Abstract: Sub-assembly for watches, including an arbor including a magnetized or electrically charged surface pivoting inside a housing, and a pole piece subjecting this surface to a magnetic or electrostatic field about an axis, one pole piece cooperating axially with this surface to absorb a shock and then return the arbor to an operating position, and creating, in proximity to this surface, a magnetic or electrostatic field, which radially attracts the arbor towards a wall of the housing.

Abstract: A one-piece arbor of a pivoting movable timepiece component, the one-piece arbor being made of one or more aligned parts. The one-piece arbor is magnetically inhomogeneous.

Abstract: A striking mechanism is for a watch or music box that includes a vibration plate with optimized actuation energy. The striking mechanism includes a plurality of cantilevered strips. These strips are each made of a material of Young's modulus E and of density ? satisfying the inequality: E ? 3 < 0.25 ? ? m ? / ? s . All of the strips (2) each satisfy the relation: ? f , b , 20 ? ? ? ? W ? ( L ) = ( 8 ? U b ) 1 2 ? ( 3.515 4 ? ? ? ? f ) 3 2 ? [ E ( 3 ? ? ) 3 ? ] 1 4 ? L - 3 2 , where b is the width, L the length, ? the travel, f the frequency and U the actuation energy of the strip, U being greater than or equal to 20 microwatts, and the strips (2) are arranged to vibrate between 800 Hz and 4000 Hz.

Abstract: The mechanical timepiece movement includes an escapement having a pallet-lever arranged to move alternately into abutment with two banking elements in locking periods. The pallet-lever carries at least a first permanent magnet and the timepiece movement further includes a first element and a second element of high magnetic permeability and a second magnet and a third magnet respectively integral with first and second elements of high magnetic permeability and each arranged on an opposite side to a first magnet relative to the respective elements of high magnetic permeability. This magnetic system generates, in a first part of a first half vibration of any vibration of the pallet-lever, an overall force of magnetic attraction, defining a magnetic draw additional to the mechanical draw generated by the escape wheel, and, in a second part of this first half vibration, an overall force of magnetic repulsion.

Abstract: A writing instrument including: a body extending longitudinally along a central axis; a resilient element fixed to at least one portion of the body. The resilient element of the at least one portion of the body is in one piece and is made of at least partially amorphous metal alloy.

Abstract: The acoustic radiating membrane is provided to equip a musical watch or a striking watch. The dome-shaped membrane comprises an active central portion, a lateral wall and a peripheral edge portion for holding the membrane in a watch case. The central part is configured in a convex shape or a conical shape and with dimensions devised to amplify a first vibration mode of one or more notes within a frequency range of between 500 Hz and 3.5 kHz.

Abstract: A timepiece balance spring made of micromachinable material including a plurality of stages, each forming a spiral wound spring, parallel to each other and all attached to a common axial collet or to the same balance staff, each stage including, at its respective outer end, its own attachment to a balance spring stud which are independent of those of the other stages, the attachment including a position adjustment with respect to a balance spring stud which are also independent of those of the other stages, the attachment and the position adjustment together forming built-in isochronism correction mechanism for the balance spring, and the position adjustment including a plurality of discrete position adjustment positions including housings each arranged to retain a stud.

Abstract: A protective element for a writing tip of a writing instrument including a cap extending longitudinally along a central axis and configured to be fitted onto a body of the instrument, and a clip extending substantially parallel to the central axis from a first end fixed to the cap to a free end. The clip and the cap are in one piece.

Abstract: The mechanical movement includes a checking device which is a passive indicator element. The passive element is fixed to a fixed support portion of the mechanical movement. The passive element may be a strip or a plate fixed to the fixed support portion of a regulating member and configured to vibrate according to one or more clearly defined vibration frequency components following the vibration of the mechanical movement. The vibration frequency components of the strip or plate define an acoustic signature specific to the timepiece to allow the authenticity of the timepiece to be determined by a measurement of the acoustic signature using an acoustic measuring system.

Abstract: There is provided an acoustic radiating membrane arrangement for a striking or musical watch. The arrangement includes a first membrane arranged superposed on a second membrane. Peripheral edge portions of the two membranes are intended to hold the membranes inside a watch case. The first acoustic radiating membrane is configured to radiate efficiently the frequencies in a first frequency band. The second acoustic radiating membrane is configured to radiate efficiently the frequencies in a second frequency band that is different from the first frequency band. A spacer ring is also disposed between the peripheral edge portions of the first membrane and of the second membrane to define an acoustic cavity.

Abstract: A barrel includes a mainspring cooperating internally with a core, externally with a track of a drum by way of a resilient sliding bridle. The track and the bridle are of non-circular shape, nesting one inside the other in the free state of the bridle. The track and the bridle are arranged to make one raised portion of the bridle abuttingly engage with a sill of the track when the torque applied to the bridle is less than a torque limit value, and to allow radial constriction of the raised portion when the torque is greater than the limit value. The track and the bridle are arranged to allow the passage of the raised portion over the sill and to allow the bridle to travel angularly under the effect of the torque until the next encounter between the sill and the raised portion.

Abstract: A timepiece balance spring made of micromachinable material including a plurality of stages, each forming a spiral wound spring, parallel to each other and all attached to a common axial collet or to the same balance staff, each stage including, at its respective outer end, its own attachment to a balance spring stud which are independent of those of the other stages, the attachment including a position adjustment with respect to a balance spring stud which are also independent of those of the other stages, the attachment and the position adjustment together forming built-in isochronism correction mechanism for the balance spring, and the position adjustment including a plurality of discrete position adjustment positions including housings each arranged to retain a stud.

Abstract: A striking mechanism is for a watch or music box that includes a vibration plate with optimised actuation energy. The striking mechanism includes a plurality of cantilevered strips. These strips are each made of a material of Young's modulus E and of density p satisfying the inequality: E ? 3 < 0.25 ? ? m ? / ? s . All of the strips (2) each satisfy the relation: ? f , b , 20 ? ? ? ? W ? ( L ) = ( 8 ? U b ) 1 2 ? ( 3.515 4 ? ? ? ? f ) 3 2 ? [ E ( 3 ? ? ) 3 ? ] 1 4 ? L - 3 2 , where b is the width, L the length, ? the travel, f the frequency and U the actuation energy of the strip, U being greater than or equal to 20 microwatts, and the strips (2) are arranged to vibrate between 800 Hz and 4000 Hz.

Abstract: A grey gold alloy which is nickel-free, cobalt-free, iron-free, silver-free, copper-free, zirconium-free, niobium-free, chromium-free and manganese-free, including, expressed in weight percent, from 75.0 to 76.5% of Au, from 15 to 23% of Pd, from 0.5 to 5% of Rh, from 0 to 7% of Pt, and from 0 to 5% of at least one of the alloying elements Ir, Ru, Ti, In, Ga, B and Re, the respective percentages of all the alloying elements adding up to 100%.

Abstract: Watch bezel for a musical watch, directly carrying a gong or forming a gong, this watch bezel including a toroid receiving a watch crystal, and a thin lug perpendicular to the plane of the toroid including an internal thread for securing to a structure, a case of the musical watch includes a case middle and carries this watch bezel indirectly bearing on a main surface of the case middle with a first O-ring sealing gasket, the case middle and the watch bezel are held securely to each other in a position where, in the free state of the watch bezel and with no excess pressure, the watch bezel is at a distance from the main surface having a value corresponding to a predetermined and non-zero play.

Abstract: A method for improving sound output level of a musical or striking timepiece including at least one vibration generator and vibrating at specific natural frequencies of the generator. The timepiece includes external parts which are modified by integration or addition of at least one acoustic radiator including at least one element vibrating-radiating at a natural frequency of the radiator tuned to at least one of the natural frequencies of the generator. The external parts include at least one acoustic radiator including at least one element vibrating at a natural frequency of the radiator tuned to at least one of the natural frequencies of the generator.

Abstract: The invention relates to a vibration plate for a striking mechanism of musical watches or music boxes. According to the invention, the vibration plate includes at least two parts, joined to each other, manufactured in at least two materials, a first part forming a first set of strips made of a first material so as to produce sounds in a first frequency range, and at least a second part forming a second set of strips made of a second material so as to produce sounds in a second frequency range.

Abstract: A timepiece mechanism including a movable component oscillating about a rest plane passing through a pivot axis. An arbor of the movable component includes a main protruding portion which forms the largest radius of the movable component about this axis. The protruding portion is delimited by two surfaces defining a profile inscribed in a rectangle whose shape proportion is greater than 2 wherein the direction of the length defines a main axis, which occupies a determined angular position with respect to the rest plane in the rest position of the movable component. The mechanism has a preferred direction of magnetization that is substantially orthogonal to the main axis of the arbor in the rest position.

Abstract: Balance spring stud including, around a housing receiving a balance spring of reference thickness, a one-piece component made of a shape memory alloy and including two lugs, each arranged to rest on one of the surfaces of the balance spring, and wherein, in the free state, the minimum width of the air gap of the lugs is greater than the maximum value of the reference thickness when the component is in an open position corresponding to a martensitic structure, and wherein the maximum width of the air gap is less than the minimum value of the reference thickness when the component is in a closed position corresponding to an austenitic structure, and the balance spring includes an area of lesser thickness having a minimum thickness equal to the reference thickness, surrounded by areas of large thickness having a minimum thickness greater than the reference thickness.

Abstract: Balance spring stud including, around a housing receiving a balance spring of reference thickness, a one-piece component made of a shape memory alloy and including two lugs, each arranged to rest on one of the surfaces of the balance spring, and wherein, in the free state, the minimum width of the air gap of the lugs is greater than the maximum value of the reference thickness when the component is in an open position corresponding to a martensitic structure, and wherein the maximum width of the air gap is less than the minimum value of the reference thickness when the component is in a closed position corresponding to an austenitic structure, and the balance spring includes an area of lesser thickness having a minimum thickness equal to the reference thickness, surrounded by areas of large thickness having a minimum thickness greater than the reference thickness.