US 11,809,137 B2
Balance for timepieces and method for manufacturing the same
Alexandre Haemmerli, Neuchatel (CH); Francois Gueissaz, Cormondreche (CH); Jean-Claude Martin, Montmollin (CH); Lionel Paratte, Marin-Epagnier (CH); Yves Winkler, Schmitten (CH); Gianni Di Domenico, Neuchatel (CH); Pascal Winkler, St-Blaise (CH); Jean-Luc Helfer, Le Landeron (CH); Lionel Tombez, Bevaix (CH); Baptiste Hinaux, Lausanne (CH); Donald William Corson, Yverdon-les-Bains (CH); and Michel Willemin, Preles (CH)
Assigned to The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd, Marin (CH)
Appl. No. 16/767,778
Filed by The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd, Marin (CH)
PCT Filed Dec. 3, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/083295
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 28, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/120959, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 27, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 17210298 (EP), filed on Dec. 22, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0181679 A1, Jun. 17, 2021
Int. Cl. G04B 17/22 (2006.01)
CPC G04B 17/227 (2013.01) [G04B 17/222 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A balance for a timepiece, comprising:
a rim;
a hub; and
at least one arm that extends continuously in a radial direction between the hub and said rim, a first end of the arm being directly connected to the hub and a second end of the arm being directly connected to the rim, the second end of the arm including a first branch and a second branch each directly connected to the rim, the first branch and the second branch being separate from one another to form a first housing between the first branch and the second branch, and a flexible inertia adjustment element is positioned in the first housing, the flexible inertial adjustment element extending from the first branch to the second branch,
wherein at least one portion of the balance is made of a partially or completely amorphous metal alloy,
wherein said at least partially amorphous metal alloy is based on an element chosen from the group consisting of platinum, zirconium and titanium, and has a coefficient of thermal expansion comprised between 7 ppm/° C. and 12 ppm/° C.