Tuning fork timepiece

Claim 1

IN A TIMEPIECE INCLUDING A ROTARY INDICATING MECHANISM, A SUPPORT MEMBER, A TURNING FORK HAVING A NATURAL FREQUENCY OF VIBRATION WITH THE BASE PORTIONOF THE TUNING FORK BEING RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID SUPPORT MEMBER, A TRANSDUCER OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TUNING FORK FOR VIBRATING THE TINES OF SAID TUNING FORK AT A PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY AND AN ELECTRONIC CONTROL CIRCUIT RESPONSIVE TO THE VIBRATORY MOTION OF SAID TUNING FORK FOR PERIODICALLY ENERGIZING SAID TRANSDUCER TO SUSTAIN THE VIBRATORY MOTION OF SAID TUNING FORK AT SAID PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: (A) A ROTAYR MEMBER COUPLED TO SAID INDICATING MECHANISM FOR DRIVING THE SAME; (B) SAID ROTARY MEMBER BEING FORMED OF AT LEAST TWO CONCENTRIC CIRCULAR ARRAYS OF RADIALLY EXTENDING, CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED ELEMENTS OF MAGNETIC FLUX CONDUCTING MATERIAL WITH THE ELEMENTS IN ONE CIRCLE BEING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OFFSET FROM THE ELEMENTS IN THE NEXT ADJACENT CIRCLE; (C) A PERMANENT MAGNET MOUNTED ON AT LEAST ONE OF THE TINES OF SAID TUNING FORK INCLUDING A PAIR OF OPPOSED POLE FACES OF OPPOSITE POLARITY; AND (D) SAID POLE FACES BEING DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID ROTARY MEMBER AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF SAID MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS THE VIBRATORY MOTION OF SAID TINES ALONG A RADIAL PATH WITH REPSECT TO SAID ROTARY MEMBER SO THAT WHEN SAID TINES VIBRATE, ADJACENT ONES OF SAID OFFSET MAGNETIC MEMBERS ARE MAGNETICALLY ATTRACTED THEREBY ROTATING SAID ROTARY MEMBERS AT A SPEED DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE FREQUENCY OF VIBRATION AND INDEPENDENTLY OF THE AMPLITUDE OF VIBRATION OF SAID TUNING FORK.