| Rhythm Co., Ltd. | |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Type: | Public (KK) |
| Key People: | Hiromi Hirata Takeo Yumoto (President)[1] |
| Industry: | Precision equipment |
| Products: | Watches and parts, clocks, emergency broadcast radios, small fans, electronic equipment and parts, multipurpose small cameras, displays for small gauges, precision mold manufacturing, precision parts fabrication, connectors |
| Num Employees: | 3,292 |
| Homepage: | rhythm.co.jp |
| Former Name: | Noson Tokei Seisakujo (1946-1950) Rhythm Watch (1950-2020) |
| Location City: | Omiya-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama |
| Location Country: | Japan |
, formerly Rhythm Watch until 2020) is a Japanese global corporate group based in Saitama, Japan. 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.[2]
Rhythm was founded as a clock company in 1950 and as such is the most well-known aspect of the company.
In 1987, Rhythm introduced their first musical clocks, the Dream House and the Village Kate (video) under the Citizen 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,[3] which all utilized simple square waves for sound synthesis. By the early 90s, new models used FM synthesis, and a few models were revamped with FM synthesis, with at least some using Yamaha ICs.[4] By 1997, a sound system called Dynamic Wave Sound (DWS) based on Digital waveguide synthesis was released, which had a unique, synth-like tone. By 2003, the Clarion Tone System (CTS) was also released, with a different, glass armonica-like tone, comparable to a blend of bells and organ sounds. In 2006, Rhythm introduced the Super Symphonic Sound (SSS), utilizing Yamaha MIDI instruments. 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.[5] 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.
Rhythm also makes other clocks such as alarm clocks, cuckoo clocks, and time-only clocks.
Rhythm also sells portable fans internationally. Rhythm sells humidifiers, scent diffusers and waterproof phone and tablet cases in Japan only.