US 12,292,715 B2
Timepiece assembly comprising a watch and a system for correcting the time
Jérôme Favre, Neuchâtel (CH); Jean-Jacques Born, Morges (CH); Matthias Imboden, St-Blaise (CH); and Cédric Nicolas, Neuchâtel (CH)
Assigned to The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd, Marin (CH)
Filed by The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd, Marin (CH)
Filed on Aug. 16, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/820,093.
Claims priority of application No. 21205505 (EP), filed on Oct. 29, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0132978 A1, May 4, 2023
Int. Cl. G04C 11/08 (2006.01); G04C 3/06 (2006.01)
CPC G04C 11/084 (2013.01) [G04C 3/06 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A timepiece assembly comprising:
a watch, formed by a case and a mechanical movement incorporated into the case, and a support which is external to the watch and arranged to be able to support at least the case of said watch, the mechanical movement comprising an analogue time display, a drive mechanism for said analogue display and a mechanical oscillator comprising a mechanical resonator formed by a balance wheel and an elastic return structure, said mechanical oscillator being arranged so as to be able to set the running of the drive mechanism, the timepiece assembly comprising a correction system for correcting a time displayed by the analogue display, wherein the correction system is formed by a mechanical device incorporated into the case and by an electrical device incorporated into the support, the mechanical device comprising a mobile magnetic element and being arranged in the watch so as to be able to brake the oscillating mechanical resonator or momentarily stop an oscillation of said mechanical resonator by exciting the mobile magnetic element with a magnetic field supplied by a magnetic field generator of the electrical device, said magnetic field generator and the case being arranged in such a way that when the case is placed on the support in a given position the magnetic field produced by the magnetic field generator can pass through the case and reach the region where the mobile magnetic element is located so as to excite said mobile magnetic element in order to generate, via the mechanical device, braking pulses which are applied to the oscillating mechanical resonator or to momentarily stop an oscillation of the mechanical resonator with the mechanical device, and wherein the electrical device comprises a control unit which is arranged so as to be able to produce an electrical control signal as a function of a correction determined for the time displayed by the analogue display and to supply said electric control signal to the magnetic field generator so that it generates a corresponding magnetic field which activates the mechanical device such that said mechanical device generates a series of braking pulses which are applied to the oscillating mechanical resonator or momentarily stops an oscillation of said mechanical resonator, so as to substantially carry out the determined correction of the displayed time.