CH377738

STATEMENT OF INVENTION N°377738

JANUARY 10, 1962, 6p.m.

Class 83a Buren Watch Company s/A. (Switzerland).

Portable measuring instrument. The subject of the present invention is a portable measuring instrument. Portable measuring instruments such as pedometers and certain hourly totalisers are already known. Currently, the use of these instruments is limited to certain specific cases. This is how devices of this type are used for studies relating to the problems posed by self-winding watches. Some instruments used for this purpose include a mobile mass urged by an elastic member and actuating a totalising indicator device. The device is fixed to the wrist of the wearer and makes it possible to obtain an indication of the number and importance of the movements performed by this person.

The object of the present invention is to allow a generalisation of the use of these instruments. For this, the instrument according to the present invention is characterised in that it comprises, housed in a common case, a movement indicating device and a self-winding watch, the mobile winding mass of which drives the indicating member of the device under the action of the movements of the wearer of the instrument.

CH377727

STATEMENT OF INVENTION N°377727

JANUARY 31, 1962, 4¾p.m.

Class 83a Buren Watch Company s/A. (Switzerland).

Off-centered large average timepiece. The subject of the present invention is an off-centered large average timepiece, in which the roadway carrying the minute hand is not part of the gear train. gears connecting the barrel to the escapement and is driven in rotation by means of a timer wheel.

This type of indirect drive of the minute hand is found in certain neat watches, in which the minute wheel is driven by a mobile part of the gear train connecting the barrel to the escapement, and also in Roskopf watches, where the wheel of the timer is mounted with a greasy friction on the barrel. This drive mode implies that the angular position of the minute hand is not determined rigorously, due to the movement of the teeth of the roadway in the toothing of the timer wheel.

Various solutions have already been proposed to eliminate this fluttering of the minute hand: a) We have tried to eliminate this movement by using a friction spring, but the minute hand has always lost ground, due to the movement of gears and this lost path is noticeable when setting the time.

While the Swiss watch companies continued to develop their chronographs and other specialized watches, at the beginning of the 1960's they faced significant challenges. Sales of Swiss chronographs were declining from year to year; the legendary Valjoux and Venus movements that powered leading Swiss chronographs were growing old, and self-winding watches were enjoying increased popularity. At the time, Heuer was a small company and Buren faced strong competition. Jack Heuer faced the question of who could build this thinnest-possible chronograph module, to be mated with our base movement.

All this changed, however, in 1962, when we introduced the Caliber 1280 INTRAMATIC. With the thickness of this movement reduced from 4.3 millimeters to 3.2 millimeters, it now seemed possible to build a suitably thin automatic chronograph. In collaboration with Jack Heuer, we began to explore the idea of mounting a chronograph mechanism on top of this movement. The idea was short-lived, however, as even the combination of the thinnest movement and the thinnest chronograph mechanism would be too thick to compete effectively against the sleek watches of the era.

CH381160

STATEMENT OF INVENTION N°381160

AUGUST 14, 1962, 6p.m.

Class 83a Buren Watch Company s/A. (Switzerland).

Rack device for a clock movement. The object of the present invention is a rack device for a clock movement, comprising a rack and a movable stud holder placed one above on the other on the cock and two drive members of the eyebolt carrier and of the pivoted racket, the first on the cock, and the second, on the eyebolt carrier.

In the devices of this type already known, the racket remains fixed with respect to the stud holder when the position of the latter is modified, for example, in order to set the benchmark. In addition, when the position of the racket is modified, the torque exerted on this part bears on the eyebolt holder which is itself connected to the balance cock by the second drive member, so that the adjustment of the racket can be carried out without risk of modifying the position of the stud holder, provided that the adjustment of the racket and the stud holder in rotation is satisfactory.

However, the known devices of the type mentioned are relatively tall and it is not possible to use them in extra-flat or very small-caliber watches. In addition, the accuracy of their operation leaves much to be desired. Indeed, in the devices of the type mentioned above which are already known, the drive members of the stud carrier and of the racket are constituted by pinions each meshing with a toothing of the driven element.

We are in 1964 and the Buren team won the Prix D'Honneur at the Swiss National Exposition in Lausanne. In the meantime, Jack Heuer retained Dubois-Depraz to study the feasibility of developing a chronograph module that could be mated with the INTRAMATIC® 1281 movement. Ironically, the president of the company, Gerald Dubois had conducted comprehensive research into the design of a chronograph module to be used with the our microrotor movements, and had discussed the idea with us.

When Dubois-Depraz confirmed the feasibility of this project, the Chronomatic venture was almost ready for action. The Chronomatic would be a 17 jewel lever movement, consisting two essential elements described as being "totally independent": the INTRAMATIC® Cal. 1281 base movement, including the self-winding and calendar mechanisms, and the Dubois-Depraz 8510 chronograph module, a plate holding a newly-designed chronograph mechanism. In short, a modular automatic chronograph.

CH414467

STATEMENT OF INVENTION N°414467

FEBRUARY 7, 1964, 6¼ p.m.

Class 83a Buren Watch Company s/A. (Switzerland).

Process for lubricating components of a clockwork mechanism, device for implementing the process and application of the process. The subject of the present invention is a process for lubricating components of a mechanism watchmaking, a device for implementing the method and an application of the method to the lubrication of the teeth of the escape wheel of a watch movement.

To lubricate the organs of timepieces, an oil pick is generally used, a tool provided with a rod which is plunged into a container containing the lubricating liquid, so that a drop of this liquid clings at the end of the oil pick, after which the drop thus collected will be deposited on the location to be lubricated.

When you want to lubricate the contact surfaces between the levers of the anchor and the teeth of the anchor wheel in this way, you generally place a drop of oil on each of the levers of the anchor on the surface of the anchor. impulse, then the anchor wheel is rotated, which causes the anchor to oscillate.