IP Library › Granted Patent US 12667916
Granted Patent B2
US 12667916 · App. 18/468,067 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Method for manufacturing an external component including a diffraction grating

Inventors: Pierry Vuille (Les Emibois, CH); Benoit Giry (Villers-le-lac, FR); Gabriel Rittiner (Le Locle, CH); Bastien Combotte (Grand'Combe Chateleu, FR)
Assignee: Comadur SA
B23K26/362G04B45/0015G04B45/0076B23K2101/34G04B19/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12667916
App. No.
18/468,067
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for manufacturing an external component of a watch, of a fashion item or of a jewellery item, wherein the external component includes depositing an opaque base layer on all or part of the surface of an inner face of a substrate made of a transparent material, localised ablation of the base layer by laser machining, so as to form at least one pocket the bottom of which has a diffraction grating.

Claims (13)

1 . A method for manufacturing an external component of a watch, of a fashion item or of a jewellery item, wherein the method comprises the following steps of:

depositing an opaque base layer on all or part of the surface of an inner face of a substrate made of a transparent material; and

localised ablation of the opaque base layer by laser machining, so as to form at least one pocket the bottom of which has a diffraction grating,

wherein the bottom of the pocket is formed by the substrate and by the opaque base layer,

wherein a plurality of localized ablation steps are performed so as to produce a plurality of diffraction gratings, and

wherein the plurality of diffraction gratings are formed of a mixture of materials of the opaque base layer and the substrate.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising a polishing step performed before the step of depositing the opaque base layer, wherein the inner face of the substrate is polished.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising a step of depositing a secondary layer wherein an opaque secondary layer is deposited at least on the diffraction grating.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein an anti-reflection coating is deposited on an outer face of the substrate opposite the inner face.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising an engraving step wherein all or part of the opaque base layer is eliminated over its entire thickness without the inner face of the substrate being impacted.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , comprising a step of depositing a secondary layer wherein an opaque secondary layer is deposited at least on the diffraction grating, and wherein, during the engraving step, a part of the secondary layer is eliminated so as to shape said layer according to a predefined shape, without the inner face of the substrate being impacted.

7 . A watch dial formed by implementing the method according to claim 1 .

8 . A fashion item comprising an external component formed by implementing the method according to claim 1 .