An electronic timepiece having a voltage conversion circuit for providing a different supply voltage from the timepiece battery voltage, detection means for detecting a condition in which a drive signal of relatively high voltage must be applied to an electromagnetic transducer of the timepiece, which is driven intermittently, switching means controlled by the detection means for selecting either the battery voltage or the converted voltage, and a circuit containing a capacitor which is charged by the output voltage of the switching means while the electromagnetic transducer is not being driven, and is discharged by supplying power to the transducer when the latter is driven, so that drive power is supplied to the transducer from, in effect, a low impedance source.

A watch movement construction, in which a circuit board is mounted on one surface of a base plate and has a cutout formed at a position near an outer circumference of the movement construction to accommodate a battery in a position such that a circumferential periphery of the battery is partially aligned with the outer circumference of the movement construction whereas a calendar display member is disposed between another surface of the base plate and a time dial at a position displaced from a central portion of the base plate so that a line passing through a center of the battery, a center of the base plate and a center of the calendar display member makes an obtuse angle whereby the calendar display member and the battery are substantially not in an overlapping state thereby to reduce the thickness of the movement construction.

An integrated control device for controlling a device such as a LED display or a miniature stepping motor for an electronic watch comprises at least one insulated-gate field effect transistor for controlling the supply of current to the element. The gate of the F.E.T. is connected to a control circuit including a voltage multiplier comprising a series-connected chain of rectifiers and a plurality of capacitors connected between the respective junctions between rectifiers and alternate inputs. High frequency signals of opposite phase are supplied to the inputs under control of an input control signal. Circuit means are provided for starting the action of the voltage multiplier at the beginning of an input control signal and for short-circuiting the output of the control circuit at the end of an input control signal.

In an analogue electronic timepiece having a transducer comprising a rotor, a stator and a driving coil, means is provided for supplying to the driving coil, periodic pulses of a selected width to drive the rotor. The width of the pulses is automatically controlled according to the load of the transducer so as to reduce power consumption and accordingly to increase the useful life of the battery by which power is supplied.

Reduces the consumption of an electronic time piece equipped with a motor 4 driving a display unit 5. A quartz oscillator 1 feeds a supply circuit 3 through a frequency divider 2. The supply circuit 3 of the motor and its control circuit 9 periodically decrease the pulse energy supplied to the motor in response to a reference signal 8.2 provided by a reference counter say every 60 seconds. The energy then supplied to the motor is regulated as a function of the presence or absence of a signal delivered by a detection switch 7 operated by the display unit. If the detection switch does not close, compensating pulses are fed to the motor to catch up the lost seconds and the pulse energy is stepped up.