WATCH & JEWELRY /
WATCH NEWS
June 3, 2018
CITIZEN Celebrates 100th Anniversary with Events Across Five Japanese Cities
CITIZEN | Citizen
CITIZEN 100th Anniversary Tour Across Five Japanese Cities
Touch & Try Event Kicks Off
This year, Citizen celebrates its 100th anniversary with a special "CITIZEN 100th Anniversary Touch & Try Event" that has launched at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya. The event offers a glimpse into the brand's past, present, and future, and features the ultra-high-precision Eco-Drive movement "Calibre 0100," announced at this year's Baselworld. The event will subsequently be held in four other cities across Japan: Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo, starting June 6th.
Photographs by KATSUKI SatoshiText by KOIZUMI Yoko
Experience Citizen's Past 100 Years and Its Next Century
To commemorate Citizen's 100th anniversary, the "CITIZEN 100th Anniversary Touch & Try Event" began on May 28th, the company's founding anniversary. The event looks back at the past century through its historical models and presents "The Time of Beginnings" for the next 100 years.
The event venue is the Atrium, an event space on the first floor of Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, which opened on March 29th of this year.
A symbolic clock is placed in the center of the three-story atrium, drawing the eye. This light sculpture, made with Citizen's custom LEDs, is themed around "The Time of Beginnings," the concept of the event.
The base of the sculpture features a new display combining video and actual timepieces. The novel presentation method is so captivating that one can easily lose track of time. As the space is intimate, be sure not to miss any details.
Citizen's past, present, and future are introduced in four corners surrounding this symbolic clock.
The "CITIZEN 100TH HISTORY" exhibition corner showcases epoch-making watches from the past, alongside a digital pop-up for an intuitive exploration of history.
Touching the screen reveals detailed information about each featured model, making the historical journey both enjoyable and engaging.
The technology showcase corner highlights Citizen's innovative technologies such as "Eco-Drive*1," "Super Titanium™*2," and "GPS Satellite Wave & Radio-Controlled Watches," as well as the skilled craftsmanship cultivated as a manufacturer.
It's remarkable to realize how many of Citizen's developed technologies have become the standard for watches today. This section is also worth exploring in detail.
Displayed alongside these is the "Calibre 0100," announced at this year's Baselworld to great acclaim. This is an ultra-high-precision movement with an annual accuracy of ±1 second, representing cutting-edge technology not yet in mass production. By presenting actual measurement results from a timegrapher, the aim is to allow visitors to truly appreciate its accuracy of within one second per year.
Furthermore, 54 models are available for "Touch and Try" at the event. Alongside core products like Attesa, Promaster, Crossシー, and Citizen Elle, the flagship "Eco-Drive One," the world's thinnest*1 light-powered watch, is prominently displayed. Particularly drawing attention are the "100th Anniversary Limited Models," a collection of six models spanning various lines, which were released on the event's opening day. Many visitors were seen pausing to admire them.
The "CITIZEN 100th Anniversary Touch & Try Event" offers a chance to experience Citizen's past 100 years and its next century. The event runs until June 3rd (Sunday) at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, after which it will tour the country. Novelty gifts will be available at the venue. For more details, please check the special website.
Tokyo Venue
Location: Tokyo Midtown Hibiya Atrium
Directly connected to Hibiya Station on the Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway lines
Dates: May 28th (Monday) - June 3rd (Sunday), 2018
Hours: 11:00 - 19:00
Nagoya Venue
Location: Nagoya Station Event Space (Central)
Nagoya Station Central Concourse
Dates: June 6th (Wednesday) - June 10th (Sunday), 2018
Hours: 11:00 - 19:00
Osaka Venue
Location: Hankyu Umeda Station, Bigman Plaza
Hankyu Umeda Station, 1st Floor Central Concourse
Dates: June 13th (Wednesday) - June 17th (Sunday), 2018
Hours: 11:00 - 19:00
Fukuoka Venue
Location: JR Hakata Station Exhibition Space (in front of large curved OLED digital signage)
Towards Hakata Exit from JR Hakata Station Central and North Ticket Gates
Dates: June 20th (Wednesday) - June 24th (Sunday), 2018
Hours: 11:00 - 19:00
Sapporo Venue
Location: Sapporo Station JR Tower East Concourse
Towards East Exit of JR Sapporo Station
Dates: July 4th (Wednesday) - July 8th (Sunday), 2018
Hours: 11:00 - 19:00
*Exhibition content and products may vary by venue.
*1 Eco-Drive: A proprietary Citizen technology for light-powered watches that eliminates the need for regular battery changes. It was the first watch to be certified as an "Eco Mark Product."
*2 Super Titanium™: Through Citizen's unique technology, pure titanium is surface-hardened to achieve a hardness more than five times that of stainless steel. It is scratch-resistant, lightweight, and gentle on the skin for comfortable wear.
*3 World's thinnest: As an analog light-powered watch. As of February 2018, according to Citizen Watch.