Patent Publication Number: US-10761485-B2

Title: Strike mode selector for a watch or timepiece

Description:
This application claims priority from European patent application No. 17182975.7 filed on Jul. 25, 2017, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention concerns a striking mechanism for a watch or timepiece comprising a movement, said striking mechanism comprising at least one reference wheel set arranged to be driven by a said movement and wherein at least one said reference wheel set is an hour snail, at least one strike drive wheel set including a detent ratchet and a repeating rack pinion, said striking mechanism including at least one pivoting part arranged to cooperate indirectly with an output of a said movement, including a feeler arm for reading a said reference wheel set and a rack for driving said repeating rack pinion, one of said pivoting parts being an hour-rack arranged to cooperate with said hour snail, said striking mechanism further including a main click arranged to be set in motion at each passing strike and to drive said detent ratchet, and said striking mechanism being able to operate in at least two distinct strike modes including a silent mode, wherein said striking mechanism includes a strike selector mode, comprising a user-accessible selector which allows the user to choose which strike mode to use and controls the angular position of at least one cam, which has particular positions for different modes, said cam having a continuous, external, feeler arm support profile, arranged to cooperate with a beak comprised in a silencing lever, and which has an area of larger radius corresponding to said silent mode, arranged to orient said silencing lever into a position where a main arm of said silencing lever moves said main click away from said detent ratchet, in order to disable every passing strike, in silent mode. 
     The invention also concerns a watch comprising a movement including an output for releasing the passing strike function by the movement, this movement being arranged to drive at least one reference wheel set, and the watch includes at least one such striking mechanism. 
     The invention also concerns a timepiece comprising a movement including an output for releasing the passing strike function by the movement, this movement being arranged to drive at least one reference wheel set, and the timepiece includes at least one such striking mechanism. 
     The invention concerns the field of striking mechanisms for watches, timepieces or music boxes. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Timepiece striking mechanisms are large complications, which are complex as regards not only the number and complexity of the kinematics of their components, but also their possible operating modes. Choosing between the various strike modes is in itself an additional complication, which employs expensive components, such as column wheels or the like, and which takes up significant space inside the watch or timepiece case, which often has a set of notches for this selection function. The interface between the selection mechanism and the exterior of the case must also enjoy a particular seal tightness. Managing safety features between the various modes is always complex. 
     For watches that have additional complications, such as minute repeaters, managing safety features is very complex, and it is difficult to stop the passing strike function to allow a minute repeater to play, or conversely, to stop a minute repeater being released as a passing strike approaches, to prevent a minute repeater being released again when a repeater cycle has just started, to prevent an adjustment to the motion work during a striking function, etc., as these safety means generally employ a large number of isolators, which further complicates the mechanism and the risk of interference. 
     Swiss Patent No CH706080B1 in the name of PATEK PHILIPPE discloses a timepiece including a case enclosing a mechanical timepiece movement, including a repeater mechanism that can be released automatically by the mechanical timepiece movement, wherein the repeater mechanism includes a release lever provided with a click which is pivotably mounted on said release lever and arranged to move into engagement with the toothing of a detent ratchet comprised in the fusee of the repeater mechanism, so that, on automatic release, a nut driven by the motion work of the movement, preferably integral with the cannon pinion of the movement, causes the release lever to pivot towards the detent ratchet, and so that, when the release lever drops, the click beak drives the detent ratchet in rotation; the repeater mechanism includes a strike mode selection mechanism. This strike mode selection mechanism includes an operating member that is accessible from outside the timepiece and formed of a slide-piece, mounted to slide in a back-and-forth movement on the periphery of the timepiece case between at least two positions, one corresponding to a strike mode and the other to the silent mode. 
     CH Patent Application No 704590A1 in the name of MONTRES BREGUET SA discloses an isolating mechanism for a timepiece, including, on the one hand, a timepiece movement and, on the other hand, at least one striking mechanism including feeler arms for reading time information, on time references driven by said timepiece movement. This isolating mechanism includes at least a first isolator, arranged to cooperate with a control mechanism comprised in the timepiece, in order, in a first armed position, to adopt a stop position that prevents the time information feeler arms from searching for information on the time references, and, in a second unarmed position, to allow the feeler arms to pass and come into contact with the time references. 
     Swiss Patent No CH711258A2 in the name of RICHEMONT discloses a selector device for a timepiece striking mechanism, the striking mechanism being drivable by a strike train and configured to be placed in a ‘strike’ mode, in which the striking mechanism is always activated, a ‘night-time’ mode wherein the striking mechanism is disabled only for a predetermined period of the day, or a ‘silent’ mode in which the striking mechanism is always disabled; the selector device including: a cam completing one rotation in 24 hours and having the profile required for said predetermined period, a first lever, configured to switch between a first position, in which the first lever does not cooperate with the cam, so that the striking mechanism is in ‘strike’ mode, and a second position in which the feeler arm cooperates with the cam so that the striking mechanism is in ‘night-time’ mode; and a second lever, configured to switch between a first position, in which the striking mechanism is connected to the strike train, and a second position, in which the striking mechanism is disconnected from the strike train so that the striking mechanism is in ‘silent’ mode. This selector device comprises a push lever that can be actuated to tilt the first lever and the second lever to place the striking mechanism in one of the ‘strike’, ‘night-time’ or ‘silent’ modes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention proposes to achieve strike mode selection in a simple and reliable manner, compatible with the implementation of efficient safety means of average complexity. 
     To this end, the invention concerns a striking mechanism according to claim  1 . 
     The invention also concerns a watch comprising a movement including an output for releasing the passing strike function by the movement, this movement being arranged to drive at least one reference wheel set, and the watch includes at least one such striking mechanism. 
     The invention also concerns a timepiece comprising a movement including an output for releasing the passing strike function by the movement, this movement being arranged to drive at least one reference wheel set, and the timepiece includes at least one such striking mechanism. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other features and advantages of the invention will appear upon reading the following detailed description, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which: 
         FIGS. 1 to 8  schematically represent, two-by-two and in a plan view, the striking mechanism according to the invention in the same position, the odd Figures showing the back side, and the even Figures showing the front side; not all the components are represented, only those which are essential for performing the illustrated function are visible: 
         FIGS. 1 and 2  represent the striking mechanism according to the invention in a petite sonnerie mode. 
         FIGS. 3 and 4  represent the striking mechanism according to the invention in a grande sonnerie mode. 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  represent the striking mechanism according to the invention in a silent mode. 
         FIGS. 7 and 8  represent the striking mechanism according to the invention stopped in grande sonnerie mode. 
         FIGS. 9 and 10  represent the striking mechanism according to the invention stopped in silent mode. 
         FIG. 11  is a detail of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 12  is a schematic, plan view from both sides, of the panoply of main components of the striking mechanism according to the invention. 
         FIGS. 13 to 18  represent, in a similar manner to  FIGS. 1 to 8 , a first striking mechanism variant combining strike selection and mode selection according to the invention, for playing a first tune in petite sonnerie mode, and a second tune, different from the first tune, in grande sonnerie mode. 
         FIGS. 13 and 14  represent the striking mechanism according to the invention in petite sonnerie mode with the first tune. 
         FIGS. 15 and 16  represent the striking mechanism according to the invention in grande sonnerie mode with the second tune. 
         FIGS. 17 and 18  represent the striking mechanism according to the invention in silent mode, where it is possible to play the second tune by means of the minute repeater control device. 
         FIG. 19  is a schematic, plan view from both sides, of the panoply of main components of the striking mechanism of this first variant. 
         FIGS. 20 to 29  represent, in a similar manner to  FIGS. 13 to 18 , a second striking mechanism variant combining strike selection and mode selection according to the invention, wherein one or the other allows the first tune or the second tune to be played, in each strike mode: 
         FIGS. 20 and 21  represent the striking mechanism according to the invention in petite sonnerie mode with the first tune. 
         FIGS. 22 and 23  represent the striking mechanism according to the invention in petite sonnerie mode with the second tune. 
         FIGS. 24 and 25  represent the striking mechanism according to the invention in grande sonnerie mode with the first tune. 
         FIGS. 26 and 27  represent the striking mechanism according to the invention in grande sonnerie mode with the second tune. 
         FIGS. 28 and 29  represent the striking mechanism according to the invention in silent mode, where it is possible to play the first tune by means of the minute repeater control device. 
         FIG. 30  is a schematic, plan view from both sides, of the panoply of main components of the striking mechanism of this second variant. 
         FIG. 31  is a block diagram which represents a watch comprising a striking mechanism according to the invention. 
         FIG. 32  is a block diagram which represents a musical timepiece comprising a striking mechanism according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The invention concerns a watch  1000  or a timepiece  2000  including at least one specific striking mechanism  100 . This timepiece  2000  may be a music box or include a music box. 
     The work by François LECOULTRE entitled  Les montres compliquées  (A Guide to Complicated Watches), Editions Horlogères, Bienne (Switzerland), 1985, ISBN 2-88175-000-1, explains, in detail, the basic mechanisms forming striking mechanisms, at pages 97 to 205 (pages 85 to 181 of the English edition), in different chapters:
         repeating watches,   old repeating watches,   modern quarter-repeater,   simplified repeater,   half-quarter repeater,   Breguet half-quarter repeater,   five minute-repeater,   minute-repeaters   clock watches
 
Unless necessary, these basic mechanisms will not be discussed here in detail, since striking mechanism specialists will know how to find the composition of such mechanisms in this universal reference work, in particular in the aforementioned last two chapters.
       

     Striking mechanism  100  according to the invention includes, in a conventional manner, at least one reference wheel set  1 , and preferably a plurality of reference wheel sets  1 , including time reference snails and/or stars, and particularly a minute snail, a quarter snail and an hour snail  190 . 
     This striking mechanism  100  also includes at least one strike drive wheel set  2 , as explained in particular in the chapter on ‘Clock Watches’ in ‘A Guide to Complicated Watches’ and visible, in particular, in  FIG. 40  of this book. This strike drive wheel set  2  conventionally includes a detent ratchet  22  and a repeating rack pinion  24 . 
     Striking mechanism  100  cooperates with a movement  200 , which drives the reference wheel set(s)  1 , and a specific output  3  of which is illustrated in the Figures, in the non-limiting form of a star  130  for releasing the strike by the movement, fitted onto a cannon-pinion, and including four teeth, in order to lift, at each quarter hour, an intermediate lever for release by the movement, referred to hereinafter as gathering pallet  70 . 
     Striking mechanism  100  includes at least one pivoting part, which is arranged to cooperate indirectly, via this gathering pallet  70 , with the output  3  of movement  200 , and particularly includes a feeler arm for reading such a reference wheel set  1  and a rack for driving repeating rack pinion  24 . One of these pivoting parts is an hour-rack  20  arranged to cooperate with the hour snail  190 . Striking mechanism  100  further includes a main click  85 , which is arranged to be set in motion upon each passing strike, and to drive, when possible, detent ratchet  22 . 
     Striking mechanism  100  according to the invention includes all or part of the main strike modes: grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie, alarm, silent, and more particularly includes a minute repeater mechanism, particularly a minute repeater mechanism, notably as explained in the ‘Minute Repeater’ chapter of ‘A Guide to complicated watches’. 
     The non-limiting variant illustrated by the Figures includes three strike modes: grande sonnerie (GS), petite sonnerie (PS), silent (S), and a minute repeater. This minute repeater mechanism includes, in particular, an hour-rack  20 , arranged to cooperate via a feeler arm  29  comprised therein, with an hour-snail  190 . 
     Striking mechanism  100  includes a mode selector mechanism  9 . This mode selector mechanism  9  comprises a user-accessible selector  96  which allows the user to choose which strike mode to use, and which controls the angular position of at least one cam  90 . 
     Mode selector mechanism  9  includes at least one cam  90 , which may have as many specific positions as there are designated modes of the striking mechanism, as in the variant illustrated by the Figures, or which includes positions specific to only some of these modes. The illustrated variant represents a flat cam  90 , which includes three notched portions each corresponding to one of the selectable modes:  93  petite sonnerie,  94  grande sonnerie,  95  silence. 
     More particularly, according to the invention, the notched portions are notches of variable size, requiring increasing force in one of the two directions of operation. More particularly, one particular notch, for example a central notch, is larger than the end notches, to ensure safety by preventing the user from inadvertently changing from one strike mode to another. 
     Cam  90  occupies particular positions for the different modes. This cam  90  has a continuous, external, feeler arm support profile  98 , which is arranged to cooperate with a beak  61  comprised in a silencing lever  60 . This external profile  98  includes an area of larger radius  98 S corresponding to silent mode, which is arranged to orient silencing lever  60  into a position where a main arm  64  of silencing lever  60  moves main click  85  away from detent ratchet  22 , in order to disable every passing strike in silent mode. 
     It is understood that the invention is suitable for selection of an even higher number of distinct modes, in particular when a distinction has to be made between different tunes played, for example in order to differentiate between the quarters struck, or the different gongs played, as in European Patent Application No. EP2947523B1 by the same Applicant, when incorporating an alarm mechanism according to European Patent Application EP15190808.4 by the same Applicant, a safety mechanism for selection and/or release of a strike or tune according to European Patent Application No. EP15168700.1 by the same Applicant, a tune selection mechanism with an uncouplable lifting piece according to European Patent Application No. EP15183110.4 by the same Applicant, or a carillon striking mechanism according to European Patent Application No EP16206572.6 by the same Applicant. 
     Cam  90  can thus include multiple notches: GS tune A, GS tune B, PS tune A, PS tune B, S, and/or also: GS gong A, GS gong B, PS gong A, PS gong B, S. When there are too many different modes for a single cam, mode selector mechanism  9  can include a plurality of cams  90 , especially superposed cams, each relating to some of these modes, for example with a particular tune, or a particular gong, or otherwise. 
     Such an arrangement makes it possible, in particular, to distinguish between the strike modes by the tunes played and/or by the gongs used. For example, grande sonnerie mode corresponds to a first tune and/or a first set of gongs, and petite sonnerie mode corresponds to a second tune and/or a second set of gongs. 
     It is understood that different cams  90  can be superposed, especially coaxially, or juxtaposed in one plane, and especially arranged in series. 
     In addition to mode selection, intended to ensure that only one mode selected by the user is performed by striking mechanism  100 , mode selector mechanism  9  disables the striking mechanism in silent mode by moving the clicks away from strike drive wheel set  2 , and prevents access by the hour-rack to the corresponding snail. 
     In particular, striking mechanism  100  includes a minute repeater with a minute repeater control device  4  including a repeater click  40 , which is arranged to drive detent ratchet  22  once said hour-rack  20  has performed a reading on hour-snail  190 . And, in silent mode, the main arm  64  of silencing lever  60  allows repeater click  40  access to detent ratchet  22 , provided the energy available is sufficient to complete a striking function. 
     In a particular embodiment, striking mechanism  100  includes a grande sonnerie mode for the passing strike of each hour and of each quarter hour, repeating the hour at the quarter hour, and a petite sonnerie mode for the passing strike of each hour and of each quarter hour without repeating the hour at the quarter hour. Striking mechanism  100  thus includes a petite sonnerie lever  80 , which is arranged to cooperate by bearing on a cam pin  97  comprised in cam  90  of selector mechanism  9 , in order, when the petite sonnerie mode is selected, to orient petite sonnerie lever  80  into a position in which the latter prevents hour-rack  20  from moving towards hour snail  190 , to prevent the hour being struck at the quarter hours. 
     When, in this same arrangement, the grande sonnerie mode is selected, cam pin  97  orients petite sonnerie lever  80  into another position in which the latter allows hour-rack  20  to move towards hour-snail  190 , to allow the hours to be struck automatically on the quarter hours. 
     To distinguish between the passing strike of the hours and the quarter hours, striking mechanism  100  advantageously comprises, coaxial to a four-tooth star  130  driven by output  3  and which is arranged to automatically release strikes on the quarter hours, a tear-shaped hour cam  131 , comprising a tip  132  which is arranged to lift petite sonnerie lever  80  and to allow hour-rack  20  to move towards hour-snail  190 . 
     The operation of mode selector mechanism  9  does not hinder operation of the minute repeater, and especially in silent mode, except when, advantageously, striking mechanism  100  includes a particular stopping function arranged to prevent any striking function being performed if the amount of energy available is insufficient to ensure that the striking function is completed: striking mechanism  100  then advantageously comprises a stopping mechanism  5 , which is arranged to prevent any striking function being performed, in order to avoid the risk presented by certain wheel sets stopping in intermediate positions, which could cause collisions on restarting. It is only when the stopping function is activated that operation of the minute repeater is also prohibited. 
     This stopping mechanism  5  is arranged to pivot a strike reversing lever  59  when the available energy is insufficient to complete a striking function. This strike reversing lever  59  controls the pivoting of a strike uncoupling lever  55 , which is arranged to prevent access by repeater click  40  to detent ratchet  22  when the available energy is insufficient to complete a striking function, and to move main click  85  away from detent ratchet  22  when the available energy is insufficient to complete a striking function. 
     Mode selector mechanism  9  is preferably designed to avoid the use of a notch system on the watch case, which is standard in the prior art: to this end, a selector lever  96  advantageously controls, particularly via an articulated connection as seen in the Figures, the pivoting of cam  90 , or cams  90  when there are more than one. More particularly, a cam jumper  91 , associated with a cam jumper spring  92  for holding it in position, includes a selector finger  99 , which cooperates with one of the notches of cam  90 . This jumper  91  and its spring  92  have a dual function: allowing the user to feel the change of notch, and providing certainty of completion of the selection manoeuvre, with return to a clear position corresponding to one of the modes, and never to an intermediate position. Advantageously, spring  92  is oversized to ensure safety, and especially to overcome the friction forces of the gasket in the watch case. 
     This cam  90  also includes a cam pin  97 , which is arranged to form a stop for a petite sonnerie lever  20 , whose function will be explained hereinafter. In addition to the mode selection notches, cam  90  advantageously comprises a continuous external profile  98  including at least two feeler arm support areas, arranged to cooperate with a beak  61  of a silencing lever  60 :an area of larger radius  98 S corresponding to silent mode, and an area of smaller radius  98 AGS corresponding to a stoppage in grande sonnerie mode, when the stopping function and the grande sonnerie mode exist. 
     Mode selection mechanism  9  can be used for different striking mechanisms. Its interactions with the conventional components of a striking mechanism  100  including a minute repeater mechanism are illustrated in a particular arrangement which is detailed below, those skilled in the art who specialize in striking mechanisms for mechanical watches or timepieces, will know how to transpose them to any mechanisms presenting variants. 
     This striking mechanism  100  is first displayed without the stopping mechanism. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show the mode selector mechanism  9  in the indexing position corresponding to petite sonnerie notch  93 , which strikes the full hours on passing, and the quarter hours only on passing. The usual quarter-rack and quarter-snail are not represented, in order to simplify the explanation of operation. 
     Star-wheel  130 , arranged in proximity to reference wheel sets  1 , is arranged to move into cooperation, every quarter hour, with a beak  72 , especially an elastic beak, comprised in strike release gathering pallet  70 . 
     This quarter-rack  20  includes a feeler arm  29  arranged to feel an hour-snail  190 , and a rack  25  arranged to cooperate with a repeating rack pinion  24  comprised in a strike drive wheel set  2 . Hour-rack  20  further includes, set back with respect to feeler arm  29 , a rib  23  which ends, on the same side as feeler arm  29 , in a flat abutment portion  27 . 
     Strike drive wheel set  2  includes, in a conventional manner, a detent ratchet  22 , which is arranged to cooperate, either with a main strike click  85 , or a minute repeater release click  40 , provided with a pin  41 , and comprised in a minute repeater control device  4 , wherein this latter click  40  cooperates with a spring  43 . The pivoting of strike release gathering pallet  70  causes the pivoting of a lever  50  for release by the movement, which carries a thrust spring  52 , which rests on main strike click  85 , which is also carried by release lever  50 . 
     A conventional petite sonnerie lever  80  carries a banking pin  82 . This petite sonnerie lever  80 , which is returned by an uncoupling spring  83  fixed to a plate, includes an uncoupling beak  81 , which is arranged to rest on a cam pin  97  comprised in cam  90 . 
     Petite sonnerie lever  80  faces hour-rack  20  during the angular travel of the latter, and banking pin  82  is at the level of rib  23  of hour-rack  20 , on the same radius, which allows it to cooperate in abutment with flat portion  27  of hour-rack  20 , and to immobilise the latter by preventing it from reaching hour-snail  190 , so that the hour strike is not repeated on each quarter hour, in accordance with the operation specific to the petite sonnerie mode. 
     In order to ensure that the hour is struck on the full hour, star-wheel  130  is integral with a tear-shaped hour cam  131 , whose tip  132  is arranged to lift petite sonnerie lever  80 , and thus its banking pin  82 , to allow feeler arm  29  of hour-rack  20  to pass in order to read hour-snail  190 . 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  show mode selector mechanism  9  in the indexing position corresponding to grande sonnerie notch  94 , which strikes the full hours on passing, and repeats the hour and strikes the quarter-hours on passing. The usual quarter-rack and quarter-snail are not represented. Cam pin  97  bears on petite sonnerie lever  80  at a greater distance from the end of uncoupling beak  81  than in the case of the petite sonnerie, and consequently banking pin  82  is no longer at the level of rib  23 , or of flat portion  27  of hour-rack  20 , but is at the level of recess  28 , which allows hour-rack  20  to pivot freely towards hour-snail  190  at every quarter hour. 
     For operation in silent mode, striking mechanism  100  includes a grande sonnerie and petite sonnerie isolator, hereinafter referred to as silencing lever  60 , which includes, at a first end, a reading beak  61  arranged to cooperate with one of peripheral areas  98  of mode selection cam  90 , and at a second end  62 , a main arm  64 , which is arranged to stop a main click pin  86 , comprised in main strike click  85 . This silencing lever  60  includes, in its median part in proximity to its pivot, a silencing pin  63 . 
     Spring  65  constrains silencing lever  60  via pin  63 , so that the lever is always in contact with cam  90  via its beak  61 . When the selected mode is silent mode, this silencing lever  60  pivots and its part  62  moves to disconnect click  85  from ratchet  22 . Cam pin  97  is in contact with uncoupling beak  81  of petite sonnerie lever  80 . During a minute repeater function (in petite sonnerie mode), a lever (not represented in the Figures) forms the link between control device  4  and the hole in lever  80 , so that hour-rack  20  can fall onto hour-snail  190  of component  1 . 
     Silencing lever  60  is seen in  FIGS. 5 to 11 , which also include a stopping mechanism  5 , which essentially comprises a strike uncoupling lever  55 . Striking mechanism  100  thus includes silencing lever  60  and strike uncoupling lever  55 , which are partially superposed and each arranged to hinder access by a specific click to ratchet  22  of strike drive wheel set  2 . Indeed, strike uncoupling lever  55  includes a stop arm  56 , which is arranged to stop a repeater click pin  41 , comprised in a minute repeater release click  40 , of minute repeater control device  4 . 
     The Figures show the particular arrangement of main click  85  and of minute repeater release click  40 , which are both located on the same side of strike drive wheel set  2  and its ratchet  22 , between mode selection cam  90  and ratchet  22 . This arrangement is particularly advantageous, due to its particularly reduced volume and the short distances between the various components, which means that stiffer levers can be used, and it allows for the design of a stopping mechanism which is both compact, reliable and efficient. This arrangement is made possible, in particular, by the insertion of release lever  50  between the gathering pallet or first strike release lever  70 , and main click  85 : this release lever  50  carries the articulation of main click  85 , and includes spring  52  which pushes on the click; it allows main click  85  to be positioned on the same side as minute repeater release click  40  with respect to ratchet  22 , it reverses the direction of pivoting of main click  85  compared to a standard assembly in which the latter is meshed directly in gathering pallet  70 , and, in particular, allows energy to be saved by precisely managing the engagement and disengagement of main click  85  with respect to ratchet  22 . More particularly, main click  85  and minute repeater release click  40  are substantially aligned as a result of this novel arrangement, and silencing lever  60  and strike uncoupling lever  55  can be superposed, in an almost collinear manner, which considerably simplifies the control and stopping of the striking functions, by reducing the number of components and the manoeuvring travels of these components. 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  show mode selector  9  in the indexing position corresponding to silent mode notch  95 , wherein the petite sonnerie and grande sonnerie mechanisms are uncoupled, but wherein it is possible to operate the minute repeater. Reading beak  61  of silencing lever  60  is resting on the largest radius  98 S of peripheral shoulder  98  of cam  90 , and consequently, on the one hand, petite sonnerie lever  80  is stopped by cam pin  97  and by spring  67 , and on the other hand, main arm  64  of silencing lever  60  is in its farthest position from strike drive wheel set  2 , and stops main click pin  86 . On the other hand, strike uncoupling lever  55  is very close to strike drive wheel set  2 , since there is nothing to obstruct this end position, and consequently minute repeater release click  40  is not hindered and can access detent ratchet  22 , and the minute repeater can thus be operated as desired by the user, 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate a stoppage in grande sonnerie mode and show mode selector  9  in the indexing position corresponding to grande sonnerie notch  94 . Stopping mechanism  5  is arranged to uncouple all the clicks, when the amount of available energy, in the barrel(s) or suchlike, is insufficient. This time, reading beak  61  of silencing lever  60  is resting on the smallest radius  98 AGS of peripheral shoulder  98  of cam  90 , and, at its second end  62 , main arm  64  of silencing lever  60  is in its closest position to strike drive wheel set  2 , and cannot stop main click pin  86 . On the other hand, strike uncoupling lever  55  is in its furthest position from strike drive wheel set  2 , and consequently hinders both main pin  86  of main click  85  and repeater click pin  41 , thus main click  85  and minute repeater release click  40  are hindered and cannot access detent ratchet  22 . The minute repeater cannot be activated by the user. No striking function can therefore be activated. There is nothing to prevent mode selection lever  96  being moved into another position. 
       FIGS. 9 to 11  illustrate stoppage in silent mode and show mode selector  9  in the indexing position corresponding to silent mode notch  95 . These Figures show an operating bolt  59  for the articulated control of strike uncoupling lever  55 . Reading beak  61  of silencing lever  60  is resting on the largest radius  98 S of peripheral shoulder  98  of cam  90 , and the main arm  64  of silencing lever  60  is in its furthest position from strike drive wheel set  2 , and stops main click pin  86 . Strike uncoupling lever  55  is also in its furthest position from strike drive wheel set  2 , and hinders repeater click pin  41 . Thus, main click  85  and minute repeater release click  40  are hindered and cannot access detent ratchet  22 . 
     It is clear that the stopping mechanism is only active when there is not enough energy and that, otherwise, this stopping mechanism is disconnected. 
       FIGS. 13 to 19  illustrate a first variant of the striking mechanism combining strike selection and mode selection according to the invention, allowing a first tune to be played in petite sonnerie mode, and a second tune, different from the first tune in grande sonnerie mode. 
       FIGS. 20 to 29  illustrate a second variant of the striking mechanism combining strike selection and mode selection according to the invention, wherein one or the other allows the first tune or the second tune to be played, in each strike mode. 
     It is understood that the only limitation is that of available space inside the watch or the musical timepiece: these first and second variants are each presented here with two tunes, but it is understood that the striking mechanism could play more tunes, or differentiate between the tunes on different sets of gongs or chimes, in combination with the teachings of European Patent No EP2947523B1 by the same Applicant, and European Patent Application Nos EP15190808.4, EP15168700.1, EP15183110.4, and EP16206572.6 by the same Applicant, the details of which are not repeated here. Likewise, mode selection can be performed by coaxial cams and/or juxtaposed cams in one plane. 
     The first variant includes a tune selection cam  101 , which cooperates with a first tune lever  103  and a second tune lever  104 , which in turn cooperate with a tune selector  106 , arranged to control the different gathering pallets  107 . Each of these levers  103  and  104  includes an intermediate feeler beak, which runs over the periphery of tune selection cam  101 . Tune selection cam  101  includes a pin  1010 , which drives fork  1050  of a tune selection feeler arm  105 , one of whose fingers  1051  cooperates with the periphery of a tune selection-by-mode cam  102 . The latter is in the same plane here as tune selection cam  101 . 
     The second variant includes, in a similar manner, a first tune lever  103  and a second tune lever  104 , which cooperate in turn with a tune selector  106 , arranged to control the various gathering pallets  107 . 
     Mode and tune selection is controlled here by a control wheel set  110  which includes several cams stacked one on top of the other. 
     At the lower level, a first cam  111  is similar to the cam  90  presented above, and includes jumper notches  112 , and control of the petite sonnerie, grande sonnerie and silent modes by its peripheral contour  113 , followed by a beak  1090  of a passing strike isolator  109 , arranged to prevent any interference between a minute repeater function and a passing strike. 
     Each of levers  103  and  104  includes an intermediate feeler beak, which runs over the periphery respectively of a first cam  114  controlling the first tune and a second cam  115  controlling the second tune. 
     This control wheel set  110  is extremely compact and uses less height space than strike wheel set  2 . 
     It is seen that these different variants use many common components, which reduces production costs that are always high for large complications. The invention therefore provides the possibility of creating a wide variety of differentiated striking functions, either controlled by the watch or timepiece movement  200  for automatic striking, for example day/night, AM/PM, weekly non-working days, or otherwise, or controlled by a user as he sees fit. 
     The invention also concerns a watch  1000  comprising a movement  200  including an output  3  for releasing a passing strike function by the movement, this movement  200  being arranged to drive at least one reference wheel set  1 , and watch  1000  includes at least one such striking mechanism  100 . 
     The invention also concerns a timepiece  2000  comprising a movement  200  including an output  3  for releasing a passing strike function by the movement, this movement  200  being arranged to drive at least one reference wheel set  1 , and watch  2000  includes at least one such striking mechanism  100 .