GB2181939A

GB2181939A - Dress watch

Info

Publication number: GB2181939A
Application number: GB08526885A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Samuel Kutchinsky
Original assignee: KUTCHINSKY M A Ltd
Current assignee: KUTCHINSKY M A Ltd
Priority date: 1985-10-31
Filing date: 1985-10-31
Publication date: 1987-05-07
Also published as: GB8526885D0; GB2181939B

Abstract

A dress watch 10 comprises a series of diamonds 38, brilliant cut and unset, sliding freely in an annular space 30 between an inner ring 29 and an outer ring 28 of gold, which are interconnected by two soldered cylinders 32, 34 so that the annular space 30 is open at the front and at the back. Edges 40 of the diamonds 38 engage in Vee-shaped groove tracks 42, 44 around the inner ring 29 and the inside of the outer ring 28. A further diamond 46 is set in a gold collet 48 which is secured by a screw 50 in the cylinder 32, being removable to reveal an opening 52 for removal and replacement of the slidable diamonds 38. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Dress watch This invention relates to a dress watch.

More particularly, this invention relates to a dress watch comprising a series of jewels arranged in an annular space between an outer ring and an inner ring so that the jewels can slide around the said space but are retained in the said space.

Swiss patent specification No. 609 517 (Chopard) discloses such a dress watch. More particularly, it discloses a dress watch in which a plurality of diamonds are individually set in small gold colletts and can slide around the said annular space quite loosely, but only beneath the glass face of the watch, this glass face extending over the annular space to retain the diamonds therein. The fact that the diamonds are under glass, and the fact that they are set in individual gold colletts, detract from their brilliance.

As seen from a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a dress watch comprising a series of jewels arranged in an annular space between an outer ring and an inner ring so that the jewels can slide around the said space but are retained in the said space by engaging a track around the inner ring and a track around the inside of the outer ring, the said space being open from the front to the back of the watch except for a plurality of relatively small connectors between the inner and outer rings, so that the jewels are uncovered.

As seen from a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of fabricating a dress watch according to the first aspect of the invention, comprising the steps of: a) assembling together the outer and inner rings and forming one of the tracks; b) after step a) forming the other track; c) after at least step a) providing the said connectors and interconnecting the outer and inner rings thereby; d) after step c) removing interconnecting portions of said outer and inner rings so as to ieave said outer and inner rings interconnected only by said connectors; e) after step d) inserting the series of jewels in the annular space.

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a frontal view of a dress watch embodying the invention, except that the watch strap is omitted; Fig. 2 is a section on line Il-Il of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on line Ill-Ill in Fig. 1; and Figs. 4a to 4d illustrate successive steps in the fabrication of the dress watch.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated dress watch 10 (the strap of which is not shown) comprises a watch casing 12 containing a movement (not shown) in a space 14 between a base 16 and a dial 18. Two conventional hands 20, 22 (not shown in Fig. 2) are mounted for rotation on the dial 18 in a space 24 between the dial 18 and a watch glass or crystal 26.

An outer ring 28 encircles or surrounds an inner ring 29 in which the casing 12 is soldered, with an annular space 30 between the rings 28 and 29. The outer ring 28 is connected to the inner ring 29 by two relatively small connectors 32,34, each in the form of a small cylinder. Except where the two small cylinders 32 and 34 are located, the annular space 30 between the casing 12 and the outer ring 28 is open at the front and the back.

The casing 12, dial 18, hands 20,22, outer and inner rings 28 and 29 and cylinders 32,34 are all of gold, the cylinders 32 and 34 being soldered to the outside of inner ring 29 and the inside of the outer ring 28, so that the casing 12 and the inner and outer rings 28 and 29 are rigidly connected together without possibility of any substantial relative movement between them.

As shown, a series of eight 'brilliant cut' diamonds 38, which are 'unset', more particularly, not set in collets, are arranged in the annular space 30 and have edges 40 engaging in a track 42 in the form of a Vee-shaped groove around the inner ring 29 and another track 44 around the inside of the outer ring 28, also in the form of a Vee-shaped groove, so that the diamonds 38 can slide freely round the casing 12 but are retained in the annular space 30 by the tracks 42,44. Because the diamonds 38 are 'unset' and because the annular space 30 is open to the front and to the back, the brilliance of the diamonds 38 is maximised.

A further diamond 46 is set in a gold collet 48 which is removably secured in the cylinder 32 by means of a gold screw 50. Undoing of the screw 50 and removal of the collet 48 with the diamond 46 reveals an opening 52 which is wide enough for the insertion of the diamonds 38 (and afterwards for their removal-for cleaning for example-and replacement).

Afurther diamond 54 is set in another collet 56,34 which is soldered to the outer and inner rings 28, 29 and cannot be removed.

All eight movable diamonds 38 are uniformly circular, with the same diameter as each other, to within a very close tolerance, for example, 0.01 millimetre, and the distance between the inner and outer tracks 42, 44 is likewise uniform to within a very close tolerance, with sufficient play between each movable diamond 38 and the two tracks 42,44 to minimise wear on the tracks by the diamonds. It will be appreciated that it is only the inertia of each diamond 38 which causes the diamond 38 to slide around the annular space 30 to any extent, so there should not be undue wear on the tracks 42,44.

Platinum may be used in place of gold.

The casing 12 may be integral with the inner ring 29 instead of soldered to it.

Referring to Figs. 4a to 4d, the first step in fabrication is to machine the outer and inner rings 28, 29 to a close fit at 58, 60 respectively, to machine the internal diameter of inner ring 29 to fit the upper part of casing 12 and to machine the outer groove 44.

Then the outer and inner rings 28, 29 are assembled and soldered together.

Then, and only then, the groove 42 is machined, see Fig. 4b.

Two holes are then drilled, 180" apart, to receive the two cylinders 32,34, the bottoms of which are initially level with the bottoms of rings 28, 29 as shown in Fig. 4c, and the two cylinders 32,34 are both soldered to rings 28,29, see Fig. 4c.

The interconnecting flanges 62, 64 of rings 28, 29 are milled away, leaving rings 28,29 joined together only by cylinders 32,34, the bottoms of which are also milled away, Fig. 4d.

Then the collet 56, with diamond 54, is soldered to rings 28, 29 and the diamonds 38 are introduced through the opening 52 which was formed at the same time as the drilling of the two holes for the cylinders 32,34 mentioned above.

Then the collet 48 with diamond 46 is secured by screw 50.

Claims

1. A dress watch comprising a series of jewels arranged in an annular space between an outer ring and an inner ring so that the jewels can slide around the said space but are retained in the said space by engaging a track around the inner ring and a track around the inside of the outer ring, the said space being open from the front to the back of the watch except for a plurality of relatively small connectors between the inner and outer rings, so that the jewels are uncovered.

2. A dress watch as claimed in claim 1 wherein the jewels are "brilliant cut" and have edges engaging said tracks being in the form of Vee-shaped grooves in the inner and outer rings, the jewels being unset.

3. A dress watch as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein a further jewel is set in a collet soldered to one of the connectors between the inner ring and the outer ring.

4. A dress watch as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein a further jewel and a collet in which it is set are removable from one of the connectors to open up an aperture for removal and replacement of one or more of said series of jewels.

5. A dress watch as claimed in claim 3 wherein a further jewel and another collet in which it is set are removable from another one of the connectors to open up an aperture for removal and replacement of one or more of said series of jewels.

6. A dress watch as claimed in claim 4 or 5 wherein the removable collet is secured by a screw.

7. A dress watch as claimed in any preceding claim wherein at least some of the jewels are diamonds.

8. A dress watch as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the casing, the outer and inner rings and the (collets and) connectors are of gold or platinum.

9. A dress watch as claimed in any preceding claim having hands rotating around a dial.

10. A method of fabricating a dress watch as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising the steps of: a) assembling together the outer and inner rings and forming one of the tracks; b) after step a) forming the other track; c) after at least step a) providing the said connectors and interconnecting the outer and inner rings thereby; d) after step c) removing interconnecting portions of said outer and inner rings interconnected only by said connectors; e) after step d) inserting the series of jewels in the annular space.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the dress watch is as claimed in claim 4 or 5 and wherein the removable collet is put in after step e).

12. A dress watch substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

13. A method of fabricating a dress watch substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.