The History of Citizen Watch Company: Discover the Rise of Citizen Watches
Carina Friedrich
Download this FREE article from the WatchTime Magazine archives and become an expert historian on Citizen watches!
This FREE download documents the story of Citizen's rise, from a small experimental producer of mechanical pocketwatches, to a primary player in the quartz-watch revolution that rocked the watch world in the 1970s and '80s, to the development of the Citizen Eco-Drive, a major force in the quartz watch revolution. The success story of the Citizen Watch Company is a fascinating one, and WatchTime Spotlight: Citizen takes you there, from the beginning to the early 2000s.
Click here to get your FREE Download.
The story begins in 1918, when Tokyo jeweler Kamekichi Yakamazi founded the Shokosha Watch Research Institute and began producing pocketwatches. The first commercial model, the caliber 16 pocket watch, was sold in 1924 under the brand name Citizen. Soon, the Citizen watch company became a major watch producer, but its progress was halted by the eruption of World War II, which devastated the Japanese watch industry.
After the war, however, a new era began for Citizen watches with the arrival of new company president Eiichi Yamada. Yamada, who understood that Citizen's future lay in overseas expansion, created the Citizen Trading Company, which marketed the brand around the world. Yamada also focused on the technological development of Citizen watches, producing a series of mechanical watches that were breakthroughs for the Japanese watch industry. In this FREE article covering the history of Citizen watches, you'll find out about these watches, and also learn about the Citizen Watch Company's relationship with American watch brand Bulova. If you're curious about the Citizen watch innovations during the era of Yamada, download this FREE article for the complete story.
Our story also covers the historical era in which the Citizen Watch Company was the most innovative — the electronic age, in which today's most popular Citizen watches were born. The quartz watch revolution of the 1970s was a turning point in watch history, and while the mechanical watch leaders in Switzerland saw the new technology as a threat, their American and Japanese competitors saw it as an opportunity. The Citizen Watch Company, in particular, produced some of its most important models, with numerous features, in this early era of electronic timekeeping. One of the milestone Citizen watches from this period was the Citizen X-8, the first-ever titanium watch.From 1975 through 1981, the Citizen Watch Company unveiled a new watch with a world-first feature every year, becoming the leader in quartz watches. In the late 1970s, as thin watches became popular, The Citizen Watch Company competed in the thin-watch arena with watches from Seiko and ETA.
If you'd like to learn more about these developments, and what these world's-first Citizen watches were, don't delay: download this FREE article now!
The most important breakthrough for Citizen watches involved solar power. A Citizen watch called the Crystron Solar Cell was the world's first solar-powered analog quartz watch.
This watch was the forerunner of the Citizen Eco-Drive, the company's most important and successful product launch ever. In 1995, the Citizen Eco-Drive technology rewrote history and took quartz technology to a new level, with a Citizen watch powered by natural or artificial light. The Citizen Eco-Drive helped the Citizen Watch Company become the world's largest watch producer, from the 1980s until the end of the century.
If you want to know the whole story, read our FREE Download and become an immediate expert on Citizen watches.
Enjoy this FREE Download, and learn more about:
The history of the Citizen Watch Company
The evolution from pocket watches to Citizen Eco Drive
What goes into making Citizen watches
The most important historical Citizen watches
Facts you didn't know about the Citizen Watch Company
This FREE History of Citizen watches is readable on all devices. To download it, please click on the teaser box below. We also invite you to have a look at our other FREE WatchTime Spotlight downloads, covering many other brands and watch models. If you need another reason to download Watchtime Spotlight: Citizen – A History Of The Citizen Watch Company, remember that WatchTime is the most respected watch magazine in the industry, and the only one to conduct independent tests of watches. If you're interested in Citizen watches, take the opportunity to read this FREE download, WatchTime Spotlight: Citizen – A History Of The Citizen Watch Company.
This promotional article was originally published in 2013 and has been updated.
Tags: Bulova, Citizen, Citizen Eco Drive, Pocket Watches, Seiko, watch, Watches, WatchTime
7 Responses to "The History of Citizen Watch Company: Discover the Rise of Citizen Watches"
WILLIAM hOWARTH August 13, 2018
Being the proud owner of a titanium chronograph eco drive satellite watch I can truly say it is the best watch I have owned for accuracy and general wearability. Well done Citizen.
John Gluhak June 14, 2018
I recently purchased a Citizen Eco Drive chronograph from Costco. The instructional book is too confusing and made for different models. I cannot turn off the function fo daylight saving time as I live in Glendale Az. I set the watch to Denver Colorado and it is on daylight savings time. Phoenix Az is on mountain Standard time. Arizona, Hawaii and Puerto Rico are three locations that do not use daylight savinging time. Could you send me step by step how to turn off daylight-saving time or a web site to assist me.
Rob Tompkins October 13, 2017
I can't find this article on the site, can you please update the link?
Thom McCarthy August 7, 2015
I am currently looking to purchase a new watch, chronograph style, metal bracelet, at least 48mm diameter.
I can only spend $200 to $600 and have recently been looking at Citizen, so this article is timely.
Also looked at Invicta, but have read a few negative articles about this brand.
Can anyone recommend brands and models of best quality in my price range that meet these features ?
Virgil Howarth April 9, 2015
I own several Citizen watches and all of them are great watches and a terrific value.
Debashish November 2, 2013
Thanks a lot for providing us, the watch aficionados, with these free downloads!
In fact, I have downloaded all and shall download details related to Citizen shortly.
Now, I have a request in this regard i.e. can you provide us "Free Download" related to 4 of my favourite watches, which are Breguet, Chopard, Ulysse Nardin and Vacheron Constantin?
Thanks a lot once again!
Jason Francisco November 4, 2013
We're glad you're enjoying them!
We always want to know what the readers would like to see, so thanks for you suggestion.
Diving with the Panerai Luminor Marina 1950 ...
Checking in with Seiko Watch Corporation ...
Time Flies: 9 Historic IWC Pilot's ...
Borrowed Time: The GPHG-Winning Seiko Prospex ...