Patents Assigned to Manufacture et Fabrique de Montres et Chronometres Ulysse Nardin Le Locle S.A.
  • Patent number: 8414185
    Abstract: The invention relates to a mechanical oscillator, in particular for watchmaking, comprising a spiral spring (1) having a number N of turns, a central end (2), an eccentric end (3) and a rotary collet (4), connected to the central end (2), comprising an orifice intended to receive an arbor for rotation about an axis (A), and a balance (7), the axis of rotation of which coincides with the rotation arbor (A), the eccentric end (3) being intended to be integral with a stationary element of the “balance-cock” type, said spiral spring (1) being made up of a single-crystal silicon (Si) core (1a) and at least one peripheral coating (1b) based on a material having a thermoelastic coefficient different from that of silicon, the single-crystal silicon (Si) being oriented along the crystallographic axis {1,1,1} to optimize the temperature coefficient of the mechanical oscillator as a whole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Manufacture et Fabrique de Montres et Chronometres Ulysse Nardin le Locle S.A.
    Inventors: Pierre Gygax, Marc-Andre Glassey
  • Publication number: 20100290320
    Abstract: The invention relates to a mechanical oscillator, in particular for watchmaking, comprising a spiral spring (1) having a number N of turns, a central end (2), an eccentric end (3) and a rotary collet (4), connected to the central end (2), comprising an orifice intended to receive an arbor for rotation about an axis (A), and a balance (7), the axis of rotation of which coincides with the rotation arbor (A), the eccentric end (3) being intended to be integral with a stationary element of the “balance-cock” type, said spiral spring (1) being made up of a single-crystal silicon (Si) core (1a) and at least one peripheral coating (1b) based on a material having a thermoelastic coefficient different from that of silicon, the single-crystal silicon (Si) being oriented along the crystallographic axis {1,1,1} to optimize the temperature coefficient of the mechanical oscillator as a whole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2007
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Applicant: Manufacture et Fabrique de Montres et Chronometres Ulysse Nardin Le Locle S.A.
    Inventors: Pierre Gygax, Marc-Andre Glassey