Waterproof Watchcase

Abstract

A waterproof watchcase having a crystal provided with a peripheral flange resting on an inwardly extending support flange of a highly resilient gasket with which it effects a watertight seal. The gasket rests on a support surface of a back cover with which it effects a watertight seal. The gasket is sandwiched between the peripheral flange of the watch crystal and the back cover by the band of the watchcase which can be constructed as a simple band or a band and bezel. The seals are effected without use of adhesives.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to watches and more particular to a waterproof watchcase.

In conventional watchcases the watch crystal is generally secured to a bezel by means of an adhesive for rendering the seal between the bezel and the crystal fluidtight. However, the watertightness and the adequacy of the adhesive seal are greatly influenced by the condition or processing of the bezel. For example, any flaws or roughness on the surface thereof can affect the fluidtightness. In order to maintain this tightness the accuracy in machining the bezel must be maintained and this increases the machining or manufacturing steps and costs with the result of a reduced yield and poorer productivity.

Moreover, the use of adhesives to effect the seal requires a control of the drying conditions. In the event that excess adhesive is used, it must be removed from the other parts of the watch, whereby additional assembly operations become necessary increasing the cost of the product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a waterproof watchcase without need of adhesives.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof watchcase of high quality which is easily constructed and more inexpensively manufactured than heretofore.

The waterproof watchcase according to the invention comprises a watch crystal which has a peripheral flange thereon. An annular gasket is provided internally of the watchcase having a support surface on which the flange of the crystal rests and effects therewith a fluidtight seal free of adhesive. The gasket is constructed with a ring or annular body and an inwardly extending upper flange which defines the support surface for the flange of the watch crystal. An outwardly extending flange on the bottom of the body of the gasket defines therewith a stepped outer peripheral portion defining an external shoulder. The lower flange of the gasket rests on a support surface of a back cover of the watchcase and effects therewith a fluidtight seal.

Provision is made for sandwiching the gasket between the back cover and the flange of the crystal to compress it therebetween by means of band means which can be a sole band clamping the crystal against the gasket and against the back cover. The band means can likewise be constructed as a bezel and a band that is disposed circumferentially of the bezel and the watch band carries out the clamping of the gasket jointly with the bezel.

The watchcase according to the invention may likewise be provided internally with a watch dial ring that has a stepped periphery that is complementary with the inner surface of the gasket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the waterproof watchcase in accordance with the present invention will be better understood in conjunction with the specification and appended claims and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevation cross section view of a waterproof watchcase according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation cross section view of a waterproof watchcase according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevation cross section view of a second embodiment of a waterproof watchcase according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevation cross section view of a third embodiment of a watchcase according to the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a watch dial ring usable with the watchcase of the type illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A prior art waterproof watchcase is illustrated in FIG. 1. These known watchcases have a watch crystal 1 adhered by an adhesive 1a to a bezel 2 and a back cover 3 is disposed in registry with the bezel between which is disposed a compressible gasket 5 for effecting a seal. The bezel 2 is clamped against and sandwiches the gasket 5 between it and the back cover 3. The bezel is caused to sandwich and compress the gasket by a watchcase band of ring 4 circumferentially thereof. The conventional watch works or movements 6 are housed within the waterproof watchcase as diagrammatically illustrated.

According to the present invention a waterproof watchcase construction is provided in which the watch fluidtight seals are all accomplished mechanically without the use of adhesives. A first embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 2 in which a watch crystal 11 of inorganic material is provided with a peripheral flange 11a. The flange 11a provides a peripheral shoulder by which a bezel 12 clamps the watch crystal as hereinafter described.

A back cover 13 is disposed on the back of the watchcase as illustrated. A watchcase band 14 is disposed circumferentially of the bezel and the back cover 13. The bezel 12, the back cover 13 and the case band 14 are fixedly assembled by a fixing ring 14a.

Within the watchcase assembly is mounted a gasket 15 made of a highly resilient material, for example synthetic rubber. This gasket is constructed with an annular body portion provided with an upper flange extending inwardly and an outer outwardly extending lower flange as illustrated in the cross section views thereof. The upper flange provides a support surface for the crystal 11 and its peripheral flange 11a. The lower flange thereof rests on a support surface of the back cover 13 as illustrated and the construction thereof provides a stepped inner surface and a stepped outer surface with an external shoulder. Within the case is mounted a watch dial ring 16 which has a stepped cross section complementary to the inner surface of the gasket 15. The watch dial 16 rests on an internal shoulder of the back cover 13.

The gasket 15 effects a waterproof seal with the other members of the watchcase without the need of the use of adhesives. The bezel 12 is provided with an inwardly extending flange 12b that clamps the peripheral flange 11a of the crystal. The gasket 15 itself is disposed within an annular space 17 and is a highly elastic gasket made of an elastic material, for example a synthetic rubber and has a generally Z-shaped cross section as heretofore described. The annular body portion which is the vertical leg is straight and the flanges are straight and normal thereto. The bezel 12 has a shoulder 12a which is seated on the outwardly extending flange or shoulder of the gasket 15. The watchcase band 14 is provided with an inwardly extending flange 14b that rests on an upper side of a lower outwardly extending flange 12c of the bezel 12 and clamps it downwardly. This lower flange 12c conforms to the gasket lower flange and compresses it and applies it against the back cover 13 to effect a fluidtight seal therewith. In this manner the band means comprising the bezel 12 and the watchcase band 14 jointly sandwich the gasket between the crystal and back cover so that fluidtight seals are effected at the surfaces of contact of the gasket and the gasket itself provides a fluidtight seal in the assembly.

The watchcase illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 2 is provided with a watch movement 18 and a dial ring 19 and with an external crown 20 connected to a winding stem 21 in known manner.

A second more simple construction or embodiment of a watchcase according to the invention is illustrated in FIG. 3. The same reference numerals are used in this drawing on parts corresponding to those of FIG. 2 in order to better relate this second embodiment with the first embodiment described. In this construction a watch crystal 11 having a peripheral flange and a back cover 23 clamp or sandwich a gasket 15 therebetween. A dial ring 16 is housed in the watchcase and is constructed to seat on the back cover and to conform with the inner peripheral surfaces of the gasket 15. The gasket 15 is made of a highly elastic material as heretofore described. The peripheral flange of the crystal is clamped by a watchcase band 24 which has an inwardly extending flange overlying the peripheral flange of the watchcase and has an internal shoulder that conforms with the stepped outer periphery of the flange and clamps it against the back cover 23. It can be seen that the band 24 is configured interiorly to carry out substantially the same functions as the combined bezel 12 and band 14 in the first embodiment. In this instance the gasket 15 is constructed very similar to the first described embodiment with two flanges joined by an annular joining body portion.

A third embodiment of the watchcase according to the invention is illustrated in FIG. 4 and is a further simplified construction. In this embodiment the same reference numberals are employed as those in FIG. 3 as to corresponding parts to allow ease of comparison. In this third construction a watch crystal 11 is provided with a peripheral flange as before illustrated which rests on a gasket 15 configured in cross section substantially similar to the one in FIG. 3. The gasket 15 is sandwiched between the flange of the watch crystal and a back cover 23' which has an annular portion having a stepped surface conforming to the inner periphery of the gasket. This stepped surface and annular portion of the back cover corresponds to the dial ring 16 so that accordingly a dial ring is constructed integral with the back cover 23'.

A watchcase band 24 clamps the watch crystal 11 and compresses the gasket 15 between the watch crystal, the back cover and itself. It is provided with an internal shoulder and cross section so that it conforms with the stepped outer configuration of the gasket 15 for enclosing it circumferentially and clamping the lower outwardly extending flange as illustrated.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 dispenses with a bezel and the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 dispenses with both the bezel and the dial ring and accordingly both provide very simple watchcase constructions.

An embodiment of the dial ring 16 is illustrated in FIG. 5. This dial ring is constructed as an annular construction of rectangular shape. It is to be understood that the term annular as employed herein throughout refers to rectangular or circular configurations and other types of configurations. The dial ring illustrated in FIG. 5 is provided with peripheral inwardly extending projections 16a for displaying time indicia thereon.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the configuration in cross section of the annular gasket and the cross section of the various components cooperative therewith makes provision for having a fluidtight seal on watchcase without the use of an adhesive. Moreover, it is possible to obtain a reliable waterproof watchcase which can be constructed at lower costs. Any surface defects of the component parts is compensated for by the construction. The fact that an adhesive is not used avoids breakdown of the seal which can result from a breakdown of the adhesive.

Moreover, the arrangement of the component parts allows the elements parts to be assembled and disassembled readily for servicing the watch movement or works. The use of the dial ring as constructed according to the invention with time indicia or markings thereon likewise makes for a more compact construction.

Claims

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A waterproof watchcase comprising, a watch crystal having a peripheral flange, an annular gasket underlying said watch crystal and having a support surface on which said flange of said crystal rests and effects a fluidtight seal therewith free of adhesive, said gasket having a stepped outer peripheral portion defining an external shoulder, a back cover having a support surface underlying and supporting the stepped portion of said gasket effecting a fluidtight seal therewith, and band means having a flange overlying said flange of said crystal pressing it against said support surface of said gasket and having an inner surface circumferentially enclosing said crystal and said gasket and an internal shoulder seated on said external shoulder of said gasket pressing it against said support surface of said back cover, whereby said fluidtight seals are effected.

2. A waterproof watchcase according to claim 1, in which said gasket comprises an elastic, compressible material and comprises an annular body portion having an inwardly extending flange defining said support surface for said peripheral flange of said watch crystal, and an outwardly extending flange defining jointly said stepped portion and external shoulder.

3. A waterproof watchcase according to claim 2 in which said band means comprises a bezel contacting said watch crystal, and said gasket and a watchcase band circumferentially of said bezel and back cover.

4. A waterproof watchcase according to claim 2, in which said band means comprises only a band circumferentially of said crystal, said gasket and said back cover.

5. A waterproof watchcase according to claim 2, including a watch dial ring having a stepped periphery complementary to the inner periphery of said annular body portion and first-mentioned flange thereof, and said back cover having an inner shoulder supporting said dial ring.

6. A waterproof watchcase according to claim 5, in which said watch dial ring and back cover are integral.

7. A waterproof watchcase according to claim 5, in which said watch dial ring comprises spaced inwardly extending projections having time-indicating indicia thereon.