Nizam Watch House

Citizen was founded in 1918, which makes it 100 years old. OK, this may not be that much of a news to most regular readers. We have talked about the 100th Anniversary celebratory products, like the F990 100^th Anniversary Satellite Wave. And the Citizen Caliber ECO DRIVE citizen AO9044-51E watch which was announced in Baselworld 2018 as the most accurate stand alone quartz watch (+/- 1s a year). The Baselworld showing was a prototype pocket watch in a sapphire glass case and not a commercial release. But we were given to understand that this new watch will be presented as a special watch, to be commercially available for 2019. 

The first Citizen made for Emperor Taishõ circa 1924. 

The name “Citizen” was originally given by the Mayor of Tokyo Shinpei Goto, who was a friend of the founder Kamekichi Yamazaki. Goto used the name Citizen circa 1920 to signify the dream of high quality watches that every citizen can afford. Interestingly and perhaps ironically, the then Emperor of Japan, Taishō was probably the first to own a Citizen watch. The watch is shown in the photograph above, which was taken during a visit to the Citizen Museum in April, 2018.

They make everything in-house.

Citizen is one of the most vertically integrated manufactures in the world. They make all the components in-house in Japan. Contrary to what some may be led to believe, all movements (including movements sold to third party labelled Miyota) are manufactured in Japan, and they do not have any manufacturing facility outside the home country. All components are manufactured within the company, from integrated circuits, to electronic chips, to mechanical components. The only exception is the movements used in some Campagnola Watches are made by La Joux Perret, a company which Citizen owns, and which manufactures out of Switzerland.

ECO DRIVE citizen AP1050-56E watch

Citizen Eco-Drive Moon Phase Sapphire Analog Gent’s Watch ,It’s an artisan’s approach to watchmaking based on pushing forward the boundaries of technology and leveraging our experience to explore new possibilities. Our 99-year history of world’s-firsts includes such watchmaking innovations as radio-controlled and satellite-synchronized timekeeping like ECO DRIVE citizen AO9040-52L watch. Another pivotal technological was the development of a revolutionary light-powered technology – eco-drive. Citizen pioneered this technology well ahead of other watch manufacturers as early as 1976. Utilizing electrical power converted from virtually any light source, this extraordinary innovation changed forever the way watches could be powered. Eco-drive eliminated the need to replace batteries, which made it especially beneficial to areas where specialist batteries were not obtainable.

ECO DRIVE Citizen AO9040-52E watch

A bolder take on the ever-popular Citizen Eco-Drive Day and Date watch. The subdials indicating the day of the week and the date remains the salient features but the distinctive minute tracker adds just the flair required to make this watch to standout on your wrist. Powered by Eco-Drive- the revolutionary light powered movement from Citizen, this watch has the ability to continuously recharge in any light source and can run for a minimum of six months even in the dark without any charge. ECO DRIVE citizen AO9040-52A watch, this revolutionary earth-friendly technology eliminates the need to change battery frequently and gives you hassle-free timekeeping, never disappointing you when you need it the most. The Eco-Drive movement also come with built-in Insufficient Charge Warning Function and Overcharge Prevention Function.