Citizen Watches

With the latest additions to their Promaster range, Japanese watchmaker Citizen has once again proven a luxury timepiece can start at an affordable price. MAXIM chats with JAE LEE, the head of marketing at Citizen’s Aussie head office, to talk expansion, milestones and the magic of the eco-drive movement…

ithin the cast of global watchmakers, where Japanese and Swiss brands are divided up like horological Capulets and Montagues, heritage brand Citizen is something of an anomaly. For a start, its very Japanese history has Swiss roots. It began in 1918, when a Swiss merchant named Rodolphe Schmid opened a small watch factory in Yokohama, Japan. In 1930 a group of Japanese and Swiss investors bought the facilities, and the Citizen Watch Company was born.
“The name Citizen was conceived in 1924 by the mayor of Tokyo, Goto Shinpei,” explains Jae Lee, Citizen’s head of marketing in Australia. “The company philosophy was to produce watches that were not exclusive to the wealthy elite, with the hope that anyone in the world could wear their timepieces.” Guided by this noble, albeit financially-astute, ambition, Citizen would become a titan in the watch industry, crafting well-made, reliable watches at relatively utilitarian prices. No gimmicks, no stuffiness, just stylish, accurate timepieces that weren’t too show-offy.
With an estimated global revenue in the range of $3 billion annually, the success of the company and ubiquity of its timepieces are well-known. Less known, however, is that Citizen is now the parent owner of both American watch brand Bulova and beloved Swiss makers Frédérique Constant, La Joux-Perret and Arnold & Sons. “Citizen has a multi-brand strategy” explains Lee. “Basically, if you want a watch, we can provide one for all ages and prices as well as design and heritage craftsmanship.”
Within the Citizen stable the brand is especially noted for their Promaster range, which vary in price from $499 and up to $2,199. Celebrated for their accuracy and lifespan, the marine watches are the stars of the Promaster collection. According to Jae, “When it comes to divers’ watches, they usually refer to watches with 200m or more water resistance and a simple design that improves visibility, has a rotating bezel, and has an excellent luminous performance. At Citizen we try to be faithful to these basics while adding value and eco-friendliness with Eco-Drive — our unique quartz movement.”
To try one out for ourselves, MAXIM is loaned a sporty Promaster marine called the BN0159-15X with a fire engine red face and bezel. Red, the colour of auspiciousness, passion and communism, might seem like an odd choice for a men’s dive watch. Paired with an all-black outfit, however, and the watch suddenly becomes a striking accessory. It’s also a practical colour when working out or, God forbid, actually diving.
Still, it’s the brand’s signature eco-drive quartz movement, which doesn’t require a traditional battery, that’s perhaps the most impressive detail of all. “It is an eco-friendly, semi-permanent movement,” notes Jae. “Quartz movements require a battery change every two years, but eco-drive is powered by sunlight. It can also be charged with just an LED light.”
Launched in 1995, the eco-drive movement helped remind watch aficionados that it’s not just the Swiss makers pushing the limits of a wristwatch. Like everything Citizen does, their warranties are no less reasonable. Five years, the same standard as Rolex and three years longer than Patek Phillipe. Plus, with a retail price of $599, the BN0159-15X works out to be just 33 cents per day for five years of guaranteed wear.
With nearly three years under his belt working in Citizen’s marketing and product division, Lee has a clear favourite when asked for his advice on buying your first Citizen watch. “Definitely the BN0191-80L — a great entry diver watch that’s faithful to the basics,” he replies. “The design is great. You can wear it with a suit or casualwear as well as use the watch when you actually go diving. A simple, modern and functional dive watch you can enjoy every day.”
This year also happens to be something of a milestone one for Citizen — it’s been 90 years since the launch of their first wristwatch. We ask Jae about the biggest shifts to have occurred in that time. His answer is the familiar tale of quartz watches revolutionising the mechanical watch industry in the late ’60s, although his version adds a contemporary twist. “The advent of battery-powered electronic watches alarmed Switzerland, which only insisted on mechanical, but did not panic the entire watch industry. At this time, of course, everyone considered wearing a wristwatch.
“There was a similar trend when digital watches appeared. It was just a matter of manual or battery, analogue or digital. However, the popularisation of mobile phones has meant that wristwatches have entered a completely different phase. People no longer need to wear their watches to check the time. The mobile phone took over, and the smartwatch followed, where it now dominates over 50% of the watch industry. Now the watch industry is divided into the AI watches and the non-AI watches.”
Indeed, even as technology pushes wristwatches further away from the “necessary” category, mid-range brands like Citizen look firmly ahead, underpinned by a heritage of innovation and reputation for reliability. After all, Lee concludes, “We’re not a cheap watch company that makes rough, inexpensive watches but a top-notch company whose technology continues to evolve.” ■