PlainPatent

CPC technology class · G04

G04D - Apparatus Or Tools Specially Designed For Making Or Maint…

Apparatus or tools specially designed for making or maintaining clocks or watches. 303 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year grant trajectory.

303
US patents granted
#6/6
in G04
3.7%
G04 class share
+49%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, Apparatus Or Tools Specially Designed For Making Or Maint… ranks #584 of 670 CPC technology areas - 303 US patents granted since 2015, with recorded grant volume up 49% over five years.

#584
of 670 CPC technology areas
303
US patents granted, 2015–2025
The Swatch Group Research…
leading assignee (64)
+49%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

How tightly G04D concentrates

The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd holds 21.1% of G04D's recorded grants (64 of 303) - 19 more than Nivarox-FAR S.A.. Across complete PatentsView years, the class peaked in 2024 at 52 grants and bottomed in 2015 at 13 (+300% peak-over-trough). Equal-window velocity 2020–2024 vs 2015–2019: +49% (164 vs 110 grants).

Leaderboard read

G04D concentration, lead at 21.1%

The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd leads this historical grant record at 21.1% of G04D - foreign corporation assignees hold 99% of class grants (247 of 250). Figures describe granted US utility patents in this CPC subclass, not current investment or legal strength.

Leader's share
21.1%

64 of 303 grants

Top three share
48.5%

of the class's recorded grants

Lead over #2
19

more grants than Nivarox-FAR S.A.

Where G04D sits inside G04

Among 6 subclasses in G04 (Horology), G04D ranks #6 and holds 3.7% of the parent class's 8,190 recorded grants. Sibling chips below are the other subclasses in the same parent class, not the nationwide volume/lead-share peers further down.

G04G 2,450 G04B 2,356 G04F 1,418 G04C 1,040 G04R 623

Rising assignees active in G04D

Company-wide grant multiples (2022–2024 vs 2019–2021) among assignees with ≥5 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide; class patent counts are subclass-specific.

  1. #1 Comadur SA 3.33x 6 → 20 company-wide · 17 in G04D
  2. #2 Blancpain SA 2.09x 11 → 23 company-wide · 6 in G04D
  3. #3 ETA SA Manufacture HORLOGÈRE Suisse 1.60x 58 → 93 company-wide · 38 in G04D
  4. #4 Rolex SA 1.51x 39 → 59 company-wide · 18 in G04D
  5. #5 Omega SA 1.35x 34 → 46 company-wide · 11 in G04D

G04D grants by year, peak 2024 (52)

US utility-patent grants per year in G04D, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 49% versus 2015–2019.

102030405060 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 27

Who leads G04D?

The 12 most active assignees in Apparatus OR Tools Specially Designed FOR Making OR Maintaining Clocks OR Watches - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows The Swatch Group… is the most active filer in G04D, holding 64 of the 303 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 G04D
Rank Company Patents in G04D
#1 The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd 64
#2 Nivarox-FAR S.A. 45
#3 ETA SA Manufacture HORLOGÈRE Suisse 38
#4 Rolex SA 18
#5 Comadur SA 17
#6 Montres Breguet S.A. 14
#7 Omega SA 11
#8 Patek Philippe SA Geneve 8
#9 Csem Centre Suisse D'electronique ET DE Microtechnique SA—RECHERCHE ET DÉVELOPPEMENT 7
#10 Blancpain SA 6
#11 Universo S.A. 4
#12 Master Dynamic Limited 2
#13 Harry Winston SA 1
#14 Cartier International AG 1
#15 Richemont International SA 1
#16 Lvmh Swiss Manufactures SA 1
#17 Se-Kure Controls, Inc. 1
#18 Timex Group USA, Inc. 1
#19 Meco SA 1
#20 Manufacture D'horlogerie Audemars Piguet SA 1

Footprint here vs. claim strategy

Each dot is a leading G04D 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 G04D assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G04D. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 0510152025 -20020406080 Patents in G04D Avg claims / patent (company-wide) The Swatch Group…Nivarox-farEta Manufacture…RolexComadurMontres BreguetOmegaPatek Philippe GeneveCsem Centre Suisse…BlancpainUniversoMaster DynamicHarry WinstonCartier International
Top 14 G04D assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G04D. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Questions about G04D

Which company holds the most patents in G04D?
The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd leads G04D with 64 patents (21.1% of the subclass). By PatentsView assignee type, foreign corporations account for 99% of class grants.
Which G04D assignees grew fastest recently?
Among assignees with ≥5 grants in G04D, Comadur SA shows the highest company-wide grant multiple (3.33x: 6 grants in 2019–2021 → 20 in 2022–2024) while holding 17 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide, not class-only.
How does G04D compare inside parent class G04?
Inside G04 (Horology), G04D ranks #6 of 6 subclasses by grant volume and holds 3.7% of the parent class total. The largest sibling is G04G (2,450 grants).

What to do with this data

G04D in context - here's where to go next.

  • The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd leads G04D with 64 grants in this class. See full portfolio
  • G04D ranks #584 of 670 by grant volume among all tracked CPC technology areas. See the ranking
  • Inside parent class G04, the largest sibling subclass is G04G with 2,450 grants. Explore G04G

Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through 2026-05-15; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.

Methodology - G04D figures are USPTO PatentsView granted-utility totals for this subclass (303 grants in the tracked window).

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.