US3750385A

US3750385A - Calendar watch setting mechanism for various month lengths

Info

Publication number: US3750385A
Application number: US00234288A
Authority: US
Inventors: H Kocher
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-04-07
Filing date: 1972-03-13
Publication date: 1973-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 1990-08-07
Also published as: CH538137A; CH507871A4

Abstract

A mechanism for setting the date-indicating indicia on a calendar watch including a date-setting mechanism having an inactive position and at least one first active position, said setting mechanism causing the date-indicating indicia to advance by one step into the first active position immediately after the date-indicating mechanism has been brought to a position corresponding to the date ''''31.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Kocher [451 Aug. 7, 1973 CALENDAR WATCH SETTING MECHANISM FOR VARIOUS MONTH LENGTHS [76] Inventor: Hans Kocher, Erlenweg 24, 3294 Buren a/Aare, Switzerland [22], Filed: Mar. 13, 1972 [21'] Appl. No.: 234,288

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 7, 1971 Switzerlandm- 5078/71 [52] US. Cl. 58/58 [51] Int. Cl. G04h19/24 [58] Field of Search 58/4,5, 58

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,286,000 6/1942 Neyhart 58/5 203,640 5/1878 Paddock 58/58 563,268 7/1896 Fazel 58/58 2,483,775 10/1949 K1aris.. 58/5 2,709,885 6/1955 Van Kam 58/5 3,373,558 3/1968 Makiri 58/58 X Primary ExaminerGeorge H. Miller, Jr.

1 Attorney-Richard K. Stevens, Davidson C. Miller et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A mechanism'for setting the date-indicating indicia on a calendar watch' including a date-setting mechanism having an inactive position and at least one first active position, said setting mechanism causing the date- 7 indicating indicia to advance by one step into the first active position immediately after the date-indicating mechanism has been brought to a position correspond- 1 ing to the date 31. I

12 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures BATENTEDAU: 7 m;

SHEET 1 [IF 7 I PATENTED RUB 7 I975 SHEEI 2 [IF 7 mN N- wdm ' PAIENTEDAUB 11915 3,750,385

SHEET u (If 7 PATENTED AUB 7 I975 SHEET 5 (IF 7 CALENDAR WATCH SETTING MECHANISM FOR VARIOUS MONTH LENGTHS Presently known calendar-watches involve either of the two following drawbacks: they are difficult to regulate and complicated, or else they require the user to correct the watch at the end of any month having less than 31' days. The vast majority of calendar-watches presently known involve the latter drawback. Date correction may be effected by placing the winding crown in the hand-setting position and by imparting a motion to the hour-hand such that it revolves twice around the dial. The date-indicating member is then driven by the calendar mechanism and so causes the date l to appear if the correction is made when the date 3 l is visible. It is obvious that such date-setting by means of the calendar-member takes time and is irksome. Depending upon the year, at the end of February, the hourhand must be driven three or four times through 24- hours of revolution.

Attempts have been undertaken to simplify the datesetting operation by providing contemporary calendarwatches with a fast correction mechanism operating either by means of a push-piece or by an additional crown or also by the winding-crown which then may assume a third axial position from which different settings become possible.

However, such known mechanisms do not exempt the user from the correction setting on the first of the month if the previous one had less than 31 days or on the last day of those months of fewer than 31 days.

Special watches are also known, of which the calendar is so designed as to stay up-to-date for several years. However such watches are provided with mechanisms of a complicated nature and for instance comprise a cam of essentially circular shape and so activated by the movement as to complete one revolution every four years. This cam is. provided on its periphery with 48 notches each corresponding to. one of the months of the 4-year period under consideration; the depth of each notch determines the time and the extent of the date-setting effected by the calendar indicating member.

The purpose of the present invention is to create a calendar watch no longer requiring its user to set the date at the end of those months with fewer than 31 days and lacking complexities such as would prevent widespread marketing.

To that end, the object of the present invention is a watch with a calendar mechanism comprising a dateindicating mechanism and a commuting member driven by the movement and activating said indicating member every 24 hours. It is characterized by an automatic date-setting mechanism with an inactive position and at least one first active position, said date-setting mechanism causing the indicating member to move forward by one step into the first active position immediately after the indicating member has been brought into the position corresponding to the date 31 by the commuting member.

Therefore the automatic correction mechanism may be previouslyprogrammed and its adjustment is less complex than'that of the perpetual calendar watches mentioned above.

The attached drawing provides as illustrative examples three embodiments of the watch according to the invention. I V

FIG. 1 is a plan top view of the date setting mechanism according to the first embodiment,

FIG. 2 is a section on a larger scale, along line IIII of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, showing a second position of the date-setting mechanism,

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 for the second embodiment,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section of a detail of the second embodiment, along line V-V of FIG. 4, on a larger scale,

' FIG. 6 is a view of the second embodiment in another active position, g

FIG. 7 is a view analogous to FIG. 1, for the third embodiment,

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary section on a larger scale of a detail of the third embodiment and FIG. 9 is an over-all view of the watch according to the first and third embodiments.

FIG. I shows a wrist-watch movement, the bottomplate of which holds a date-indicating ring 2 co-axial with the bottom-plate. and activated every 24 hours by a commuting member 3 itself provided with a radial finger-piece 4 engaging the toothing 5 of the dateindicating ring. The commuting member 3 pivots round a fixed axis; itshub is mounted on a collet of bottomplate 1 as shown in FIG. 2 and is driven by settingwheel 6 and wheel-and-pinion 7 from the hour-wheel 8 which is normally emplaced at the center of the movement. As seen from FIG. 2, this hour-wheel is fastened on cannon-pinion 9. The wheel-and-pinion 7 comprises two co-axial toothings, the lower one of a diameter half the upper ones, so that commuting member 3 rotates at the rate of one revolution every 24 hours. Setting wheel 6'and wheel-and-pinion 7 are provided with central openings fastened on corresponding collets in the bottom-plate or on the pegs fastened to this frame element. Plate 10 (not shown in FIG. 1) extends above setting-wheel 6 and in between the two toothings of wheel-and-pinion'7 so as to maintain those members in place axially. As regards the commuting member 3, it is axially retained in place by a control plate 12 of circular periphery and co-axially located with respect to member 2 above the date setting mechanism imminently to be described rather than being axially retained in place by the stepped screw 11.

Screws l1 and 13 the latter diametrically opposed to the former and also screwed into the bottom-plate 1 so maintain in place the command member 12 that the latter may be rotationally displaced between two positions defined by the end of

slots

14 and 15 through which pass the shoulders of

screws

11 and 13. The shoulders of these screws are so adjusted that plate 12 may freely rotate about its axis. A spring 16 pushing on a pin 17 constantly pulls on plate 12 towards the position shown in FIG. 3, i.e., towards the inactive position. On the other hand, when in the position shown in FIG. 1, namely the active position, plate 12 is held back by one of the three arms of star 18 which functions in concert with pin 19 which in turn is mounted on plate 12. A six-teeth ratchet wheel ganged to star 18 and functioning in concert with the inside end of the push-piece 20 allows step wise rotation of this star 60 degrees at a time so that pin 19 alternately is located at the end of one of the arms of star 18.or in'the hollow between two of those arms, so that plate 12 alternately passes from the active position to the inactive one. During this to-and-fro motion, plate 12 moves a control lever 21 which is located in a recess of bottom plate 1 and the inside end of which supports a peg 22; date-setting member 23 which rotates about peg 22 is provided with a radial finger-peg provided by the bottomplate; this peg at the same time serves as a pivot axis for a setting-wheel 25 connecting the commuting member 3 to date-setting member 23, so that these two members are constantly engaging one another even though the date-setting member moves in accordance with the position changes of lever 21. Because of the existence of setting wheel 25, both

members

3 and 23 obviously rotate at the same speed. Both are located at the same height and when control member 12 is in the active position, both successively mesh in with the toothing of member 2 at about 2-2 h hour intervals. On the other hand, when control member 12 is in the inactive position, the edge of hollow 26 where peg 22 is located as shown in the position of FIG. 1 forces lever 21 to move by shifting the date-setting disc 23 inwards; then the circular edge of the inside opening of plate 12 will lock lever 21 into its inactive position.

When in that position, member 23 will continue rotating about itself and therefore it remains oriented in the same manner with respect to commuting member 3 without however activating anything.

Prior to the explanation of the mechanism embodied in this manner, it should be mentioned that the setting wheel 25 is axially kept in place by bar 27, that the setting-lever spring 28 ensures the normal position of the date member, and that, finally, spring 29 located underneath the date ring pulls on lever 21 in such direction that date-setting organ 23 constantly will tend to engage the toothing of the date ring.

In order to understand the operation of the described mechanism, it is enough to consider that in the position shown in FIG. 1, the control member 12 is in the active position and that the position of date ring 2 is such that the date 31 has just appeared in the dial window. This is so because finger piece 4 has just pushed one of the teeth to the point where jumper 28, passing above the top of a tooth, has brought ring 2 into a new stop position. The finger-piece 24 of date-setting member 23 has not yet reached that radial position in which it will enmesh the date-ring toothing.

Now, when the date member has reached the position corresponding to the date 3 l the notch 30 with .which the date member is provided at its periphery has reached roller 31 which is mounted on ajournal at the outer end of lever 21. Under the influence of spring 29, this lever which so far had been kept in the inactive position because of the pressure of roller 31 upon the periphery of ring 2 and this despite the fact notch 26 was opposite pin 22 will so rotate as to cause fingerpiece 24 to occupy the path of toothing 5. After some 2-2% hours, the date-ring therefore will be again driven by one step, and this will bring the date I opposite the window. When the plate 12 is in this active position, the transition from date 30 to date 1" therefore automatically occurs within a matter of hours.

In order to indicate this active position of the control organ, the latter may bear the

numbers

30 and 31, one corresponding to the active position and the other to the inactive position, and these numbers may successively appear in a window 32 shown in FIG. 9 and located at 6 oclock.

It is obvious that if no manipulation took place, the date-setting mechanism will be in the same location when the date 30" reappears in the date window, and that engaging pin 31 into notch 30 will cause a twojump date step from the position corresponding to 30 to that corresponding to I." To avoid such error, one must, during the month interval, push once upon push-piece 20 in order to bring plate 12, under the influence of spring 16, into its inactive position (FIG. 3). The displacement of notch 26 then ensures locking lever 21 in the position shown in FIG. 3, so that the next month, the date-setting member shall be inactive and shall allow the date 31 to appear for 24 consecutive hours.

As seen in FIG. 1, and also in FIG. 9, push-piece 20 may be located at 2 oclock, the winding stem at 4 oclock and the latter also bearing crown 33. The date window 34 in that case may be located at 3 oclock.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show an embodiment generically conceived from the same principle but allowing the programming of date-setting not only for the end of a month of 30 days but also forthe end of February when holding 28 days or when holding 29 days in leap years. This embodiment again comprises date ring 2 and commuting member 3 with its finger piece 4 functioning in concert with toothing 5 of ring '2. Again this embodiment comprises jumper 28 and setting-wheel 6, wheeland-pinion transmission 7 ensuring reduction in the ratio of 2 to l, and hour wheel 8. On the other hand, control member 12 has been replaced by a circular plate 35 which though axially retained in place by the two

screws

11 and 13 engaging the

clearances

14 and 15 may be subject to a rotational shift of much larger amplitude than plate 12, the two

recesses

14 and 15 being longer. Furthermore, the contour of the cen tral opening of plate 35 is provided with three

notches

36, 37 and 38 between which extend two segments in the shape of arcs of circle of the same radius rather than the single notch 26 of plate 12. The whole of this profiled contour section of the central opening of plate 35 is bounded by two nearly radial segments acting as stops.

On the other hand, in lieu of a control lever such as lever 21, the mechanism now comprises three

levers

39, 40 and 41 each provided at its inward end with one of the three date-setting

members

42, 43 and 44. These levers each pivot round an axis coinciding with that of the setting

wheels

45, 46 and 47. Further, each of the three

levers

39, 40 and 41 carries a

roller

48, 49 or 50 at its outward end and is pulled by a

spring

51, 52 and 53 in such manner that this roller pushes against the periphery of ring 2.

The control member 35 is ganged to a toothed sector 54 which meshes with a setting wheel 55 itself co-axial with screw 13. In lieu of being controlled by push-piece 20, this member is controlled by a stem 56 and

pinions

57 and 58, the latter meshing in with the setting wheel 55. The spring pawl 59 ensures achieving the four angular positions corresponding, the first to the inactive position, the second to the first active position in which it is the axis of date-setting member 42 that may engage hollow 36, the third (shown in FIG. 4) corresponding to the second active position in which the date-setting member 43 is in a position to engage toothing 5 because its axis has entered notch 37, and the fourth (FIG. 6) corresponding to the third active position in which it is the date-setting member 44, that has approached toothing 5. It will be observed that in each of the active positions, only one of the date-setting members may approach toothing 5, the other two being kept in the inactive positions by arcuate sections of the central opening of plate 35.

The desired date-setting operations are effected with the three

hollows

60,61 and 62 in the date-ring periphery; they function in concert with

rollers

48, 49 and 50 and with finger-pieces mounted on the date-setting members. Indeed one may notice that member 42 is provided with a finger-piece 42a, member 43 with two finger-pieces 43a and 43b, and member 44 with three finger-

pieces

44a, 44b and 44c.

In order to emplace in operational position the datesetting organ appropriate for each case, the exterior edge of date ring 2 is profiled as illustratively shown in FIG. 5, which shows a cross-section through this ring and further shows lever 41 with its roller 50 pushing against this ring 2. The section of ring 2 shows two fairly deep grooves defining three parallel ribs. These window each one day apart. The next month, one will have to move plate 35 in such fashion that the spring pawl 59 will be brought into its second notch. Therefore, it shall be the axle of the date-setting member 42 which will be opposite notch 36, and when the date 31 shall appearin the window, roller 48 will drop into the ribs stretch along the entire periphery of the ring, but

the hollow 62 is machined in the upper rib, hollow 61 in the middle rib and hollow 60 in the lower rib; As

regards rollers

48, 49 and 50, they are mounted on reduced diameter axles and are'each located at the particular height of one of the three ribs. Thus, during a complete rotation of ring 2, that command lever carrying a date-setting organ the axis of which is opposite one

ofthe notches

36, 37 and 38 may move under the influence of its spring and bring the date-setting organ near the toothing 5, but such motion may only occur when the hollow machined in the rib corresponding to the roller of this lever shall have reached a position allowing such motion. It will be observed that the

hollows

60, 61 and 62 are of different lengths. The angular length of hollow 60 corresponds to a double pitch of toothing 5, that of hollow 61 to a triple pitch and that of hollow 62 to a four-fold pitch.,lt should be clear that during the 24 hours ensuing the instant when the lever roller is freed by member 35 and penetrates the notch of the rib with which it works in concert, the date ring will be commuted by a pitch number equal to the number of finger-pieces plus one of the date-setting member thus emplaced in active position. Indeed, shortly after the commutation controled by member 3 has brought this lever, for instance lever 40 as applies to the situation shown in the drawing, into the opening of notch 61, the finger-pieces of the corresponding datesetting organ member 43 for the example selected will successively mesh in at approximately 2-2% hour intervals with the date ring and will cause it to advance by a double pitch of its toothing. Notch 61 obviously is so located that roller 49 shall enter it during the commutation that switches the indicator from 29 to 30; therefore the two ensuing jumps induced by member 43 shall finally cause the date 1 to appear in the window. This is therefore the situation which holds when passing from 29 February to l March in leap year. At the end of the 24 hour period following introduction of roller 49 into hollow 61, the commutation finger-piece 4 again engages toothing 5 and cuases the date ring to advance, so that the end of hollow 61 will again lift roller 49 and disengage date-setting member 43 from the date-ring. In the course of the next 31 days, the user of the watch must activate stem 56 so as to rotate the control member 35. in the clockwise sense as shown in FIG. 3; this will bring the peg of springpawl 59 into the front end of notch 60. Approximately 2% hours after this commutation, finger-piece 42a will again come and activate the date ring and will immediately cause date 1" to appear in the window.

As in the first described embodiment, plate 35 may be provided with index marks appearing in a secondary window which corresponds to window 32 and allowing the user to know at any time how the correction mechanism is programmed. Such index marks may consist in showing the four dates of 28, 2 9, 30 and 31 as borne on plate 35 and shown in FIGS. 4 and 6; one of those dates appears in the secondary window, which, in this instance, is located at 12 0clock according to the position of plate 35. Of course, one may also provide other symbols to theguser, in lieu of the four mentioned dates for the desired indication.

Therefore s-mssha ismr ho in GS- ihr g 6 allows program ming in advance the date-correction; this applies to all possible cases, whereas the mechanism of the first embodiment could only be used for months of 30 and 31 days and required a manual correction at the end of the months of February.

Nevertheless, the mechanism of FIGS. 4 through 6 represents an array quite analogous to that of FIG. 1 and particularly, its height requirement is of the same order. In lieu of rollers fastened to the ends of the control levers and stretching more than half the height of the date ring, as for roller 31, these rollers are of little height and located at the level of the rib they work in concert with.

In the two embodiments described so far, the normal commutation performed every 24 hours and the datesetting commutation too take place fairly slowly since they are controlled by wheels completing one revolution a day and provided with finger-pieces ganged to them. The embodiment shown in FIG. 7 however illustrates instantaneous date-setting. In this embodiment, date-ring 2 is fastened to bottom plate 1 in the same manner as in the other embodiments, and its toothing 5 functions in concert with commutation member 3 which is provided with a rigid finger-piece 4 and pivots about a fixed peg; screw 11 is atthe center of this peg; the screw shoulder guides control plate 63 which is also guided by the shoulder of screw 13 and may rotate to the extent of the two positions defined by the ends of

slots

14 and 15. This embodiment therefore is similar to the first one as regards the possibilities it offers, since it allows only programming automatic commutation from the date 30" to the first of the next month.

The alternate displacements of plate 63 are controlled by a star 18 identical with the one shown in FIG. 1; this star is ganged to a six-tooth ratchet wheel activated by push-piece 20. Pin 19 will take a position either at the end of one of the arms of star 18, or in the hollow between two of those arms; under the influence of spring 16 pushing against pin 17, plate 63 rotates counter-clockwise before it is brought back by spring 16 to the position shown in solid lines in FIG. after a new pressure has beenapplied to push-piece 20.

The commuting member 3 also is driven by the intermediary of setting wheel 6 and wheel-and-pinion 7; the latter itself is driven by hour-wheel 8 and thus causes a reduction in the ratio of 2 to 1, so that the commuting member rotates at one revolution every 24 hours. A variation provides for a different way of driving this commuting organ: particularly, the toothing might have a diameter twice that of a wheel directly fastened upon the hour-wheel and the toothing might directly mesh in with such wheel. In some cases, the commuting member 3 might also be provided with a device ensuring immediate jumping of date member 2.

To ensure automatic date-setting, the mechanism shown in FIG. 7 comprises a lever 64 pivoting at one of its ends around a peg co-axial with screw 13; a pin 65 is fastened to the other end of lever 64, and this pin may function in concert with a date-setting tooth 66 ganged to date ring 2 and located below the normal toothing 5 Preferably this tooth will be fastened by screwing or by driving in or by soldering and it will be the only inward projecting element along the entire periphery of date ring 2, at the level of which it is located (FIG. 8).

Between those two ends, lever 64 bears a pin 67 engaging an elongated opening from a cam 68 which is mounted in pivotable fashion upon a peg ganged to the bottom-plate. This cam is provided with a lug itself provided with radial flank under the influence of a spring 69. This cam also supports a pivoting finger-piece 70 which is being pulled by a spring 71 and located at the level of toothing 5 and very near it. When cam 68 rotates clockwise round its axis, pawl 70 may pull out of the way by gliding on the teeth of toothing 5; but when the cam rotates counter-clockwise, the pawl front end can grip a tooth of toothing 5 and cause ring 2 to advance sufficiently for jumper 28 to jump above the top of a tooth; then jumper 28 ensures the advance of the date member by an amount corresponding to one pitch of its toothing.

It will be observed that, pin 67 being connected to cam 68 at a point located between the pivoting axes of lever and cam, the latter will move clockwise if the lever moves counter-clockwise and vice-versa. Under the influence of spring 69, the cam will tend to rotate counter-clockwise, therefore driving the lever clockwise, and consequently tends to keep the lever against the stop formed by peg 72 which is fastened to plate 63. When that plate is in the position shown in FIG. 7, that is, in the active position, the pin 65 fixed to the end of lever 64 is in the path of tooth 66. Thus, when finger-piece 4 commutes the date ring by one pitch starting from the position shown in solid lines in the drawing so as to cause the date 3 l to appear in the window, tooth 66 drives lever 64 and cam 68 against spring action of spring 69. Pin 65 describes an arcuate path centered upon the axis of screw 13, deviating towards the inside of toothing 5; in that manner pin 65 passes above tooth 65 before the date ring has reached its new position corresponding to the date 31." The cam pivots round its axis and in the clockwise sense so as to cause pawl 70 to pass above one of the teeth 5; it is then released and spring 69 will then bring back cam 68 and lever 64 to their initial positions shown in solid lines in the drawing. However, pawl 70 causes a new commutation during this motion; this commutation is instantaneous and affects the datemember, so that the number 1 appears in the window.

In the course of the ensuing month, it shall be necessary to depress once push-piece 20; this will cause plate 63 to reach the position shown in dotted lines in the drawing under the influence of spring 16. During this motion, peg 72 will lift lever 64, pivot clockwise cam 68 against the action of spring 69, and it will keep those members in the. position shown in dashed lines in the drawing. One sees the peg 65 then is entirely within the path described by correction tooth 66. In that position, commutation'member 3 may cause date ring 2 to perform a complete revolution around its axis without

mechanism

64, 68, 70 being activated. In the course of the next month of 30 days, the user therefore will have to depress once push-piece 20 in order to bring the mechanism back into active position.

Both

plates

63 and 12

bear date indications

30 and 31; these may appear in an auxiliary window located at 12 oclock and constantly indicating to the user how the watch is programmed. In such a case too, the

indications

30 and 31 the principle of its mechanism might also be applied to an automatic commuting mechanism from the 29th to the lst or from the 30th to the lst, according to the control member position.

The mechanisms described above do not require the user to effect'his watchs date-setting at a given time, that is, at the end of every month of fewer than 31 days; on the contrary, they allow him to program this datesetting for a time convenient to him.

As was seen, such mechanisms may be reduced to practice so as to ensure instantaneous commutation. Further, in other embodiments, one may so fashion the date-setting mechanism that it automatically will return to the inactive position the moment the date-setting organ(s) has (have) operated. For in such case it would no longer be necessary to activate the programming mechanism except during months of fewer than 31 days.

What is claimed is:

1. In a watch with a calendar mechanism comprising a movement, a date-indicating member and a commuting member driven by said movement and activating said indicating member every 24 hours, the improvement that comprises a date-setting mechanism provided with an inactive position and at least one first active position, means extending to the exterior of said watch for manually controlling the movement of said date-setting mechanism between said active and inactive positions, said date-setting mechanism causing the date-indicating member to advance by one pitch in the first active position of said date-setting mechanism immediately after the date-indicating member has been brought by the commuting member into a position corresponding to the date 31.

2. A watch according to claim 1, further characterized in that the date-setting mechanism .may be put at will into one or another of three active positions, where the second one controls a double-pitch advanceof the date-member the moment this one has reached the position corresponding to the date 30, while the third one controls a triple-pitch advance of the date-member the moment this one has reached the position corresponding to the date 29.

3. A watch with a calendar mechanism comprising a movement and a date-setting mechanism including a control member provided with an inactive position and at least one active position, a date-indicating member and a periodic commuting member driven by said movement and activating said date indicating member periodically, said date-setting mechanism causing the date-indicating member to advance by one pitch in the active position of said date-setting mechanism after the date-indicating member has been brought by the periodic commuting member into a position corresponding to a given date, wherein the date-setting mechanism comprises a lever which may be moved round its pivot point by a driving member ganged to the 'date- 1 indicating member so as to achieve a rotational shift against a spring force, one cam bearing a date-setting pawl and functioning in concert with said lever in such manner that the cam is brought into the winding position of said spring when said lever is shifted and will return to its rest position under the influence of the spring so that the pawl will cause the date-indicating member to advance by one pitch, and comprises a control member coaxial with the date-indicating-member and which may rotate between two positions, in one of which it looks the lever and the cam into winding position for said spring, while when in the other position, it brings said lever into the path of. the driving member.

4. A watch according to claim 3, inwhich the control member may assume only a single active position and an inactive position, wherein said control member functions in concert witha star activated into rotation by a push-piece, said star being gangedto a control element functioning in concert with a pin fastened to the control member against a spring force, the whole so behaving that during successive rotations of said star, initiated by the push-piece, the control member rotates alternately to-and-fro between active and inactive positions, and vice-versa.

5. A watch with a calendar mechanism comprising a movement and a date-setting mechanism including a control member provided with an inactive position and at least one active position, a date-indicating member and a periodic commuting member driven by said movement and activating said date-indicating member periodically, said date-setting mechanism causing the date-indicating member to advance by one pitch in the active position of said date-setting mechanism after the date-indicating member has been brought by the periodic commuting member into a position corresponding to a given date, wherein the date-setting mechanism comprises as many date-setting commuting members as there are active positions in the control member, each date-setting commuting member being rotationally driven at a predetermined rate and being supported by a control lever functioning in concert with the dateindicating member, the/control member being coaxial with the date-indicating member, and movable in the sense of rotation so as to offer a given orientation for each of said positions and being provided with a contour with as many notches in it as there are control le' vers in the mechanism, these notches being so machined as to release the levers, to which each of them corresponds, in one of said positions of the control member.

6. A watch according to claim 5, characterized in that a plurality of date-setting commuting members are connected one to another and also to a daily commuting member of the date-indicating member, by means of setting-wheels, each one of these pivoting about the pivot axis of a control lever.

7. A watch according to claim 5, in which the control member may assume only a single active position and an inactive position, wherein said control member functions in concert with a star activated into rotation by a push-piece, said star being ganged to a control element functioning in concert with a pin fastened to the control member against a spring force, the whole so behaving that during successive rotations of said star, initiated by the push-piece, the control member rotates alternately to-and-fro between active and inactive positions, and vice-versa.

'8. A watchaccording to claim 5, characterized in that the control member is provided at its periphery with a toothed sector engaging a setting-wheel controlled by a radial stem projecting from the case and bearing a control crown at its end.

9 9. A watch according to claim 5, further characterized'in that the date-indicating member is peripherally provided'with indentations the number of which corresponds to said control levers, and that each of said control levers bears, at that end opposed to the one on which pivots the corresponding date-setting commuting member, aroller which is kept pressed against the date-indicating member periphery, so that when the indentation corresponding to one of the levers is opposite the roller supported by that lever, the latter may pivot about its axis and be brought into the active position.

10. A watch according to claim 9, characterized in that the date-indicating members indentations are located at different levels, so that each indentation may only control that lever to which it corresponds.

11. A watch according to claim 5, characterized in that each date-setting commuting member is provided with a number of finger-pieces which is equal to the pitch-number by which the date-setting commuting member must cause the date-indicating member to advance when the former is in the active position.

12. A watch according to claim 11, characterized in that the finger-pieces of each date-setting commuting member function in concert with the same toothing as a firiger-piece of the periodic commuting piece of the calendar mechanism.

Claims

1. In a watch with a calendar mechanism comprising a movement, a date-indicating member and a commuting member driven by said movement and activating said indicating member every 24 hours, the improvement that comprises a date-setting mechanism provided with an inactive position and at least one first active position, means extending to the exterior of said watch for manually controlling the movement of said date-setting mechanism between said active and inactive positions, said date-setting mechanism causing the date-indicating member to advance by one pitch in the first active position of said date-setting mechanism immediately after the date-indicating member has been brought by the commuting member into a position corresponding to the date ''''31.''''

2. A watch according to claim 1, further characterized in that the date-setting mechanism may be put at will into one or another of three active positions, where the second one controls a double-pitch advance of the date-member the moment this one has reached the position corresponding to the date 30, while the third one controls a triple-pitch advance of the date-member the moment this one has reached the position corresponding to the date 29.

3. A watch with a calendar mechanism comprising a movement and a date-setting mechanism including a control member provided with an inactive position and at least one active position, a date-indicating member and a periodic commuting member driven by said movement and activating said date indicating member periodically, said date-setting mechanism causing the date-indicating member to advance by one pitch in the active position of said date-setting mechanism after the date-indicating member has been brought by the periodic commuting member into a position corresponding to a given date, wherein the date-setting mechanism comprises a lever which may be moved round its pivot point by a driving member ganged to the date-indicating member so as to achieve a rotational shift against a spring force, one cam bearing a date-setting pawl and functioning in concert with said lever in such manner that the cam is brought into the winding position of said spring when said lever is shifted and will return to its rest position under the influence of the spring so that the pawl will cause the date-indicating member to advance by one pitch, and comprises a control member coaxial with the date-indicating member and which may rotate between two positions, in one of which it locks the lever and the cam into winding position for said spring, while when in the other position, it brings said lever into the path of the driving member.

4. A watch according to claim 3, in which the control member may assume only a single active position and an inactive position, wherein said control member functions in concert with a star activated into rotation by a push-piece, said star being ganged to a control element functioning in concert with a pin fastened to the control member against a spring force, the whole so behaving that during successive rotations of said star, initiated by the push-piece, the control member rotates alternately to-and-fro between active and inactive positions, and vice-versa.

5. A watch with a calendar mechanism comprising a movement and a date-setting mechanism including a control member provided with an inactive position and at least one active position, a date-indicating member and a periodic commuting member driven by said movement and activating said date-indicating member periodically, said date-setting mechanism causing the date-indicating member to advance by one pitch in the active position of said date-setting mechanism after the date-indicating member has been brought by the periodic commuting member into a position corresponding to a given date, wherein the date-setting mechanism comprises as many date-setting commuting members as there are active positions in the control membeR, each date-setting commuting member being rotationally driven at a predetermined rate and being supported by a control lever functioning in concert with the date-indicating member, the control member being coaxial with the date-indicating member, and movable in the sense of rotation so as to offer a given orientation for each of said positions and being provided with a contour with as many notches in it as there are control levers in the mechanism, these notches being so machined as to release the levers, to which each of them corresponds, in one of said positions of the control member.

8. A watch according to claim 5, characterized in that the control member is provided at its periphery with a toothed sector engaging a setting-wheel controlled by a radial stem projecting from the case and bearing a control crown at its end.

9. A watch according to claim 5, further characterized in that the date-indicating member is peripherally provided with indentations the number of which corresponds to said control levers, and that each of said control levers bears, at that end opposed to the one on which pivots the corresponding date-setting commuting member, a roller which is kept pressed against the date-indicating member periphery, so that when the indentation corresponding to one of the levers is opposite the roller supported by that lever, the latter may pivot about its axis and be brought into the active position.

10. A watch according to claim 9, characterized in that the date-indicating member''s indentations are located at different levels, so that each indentation may only control that lever to which it corresponds.

12. A watch according to claim 11, characterized in that the finger-pieces of each date-setting commuting member function in concert with the same toothing as a finger-piece of the periodic commuting piece of the calendar mechanism.