PlainPatent

CPC technology class · G04

G04C - Electromechanical Clocks OR Watches

Electromechanical clocks or watches. 1,040 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year filing trajectory.

1,040
US patents granted
G04
Parent CPC class
20
Active assignees
+12%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

Electromechanical Clocks OR Watches ranks #456 of 670 CPC technology areas - 1,040 US patents granted since 2015, with filing up 12% over five years.

#456
of 670 CPC technology areas
1,040
US patents granted, 2015–2025
Seiko Epson
leading assignee (147)
+12%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Top assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (147 patents)

CPC subclass G04C - ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES - covers 1,040 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 G04C is shaped by 20 distinct companies actively filing in this space. Seiko Epson Corporation leads with 147 patents, followed by Casio Computer Co., Ltd. at 108 grants and ETA Sa Manufacture Horlogère Suisse at 93.

Filing activity in G04C is up 12% over the past five years versus 2015-2019, a relatively steady filing pace. All counts come directly from USPTO PatentsView and reflect US granted utility patents only.

Is G04C innovation accelerating?

US utility-patent grants per year in G04C, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 12% versus 2015–2019.

406080100120140 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 53

Who leads G04C?

The 12 most active assignees in ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows Seiko Epson is the most active filer in G04C, holding 147 of the 1,040 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 G04C
Rank Company Patents in G04C
#1 The Swatch Group Research And Development Ltd 122
#2 Casio Computer Co., Ltd. 108
#3 ETA Sa Manufacture Horlogère Suisse 93
#4 Seiko Instruments Inc. 45
#5 Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. 36
#6 Montres Breguet S.a. 16
#7 Garmin Switzerland Gmbh 9
#8 Timex Group USA, Inc. 8
#9 Nivarox-far S.a. 6
#10 J.j. Mackay Canada Limited 6
#11 SII Crystal Technology Inc. 5
#12 Harry Winston Sa 4
#13 EM Microelectronic-marin Sa 4
#14 Richemont International Sa 3
#15 Rfmicron, Inc. 3
#16 Vision Works IP Corporation 3
#17 Reliance Controls Corporation 3
#18 Pictiva Displays International Limited 3
#19 Preciflex Sa 3
#20 Princo Middle EAST FZE 3

About This Class

CPC subclass G04C belongs to class G04.

1,040 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 G04C 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 G04C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G04C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Top 14 G04C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G04C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 05101520 -50050100150 Patents in G04C Avg claims / patent (company-wide) The Swatch Group Rese…Casio ComputerEta Manufacture Horlo…Seiko InstrumentsCitizen WatchMontres BreguetGarmin SwitzerlandTimex Group UsaNivarox-farJ J Mackay CanadaSii Crystal TechnologyHarry WinstonEm Microelectronic-ma…Richemont Internation…
Top 14 G04C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G04C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPC class G04C?
CPC subclass G04C covers ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES. It belongs to CPC class G04 (HOROLOGY), with 1,040 US utility patents granted since 2015.
How many patents have been filed in G04C?
1,040 US utility patents were granted in CPC subclass G04C between 2015 and 2025, based on USPTO PatentsView data.
Which company holds the most patents in G04C?
Seiko Epson Corporation leads G04C with 147 patents, making it the most active assignee in this technology area.
How is patent data for G04C 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 G04C 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.