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In 2012, they acquired Proctor Holdings, who own the brand Arnold & Son and La Joux Perret. And in 2011, the world’s first light-powered, satellite synchronised watch “Eco-Drive SATELLITE WAVE” was introduced. They made the first radio controlled watch in 1993, and the first light powered watch in 1996.

Citizen focused on their manufacturing capability and made huge progress in mass production and cost control. Citizen was in the forefront of the quartz revolution, though rivals Seiko was the first to announce their Astron. The company continued through the war years, and made the first Japanese watch with a calendar in 1952.

The movement is a classical Swiss styled lepine movement. The watch is now in the Citizen Museum, and photographed here. Emperor Shōwa (post humous name for Emperor Hirohito) who was then the Prince Regent of Japan in the Taishō era, owned the Citizen Caliber 16. The first customer was possibly the the Imperial family of Japan. It was presented to his friend and mayor of Tokyo Gotō Shinpei who named it Citizen as it was his dream that every citizen could own a high quality watch. The first commercial model was the caliber 16 pocket watch. Founded by Tokyo jeweler Kamekichi Yamazaki in 1918 as he Shokosha Watch Research Institute. The brand celebrates 100 years of its existence this year. Could this be the best quartz watch in the world? A very special quartz watch with features a zaratsu polished case and a washi paper dial.

Simply labelled as The Citizen, aka The Chronomaster. And from this rich engineering heritage, comes interesting technology. After all, this is a corporation who makes in excess of 200 million watches a year, and led not by professional managers or sale/marketing people, but by engineers. But we also discern a true engineering spirit from within the company. While this is true as the name Citizen was actually given to the first watch they produced in 1924 for this very reason – as a watch for the citizens of the world. What comes to mind when one thinks of Citizen watches? Probably inexpensive watches, robustly built.

Download citizen chronomaster aq4030 51a