(), formerly Rhythm Watch until 2020) is a Japanese global

corporate A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as "born out of s ...

group based in

Saitama, Japan is the capital and largest city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. , the city had an estimated population of 1,324,854 ...

. The company was founded in 1950 as a clock company and has since expanded globally as a manufacturer of watches, clocks, precision equipment, connectors and small displays. From 1955 until 2003 it was headquartered in Tokyo.

Clocks

Rhythm was founded as a clock company in 1950 and as such is the most well-known aspect of the company.

Musical and chiming clocks

In 1987, Rhythm introduced their first musical clocks, the Dream House and the Village Kate
video
under the

Citizen Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationality ...

brand, which were inspired by cuckoo clocks. In 1988, Rhythm introduced its series of musical clocks under the Small World brand (unrelated to the Disney ride "It's a Small World"). Such clocks from that early time period include the Small World Dual Bell Ringers and the Small World Performing Musicians, which all utilized simple square waves for sound synthesis. By the early 90s, new models used

FM synthesis Frequency modulation synthesis (or FM synthesis) is a form of sound synthesis whereby the frequency of a waveform is changed by modulating its frequency with a modulator. The (instantaneous) frequency of an oscillator is altered in accordance wi ...

, and a few models were revamped with FM synthesis, with at least some using Yamaha ICs. File:Rhythm Small World Dual Bell Ringers clock.png, Dual Bell Ringers clock (released 1989) File:Small World Rhythm clock.jpg, Story DX (released 1990) File:Rhythm Clock Small World Musicians.png, Performing Musicians (released 1990) By 1997, a sound system called Dynamic Wave Sound (DWS) based on

Digital waveguide synthesis Digital waveguide synthesis is the synthesis of audio using a digital waveguide. Digital waveguides are efficient computational models for physical media through which acoustic waves propagate. For this reason, digital waveguides constitute a ...

was released, which had a unique, synth-like tone. By 2003, the Clarion Tone System (CTS) was also released, with a different,

glass armonica The glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, glass harmonium, bowl organ, hydrocrystalophone, or simply the armonica or harmonica (derived from , ''harmonia'', the Greek language, Greek word for harmony), is a type of musical instr ...

-like tone, comparable to a blend of bells and organ sounds. In 2006, Rhythm introduced the Super Symphonic Sound (SSS), likely utilizing MIDI. However, it has been said that copyright issues with JASRAC led to the discontinuation of SSS and DWS in 2009, while CTS remains in use. File:Rhythm Clock Small World DWS Timecracker.png, DWS Timecracker (released 1990s-2000s) File:Rhythm Clock CTS Nostalgia Light.png, CTS Nostalgia Light (released 2007) File:Rhythm Clock SSS Encore.png, SSS Encore (Released 2007) In 2019, Rhythm released a new sound system called Creative Sound, blending realistic instruments and synth sounds, alongside Harmonica Sound in the US. However, in the US, clocks with Creative Sound are still labeled as CTS. Rhythm has also made large scale public automaton clocks.

Other clocks

Rhythm also makes other clocks such as alarm clocks,

cuckoo clocks A cuckoo clock is a type of clock, typically pendulum driven, that strikes the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo call and has an automated cuckoo bird that moves with each note. Some move their wings and open and close their beaks while ...

, and time-only clocks. File:Rhythm Clock.jpg, Rhythm alarm clock

Other products

Rhythm also sells portable fans internationally. Rhythm sells humidifiers, scent diffusers and waterproof phone and tablet cases in Japan only.

References

External links