One hundred. That’s the number of years that have passed since that 1924 when a watch with the Citizen brand name first came out on the market. A round figure for a reality, the Japanese one, that with its innovations has had the merit of writing important pages also in the field of underwater timepieces.
Here, too, there is an important date to hold sway: 1959. That was the year Citizen presented its first diver’s watch, which later paved the way for the Promaster a collection that became a benchmark for watch enthusiasts. A success with a special flavor. First of all because it is confirmation that the hand industry is not just a Swiss exclusive.
And then because the Citizen case, if we want to call it that, represents a reference model for the watch industry. The key to understanding this comes through the kind of approach that has seen the Japanese company make a difference on the technological aspect. Suffice it to recall the Eco-Drive movement conceived, developed and produced by the Japanese brand. But there is more. Starting with the fact that Citizen not only makes the individual elements of which the watches are made in-house but even produces the machinery with which they are made.
And that alone would be enough to understand what a solid foundation the brand has built its reputation on. Citizen, however, has gone further. The proof is clearly written in the history of the first underwater timepiece produced by the Japanese company. To test its performance before going into production, the Parawater, that’s the name, was subjected to tests that were very extreme for the time. The first, conducted in 1959, saw the timepiece hooked to a buoy, launched into the sea off the coast of Japan and towed to shore.
Once ashore, it was ascertained that the watch worked perfectly. A short time later, the same timepiece, was subjected to an even more demanding test that went down in the news as the Trans-Pacific Test. As many as 130 Parawaters were tied to as many buoys and left at the mercy of the Pacific Ocean currents. A year later they were recovered still fully functional on the shores of the United States. Stories like this, but more could be added, allow us to touch on the important role occupied by Citizen in the great book of underwater watchmaking.
An important stage in a journey or rather a vision that began in 1918, the year the company was founded, and continued in 1924 with the entry onto the scene of the first watch, a pocket model to be exact, on the dial of which appeared the Citizen trademark.
A destiny that of the Japanese company was written in the name itself. Citizen meaning citizen. One must start here to fully understand the intentions of the watchmaker whose desire to design and produce timepieces intended for citizens of the world. One hundred years later, the goal has been achieved. This is also the reason that prompted Citizen to present to celebrate this important milestone a pocket model that draws inspiration from the one launched in 1924.
At first glance they look similar, but on closer reading the new reference stands out for a whole series of innovations. Starting with the case made of a special titanium alloy inside of which is housed a movement in which the free-sprung balance guarantees high precision from -3 to +5 seconds per day. But the celebrations do not end there.
Agreeing with the brand’s fans those who appreciate the collection of legendary Promaster divers is another important anniversary: the 70th anniversary of Godzilla. Yeah, but what does the part-dinosaur part-lizard creature that came out of Japanese director Ishirō Honda’s imagination have to do with Citizen? The answer lies in the Promaster Professional Diver 1000m. Not just any timepiece. The remarkable size of the titanium case that was 55mm in diameter earned this professional diver’s timepiece the nickname AutoZilla.
It was coined by the brand’s large community of aficionados who, by virtue precisely, of its size and marine origins, saw in this timepiece animated by an automatic movement the transposition of the famous lizard in watchmaking terms. Later, the arrival of the Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive Professional Diver 1000 BN7020-09E changed the rules of the game because it was the first professional diver capable of reaching depths of 1,000 meters to adopt the innovative Eco-Drive movement.
Based on the revolutionary technology developed by the Japanese watchmaker, it uses natural light as a power source without resorting to the use of batteries. It was a major breakthrough for Citizen that did not go unnoticed even by the brand’s devotees, who invented the nickname Ecozilla to identify it. Today the family has expanded, and by this appellation we refer to the Diver’s Eco Drive 300 mt line, a diver’s collection that, buoyed by its success, salutes the arrival of two new versions this year. Declined in dial shades, black and green, it is distinguished by a 48mm steel case. Water-resistant to a depth of 300 meters inside it houses the Eco-Drive movement that regulates the hours, minutes and seconds functions. As in all professional dive watches, the presence of a unidirectional rotating bezel makes this timepiece a reliable tool for use while diving.
Alongside these references Citizen has joined a limited edition watch to celebrate 70 years since the release of the film that marked Godzilla’s big-screen debut. Declined in two variants the “Godzilla collaboration model” is available with a black dial and the classic black and white image of Godzilla and the second, with a dark red dial to represent Godzilla roaring with rage. The dial, 48mm case and bezel show a “camouflage” pattern inspired by the scales Godzilla’s skin is covered with as well as small Godzillas are hidden inside the case and dial decoration.
Matteo Zaccagnino