Electronic timepiece including an animated display

An animated display electronic timepiece comprising:

• a timepiece circuit including means for generating at least timekeeping signals representative of actual time and drive means for driving a timepiece display;
• a liquid crystal timepiece display including display elements for displaying time in response to said timekeeping signals, said display being a liquid crystal display cell having two opposed and spaced apart transparent plates and transparent electrode means disposed thereon with a liquid crystal material in the space therebetween, selected regions of said liquid crystal material being rendered visually distinguishable from the remaining material upon application of a potential across said liquid crystal material, the display including transparent cover means disposed in registration with said display cell for viewing said display;
• a time display region in said timepiece display for selectively displaying time in at least hours and minutes;
• and
• an animated display region in said timepiece display including a pattern including at least one flickering display means and a permanent indicia disposed on said display cell being of less area and in optical registration with the flickering display means, the remainder of said pattern being permanent and disposed on said transparent means, the animation effect provided in response to flickering of said display means so that the permanent indicia on said display cell is viewable when the flickering display means is not rendered visually distinguishable from the remaining liquid crystal material, and said permanent indicia is not separately viewable from the flickering display element when the flickering display means is rendered visually distinguishable from the remaining liquid crystal material in response to signals from said timepiece circuit.