100 Years of Citizen, A Splendid Commemorative Pocket Watch and some clues on what to expect in the future

“Watches made for all citizens.” This is why major Japanese brand Citizen is named as it is. There is a reason behind this international and easy-to-remember name, which goes way beyond just a marketing motto. The brand philosophy can be resumed, and I quote brand manager Yoshihisa Yajima that “no matter who you are or what you do, it is always possible to make something better – and now is the time to start doing it.” But today isn’t about starting something, but looking at the past and 100 years of Citizen watches, as well as a commemorative 100th-anniversary pocket watch made specifically for this occasion… Well, up until we’re going to talk about the future.

Once again to quote Mister Yajima, “the origin of the name Citizen dates back to the first watch to bear the name – a hand-wound pocket watch – which was named “CITIZEN” by then Tokyo Mayor, Shinpei Goto, so that it would be loved widely by citizens for a long time. The name Citizen was incorporated into the company name, and Citizen Watch Co., Ltd., was established in 1930. Since then, the Group has continued to uphold its corporate philosophy of being “loved by citizens, working for citizens” with the hope of being loved widely by citizens for a long time.”

The history of Citizen goes a bit further than this first pocket watch. In the Japan of the 1920s, most of the watches sold were pocket watches imported from overseas. Determined to create a Japan-made rival product, the Shokosha Watch Research Institute, the precursor of Citizen founded in 1918 by Kamekichi Yamazaki, associated with Swiss watchmaker Rodolphe Schmid’s assembly plant, which was created in 1912. The name Citizen was registered in 1918 for watches exported by Schmid to Japan. Things started to become serious in 1924, with the creation of the brand’s first pocket watch, aptly named Citizen. The rest, as people say, is history.

Innovation is key for Citizen, but with the constant idea to create “diverse watches that cater to people’s needs, in line with our brand identity since its establishment. A notable example is our Eco-Drive technology, which utilizes the light as a source of clean, renewable energy, eliminating the need for regular battery replacement and demonstrating our consideration for the environment,” says Yajima. But mechanical watchmaking has not been left aside by the brand, which continues to expand its “presence in the mechanical market by offering pricing, design, and styling that meet the diverse needs of our customers.” And this can be seen in a wide range of models, starting from the accessible Tsuyosa, the no-nonsense and utilitarian Promaster, the more design-oriented Series 8 and, as a range-topper, The Citizen line. But let’s talk about an important watch, the 100th Anniversary Pocket watch.

A Limited Edition Pocket Watch for the 100th Anniversary of the first CITIZEN watch

In 1924, Citizen was officially launched with a hand-wound pocket watch – remember that wristwatches, even though already existing, were not yet the norm in the 1920s. This 1924 model, with the name Citizen already printed on its dial, was made to answer the needs of local citizens with a Japan-made offering – and yes, with the hope to be worn by many.

For its 100th anniversary, Citizen has decided to create a commemorative piece inspired by its first-ever model. Contrary to what many would have done, with a commercial focus and maybe a bit of laziness, it isn’t a vintage-inspired wristwatch that incorporates design cues of the past. It is, like its ancestor, a hand-wound pocket watch. A bold but charming choice, that reflects the strategy of the brand to expand its mechanical watchmaking expertise. But this limited edition Citizen Pocket Watch is not just a copy of the past. It also looks at the future.

While highly traditional at first sight, the 43.5mm case is made of polished titanium (a rare choice for a pocket watch) and protects under its sapphire crystal a truly handsome, highly detailed dial. The latter, while inspired by the original 1924 watch with classic Arabic numerals and blued open-tip hands, has been created using the electroforming method, resulting in a paper-like texture, with a thick layer of clear coating on top adding depth to the display. It also includes a pure Japanese silk braided cord dyed in a unique indigo charcoal colour.

Turn the watch over and you’ll discover a stunning movement. This calibre 0270 is a fascinating mix between tradition and modernity. A classic hand-wound architecture with 18 jewels, it is loosely based on the movement used in The Citizen calibre 0200, yet highly reworked to be hand-wound, but also to mimic the look of the movement found in the 1924 pocket watch. The gentle curves of the movement and the distinctive waves of the Côtes de Genève finish surely remind us of the old movement, yet we’re looking at a fine, modern calibre with a free-sprung balance wheel, a stop-second function, an accuracy of -3 to +5 seconds a day and about 55 hours of power reserve. It’s rigorously tested in-house for 17 days, with an official inspection certificate included with each watch. Note that the finishing, with large polished bevels, fine perlage and polished countersinks, is not only finely executed but also beautifully traditional.

Only made in 100 examples, this Citizen Pocket Watch 100th Anniversary of the first Citizen Watch will be available in a handful of models in Europe. The international price, given to us in dollars, even feels rather reasonable considering the development of a specific movement and the attention to detail throughout the entire watch… USD 9,000.

An overview of some of the mechanical watches we have discovered

Citizen’s 100th anniversary The Essence of Time exhibit took place in three places around the world – Japan, of course, but also New York and more recently Paris. it was hosted at the MR08 gallery in the French capital, with a selection of 100 watches, finely curated from a staggering collection of 6,000 historic watches owned by the company – something that I’d love to explore myself. The exhibit was divided into 12 categories, focusing on technologies, fusion of analogue and digital, Eco-Drive, style and watches for all citizens. But since you’re reading MONOCHROME, we decided to focus on mechanical watchmaking – with an idea in the back of my head, that to understand where the brand is heading for its future…

Here are some highlights from one century of watchmaking at Citizen:

In conversation with Hiroyuki Ota (CWE CEO) and Yoshihisa Yajima (Brand Manager)

During the event, we had the opportunity to discuss Citizen, its mechanical watchmaking expertise and what to expect in the future with two brand representatives, Mister Hiroyuki Ota (CEO of Citizen Watch Europe) and Yoshihisa Yajima (brand manager).

Citizen is one of the largest watchmakers in the world, a giant of watchmaking producing all sorts of timekeeping instruments, from highly accessible digital watches, to a wide range of mechanical instrument watches (the Promaster line) to luxury models such as The Citizen… If you had to present your company in a nutshell, how would you define Citizen?

Yoshihisa Yajima – This is embodied in our philosophy, “Better Starts Now”. This is Citizen’s brand philosophy that, “no matter who you are or what you do, it is always possible to make something better – and now is the time to start doing it.”. At this event, you will see 100 watches, each categorized from various perspectives to reflect the essence of “Citizen-ness”. Since its founding, Citizen has an innovative DNA, and has delivered many world-first and world-leading technologies and products. This attitude will not change in the future. While picking up on the diversifying needs of users, we want to continue developing better products and technologies by pursuing the essence of a watch as a watch brand.

Talking about Citizen… The name is rather interesting, and surprisingly international while being 100 years old. Could you explain the origin of this branding? 

Yoshihisa Yajima – the origin of the name “Citizen” dates back to the first watch to bear the name – a hand-wound pocket watch – which was named “CITIZEN” by then Tokyo Mayor, Shinpei Goto, so that it would be loved widely by citizens for a long time. The name “Citizen” was incorporated into the company name, and Citizen Watch Co., Ltd., was established in 1930. Since then, the Group has continued to uphold its corporate philosophy of being “loved by citizens, working for citizens.”

Does the idea from the early days was to make Citizen watches accessible to a wide audience, to make them affordable to most but also useful in the daily life of these citizens of the world?

Yoshihisa Yajima – Named “Citizen” with the hope of being loved widely by citizens for a long time, we take pride in continuously creating diverse watches that cater to people’s needs, in line with our brand identity since its establishment. A notable example is our Eco-Drive technology, which utilizes the light as a source of clean, renewable energy, eliminating the need for regular battery replacement and demonstrating our consideration for the environment. Through our high-quality and innovative products and technologies, which are cherished by people all around the world, we strive to enrich their lives.

As we talk about the past, we’re here looking at 100 years of Citizen, with an exhibition retracing a century of watchmaking. And you’re celebrating this by somehow re-editing the brand’s very first product, a pocket watch. A bold choice in 2024, but should this also indicate a strategy to keep traditional mechanical watchmaking alive?

Yoshihisa Yajima – In 2021, Citizen launched the ‘Cal.0200’, a mechanical movement developed in-house for the first time in 11 years. At the same time, we introduced new mechanical collections, Series 8 and a mechanical diver model of PROMASTER, demonstrating Citizen’s commitment to expanding its range of mechanical models. The new pocket watch movement ‘Cal.0270’, announced this year as a symbol of the first step towards the next 100 years, is based on the ‘Cal.0200’. However, it mirrors the layout of the original pocket watch from 100 years ago, with the positions of the hour and minute hands and the small second hand kept the same. While leveraging the technology and know-how cultivated in the ‘Cal.0200’, it is equipped with a movement that is almost newly developed, including the gear train and decorations.

What Cal.0200 and Cal.0270 have in common is the adoption of a free-sprung balance and the use of the LIGA process for the escapement, achieving high accuracy with a daily rate of -3 to +5 seconds. The Cal.0270 also features a second-hand stop function that allows for time setting down to the second.  The feature that allows the balance to stop by pulling out the crown is unusual in pocket watches.  This goes beyond simply rehashing past models and demonstrates that our product development embodies Better Starts Now’s commitment to continuously seeking the better, tailored to the needs of the era. It can also be said to represent our message that we will continue to focus on mechanical models in two axes with Eco-Drive in the future.

Citizen is today widely known for its innovative and technically advanced products, such as EcoDrive. There is, however, true mechanical watchmaking expertise within the group, whether in Japan, with an immense production capacity and millions of movements done by Citizen and Miyota, or Switzerland with La Joux-Perret. We’ve talked about 100 years of the past, what’s the strategy of mechanical watchmaking for Citizen in the future?

Yoshihisa Yajima – Continuing to consider each role, we will effectively utilize the know-how and resources of mechanical manufacturing and technological development within the group. Anticipating the continuous expansion of mechanical watch demand, Citizen is expanding its mechanical watch range with The CITIZEN, Series 8, PROMASTER, and the “TSUYOSA” collection. Moving forward, we aim to enhance our presence in the mechanical market by offering pricing, design, and styling that meet the diverse needs of our customers.

Hiroyuki Ota – In recent years, Citizen Group has grown and acquired several brands such as Frederique Constant and Arnold & Son, but also movement maker La Joux-Perret. Our engineers from Japan went to LJP for several years to learn and exchange regarding traditional watchmaking. Our main engineer for the calibre 0200 stayed at La Joux-Perret for several years, then back to Japan to propose this project. It is clear that without LJP, we couldn’t have made this calibre 0200 as it is, especially regarding decoration.

And while the pocket watch is more about storytelling and the commemoration of our 100th anniversary, it’s also the starting point of a high-end product range. We want to continue in this direction but it will take time. We first need to approach more seasoned customers and talk more about our expertise. Before, it was not enough known.

I’ve seen about 10 superb chronometer watches from the 1960s and 1970s at the exhibition. Can we imagine that “The Citizen” would be the sub-brand to revive this expertise and this style of higher-end and accurate watches? 

Hiroyuki Ota – While it’s an idea that will take time, we’re now looking at a roadmap for new developments. For sure, it won’t be easy and it will take many years but we will try to revive this type of high-end, accurate and nicely finished mechanical watches in the future.

For more details, please visit CitizenWatch-Global.com.