WE EXPRESS OUR 100
YEARS OF HISTORY BY
EMPHASIZING THAT WE
ARE A TECHNOLOGY-
ORIENTED COMPANY.
(Built in the fall of 2016, Citizen’s Miyota Saku Factory houses watch move-
ment, coil and complete watch assembly.)
These investments have, over decades, been at the core of Citizen’s lead-
ership in a variety of technical timekeeping arenas. Primary among these,
he emphasizes, is Citizen’s unparalleled development of light-powered tech-
nology for timepieces.
“Our Eco-Drive One is the perfect example of our accomplishments,”
Takeuchi says. “Before Eco-Drive was born, more than forty years ago, our
company built itself on developing smaller and smaller movements. We
achieved that and we created the world’s thinnest watch (the 2.7mm Diamond
Flake, from 1962). After Eco-Drive was born, we started the same efforts, but
with this new technology. We started to make it thinner and smaller, leading
up to the Eco-Drive One, which is the thinnest Eco-Drive watch.”
TREND SPOTTING
Citizen’s forward-looking technical focus often means it jumps ahead of trends
before they become global. For example, Citizen was well ahead of its time
forty years ago as it developed light-powered movements.
“Forty years ago few people cared about ecology in reference to watches,
but today the world is very aware of this,” Takeuchi explains. “We forecast this
interest forty years ago. Now the environment is a worldwide issue. And now
everybody sees the value of the Eco-Drive technology.”
Similarly, the watch world today sees the value of using titanium cases
and bracelets. Citizen’s deep investment in its own metal development
technology allowed it to experiment with titanium cases well before other
watch companies.
CITIZEN TIMELINE
1975
1976:
1978:
1993:
1996:
2000:
2003:
2007:
1976
Production of quartz oscillators begun; then Crystron Solar Cell intro
duced, world’s first analog quartz watch with solar cell (left)
World’s first quartz watch with a movement thickness of less than 1mm,
“Exceed Gold” introduced.
World’s first multi-zone Radio-Controlled Watch introduced (right).
Solar-powered Eco-Drive received the Eco Mark the first for a watch.
World’s thinnest light-powered watch, “Stiletto” simultaneously
introduced worldwide.
World’s first full metal case radio-controlled watch with built-in
antenna introduced.
Company name changed to Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd.
1993
1992
SPRING 2018 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 53