Indicating the time by visual means

Introduced: September 1968

Last revised: January 2006

Classification Context

Section:: PHYSICS
Class:: HOROLOGY
Subclass:: MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME-PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON, OR STARS

Filing statistics

IPC G04B 19/00 belongs to the parent subclass G04B, which recorded 30,807 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings declined from 2,751 in 2013 to 2,337 in 2023 (-15%), peaking at 3,317 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class G04 are THE SWATCH GROUP RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (1,570 applications), ETA SA MANUFACTURE HORLOGERE SUISSE (1,409 applications) and CASIO COMPUTER COMPANY (1,172 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

Related Keywords

CALENDAR(S) clocks or watchesDATE indicators

10 direct subcodes

Child Classifications

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G04B 19/02 Back-gearing arrangements between gear train and hands
G04B 19/04 Hands; Discs with a single mark or the like
G04B 19/06 Dials
G04B 19/2 Indicating by numbered bands, drums, discs, or sheets
G04B 19/22 Arrangements for indicating different local apparent times; Universal time-pieces
G04B 19/24 Clocks or watches with date indicators; Clockwork calendars
G04B 19/26 Clocks or watches with indicators for tides, for the phases of the moon, or the like
G04B 19/28 Adjustable guide marks or pointers for indicating determined points of time
G04B 19/3 Illumination of dials or hands
G04B 19/34 Position of the hands projected optically

Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class G04, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

THE SWATCH GROUP RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CH 1,570
ETA SA MANUFACTURE HORLOGERE SUISSE CH 1,409
CASIO COMPUTER COMPANY 1,172
SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION 1,100
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS COMPANY KR 768
NIVAROX-FAR CH 750
MONTRES BREGUET CH 707
APPLE US 706
SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION JP 648
CITIZEN WATCH COMPANY 578