CN221926941U

CN221926941U - Time-piece

Info

Publication number: CN221926941U
Application number: CN202323275218.1U
Authority: CN
Inventors: P·沙勒尔; S·盖瑟尔; V·霍缇
Original assignee: Meco SA Grenchen
Current assignee: Meco SA
Priority date: 2022-11-29
Filing date: 2023-11-29
Publication date: 2024-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 2033-11-29
Also published as: CH720283A2

Abstract

The utility model relates to a timepiece comprising a case, a timepiece movement arranged in the case, and a central shaft control device for starting at least one function of the timepiece, said control device comprising a crown rotatably connected to a control lever passing through the wall of the case, for starting at least one function of the timepiece by rotation of the control lever about said central shaft, said rotation being achieved by rotation of the crown, the crown being movable in an axial direction parallel to the central shaft between a rest position and a first control position in which the crown can start a first function of the timepiece; the timepiece is characterized in that the crown comprises a crown head and a cylindrical crown body coaxial with the central axis, the cylindrical crown body comprising an outer surface on which a first position indicator is provided, the first position indicator being located in a cavity provided in the wall of the case when in a rest position and being located outside the case when in a first control position, for convenient observation by the user.

Description

Time-piece

Technical Field

The present utility model relates to a control device for a timepiece (e.g., wristwatch).

For example, the utility model may be applied to a wristwatch comprising a mechanical movement.

More particularly, the present utility model relates to a control device for a timepiece, the control device including a position indicator for the control device.

Background

Mechanical watches are typically adjusted and/or wound by rotating and pulling a control crown, which is typically located 3 o' clock on the outer contour of the watch. The crown is integral with a lever that can be moved axially to several axial positions corresponding to each function to be activated, for example manually winding the movement, setting the time, setting the date and/or adjusting other indicators that move above or below the dial.

When a user wishes to set a time, correct a date and/or adjust another indicator, it is sometimes difficult to accurately know the axial position of the control rod.

To solve this inconvenience, a function indicator is proposed to prevent a user from mistaking a function when the control crown contains a plurality of axial positions, each of which is associated with a function.

However, these function indicators are often complex to manufacture because they require an increased display on the dial and require the use of complex gearing mechanisms, thereby increasing the number of parts in the watch movement.

Thus, these function indicators are commonly used for luxury watches.

EP2031468 describes one embodiment of a function indicator. This document mentions a watch equipped with a function indicator indicating the function performed by the control crown by means of the axial position of a pointer. The function indicator is controlled by the axial displacement of the sleeve integral with the crown by a transmission mechanism comprising a slider moving parallel to the axis of rotation of the crown. The pointer is connected with a pinion meshed with a rack on the sliding block. The slider comprises a flexible portion interposed between a rear portion slidable in the recess and a front arm provided with side fingers which engage the annular recess of the sleeve.

There is therefore a need for an improved control device for a timepiece, such as a control crown associated with a function or position indicator, in particular a simpler and more economical design.

Disclosure of utility model

The present utility model is directed to solving at least one of the above problems.

To this end, the utility model proposes a timepiece comprising a case, a timepiece movement arranged in the case, and a central shaft control device for starting at least one function of the timepiece, said control device comprising a crown rotatably connected to a control lever passing through the wall of the case, for starting at least one function of the timepiece by rotation of the control lever about said central shaft, said rotation being achieved by rotation of the crown, the crown being movable in an axial direction parallel to the central shaft between a rest position and a first control position in which the crown can start a first function of the timepiece; the timepiece is characterized in that the crown comprises a head and a cylindrical crown body coaxial with the central axis, the cylindrical crown body comprising an outer surface on which is provided a first position indicator which is located in a cavity provided in the case wall in the rest position and which is located outside the case in the first control position, for the user to observe.

Preferably, from said first control position, the crown is movable to one or more additional axial control positions by manually pulling the crown towards the outside of the case.

Preferably, the cylindrical crown is provided on its outer surface with a second position indicator which is located in a second control position outside the case, axially offset to the outside of the case with respect to the first control position.

Preferably, the cylindrical crown is provided on its outer surface with a third position indicator which is located in a third control position outside the case, axially offset to the outside of the case with respect to the second control position.

Preferably, the position indicator is a marking provided on the outer surface of the crown body. Various markings are axially offset on the crown to indicate each axial position of the control rod.

In contrast to the solutions proposed in the prior art, which use a function indicator to indicate to the user which function is activated by controlling the position of the crown, the present utility model proposes to use a simple mark provided directly on the crown body as a position indicator, which makes it possible to dispense with the use of additional components and additional complex mechanisms.

According to the utility model, the crown body comprises one or more position indicators in the form of markings to indicate the control position or each control position of the timepiece, the relevant markings becoming visible when the user touches the respective control position of the crown.

Such as a position indicator produced by machining or painting the outer surface of the crown with a color.

Preferably, the control lever is arranged to be driven axially with the crown to one or more different control positions when the crown translates beyond the first control position.

Preferably, the watch case is provided with a knurled knob having a central hole and coaxial with the central axis and rotatable about said central axis, the knurled knob being mounted on the watch case so as to be stationary in an axial direction parallel to the central axis, the cylindrical crown passing through the central hole of the knurled knob and being directly connected to the knurled knob, such that rotation of the knurled knob causes the crown to move in the axial direction parallel to the central axis between a rest position in which the crown is located in the cavity of the wall of the watch case and a first control position in which the crown protrudes from the wall of the watch case, so as to activate the first function, such that the cylindrical crown and the knurled knob are no longer connected.

The timepiece according to the utility model thus comprises a crown which can be placed in an outwardly open cavity in the timepiece case, for example in the side wall of the wristwatch case, so that the crown is located completely in the cavity or flush with the side wall when not in use, i.e. in the locked position of the crown.

To pull the crown from its rest position (i.e., the non-use position), the user may rotate a fixed knurled knob in the axial direction of the crown. Preferably, the knurled knob is accessible from the top of the watch case and/or the bottom of the watch case.

In the rest position, the knurled knob is connected with the cylindrical crown. Rotation of the knurled knob translates the crown in an axial direction, but the crown does not rotate about its central axis until the knurled knob is no longer connected to the cylindrical crown body, thereby bringing the crown into the first control position.

As with the known control devices, the crown is rotatably connected to the control lever to activate one or more functions of the timepiece movement according to the axial position of the control lever.

The utility model can reach the first control position of the crown and the handle bar by rotating the knurled knob, so that the crown does not need to be manually pulled outwards. By manually pulling the crown outwards, the crown and other control positions of the stem can be reached from the first control position. The position indicator can intuitively confirm the correct position of the crown.

In the control position, the crown protrudes from the wall of the case, so that the release crown is released and can be rotated manually as in the case of the existing control devices. To return the crown to the rest position, the user must apply pressure on the crown to the inside of the case and turn the knurled knob in the opposite direction.

Advantageously, the crown cooperates with a resilient member which tends to exert a thrust towards the exterior of the case, so as to position and ensure the crown in the first control position when the cylindrical crown body is no longer connected to the knurled knob.

In particular, the resilient member is disposed between the lever shoulder and the crown head.

The connection between the crown and the knurled knob can be achieved by a threaded connection.

The connection is provided for controlling the crown to move from its rest position until the first control position is reached, in order to regulate the function of the timepiece. The first control position may be the only control position of the timer.

Other control positions, for example, can be reached only by manually pulling the crown from the first position towards the outside of the case, so that the connection between the knurled knob and the crown is no longer established, and further rotation of the knurled knob from the first control position no longer changes the axial position of the crown.

More specifically, the shape of the threaded connection is such that when the crown reaches the first control position from the locked position, the connection between the knurled knob and the crown is no longer made, and when the crown is manually pushed inside the case and then the knurled knob is rotated, the connection is restored.

More specifically, according to a preferred form, the threaded connection is between an internal thread extending to the length of the central hole of the knurled knob and an external thread extending to a limited portion of the cylindrical crown, so that said threaded connection between the cylindrical crown and the knurled knob is no longer connected, but reaches said first or sole control position.

According to another embodiment, the connection between the crown and the knurled knob is obtained by means of a spiral profile provided on the outer surface of the crown, which cooperates with a plurality of radial pins fixed inside the knurled knob. More specifically, according to a preferred form, the outer surface of the crown has a helical profile defining a groove extending in a helical manner along the crown, the knurled knob being provided with one or more pins oriented radially with respect to the surface of the central hole of the knurled knob and arranged perpendicularly to the central axis, said pins penetrating into said groove, so that rotation of the knurled knob in either rotational direction causes translation of the crown in either axial direction.

Preferably, the pin is mounted in a bushing that slides into a central bore of the knurled knob.

According to a feature of the utility model, the crown comprises a cylinder integral with the crown head, forming a hollow cylinder with a polygonal internal cross section, one end of the control rod being located inside the cylinder, the end of said control rod comprising a portion with a polygonal cross section corresponding to the internal cross section of the cylinder, the control rod being arranged in such a way that it remains stationary with respect to the case when the crown translates between the locking position and the first control position in which the crown protrudes from the case wall.

According to a feature of the utility model, the knurled knob may be provided on its periphery with a marking indicating the angular position of the knurled knob, which corresponds to the release of the connection between the cylindrical crown body and the knurled knob, and thus to the first or sole control position of the crown.

According to a preferred embodiment of the utility model, the timepiece is a wristwatch with a mechanical movement and a manual winding.

According to a preferred embodiment of the utility model, the first control position enables manual winding of the movement and the second control position enables setting of the hour and/or minute.

According to a preferred embodiment of the utility model, the crown is flush with the case wall when the crown is in the locked position.

According to another preferred embodiment of the utility model, the case wall comprises a through groove extending perpendicular to the cavity containing the crown and facing the latter, in which groove the knurled knob is arranged.

The utility model thus enables the crown to be placed in a cavity in the case, so that the user of the watch is not obstructed when the crown is in the locked position, and the crown can be removed from the locked position without having to manually pull the crown outwards.

Drawings

The utility model will now be described in more detail with the aid of the accompanying drawings, which are only illustrative and not limiting, in which:

figure 1 is a perspective view of a watchcase equipped with a control device according to the present utility model;

Figure 2 is a two-dimensional cross-section of the control device according to the utility model shown in figure 1 along the axis A-A; FIG. 2 more particularly shows the control device in a locked non-use position;

FIG. 3 is a two-dimensional cross-section of the control device according to the utility model shown in FIG. 1 along the axis A-A; FIG. 3 shows the control device in a first control position in more detail;

FIG. 4 is a two-dimensional cross-section of the control device according to the utility model shown in FIG. 1 along the axis A-A; FIG. 4 shows the control device in a second control position in more detail;

FIG. 5 is a two-dimensional cross-section of the control device according to the utility model shown in FIG. 1 along the axis A-A; FIG. 5 shows the control device in a third control position in more detail;

in all figures, like elements are numbered identically unless otherwise indicated.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 to 5 show an embodiment of a wristwatch according to the utility model, in which a control device integrated in a case 1 is shown, the crown of which is wholly housed in the side wall 14 of the case in the normal position of use of the wristwatch.

Of course, the utility model is also applicable to other embodiments of wristwatches in which the control device is not completely housed in the case 1 in the rest position.

The case 1 contains a watch movement (not shown). The watch movement may be a mechanical movement, but may also be an electronic or electromechanical watch movement as known in the art.

Also shown in fig. 2 to 5 are a portion of the bezel 2 and the mirror 3 of the wristwatch.

The control device 100 according to the utility model comprises a crown 4 formed by a crown head 4a and a hollow cylindrical crown body 18, the crown 4 being located in a through cavity 10 provided in a side wall 14 of the case 1.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1 and 2, the outer surface of crown 4 is flush with outer surface 21 of sidewall 14. This state represents the rest state or locked position of the control device 100, i.e. the state when the watch user is not using the device. Advantageously, in this locked position, crown 18 abuts against the bottom of cavity 10 of outer surface 21 of lateral wall 14.

In general, the rest position or locking position refers to a position when the crown 4 is not used by the user of the watch. According to different embodiments, this rest position may be a screwed position of the crown, a position locked on the case wall, or simply a wound position of the watch movement when it is not intended to screw or lock the crown.

In the illustrated embodiment, the rest position corresponds to a locked position of crown 4, since it cannot be operated by the user.

In this locked position, crown 4 may also be completely housed in cavity 10, instead of being flush with wall 14.

According to an alternative embodiment, in this locked position, only crown 18 is located entirely inside cavity 10, while crown head 4a is located outside cavity 10.

To activate the control device 100, the user rotates a knurled knob 5 with a central hole, which knurled knob 5 is arranged coaxially with the central axis 6 of the control device 100, coinciding with the rotation axis of the crown 4, the user being able to access the upper and/or lower part of the knurled knob 5 from the top and/or bottom of the watch case 1.

The knurled knob 5 is freely rotatable about the central axis 6 and is kept stationary along the central axis 6 in the general axial direction of the crown 4.

The central axis 6 coincides with the central axis of the control lever 7, which lever 7 can cooperate in a manner known per se (not described in detail in this context) with mechanical means of the watch movement, for example with the winding knob.

The control lever 7 is operated in a fixed shouldered sleeve 8, the shouldered sleeve 8 being screwed or screwed into a wall 14 of the watchcase 1, at the bottom of the cavity 10. In the embodiment shown in figures 2 to 5, the sleeve is screwed into the wall 14 of the case 1.

The first seal 9 is arranged in an outer groove of the sleeve 8 so as to form a seal between the sleeve 8 and the wall 14.

A second seal 19 is arranged in the inner recess of the sleeve 8 to form a seal between the stationary sleeve 8 and the cylinder 15.

A third seal 29 is arranged in the second external groove of the sleeve 8, forming a seal between the sleeve 8 and the crown 18.

The knurled knob 5 is arranged around the crown 18 and is connected to the crown 18 by a threaded connection 16, such that rotation of the knurled knob 5 causes the crown 4 to translate axially along the central axis 6.

At least one position indicator is provided on the outer surface 17 of the crown body 18, which is able to visually indicate to the user the activation state of the crown 4, and at least one control position of the control lever 7.

Preferably, crown 18 comprises the same number of position indicators as the control lever 7 of the watch movement.

In the embodiment shown, crown 18 has three position indicators 171, 172, 173 for controlling three positions of lever 7, as will be described in detail later.

The position indicators 171, 172, 173 may be markings provided on the outer surface 17 of the crown body 18. These marks indicate the respective axial positions of the control rod 7. When the corresponding position is reached, the mark appears.

These markings may be identical or different, so that the user can easily and quickly see each position of the control lever 7 and the function associated with that position.

For example, the position indicators 171, 172, 173 are circumferential grooves formed on the circumference of the crown body 18.

The respective position indicators 171, 172, 173 are axially offset on the crown body 18 to indicate each axial position of the control rod.

For example, the position indicators 171, 172, 173 are arranged only on a part of the circumference of the crown body 18.

The bottom of the groove may be colored to highlight the mark. For example, a specific color may be set for the control position of the control lever 7 and related functions.

The groove may also comprise a color ring positioned in the groove. The color of the color ring may be the same as the control position or a specific color may be used.

Preferably, the position indicators 171, 172, 173 are markings that are painted or machined on the crown body 18.

In the locked position shown in cross-section in fig. 2, crown 18 extends within cavity 10 to shoulder 11. In this locked position, three position indicators are located within the cavity 10 and are therefore not visible to the user.

The crown 18 surrounds the sleeve 8 and is axially movable along the central axis 6 with respect to the sleeve 8 fixed in the case.

Crown 4, and in particular crown head 4a, comprises an internal cavity in which a cylinder 15 is inserted. The cylinder 15 is integral with the crown 4. The barrel 15 comprises a head which is inserted into the cavity of the crown 4 and a body which extends around the control rod 7. The cylinder 15 is also coaxial with the central shaft 6.

At least a portion of the barrel 15 has an internal cross-section that is non-circular, such as square or other polygonal shape.

The control rod 7 is inserted into the cylinder 15 and is rotatably connected to the cylinder 15 by means of a portion 25 having a non-circular (for example square or polygonal) section, the shape of which is complementary to the section of the interior of the cylinder 15, and therefore to the crown 4.

An elastic member 26 such as a compression spring is installed between the shoulder of the control lever 7 and the crown head 4a of the crown 4.

The cylinder 15 and crown 4 can move axially along the central axis 6, translating between two rest positions with respect to the control rod 7. The first rest position is shown in fig. 2, in which crown 4 is located in cavity 10 and crown body 18 abuts against the bottom of cavity 10. In this first stop position, the resilient member 26 is in a state of maximum compression.

The second rest position is shown in figures 3 to 5, in which a portion of the cylinder 15 is in abutment against the annular shoulder of the lever 7 under the thrust of the elastic member 26.

By manually rotating the knurled knob 5 from the position shown in fig. 2 (i.e. the locking position described above), the user can pull the crown 4a out of the wall 14 of the case 1 without the crown 4a rotating.

The knurled knob 5 is rotated by the threaded connection 16 to drive the crown 4 axially outwards along the central axis 6, thereby driving the cylinder 15 integral with the crown head 4 a. The crown head 4a will be removed from the recess in the cavity 10 until the threaded connection 16 between the knurled knob 5 and the crown body 18 has disappeared.

When the screw connection 16 is removed, the elastic element 26 can be released freely until the cylinder 15 is axially positioned on the control rod 7, reaching the first control position projecting from the watch case 1, as shown in fig. 3. Thus, in this first control position, the control device is configured such that the threaded connection 16 between the knurled knob 5 and the crown 18 is lost.

It is noted that between the locking position and the first control position, the crown 4 does not rotate about the rotation axis 6.

The control lever 7 remains stationary between the locking position and the first control position.

The user can now touch crown 4 and rotate it around its central axis 6, driving lever 7 to activate the first function of the movement, for example manual winding.

In the first control position, a portion of crown 18 is disengaged from cavity 10 and is outside case 1, so that first position indicator 171 (corresponding to the first control position) is visible to the user.

In this way, first position indicator 171 can clearly and quickly indicate to the user that crown 4 is indeed in the first control position, so that a first function of the watch movement, for example manual winding, can be activated.

To reach the second control position, the user pulls the crown 4 axially, the cylinder 15 abutting against an annular shoulder of the control rod 7, which is driven in translation with the crown 4, i.e. the control rod 7 is pulled axially to an axial position with respect to the sleeve 8, thus activating a second function, for example setting hours and/or minutes. The second control position is shown in fig. 4.

In this second control position, crown 18 is further axially moved toward the outside of case 1, exposing second position indicator 172 (the other than first position indicator 171). Thus, when the user sees the second position indicator 172, it can be determined that the crown 4 is in the second control position, so that the second function of the watch movement can be activated.

Finally, fig. 5 shows a third control position of the crown 4, by pulling the crown 4 axially out of the second control position again (as shown in fig. 4), the control lever 7 is moved axially to a position where the third function can be activated, for example, if the second position does not provide an hour or minute setting, an hour or minute can be set, or a date can be set.

The additional axial displacement of the lever 7 towards the third control position outside the case 1 brings the third position indicator 173 to the outside of the case 1, enabling the user to see clearly and quickly the crown 4 in the third control position, enabling the third function of the watch movement to be activated.

As shown in fig. 5, in the third control position of crown 4, three position indicators 171, 172, 173 are located outside the case and cavity 10, so that they are visible to the user.

To return crown 4 to its initial rest position (embedded in case 1), the user pushes crown 4 towards the inside of case 1, bringing lever 7 towards the inside of case 1, until the first control position of crown 4 and lever 7 is reached. The user continues to press on crown 4 to counteract the force of elastic member 26 until, by a slight rotation of knurled knob 5, threaded connection 16 between knurled knob 5 and crown 18 can be reconnected. The user can then reverse the knurled knob 5 to move the crown 4 within the cavity 10 until the locked position shown in fig. 2 described above is reached.

Preferably, the knurled knob 5 has a marking (not shown) on its peripheral or lateral surface. The mark indicates the angular position of the knurled knob 5, corresponding to the first control position of the crown 4 releasing the knurled knob 5.

It should be noted that the threaded connection 16 between crown 18 and knurled knob 5 represents only one form of connection between knurled knob 5 and crown 4. When the thread pitch of the threaded connection 16 is small compared to the size of the knurled knob 5, the device requires several turns of the knurled knob 5 to reach the first control position.

In contrast, when the thread pitch of the threaded connection 16 is large compared to the size of the knurled knob 5, the device requires only a small rotation of the knurled knob 5 to reach the first control position. For example, such an embodiment may be of interest for a quarter turn knurled knob configuration.

According to a second embodiment of the connection between crown 4 and knurled knob 5, a spiral profile can be applied on the outer surface of crown 18, which profile defines a groove that extends in a spiral manner over the entire outer surface of crown 18. A bushing is fitted into the central hole of the knurled knob 5. The bushing supports a plurality of radial pins that enter the groove with clearance. The pins are usually two and are arranged in the same plane perpendicular to the axis 6, preferably in a middle position of the length of the knurled knob 5 (measured in the direction of the axis 6). Thus, rotation of the knurled knob 5 initiates rotation and translation of the crown 18. An advantage of this embodiment is that the axial displacement of the crown is driven by the rotation of the knurled knob 5 over a smaller angular distance to achieve the first control position than in the previously described embodiment, in particular if the thread pitch is small compared to the size of the knurled knob 5.

According to the utility model, the threaded connection 16 does not allow all the control positions to be reached, the user having to pull the crown by hand in order to reach the other positions starting from the first control position. To this end, as shown in fig. 3 to 5, the threaded connection 16 is located between an internal thread 12 and an external thread 13, the internal thread 12 extending for at least a part of the length of the central hole of the knurled knob 5 (view in the direction of the axis 6), the external thread 13 extending for a limited length of the crown 18.

Thus, the threaded connection 16 allows only the crown 4 to be removed from the locked position shown in fig. 1. When the crown 4 reaches the first control position shown in fig. 3, the connection between the threads 12, 13 is lost.

To move crown 4 to the other position, the user must manually pull crown 4 towards the outside of case 1, see figures 4 and 5, as in the prior art control devices.

To bring the crown 4 back to the locked position, the user must push the crown 4 back until it is in the first position and until the threaded connection 16 between the knurled knob and the crown body 18 is engaged. Once the thread 12 of the knurled knob engages the thread 13 of the crown 18, the crown 4 can be brought back into the locked position by rotating the knurled knob 5 in a direction opposite to the extraction direction, the axial displacement of the crown 4 caused by the rotation of the knurled knob 5 compressing the elastic member 26.

The use of the above-described position indicator directly provided on crown body 18 is simple in design, and this design enables the function of indicating and controlling the position of the crown to be achieved without the use of additional components, the integration of a complicated and costly transmission mechanism, and without the need to modify the dial to integrate additional display means, etc.

Thus, according to the utility model, crown 4 with a position indicator is a simple and economical solution that can be produced and integrated into the watch movement.

The utility model is particularly applicable to large-sized crowns 4, such as diving crowns. However, the utility model is also applicable to any type of crown.

The utility model is described in particular with respect to the rest or locking position of the crown, which corresponds to the threaded position of the crown, i.e. does not perform any function. However, in some applications, the rest position may be a first control position to wind up the watch movement.

The utility model is described in particular with respect to a rest or locking position of the crown, in which the crown is located in the cavity of the case wall, the outer surface of the crown being flush with the outer surface of the case wall. However, the utility model is also applicable to control devices having a rest position in which the crown is located outside the case, the rest position being generally also the first control position of the winding of the watch movement.

Of course, the scope of the present utility model also includes other embodiments than the above-described forms. For example, the lever 7 may be integral with the crown 4, such that the lever 7 is pulled out once the crown 4 is moved from the rest position.

The number of control positions is not specified and may vary from a single position to any position where a particular watch movement may be implemented.

The utility model is applicable to a mechanical watch movement that is manually wound, but is also applicable to quartz or other types of electronic watches, in particular electronic watches comprising an analogue display component.

The material used for the components is preferably metal.

Claims

1. A timepiece comprising a case (1), a timepiece movement arranged in the case (1) and a central shaft (6) control device (100) for starting at least one function of the timepiece, the control device (100) comprising a crown (4) rotatably connected to a control lever (7) passing through a wall (14) of the case (1) for starting at least one function of the timepiece by rotation of the control lever about the central shaft (6), the rotation being achieved by rotating the crown (4), the crown (4) being movable in an axial direction parallel to the central shaft (6) between a rest position and a first control position in which the crown (4) can start a first function of the timepiece; the timepiece is characterized in that the crown (4) comprises a crown head (4 a) and a cylindrical crown body (18) coaxial with the central axis (6), the cylindrical crown body (18) comprising an outer surface (17), the outer surface (17) being provided with a first position indicator (171) which, in the rest position, is located in a cavity (10) provided in a wall (14) of the case (1) and, in the first control position, is located outside the case (1) for the convenience of the user's observation.

2. A timepiece according to claim 1, wherein from the first control position, the crown (4) is movable to one or more additional axial control positions by manually pulling the crown (4) towards the outside of the case (1).

3. A timepiece according to claim 2, wherein the cylindrical crown body (18) is provided on its outer surface (17) with a second position indicator (172) which is located in a second control position of the crown (4) outside the case (1), offset axially with respect to the first control position towards the outside of the case (1).

4. A timepiece according to claim 3, characterized in that the cylindrical crown body (18) is provided on its outer surface (17) with a third position indicator (173) which is located in a third control position of the crown (4) outside the case (1), offset axially with respect to the second control position towards the outside of the case (1).

5. A timepiece according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the control lever (7) is arranged such that when the crown (4) translates beyond the first control position, the control lever (7) is driven axially with the crown (4) to one or more different control positions.

6. A timepiece according to claim 1, characterized in that the case (1) is provided with a knurled knob (5) having a central hole and coaxial with the central shaft (6) and rotatable about said central shaft (6), the knurled knob (5) being mounted on the case (1) so as to be stationary in an axial direction parallel to the central shaft (6), a cylindrical crown (18) passing through the central hole of the knurled knob (5) and being directly connected to the knurled knob (5), whereby rotation of the knurled knob (5) causes the crown (4) to move in an axial direction parallel to the central shaft (6) between a rest position in which the crown (4) is located in the cavity of the wall (14) of the case (1) and a first control position in which the crown (4) protrudes from the wall (14) of the case (1) so as to activate the first function, whereby the connection between the cylindrical crown (18) and the knurled knob (5) is lost.

7. A timepiece according to claim 6, wherein the crown (4) cooperates with a resilient member (26), the resilient member (26) tending to exert a thrust on the crown (4) towards the outside of the case (1) in order to locate and ensure the crown (4) is located in the first control position in the event of loss of connection between the cylindrical crown body (18) and the knurled knob (5).

8. The timepiece according to claim 6, characterized in that the knurled knob (5) and the crown (4) are connected by a threaded connection (16).

9. A timepiece according to claim 8, wherein the threaded connection (16) is formed between an internal thread (12) and an external thread (13), the internal thread (12) extending to a length of the central hole of the knurled knob (5), the external thread (13) extending to a limited portion of the cylindrical crown (18), such that said first control position is reached when the threaded connection (16) between the cylindrical crown (18) and the knurled knob (5) is lost.

10. The timepiece according to claim 6, characterized in that the periphery of the knurled knob (5) has a marking indicating the angular position of the knurled knob (5), corresponding to the release of the connection between the cylindrical crown (18) and the knurled knob (5).