Apparel with decoration for watch or jewel and its manufacturing method.

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of watchmaking and jewelry. More particularly, it relates to a coating method by coextrusion onto a substrate for manufacturing, among others, bracelets.

[0002] The bracelets plastic having different colors, decorations or incorporating particular visual effects are very popular by clients. This type of strap can be produced by molding, overmolding or bi-injection of plastic materials of different colors. The methods are batch fabrication multistage, giving them low suitable to industrial production of inexpensive mass.

[0003] In the past, it has been proposed to perform bracelets by an extrusion process which is a less expensive method. The manufacture of bracelets by extrusion was generally limited to the manufacture of bracelets of simple form, single-colored and made from the same material as described in the document FR's 2,121 864. Lately, it has been proposed in EP 16,150 493 of coextruding materials of colors or different properties to form bracelets geometries and more elaborate properties.

[0004] However, these methods do not allow to realize complex patterns that involve specific geometries and with high accuracy as in the case of landscapes, figurines, messages, like it is further difficult to integrate materials other than plastic materials that could lead to a effect of the original.

[0005] In general, the bracelets with complex patterns are realized by digital printing on single-colored substrates made by molding. Digital printing allows access to a wide variety of design. In contrast, the method has several disadvantages: the pattern is only at the surface, it is thus sensitive to mechanical wear. This means that over time, the pattern recedes. Such wear is generally non-regular leading to an esthetic appearance of the bracelet to unsatisfactory very quickly. The pattern is also sensitive to UV and insults to chemical attacks. The bracelets made by this method type thus have patterns that evolved over time with the occurrence of unwanted effects and not aesthetic. The document FR's 2,639 870 solves this problem by providing a band formed with a thermoplastic body, a printed film and a transparent protective layer. However the manufacturing method proposed in this document is an injection molding process II and this leads to problems of positioning and holding in place the printed film in the mold. In addition the method is long (printing and cutting the film board, positioning the film in the mold, molding, and embodiment of the transparent protective layer) and requires more manual operations. This prevents operating rates..

[0006]Afurther disadvantage to the print surface of the bracelet is the lack of adhesion of digital printing inks on plastic bracelets silicone type which have low surface energies. In addition, a change in formulation base plastic of the bracelet often involves retrain the ink formulation.

[0007] The present invention is to fabricate of the covering parts and more particularly bracelets with complex patterns using a simple and inexpensive process and can be compatible with high production rates. The present invention relates more precisely to integrate within the apparel with decorative, this, without difficulty locating or ink adhesion in the case of a printed decoration. The present invention is to develop a method for producing guaranteeing stability in time of the printed decor.

[0008] To this end the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a trim part for a watch or jewelry, such as a bracelet, comprising the steps of:

- providing a substrate having a first face opposite a second face,

by coextrusion coating on the first face and the second face of said substrate having respectively a first and a second strips of synthetic material; the first strip on the first side forming a transparent or translucent layer for maintaining all or part of the substrate is visible.

[0009] In one advantageous embodiment of the manufacturing method of the invention, a step of printing and/or etching a decoration on the first face of the substrate is provided prior to the coating step by coextrusion of the first and second faces of the substrate and preferably a plurality of distinct designs are printed and/or etched in sequence to each other on the first face of the substrate.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment a providing step 2d or 3d file comprising the personalized data relative to the printing or engraving each decoration is provided before the printing step.

[0011] Other particular embodiments are resumed in the dependent claims.

[0012] The characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear upon reading of the detailed description below with reference to the following figures.

Figure 1 represents a schematic view extruders upstream of the coextrusion die for carrying out the method according to the invention.

Figure 2 illustrates the process for printing sequences of different patterns on a blank tape. The band thus decorated is used as the substrate in the coating process by coextrusion according to the invention.

Figure 3 represents a schematic view of the invention of the extrudate from the multilayer coextrusion die and the same extrudate after cutting and stamping. In this embodiment, the bracelet is coextruded in the longitudinal direction of the bracelet.

With the fig.. 4, another alternative embodiment is shown wherein the bracelet is coextruded in the transverse direction of the bracelet.

After cutting the extrudate is also represented. It has at its lateral ends of hollow tubular structures useful for further attachment of the band to the housing.

Figure 5 represents a partial view in perspective of a watch with a wristband obtained according to the method of the invention and attached to the housing with a NATO's construction.

The fig.. 6 represents a perspective view of a watch with a bracelet made according to the process of coextrusion of the invention. The top band of the bracelet has raised areas separated by grooves. Although not shown, the upper web is transparent or translucent for visualizing the décor of the central strip.

[0013] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing trim pieces for timepieces or the jewelry by coating a substrate by coextrusion, commonly coextrusion coatingen English. The term covering parts especially the bracelet, the watchcase and its constituent parts, the bezel or the dial. This method is more particularly described herein for the manufacture of bracelets. The method comprises coating a substrate with a decoration complex and/or texture with strips of synthetic materials. Fig. 1 illustrates schematically the method with the tape reel flange to the substrate 1 coated respectively on each face by coextrusion of a synthetic material 2. According to the invention, the coating facing the scenery is at least partially transparent or translucent to allow for visualization of the decoration patterns.

[0014] The masking strip is formed of any flexible substrate and capable of withstanding a few seconds at elevated temperatures on the order of 200 °c. It typically has a thickness of between 2 mm and 50 MW and preferably between 100 and 500 MW.

[0015] The pattern may be uniform throughout the length of the strip. For example, the decorative strip may be a natural or synthetic textile web (nonwoven, unidirectional, woven, braided, knitted) especially produced with the following materials:

flax, cotton, hemp, wool, polyester fibers, polyamidepolyurethanne. The decorative strip may be a strip of photographic paper, a metal foil, an adhesive strip incorporating mineral particles such as sand, organic particles as wood fibers, plant materials or metal particles such as gold leaf. The decorative strip may be a strip of thermoplastic elastomer such as: a strip TPU, NIT, TPES 0 (thermoplastic olefins), TPE-s-- (styrenic thermoplastic), TPE-th (polyester thermoplastic), TPE-(thermoplastic polyamide) or TPE-V and TPSi V (combination of thermoplastic and crosslinked silicone). The decorative strip may also be a strip made of PVC, PET, in certain varieties of polycarbonate or PC, natural or synthetic rubber. The strip may be used raw and, in this case, the decoration is provided by the material itself with its appearance natural fiber, its metallic luster, like the web can also be decorated by the conventional printing methods such as, for example, pad printing, screen printing, offset printing, flexographic printing, digital printing. In particular, printing on substrate can integrate the scenery color pigments, compounds having fluorescent properties, phosphorescent, thermochromic or photochromic. The strip may also be decorated by the etching processes online such as calendering. From an industrial point of view, the method is well suited to the manufacture of collections of bracelets. At within a single collection, the bracelets have a design identical and the production of a new trading involves only changing the coil ornamental braid.

[0016] In one embodiment of the invention, the pattern is printed on demand on the blank substrate web. Several sequences of different patterns can thus be printed and/or etched in succession along a same band 1 as shown in Figure 2. The printing is preferably performed by digital printing to allow greater flexibility. In this case, the strips in thermoplastic elastomer (TPE's O, TPUs, NIT, TPES e, TPSi V, of TPE V), rubber, PET, the textile webs of synthetic or natural, (especially synthetic leathers) and the like are particularly suitable. From an industrial point of view, this method of mass is especially useful in the production of custom bracelets. The customer selects its designing (drawing, personal photo, and so on) and, optionally the substrate type, online or in-store, its designing preferably in the form of a digital file is processed to accommodate the dimensions of the substrate, and then the pattern 2d or 3d is printed by digital printing on a strip section of blank substrate length corresponding to the width or the length of a bracelet strand. Then, once the masking strip is integrally printed with the different sequences of patterns chosen by clients, it is coated with the two strips of synthetic material. The thus-formed multilayer extrudate is cut by water jet, laser, by knife digital (e.g. the machines offered by the manufacturer Zünd) or by swaging to yield a customized wristband.

[0017] The plastic webs of the invention are conformal layers to protect the ornamental braid external attacks and provide attractive appearance and/or special visual, e.g. the plastic webs having conformal may be arrange to have a magnifying optical effect or the like. There is a strip inner conformal intended to be in contact with the skin and a conformal outer band positioned on the opposite side of the substrate. Typically, these strips have a thickness of between 2 mm and 100 MW and, preferably, between 1 mm and 100 MW.

[0018] The conformal outer plastic band is at least partially transparent or translucent with a transmission rate greater than 60% according to ASTM D 1003 to leave pattern of the decorative strip. Several configurations may be envisioned. In a first embodiment, the outer band is integrally transparent or translucent and leaves therefore appear the pattern over the entire surface. In the second embodiment, the conformal outer band is obtained by coextrusion of mixtures of materials of different colors or refractive indices, at least one of the mixtures being transparent for both reveals the pattern of the decorative strip. This allows, for example, perform on the width of the extrudate lines differing color while maintaining a transparent or translucent area. This configuration allows for different depth effects between the edges and the center of the bracelet.

[0019] The plastic web inner conformal is selected to provide comfort to the client. It has a hardness of between 55 and 90 shore and may contain additives to improve ride comfort. For example, it may contain ceramic type hexagonal boron nitride for discharging heat energy and decrease sweating. It can also contain textile fibers having a capillary effect to remove perspiration, or aluminum salts for limiting the sweating. It may also contain antibacterial agents as silver particles or zinc pyrithione for anti-odor. As for the outer band, it can be by coextrusion plastic mixtures of different colors or different refractive indices to provide different optical effects between the edges and the center of the bracelet. Similarly, the present invention are not to be excluded that the inner band or also at least partially transparent or translucent.

[0020] According to the invention, synthetic materials used for coating by means of coextrusion are mixtures comprising at least one elastomer. The preferred elastomers are thermoplastic elastomers, silicones, rubbers and fluoroelastomers.

[0021] More specifically, for the outer band, the elastomers are preferably chosen from the following list:

TPES 0 - - thermoplastic olefins

- TPES e - more particularly the compounds the SBS, SEBS or styrenic OESP

- TPES th - compound copolyester

- TPES U-- thermoplastic polyurethane

TPES has - - thermoplastic polyamide

Ionomer resins -

- Silicones and preferentially operated MVQ (méthylvinylsilicones)

- Fluoroelastomers: FKM.

[0022] More specifically, for the inner band, the elastomers are preferably chosen from the following list:

TPES 0 - - thermoplastic olefins

- TPES e - more particularly the compounds the SBS, SEBS or styrenic OESP

TPE's V - - in particular the compounds of PP/EPDM or TPSiV (combination of thermoplastic and crosslinked silicone)

- TPES th - compound thermoplastic copolyester

- TPES U-- thermoplastic polyurethane

- - Thermoplastic copolyamide TPES has

Ionomer resins -

- Silicones and preferentially operated MVQ (méthylvinylsilicones)

- Fluoroelastomers: FKM.

[0023] Preferably, the plastic materials for the inner band and the outer band are chemically compatible and preferably the same to ensure good cohesion of the bracelet.

[0024] According to the elastomer selected for its specific properties, the mixture will be completed by the desired various fillers and additives to improve comfort of the customer.

[0025] The coating process by coextrusion can include fabricating a multilayer extrudate 3 having a width corresponding to the width of the bracelet as shown in Figure 3. Advantageously, the substrate 1 has a width smaller than that of the bottom and top strips 2 to be coated over the entire periphery of its cross-section by the synthetic tapes. The coating process by coextrusion may also include fabricating a multilayer extrudate 3 having a width corresponding to the length of a strand or both strands of the bracelet as shown in Figure 4. Similarly, the cross section of the substrate is entirely covered with the synthetic material. According to the embodiment of the fig.. 3, the shape of the cuff and the holes 5 are obtained by stamping the desired 6, laser cutting, or water jet cutter digital. The multi-layer extrudate obtained after coextrusion can be integrally attached to the housing 8 and watch with keepers 7 disposed on either side of the watch case, it is a construct called NATO's in Figure 5. According to the embodiment of the fig.. 4, to facilitate subsequent assembly of the bracelet watch housing, it is advantageous to fabricate an extrudate 3 multilayer having lateral ends 9 a hollow tubular structure for receiving a projecting lug for respectively separately from a watchcase with cusps and buckle, the width required for the bracelet being previously obtained by laser cutting, knife digital, water jet or swaging. It is also possible to manufacture a multi-layer extrudate integrating across its width the outline of the case framed by the half of the band, the recess of the housing which later can be carried out by stamping.

[0026] It will further that the coextrusion die may have an original profile for extruding strips having conformal with protruding areas or, more generally, with a particular relief. The fig.. 6 illustrates by example the profile which could be obtained for the outer band of the bracelet. It is also possible without departing from the scope of the invention, enjoy in addition to other benefits of the extrusion process, as combining multiple materials to locally change the mechanical properties of the bracelet, particularly as to the fasteners, for example.

[0027] The bracelets so produced by coextrusion offer numerous advantages.

[0028] The method according to the invention is a method of cost earth resulting customized with bracelets design selected by the client, or even a single cuff. It differentiates and molding processes piece by piece not very suitable for mass production with high operating rates.

[0029] Very different designs can be obtained without changing the industrial line.

[0030] The bracelets have a particular esthetic with a depth effect and a three-dimensional effect generated by the thick layer and transparent plastic.

[0031] The complex pattern lies within the cuff. It is thus protected from external attacks (mechanical wear, chemical attack, ultraviolet, ...) by the synthetic strip. The pattern is printed on a flat substrate and not on a wristband dimensional, thereby simplifying also strongly the printing process.

[0032] Unlike injection molding process, the inventive method allows precise positioning of the decorative strip within the synthetic material.

[0033] The nature of the decorative strip may be chosen to provide good adhesion of the ink independently of the basic formulation of the bracelet.

[0034] In addition, the integrity of the bracelet is provided by adhesion between the upper belt and the lower belt without concerns adhesion properties between the decorative strip and the strips having conformal. These features allow integration of all types of supporting means within the apparel, including textiles.