US3505808A - Diver's watch - Google Patents

Description

U A. ESCHLE April 14, 1970 DIVER'S WATCH' Filed April 10, 1968 INVENTOR. 910/: nmzt BY ,2 MN

Malay-r United States Patent O 3,505,808 DIVERS WATCH Urs Alois Eschle, Le Locle, Switzerland, assiguor to Manufacture des Montres Doxa SA, Le Locle, Switzerland, a body corporate of Switzerland Filed Apr. 10, 1968, Ser. No. 720,102 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Apr. 14, 1967,

5,295/ 67 Int. Cl. G04b 19/18 US. Cl. 58126 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A divers watch having a rotatable bezel carrying twograduated scales having a common zero point. One of said scales forms a graduation dividing the circle of the bezel into minutes while the other scale comprises a graduation and indications referring to diving depths.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a divers watch of the type comprising a rotatable bezel carrying guide marks arranged so that the position of the minutes-hand of the watch with respect to the guide marks maygive to the diver an indication of time relative to a maximum duration of dive.

Divers Watches of this type are already known in the art. In one of these known watches the rotatable bezel is graduated in minutes. This graduation, however, obliges the diver to memorize a rule of correspondence between the reached depths and the limit durations of dive from which on it will be necessary for him to observe decompression stops on his way back to the surface. To remove this drawback, which may lead to a positive danger since at great depths the intellectual capacities of a diver may be substantially reduced, it has already been proposed to provide the bezel with a depth graduation so that when the zero point or origin of this graduation is placed opposite'the minutes-hand at the beginning of the dive, all the diver has to do. to know the limit duration is to know at which depth he is and to check the moment where the minutes-hand reaches the position opposite the corresponding indication of depth of the graduation.

It has also already been proposed, to the same end, to keep a bezel graduated'in minutes on the periphery of the watch case, and to make the minutes-hand move with a disc carrying a graduation indicating the depths. In order to use such a watch it is necessary to place the zero point of the bezel graduation opposite the indication of the reached depth at the moment of the diving. The limit duration of dive at this depth is reached when the minuteshand reaches the point at which it is opposite 'the zero point of the bezel. However, while the different solutions to the problem indicated above make unnecessary for the diver to memorize a decompression table or a rule, of correspondance between the limit durations of dive on the one hand and the depths on the other hand these solutions do not enable the diver to read directly on his watch -the time interval that has elapsed since he entered the water unless he had also memorized the exact time at which this event happened.

Now the limit duration of a dive may be calculated as a function of the depth according to different rules. On the other hand occasionally a diver may want to arbitrarily limit his dive to a period that is inferior to the maximum period givenv by a certain table, for example to half of the duration given by said table.

Thus the prime object of the present invention is to realize a divers watch which, while not being of a construction more complicated than the heretofore known watches, and while providing as well as these known Watches the indications of the limit durations of dive, in addition affords for the diver to read directly on this watch, the time interval in minutes which has elapsed since the beginning of the diving.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To this end this invention has for its subject a divers watch, comprising a rotatable bezel carrying guide marks or indicating graduations arranged so that the position of the minute-hand with respect to the guide marks may give to the diver an indication of time referring to a maximum duration of dive, in which the guide marks form two concentrically arranged graduated scales comprising a common zero point, whereby the one of said scales divides the circle of the bezel into minutes, while the other scale comprises a graduation and indications referring to diving depths.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The single figure of the accompanying drawing illustrates by way of example in a plan view an embodiment of a divers watch according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In thedrawing reference numeral 1 designates the casing of a divers watch to which are attached the two ends of a band orstrap 2 and thewindingbutton 3 of which is partially enclosed in a peripheral protectingcollar 4. The dial of the watch is of the conventional type provided with horological marks and for this reason is not shown in detail. It is covered by the glass of the watch and between the glass and the dial there are arranged the usual hands, as the minute-hand 14, the hour-hand 15 and the second-hand 16.

The glass is surrounded by arotatable bezel 5 which is arranged for rotation by hand in counterclockwise direction. This bezel has its periphery provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced notches or cut-outs defining teeth 6. As clearly illustrated, the notches that define the circumferentially extending series of outwardly extending teeth are so formed that the extent of the opposite faces of the teeth are different. Thus, thefaces 6 of successive teeth on the clockwise side of the axes of the teeth are substantially radially disposed while thefaces 6" of successive teeth on the opposite side of the axes of said teeth are inclined toward the respective axes in the clockwise direction. Thus, the-faces 6 afford or offer a better grip when the bezel is turned in counterin clockwise direction than when it is tried to be turned mediately at the interior of the recessed rim with the cut-outs 6. The zeropoint indicating graduation or origin of this graduated scale is marked by a circular recess 8 to which corresponds a small projection 9 formed on i the periphery of the bezel. The indicatinggraduations 10 of thescale 7 are irregularly distributed over the circle of the bezel and are numerical indicia which decrease in the clockwise direction from 60 to 2.0. Concentrically arranged within this graduated scale extends a second scale marked byradial strokes 11 which are evenly distributed on the circumference of thebezel 5. Acircular recess 12 arranged on the same radius on the same side of the axis of rotation of theminute hand 14 as in the recess 8 indicates the origin or zero point indicating graduation of this second graduatedscale 11 which also carriesindications 13 in form of numerical indicia from 5 to 55 and spaced 30 from one another. This inner scale thus provides indicating graduations denoting in minutes the time interval elapsed from the moment when theminutehand 14 has passed opposite the common zeropoint 12, 8.

As appears from the drawing thenumerical indicia 5 of the inner graduated scale coincides with the numerical indicia 60 of the Outer graduated scale, while the numerical indicia 25 and 50 of the first scale coincide with the numerical indicia 30 and of the outer scale. The two scales thus bring about a relation between the durations and the vertical extent of depths, which relation indicates the limit duration for which a diver may remain at a given depth without having to observe decompressing stops when returning to the surface. The relation which results from the drawing is the so-called American relation.

If the indicating graduations of thebezel 5 would have been made in accordance with the so-called French scale, the coincidences would be dilferent.

The use of the described watch is exactly the same as that of a watch having abezel 5 carrying only one scale.

Just before the dive the diver rotates thebezel 5 to position the radially aligned point indicating graduations O8 and 12 opposite or in radial alignment with the momentary position of the tip of the minute-hand. From this moment on all the diver has to do is to measure by means of a manometer the depth at which he is and to observe whether the minute-hand has already or has not yet reached the corresponding mark ofscale 7 corresponding to this depth, to know whether he can return to the surface directly or not. But at the same time the position of the minute-hand with respect to the inner zeropoint indicating graduation 12 of the scale gives him directly the duration of his dive up to this moment without necessity for him to memorize the exact time at which the diving began.

In order to clearly differentiate the two graduated scales, the numerical indicia of one of these scales may be marked with a vivid or bright colour, for example orange, while the indicating graduations of the other scale could be made in black, for example. If the two above-said colours are selected it will be preferable to mark in orange the numerical indicia and the zero point indicating graduation 8 of the outer scale corresponding to the depths.

What is claimed is:

1. In a divers watch for indicating conditions to a diver, a minute hand, a rotatable bezel radially outwards of the path of movement of the tip of said minute hand, said bezel having two series of circumferentially spaced condition indicating graduations defining two concentrically arranged graduated scales, each scale having a zero point indicating graduation, the zero point indicating graduations of the respective scales being in radial alignment on the same side of the axis of rotation of said minute hand, the indicating graduations of the first of said scales dividing the circular extent of said bezel into minutes with progressive minute indicating graduations increasing in the clockwise direction from said zero point indicating graduation of said first of said scales, the indicating graduations of the second of said scales dividing the circular extent of said bezel into vertical extent of depth indicating graduations with said last mentioned indicating graduations decreasing in the clockwise direction from the zero point indicating graduation of the second of said scales, each indicating graduation of each scale forming an angle with its associated zero point indicating graduation and the axis of rotation of said minute hand, whereby upon rotation of said bezel to position said radially aligned zero point indicating graduations in at least approximate alignment with the radial position of the tip of said minute hand substantially at the moment of the start of a dive, observance during a dive of the extent of movement of and the radial position of said minute hand in relation to said positioned radially aligned zero point indicating graduations provides a direct indication'of the maximum period of time that a diver may remain at the depth then indicated by the radial position of the minute hand with relation to the then radially aligned "vertical extent of depth indicating graduation on the second of said scales without the diver having to observe decompression stops on the way back to the surface and a direct indication on said first scale of the duration of dive up to the moment of observance in accordance with the ex-' tent of movement of said minute hand.

,2. A divers watch as claimed inclaim 1 and the periphery of said bezel having circumferentially spaced notches therein defining a circumferentially extending series of outwardly extending teeth each having opposite faces, the faces of successive teeth on the clockwise side of the axes of said teeth being substantially radially disposed and the faces of successive teeth on the opposite side of the axes of said teeth being inclined toward the respective axes in the clockwise direction so as to afiord a better grip for turning the bezel in a counter-clockwise direction.

, v3. A divers watch as claimed inclaim 1 and the indicating graduations on each of said scales including colored numerical indicia and the color of the numerical indicia on one scale being different than the color of the numerical indicia on the other scale.

4. A divers watch as claimed inclaim 1 and the indicating graduations on the first of said scales including circumferentially spaced minute indicating numerical indicia progressively increasing in the clockwise direction and radially extending marks between successive numerical indicia and the indicating graduations on the second of said scales comprising vertical extent of depth indicating numerical indicia.

' 5. A divers watch as claimed inclaim 4 and the numerical indicia on both scales being colored, and the color of the numerical indicia on one scale being different than the color of the numerical indicia on the other scale.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,124,928 3/1964 Brunet 5 8126 X FOREIGN PATENTS 365,027 11/1962 Switzerland. 436,140 1/1967 Switzerland.

RICHARD B. WILLIAMS, Primary Examiner STANLEY A. WAL, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.,

Images