The history of Citizen watches is littered with many victories, which can be attributed to the company’s drive to continuously innovate and advance its products. The company is best known for the Eco-Drive function, which was a pioneer in the solar-charging technology it developed.
Citizen is a company that is known all over the world for producing watches that are noted for their high level of technology. Citizen, a company that has been in business for more than a century, has repeatedly established itself as a leader in the watchmaking sector.
In its early years, Citizen was founded on the principle of providing Japanese consumers with accessible watches at reasonable prices. Although the company didn’t get its start until 1918, it wasn’t until the 1930s that Japanese and Swiss investors gave it its official start. Rodolphe Schmid, a watchmaker, sold his wares in Japan and registered the trademark in Switzerland so that he could do business there.
When Citizen was “formed” in the 1930s, they utilised the facilities of the Shokosha Watch Research Institute in addition to the assembly plant that Schmid owned. Up until the start of World War II, Citizens saw a gradual rise in popularity but did not achieve much success on a global scale.
A few years later, the brand achieved its first major level of success. Citizen began to establish a name for itself when it made the decision to concentrate on the development of new technologies. With the Parawater, which came out in 1959, Citizen made the first wristwatch that could be fully submerged in water.
Citizen’s diving watch line had its start thanks to the popularity of the Parawater, which served as an inspiration to the brand. After the diving watch came out, the brand began to have success after success in a short amount of time.
Citizen was one of the companies that helped pioneer and introduce quartz movements to the market. In addition, Citizen was also one of the companies that invented another movement known as the Eco-Drive. The legacy of Citizen watches has left its imprint on the world.
Due to the fact that it was one of the earliest solar-charging movements, nearly everyone engaged in the watch industry is familiar with the Eco-Drive brand today. The company began selling its products in 1976, and it has always been proud of its history of citizen being ecologically conscientious.