PlainPatent

CPC technology class · G04

G04B - Mechanically-driven Clocks OR Watches

Mechanically-driven clocks or watches; mechanical parts of clocks or watches in general; time pieces using the position of the sun, moon or stars. 2,356 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year filing trajectory.

2,356
US patents granted
G04
Parent CPC class
20
Active assignees
+24%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

Mechanically-driven Clocks OR Watches ranks #351 of 670 CPC technology areas - 2,356 US patents granted since 2015, with filing up 24% over five years.

#351
of 670 CPC technology areas
2,356
US patents granted, 2015–2025
The Swatch Group Rese…
leading assignee (307)
+24%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Top assignee: The Swatch Group Research And Development Ltd (307 patents)

CPC subclass G04B - MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS - covers 2,356 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2025 according to USPTO PatentsView records, within the broader CPC class G04 (HOROLOGY). See our CPC classification guide for how the system works.

The competitive landscape in G04B is shaped by 20 distinct companies actively filing in this space. The Swatch Group Research And Development Ltd leads with 307 patents, followed by ETA Sa Manufacture Horlogère Suisse at 231 grants and Nivarox-far S.a. at 146.

Filing activity in G04B is up 24% over the past five years versus 2015-2019, a sharp acceleration suggesting an emerging or fast-moving technology area. All counts come directly from USPTO PatentsView and reflect US granted utility patents only.

Is G04B innovation accelerating?

US utility-patent grants per year in G04B, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 24% versus 2015–2019.

150200250300 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 172

Who leads G04B?

The 12 most active assignees in MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows The Swatch Group Rese… is the most active filer in G04B, holding 307 of the 2,356 patents in this class. Concentration at the top signals how contestable this technology area is for new entrants.

Source USPTO PatentsView, granted utility patents As of 2015–2025 grant years
View data table
Top patent holders in CPC subclass G04B
Rank Company Patents in G04B
#1 The Swatch Group Research And Development Ltd 307
#2 ETA Sa Manufacture Horlogère Suisse 231
#3 Nivarox-far S.a. 146
#4 Montres Breguet S.a. 140
#5 Rolex Sa 131
#6 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. 106
#7 Omega Sa 96
#8 Blancpain Sa 66
#9 Seiko Instruments Inc. 42
#10 Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. 31
#11 Comadur Sa 27
#12 Patek Philippe Sa Geneve 26
#13 MECO Sa 20
#14 Manufacture D'horlogerie Audemars Piguet Sa 17
#15 CSEM Centre Suisse D'electronique ET DE Microtechnique Sa—recherche ET Développement 16
#16 Preciflex Sa 14
#17 Harry Winston Sa 13
#18 LVMH Swiss Manufactures Sa 13
#19 Timex Group USA, Inc. 13
#20 Montres Jaquet Droz Sa 13

About This Class

CPC subclass G04B belongs to class G04.

2,356 patents were granted in this class between 2015 and 2025.

20 companies actively patent in this space.

Classification System

Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) is a hierarchical patent classification system used by the USPTO and EPO.

← All Technology Classes Technology Rankings →

Footprint here vs. claim strategy

Each dot is a leading G04B assignee, placed by how many patents it holds in this class (horizontal) against its company-wide average claims per patent (vertical) - a read on whether the class is led by broad-but-shallow filers or focused deep-claim players.

Top 14 G04B assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G04B. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Top 14 G04B assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G04B. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 510152025 0100200300400 Patents in G04B Avg claims / patent (company-wide) The Swatch Group Rese…Eta Manufacture Horlo…Nivarox-farMontres BreguetRolexCasio ComputerOmegaBlancpainSeiko InstrumentsCitizen WatchComadurPatek Philippe GeneveMecoManufacture D'horloge…
Top 14 G04B assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G04B. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPC class G04B?
CPC subclass G04B covers MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS. It belongs to CPC class G04 (HOROLOGY), with 2,356 US utility patents granted since 2015.
How many patents have been filed in G04B?
2,356 US utility patents were granted in CPC subclass G04B between 2015 and 2025, based on USPTO PatentsView data.
Which company holds the most patents in G04B?
The Swatch Group Research And Development Ltd leads G04B with 307 patents, making it the most active assignee in this technology area.
How is patent data for G04B collected?
Patent data comes from USPTO PatentsView, a public research dataset maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It covers all US granted utility patents and assigns CPC codes based on the technology described in each patent.
What is the difference between CPC class and subclass?
A CPC class (e.g., G04) is a broad technology category. Subclasses like G04B provide finer granularity within that category. PlainPatent organizes data at the subclass level (4-character codes) for the most useful view of technology domains.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from USPTO PatentsView - official U.S. government patent data. See our methodology for computation details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPatent Editorial

Every figure on PlainPatent is rendered directly from USPTO source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USPTO source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.