- TOKYO, Japan, July 12, 2024 -

Seiko Epson Corporation (TSE: 6724, "Epson") announces that it has received the Prize of the President of the Japan Patent Attorneys Association at the 2024 National Commendation for Invention (sponsored by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation) for "The Invention of a Mechanical Wristwatch using a High-Precision Silicon Escape Wheel to Enable Drive for Long Periods of Time (Japanese Patent No. 6891622)". This is the third time that Epson has received this prize since 2012, when Epson received this prize for our invention of a small high-brightness LCD projector (Patent No. 3826950). This is the first time in two years that Epson has received a prize at the National Commendation for Invention since 2022, when Epson received the prize of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

A ceremony was held on Thursday, July 11 at The Okura Tokyo, Minato Ward, Tokyo.

The National Commendation for Invention^* is held for the purpose of encouraging and fostering inventions and contributing to the improvement of science and technology and the development of industry in Japan by honoring those who have completed outstanding Japanese inventions and designs, as well as those who have made achievements in the implementation and encouragement of invention. The Prize of the President of the Japan Patent Attorneys Association, which was received this time, is a special prize given for inventions that are recognized to be particularly excellent in the first award category, which targets inventions that have an outstanding scientific and technological inventive step and that have achieved remarkable effects upon implementation.

This is the first time in 50 years that a "Mechanical Wristwatch" has received a special prize at the National Commendation for Invention, since 1974, when Epson received the Prime Minister's Prize for a Device for Correcting the Date and Day of the Week of a Calendar Watch.

^* The National Commendation for Invention started with the first Imperial Commendation for Invention in 1919, and is sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Japan Patent Office, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Japan Business Federation, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Japanese Patent Attorneys Association, and Asahi Shimbun Company.

The prize was given to the invention that uses silicon for an "escape wheel" of a mechanical wristwatch, in which the hour and minute hands are moved by unwinding torque from the mainspring as an energy source. The invention was Epson's first application of silicon materials for an escape wheel, which is an important component that affects time accuracy and running time.

This technology has improved energy efficiency of mechanical watches and has made it possible to extend the running time to a maximum of 70 hours (up to 20 hours longer than with conventional metal escape wheels), while maintaining time accuracy.

Prize of the President of the Japan Patent Attorneys Association

Munehiro Shibuya	TD Engineering Department, Microdevices Operations Division, Seiko Epson Corporation
Takeo Funakawa	Process Technology Development Department, Technology Development Division, Seiko Epson Corporation
Eiichi Nagasaka	WP Design & Engineering Department, Wearable Products Operations Division, Seiko Epson Corporation

Prize for Invention Implementation Achievement

Yasunori Ogawa	President and Representative Director, Chief Executive Officer of Seiko Epson Corporation

Munehiro Shibuya

It is a great honor to have been able to contribute, via the present invention, to the improvement of accuracy and running time of mechanical wristwatches by the mating technology of silicon, which is a brittle material, and metal parts. A variety of other innovative technologies are used in this watch in addition to this patented technology, and I believe that our creating a product with all of these technologies led us to this award. We will continue to develop new technologies and contribute to the creation of even more attractive products.

Takeo Funakawa

I am very honored to receive this award. At the beginning of development, I had a very limited knowledge about watches, hardly knowing anything. However, l am most pleased that we were able to commercialize the products through trial and error with the cooperation of various people. This award is the result of the efforts of many people, not only in development and design, but in various departments, such as engineering, manufacturing, management, planning, sales, and intellectual property. Once again, I would like to thank everyone involved. With this award as an opportunity, we would like to further devote ourselves to the development of technology that can contribute to society.

Eiichi Nagasaka

I am highly honored to receive this award. I have been involved in watch development since I joined Epson. When I saw a silicon escape wheel for the first time, I was impressed that it was completely different from the parts I had used before, but I am unable to forget that the moment I touched it with a pair of tweezers, it cracked and turned into a disappointment. Since then, however, I have made numerous improvements with the award-receiving members and created an attractive product, which I believe led us to the award. We will continue to make products that customers can wear with pleasure.

Overview of the present Invention

The escape wheel of the present invention includes a plurality of spring portions that make use of silicon's flexibility. The spring portions are formed by MEMS processing, which has been used in the processing of print heads. The spring portions press against protruding parts on the pinion from the periphery so that, without the use of adhesive, the centers of the escape wheel and of the pinion can be aligned without eccentricity. The spring portions also help prevent chipping of silicon by distributing stress during assembly. Further, by inserting the tip sections of the silicon escape wheel into recesses in the pinion, the escape wheel and the pinion can rotate integrally.

By the present invention, a lightweight silicon escape wheel can be produced with high precision, and because it uses no adhesive, it can be rotated without eccentricity, enabling a large reduction in energy loss.

This invention is used in a skeleton type Orient Star mechanical wristwatch. By mounting the escape wheel of the present invention and by making the mainspring long and thin, it was possible to extend the running time to a maximum of 70 hours while maintaining time accuracy, and by this, realize a mechanical wristwatch that does not require time adjustment at the beginning of the week. In this watch, by forming a blue reflective film on the silicon surface, the vortex-shaped escape wheel, shining bright blue, gives the sense of the Milky Way Galaxy appearing through the opening of the skeleton dial.

Please refer to the following websites for details of the mechanical wristwatch using the invention that received the Prize of the President of the Japan Patent Attorneys Association.

1. Orient Star, Brand Value > Manufacture
   URL: https://www.orient-watch.jp/orientstar/brand-value_manufacture.php *(Japanese only)
   *The destination of the URL link includes a summary of the awarded invention and the Patent No. 6891622.
2. Design Technology for Orient Mechanical Wristwatches
   URL: corporate.epson/en/technology/search-by-products/wearable/orient-watch.html

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