Citizen is curving the time

Citizen Watch and E Ink Corporation have showed the world's first curved clock product to utilize an electronic paper display (EPD). This unique design is enabled by E Ink Imaging Film.

This easy-to-read, low- power display component is fully conformable, allowing product designers more creative freedom than ever before. Citizen Watch Co. and T.I.C.-Citizen Co. worked closely with E Ink to develop the electronic paper display used in this new clock.


Displays made with E Ink Imaging Film provide a number of benefits over traditional display technologies, including:
Exceptional Readability - Roughly twice the contrast of a reflective LCD, EPD's can be easily read in bright sunlight
or in dimly lit environments and at virtually any angle.

Low Power Consumption - In addition to the fact that no backlighting is required, the display also has an inherently stable "memory effect" which requires no power to maintain an image - both of which drastically increase the battery life. The result is 1/100 the power consumption of traditional display options.

Versatile, Flexible Form - E Ink Imaging Film allows product designers to create entirely new designs that were never possible before. This thin, flexible display can be used to create curved, eye-catching shapes.

These benefits allow the clock to be installed in locations that would otherwise be difficult with other technologies. In applications where portability is valued, this extended battery life enables the clock to be easily used as a "mobile" product.
Citizen Watch Co. has not yet announced a launch date for this product, but it is expected to be commercialized in Japan in 2005.