Abstract: The components of a mechanical watch are mounted inside a supporting structure comprising a stack of transparent plates made of corundum, spinel or quartz. Some of the plates are formed with cut-outs which define in the assembled structure housings for accommodating said components.

Abstract: The display device comprises a cell having two levels, between two polarizers 1 and 7, the directions of polarization of which are at an angle of 120.degree. to each other. The two-level cell comprises two liquid crystal layers 5 and 6, each of which, in the rest condition, causes rotation of the plane of polarization of the light through 60.degree.. The orientation of the molecules of the input surface of the first layer 5 is parallel to the direction of polarization P1 of the first polarizer 1. The orientation of the molecules of the input surface of the second layer 6 is parallel to the orientation of the molecules on the output face of the first layer 5. The orientation of the molecules of the output surface of the second layer 6 is parallel to the direction of polarization P2 of the second polarizer 7.

Abstract: An electromagnetic stepping motor has a stator with an armature having the shape of an isosceles trapezoid the base of which is interrupted by a central gap and which is provided with three pole faces. The rotor comprises a permanent magnet. The stator comprises two coils one of which is located between a pole face opposite said gap and one of the other two pole faces. The other coil is located between the pole face opposite said gap and the other of said other two pole faces. When a current passes through the coils, the rotor is subjected to magnetic fields having directions which are oblique to each other and which are symmetrical with respect to a diameter of the rotor. The sense of the coil currents determines the sense of the fields. The arrangement is such that one can create in the zone of the rotor a resultant magnetic field which can extend in any one of four different directions dependent on the sense of the currents passing through the coils.

Abstract: Driving device especially for a timepiece, constituted by a stepping motor the stator of which comprises a coil having a single winding and the rotor of which is constituted of a permanent magnet and of a control electronic circuit able to deliver pulses of current to the motor. The motor includes precise positioning magnets for its rotor which are active in the absence of the pulses. The electronic control circuit is arranged in such a way that the pulses are delivered in pairs, with opposed polarities in each pair, the order of succession of the polarities in a pair determining the sense of rotation of the rotor.

Abstract: An electromagnetic stepping motor has a stator with an armature having the shape of an isosceles trapezoid the base of which is interrupted by a central gap and which is provided with three pole faces. The rotor comprises a permanent magnet. The stator comprises two coils one of which is located between a pole face opposite said gap and one of the other two pole faces. The other coil is located between the pole face opposite said gap and the other of said other two pole faces. When a current passes through the coils, the rotor is subjected to magnetic fields having directions which are oblique to each other and which are symmetrical with respect to a diameter of the rotor. The sense of the coil currents determines the sense of the fields. The arrangement is such that one can create in the zone of the rotor a resultant magnetic field which can extend in any one of four different directions dependent on the sense of the currents passing through the coils.

Abstract: Electro-optic passive display cell constituted by a layer of a mixture of a nematic liquid crystal having a positive dielectric anisotropy, an optically active compound and dichroic molecules. The inner faces of the plates of the cell are covered with alignment layers such that, in the area situated outside the display zones or segments, the layer of the mixture has a homeotropic structure in its whole thickness. Opposite the segments the cell is arranged in such a way that the layer of the mixture has a helicoidal structure so that incident light is absorbed in these zones when the segments are not activated and that the layer of the mixture is orientated according to a homeotropic structure under the action of an electric field. Thus, when the cell is at rest, all its segments are visible. The display is effected by "cancelling" or "effacing" the segments which must not appear, so that only the non activated segments remaining visible in dark on a clear or transparent background.

Abstract: An electromechanical calendar timepiece has a date display provided by two indicators carrying the "units" and tens data, respectively. The motor which drives these indicators can rotate at a normal speed or at a considerably higher speed. The units data comprise two consecutive figures "1" intended to display, respectively, the unit of the thirty-first of the months having thirty-one days and the first of each month, and one or the other of which displays the units of the eleventh and twenty-first of each month. The motor rotates at said higher speed on the one hand at the end of the months having less than thirty-one days and on the other hand twice each month, i.e. each time the "1" of the units data is displayed at the beginning of the second and the third decades.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece indicates a change in one of the working parameters of the timepiece, such as the battery nearing its end of life, by changing a rest position of a user viewable indicating member. The timepiece includes a stepping motor driven by drive pulses produced from a timebase. The indicating member is rotated a certain amount by each step of the stepping motor and has two rest positions. The first indicates no change in the working parameter and the second indicates a change in the working parameter. The indicating member normally stops in the first rest position. A circuit responsive to a change in the working parameter causes an additional drive pulse to be applied to the motor, changing the normal stopping of the indicating member to the second rest position to indicate the changed working parameter.

Abstract: An electro-optic display device having a partially transparent display cell and a semi-transparent mirror located behind said cell and arranged to transmit light waves within a first wave length band and to reflect light waves within a second wave length band. An electro-optic component is located behind the semi-transparent mirror and operates in a third wave length band which overlaps at least partially the first wave length band. The electro-optical component may be a plurality of photo cells used for recharging an accumulator for the display device and/or a light source transmitted across a light plate of frosted or clear glass to illuminate the display cell. The display cell is illuminated by either the reflected light waves or the light waves emitted from the light source.

Abstract: A rotatable member to be driven step-by-step having a set of grooves, each of the grooves having two circular portions offset from one another and joined by a connecting portion. A driving rotatable disc has a first protrusion, having a radius of trajectory equal to the radius of the circular portions, which engages the first circular portion without driving the rotatable member. The protrusion follows the first circular portion as it rotates until it reaches the connecting portion where it drives the rotatable member forward one step until the protrusion is aligned with the second circular portion. The protrusion then follows the second circular portion without moving the rotatable member. A second protrusion can be provided on the driving rotatable disc to follow a third circular portion of a different radius so the rotatable member is locked in position except when the first protrusion is in the connecting portion.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece provides photo-electric cells disposed behind a passive electro-optic display cell for recharging a storage battery. The timepiece includes in its display a polarizer, a passive electro-optic device such as a liquid crystal, a quarter-wave plate, a cholesteric liquid crystal reflector and photo-electric cell arranged in superposition upon each other. Ambient light passing through the cholesteric reflector is used to energize the photo-electric cells which recharge the storage battery. Ambient light reflected by the cholesteric reflector is used to indicate the displayed information.

Abstract: An electro-optic passive display device displays information in dark characters on a light background during the day, and in light characters on a dark background during the night. The device has a polarizer, an electro-optic display cell, a quarter-wave plate, a chloesteric liquid crystal cell and an illuminator arranged in superposition on each other. These elements control the polarization of light transmitted through the device which polarization causes the changing of the displayed information from dark characters on a light background to light characters on a dark background.

Abstract: A light guiding member for an electro-optic display device. The member is generally plate-shaped with thickened edge portions, one such edge portion forming an enclosure for a light source. The thickened portions are coated with conductive tracks to provide electrical connection between a substrate and display cell of the device.

Abstract: An electro-optic display cell including oppositely-facing transparent plates forming the inner surface of a compartment containing an incandescent lamp for illumination of the cell. The compartment is completely enclosed and itself forms the enclosure for the lamp.

Abstract: A passive display cell is described on which a plurality of digits are located. The digits are composed of electrode segments opposite counter-electrodes. These are connected in a manner enabling reduction of the number of outputs. As described with respect to the embodiments, the digits are arranged in separate groups with a pair of counter-electrodes for each digit in one group being also connected to counter-electrodes of another digit in another group. A pattern of conductor leads are employed and located in a non-crossing manner to connect like electrode segments to provide a multiple digit display cell having a low number of outputs.

Abstract: A universal electronic timepiece including a movable indicator for the twenty-four time-belts of the earth. A moving element includes control contacts which are movable into engagement with a plurality or bed of electric contacts in synchronism with the movable indicator of the time-belts. The contacts and the control members are spaced radially from one another and the control members are also spaced circumferentially from one another. The timepiece includes a display device which receives information which is a function of the time and of the condition of the control members and contacts such that it may display at least at request the time of the time-belt selected by the movable indicator of the time-belts.

Abstract: A crown ring for a date indicator is moved once during each revolution of a continuously rotating plate or driving member, which plate has a cam-shaped member of magnetic material that rotates with it and cooperates with a magnet in order to substantially eliminate the variations in torque required to rotate the plate. To this end, the profile of the cam-shaped member is such that during the portion of each revolution of the plate when the crown is moved, the surface of the cam comes rapidly closer to the magnet increasing the pull of the magnet on it, and during the remainder of each revolution, it recedes. The magnet, therefore, helps to rotate the plate when the crown is being moved in order to offset the torque required to move the crown, while placing only a slight drag on the plate during the balance of each revolution of the plate.

Abstract: A selection and display arrangement for a small computer such as one capable of being worn on the wrist and having a dial face. To facilitate accurate entry of the digital and computational function data, display windows are separately provided on the dial face of the computer to display separately the selected digital and function selected data. An additional display window displays the computational result. The dial face carries indicia along its periphery representing the selectable data. Movable key means is mounted for movement around the periphery of the dial face, such that once positioned adjacent the location of a desired data item, a transverse movement of the key means accomplishes data entry.

Abstract: An electric alarm watch with an electro-optical display and an alarm mechanism which is released by a time-selecting device including a manually displaceable time-selector mounted for movement to different positions corresponding to the time of day for selecting the time at which the alarm goes off. At each position of the time-selector a particular set or combination of electrically conducting members is engaged by an electrically conducting zone or brush for producing an electronic signal which is peculiar to that particular position of the time-selector. A decoder may be used for receiving this signal and supplying it in decoded form to a comparator which compares the information from the time-selector with that received from the time-display portion of the watch. The alarm goes off when the information from the watch circuit is in concordance with that received from the time-selector.