19 March 2026
Celebrating 50 Years of Eco-Drive technology:
CITIZEN Marks Half a Century of Light-Powered Innovation
CITIZEN celebrates the 50th anniversary of Eco-Drive technology this year. To commemorate this significant milestone, we are also planning to release special models marking the 50th anniversary of Eco-Drive.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of CITIZEN introducing the world’s first analogue light-powered watch (now known as Eco-Drive). Light-powered Eco-Drive technology, which drives watches using light that shines equally across the world, embodies CITIZEN’s corporate philosophy of being “loved by citizens, working for citizens.”
In the early 1970s, the world was in the midst of an energy crisis, and the engineers at CITIZEN looked to sunlight as an innovative, non-polluting energy source, with the aspiration of creating an environmentally friendly watch that eliminates the need for regular battery changes. In 1976, CITIZEN launched the world’s first analogue light-powered watch. Since then, for half a century, CITIZEN has evolved the functionality and design of Eco-Drive technology, which converts even the smallest amounts of light into energy. Today, Eco-Drive watches are worn in approximately 140 countries and regions worldwide.
CITIZEN conveys the message that, just as Eco-Drive converts any light into energy to keep time moving forward, the unique brilliance of each wearer has the power to illuminate the future and society, driving progress.
The world's first light-powered analogue
watch CRYSTRON SOLAR CELL (1976)
<About CITIZEN>
CITIZEN WATCH is a true manufacture d'horlogerie with the capabilities to carry out the entire watch manufacturing process in-house, from creating a watch’s individual components to its final assembly and adjustment. The company operates in more than 140 countries and regions around the world. Since its founding in 1918, CITIZEN has held the belief of “BETTER STARTS NOW” — that is, no matter who you are and what you do, it is always possible to make something better, and now is the time to start doing it. Sharing this belief, we began making mechanical watches, invented and improved technologies and explored the future of watches such as our proprietary light-powered Eco-Drive technology and satellite-synchronised timekeeping. 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of CITIZEN’s world first light-powered watch, and we will continue to explore the future of watchmaking through innovation.
「Eco-Drive 50 YEARS OF INNOVATION」
https://www.citizenwatch-global.com/special/50th-ecodriveinnovation/index.html 