Citizen Watch Co Ltd developed a watch movement measuring 18.5mm in diameter and 3.42 in thickness, smaller than a one-yen coin (20mm in diameter) or a nickel (21.21mm) , for use in ladies watches.

The company calls it “the World’s Smallest Eco-drive Atomic Watch Movement ‘H010.’”

The volume of the movement is about 20% smaller than that of the existing products. The small movement enhances variations in watch design and allows downsizing of atomic watches. Initially, the H010 will be used in the “Exceed Ladies Collection,” which will be released in mid Oct 2008.

The H010 has miniaturized parts and double-sided circuit boards. The diameter and thickness of the movement was downsized by reducing the size of the antenna as well, while maintaining the receiving sensitivity.

A calendar function was added to the downsized movement. This is the first time a ladies eco-drive watch has been equipped with this function, according to the company.

It has an antimagnetic property that complies with JIS1, which was believed to be difficult to attain in an atomic watch with a built-in antenna. The property is at a level resistant to a 4,800A/m DC field.

It is also equipped with a function to detect external impact and control the second and minute hands to prevent their displacement. In addition, it is capable of detecting locations of hands periodically to make necessary corrections, in case a deviation of the hands from the time counter inside the IC is confirmed.

The battery life is three years under power saving mode, if fully charged. The amount of charge is displayed so that the user can check how much remains.

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“We aim to reduce costs and development time by 30 percent using SolidWorks for product design and ENOVIA SmarTeam for data collaboration,” said Masayuki Watanabe, assistant manager section 2, business process management dept, watch business control center, Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. “We’re very satisfied with the usability and direction of SolidWorks 3D CAD.” A faster design process that encouraged innovation was a key goal for Citizen in choosing a PLM system as it sought an effective way of maintaining a steady stream of new products while staying ahead of the heavy competition in the watch industry.

Citizen Watch Co., Ltd uses ENOVIA SmarTeam as the central repository for product information created in SolidWorks 3D CAD software. Consolidating all product information in ENOVIA SmarTeam enabled Citizen to institute collaborative design processes that shorten the design process. Using ENOVIA SmarTeam’s concurrent engineering processes, multiple designers can now work on the same project at the same time without risk of conflict or error because they are referring to the same product information files.

ENOVIA SmarTeam users at Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. share product data in real-time across processes such as design, production engineering and manufacturing. Collaboration throughout the process enables the design teams to create products that are easy to manufacture. Designers spot and correct problems virtually, rather than in prototyping or production.

“We are proud to have enabled a high-end customer such as Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. to produce high quality products that are quick and affordable to develop,” said Alex Zeltcer, general manager, ENOVIA SmarTeam, Dassault Systemes. “Citizen Watch has taken a phased approach to PLM, gradually and cost-effectively deploying a PLM program over time, with real business benefits at every phase. With flexible and robust PLM functionality, we offer customers an opportunity to achieve a substantially low total cost of ownership.”

“It’s rewarding that a company like Citizen Watch Co., Ltd., so focused on precision and advancing the quality of its products, has standardized on SolidWorks as the foundation of its PLM strategy,” said Rainer Gawlick, vice president of worldwide marketing for SolidWorks Corporation. “We are committed to helping companies like Citizen embrace 3D design in way that leverages the considerable expertise they’ve developed in the 2D world.”

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Osram, based in Munich, asked for a jury trial, an order to stop use of the inventions and unspecified damages in a complaint filed yesterday in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware.

“Citizen has continued to show no respect for Osram’s U.S. patent rights” by importing and selling diodes based on patents awarded since 2001, the complaint said.

Citizen Watch’s president, Makoto Umehara, said in August that the Japanese firm is developing products such as LEDs to help boost sales amid price competition. Citizen Watch mostly makes timepieces and industrial machinery.

Citizen Watch officials didn’t immediately return voice and e-mail messages left after business hours.

Shares of Siemens, Europe’s largest engineering company with $107.4 billion in fiscal 2006 sales, rose 24 cents to 72.34 euros today in Germany. They have risen 12 percent in a year.

Both companies have very well established and competing product lines and this lawsuit could offer one an advantage over the other.

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