shows an embodiment variant of the tooth array of rack  50  with several toothed sectors  79  of a short length that are distributed in locations A, A′, A″ along the rack. Each sector  79  may mesh both with a satellite having nine teeth  34  and a satellite  44  having 12 teeth. This arrangement allows providing numerous variations. For example, if tooth array  51  comprises only one toothed sector whose length covers the space occupied by two successive studs  30 ,  40 , every hour, a stud will turn from its visible face to the adjacent face and the preceding one from that to the following one. If studs  40  have four faces carrying successive white, black, white, and red signs, for example, every stud  40  will successively become black and then white in twelve hours of operation, thereby simulating the displacement of an hour hand on the dial. In the next twelve hours, every stud will become red and then white, thereby also simulating the displacement of an hour hand, however in such a manner as to indicate the hours of the night. This arrangement may be equivalent to the indication of the hour in a different time zone than that for which the regular hour hand  4  ( FIG. 9 ) is set. This use is only an example, and other arrangements and other uses may be implemented with the described means and without leaving the scope of the invention. In particular, the watch movement might not be mechanical but a quartz movement to which an additional module for actuating the crown is coupled and which comprises specific control means that are apparent to one skilled in the art. 
     NOMENCLATURE 
     
         
           1 . Wristwatch 
           2 . Vertical axis of the watch 
           3 . Dial 
           4 . Hands 
           5 . Movement 
           6 . Glass 
           7 . Hand setting device 
           8 . Hour sign 
           9 . Setting stem 
           10 . Middle 
           11 . Recess 
           12 . Exterior portion of middle 
           13 . Interior portion of middle 
           14 . Upper portion of middle 
           15 . Bore 
           16 . Aperture 
           17 . 
           18 . Radial tooth array 
           19 . Hour wheel 
           20 . Back 
           21 . Pawl wheel 
           22 . Elastic arm 
           23 . Pawl 
           24 . Spring wire 
           25 . Radial finger 
           26 . Jumper 
           27 . Setting lever 
           28 . Setting lever jumper spring 
           29 . Rocking lever 
           30 . Triangular stud 
           31 . Triangular body of stud 
           32 . Stud stem 
           33 . Stud axis 
           34 . Satellite having 9 teeth 
           35 . 1 st  face of triangular stud 
           35  A Diamond 
           36 . 2 nd  face of triangular stud 
           36  A Ruby 
           37 . 3 rd  face of triangular stud 
           37  A Emerald 
           38 . Star wheel having twelve teeth 
           39 . Edge of triangular stud 
           40 . Square stud 
           41 . Square body of stud 
           42 . Stud stem 
           43 . Stud axis 
           44 . Satellite having 12 teeth 
           45 . 1 st  face of square stud 
           45  A Diamond 
           46 . 2 nd  face of square stud 
           46  A Ruby 
           47 . 3 rd  face of square stud 
           47  A Emerald 
           48 . 4 th  face of square stud 
           48  A Sapphire 
           49 . Edge of square stud 
           50 . Circular rack 
           51 . First tooth array of rack 
           52 . Second tooth array of rack 
           53 . Recess between tooth arrays 
           54 . Base surface of rack 
           55 . Exterior rack 
           56 . Interior rack 
           57 . Opposite faces of racks 
           58 . 
           59 . 
           60 . Actuating device of rack 
           60  A Actuating device of interior rack 
           60  B Actuating device of exterior rack 
           60  C Driving wheel of interior rack 
           60  D Driving wheel of exterior rack 
           61 . Stem 
           62 . Axis 
           63 . 1 st  toothed driving wheel 
           64 . 2 nd  toothed driving wheel 
           65 . Crown 
           66 . 1 st  journal of stem  61   
           67 . 2 nd  journal of stem  61   
           68 . Stepped profile of rack 
           69 . 
           70 . Brake 
           71 . Plate 
           72 . Spring 
           73 . Mainplate 
           74 . Angled lever 
           75 . Setting wheel 
           76 . Ring screw 
           77 . Dial foot 
           78 . Dial screw 
           79 . Toothed sector of rack 
           80 . Lower casing ring 
           81 . Upper casing ring 
           82 . Setting stem sleeve