Awatch made for the ‘Citizen’
Better starts now. Thus is the philosophy that world renowned watch brand Citizen has taken to heart over the past century, as it believes that a person—no matter where you are, or at what point you are in your lifetime—will always have an opportunity to make things better. And this year’s no different as Citizen celebrates its 100th year, still upholding the same belief. “Citizen is celebrating its 100th year anniversary and throughout our existence we have continuously sought to define the meaning of time. Whether it’s an accumulation of seconds, minutes and hours, all accounted for on our wristwatches—or perhaps the very stream of our lives, time, it can be interpreted simply as a series of momentary events that occur,” said Citizen Watch Co. president and CEO Toshio Tokura. “Time is truly precious, so the tools to measure and communicate time must be accurate, and Citizen’s unwavering mission and pursuit for accuracy have continued since its founding in 1918,” Tokura added.
Established in 1918, the name Citizen was given by then Tokyo Mayor Shinpei Goto for the first ever pocket watch developed by the Shokosha Watch Research Institute, in the hope that the said model would win the support and confidence of ordinary citizens.
And this is exactly what the company had achieved as it was able to showcase its expertise in timepiece creation, thus earning for it the approval of the market. With the spirit of craftsmanship handed down to every new generation, Citizen was able to produce beautiful precise watches that many citizens continue to patronize and wear.
While machines may craft many parts of every Citizen’s watch with a speed and precision beyond human capacity, it is the high quality finish of the craftsman’s hand that makes every Citizen watch truly special and world-class.
Over the last decade, Citizen has demonstrated that it remains attuned to the changing tastes and needs of its market, as it continues to produce exquisitely crafted watches with improved technologies. It also continues to explore the future of watches such as the proprietary lightpowered Eco-Drive technology and the satellite-synchronized timekeeping system, Satellite Wave.
“Citizen will continue to chase technology development, but at the core of every product would be the fusion of technology and beauty in design. We will continue to create products that are better fitting while continuously improving the technology behind it,” noted Citizen Watch managing director Norio Takeuchi.
“This, in essence, is what allowed us to create the thinnest and lightest watch available in the market today. Citizen, in celebrating its 100th year, will aim to create something better for the market as we continue to work closely with our research and development team,” Takeuchi further said.
To date, the Citizen Watch Group encompasses six unique brands namely Citizen, Bulova, Arnold & Son, Frederique Constant, Alpina and CAMPANOLA—each proclaiming its individual achievements in innovative style and technology, which these brands have cultivated throughout their respective histories.
By celebrating time, which includes understanding and acknowledging the time each brand has invested to reach this moment, the company believes it is truly better equipped to pioneer the next great advancements in the world of watches.
“For Citizen, it has always been about accuracy and the continuous discovery of new frontiers in the world of watches. Also, we have the technical expertise and the capacity to do things that other watchmakers can’t do and it is through such measure that we are able to show our strength,” explained Citizen Watch Co. general manager for product planning Nobuyuki Tanaka.
“Citizen is a brand that has evolved. We go beyond standards and aim to be the top runner. For us it’s always been about innovation and in believing that indeed ‘Better Starts Now,’” Tanaka concluded.
For its 100th year celebration, Citizen unveiled the Cal.0100, the first lightpowered Eco-Drive movement that will allow the company to deliver an accuracy within +/- 1 second of a year. The Cal.0100 is completely self-sustainable, relying only on a light source and the mechanics of its internal movement to deliver precise timekeeping, autonomously and continuously.