An electronic timepiece which comprises a time standard that delivers a periodic signal of predetermined frequency, an electronic divider, an electromechanical converter controlled by the divider, time display means actuated by the converter, a two-phase voltage generator controlled by the time standard and a two-phase network supplied by the generator, the various stages of the divider being associated with one or the other of the network phases.
A binary frequency-divider stage for an electronic wristwatch comprises a set of insulated-gate field-effect transistors (IGFETs) of one and the same conductivity type, one (T.sub.1) of these IGFETs and an associated series capacitor (C.sub.1) forming an amplifier located between one bus bar (M) of a d-c supply and a first one (11) of two a-c control leads carrying a pair of bipolar pulse trains (.PHI..sub.1, .PHI..sub.2) of opposite phase. An incoming pulse sequence (V.sub.E1), of a cadence to be halved, is in phase with the pulse train (.PHI..sub.2) on the other control lead (12) and may be derived directly therefrom (FIG. 5). The gate capacitance of the first IGFET (T.sub.1) can be charged in two steps by a first charging circuit including two IGFETs (T.sub.2, T.sub.3) which are alternately turned on by respective control pulses (.PHI..sub.1, .PHI..sub.2) applied to their gates. A normally blocked discharging circuit, including two other IGFETs (T.sub.4, T.sub.5), serves to discharge that gate capacitance, the gate capacitance of one of the IGFETs (T.sub.5) of this discharging circuit being chargeable through a second charging circuit including two further IGFETs (T.sub.6, T.sub.7). The fifth IGFET (T.sub.5) is rendered conductive upon the successive occurrence of an incoming pulse (V.sub.E1) and a first control pulse (.PHI..sub.1) respectively turning on the sixth and seventh IGFETs (T.sub.6, T.sub.7). Upon the conduction of the fourth IGFET (T.sub.4), in response to the next incoming pulse, the first IGFET (T.sub.1) is cut off whereby the next-following first control pulse (.PHI..sub.1) gives rise to an outgoing pulse (V.sub.E2) on the junction (d) between that transistor and its series capacitor (C.sub.1). The gate of the fifth IGFET (T.sub.5) is discharged through an eighth IGFET (T.sub.8) controlled by the outgoing pulse. The third IGFET (T.sub.3) may be included in the normally blocked discharging circuit for the gate of the first IGFET (T.sub.1); alternatively, to prevent a premature discharge of that gate, the common terminal of the fourth and fifth IGFETs (T.sub.4, T.sub.5) may be recharged, after each incoming pulse (VE.sub.1) discharging this common terminal, by a ninth IGFET (T.sub.9) responsive to the first control pulse (.PHI..sub.1).
A binary frequency divider stage comprises eleven insulated gate field effect transistors and a capacitor, all of which may be fabricated as an integrated circuit. The stage has an input, an output, two supply lines, and two clock lines for receiving two sets of out-of-phase clock pulses. Pulses are supplied to the input synchronously with one of the sets of clock pulses and the divider stage produces at its output pulses of half the frequency of the input pulses.