Brand Philosophy

Next Level Precision

Next Level Precision

Making watches
with minimal deviation

A watch should be an integral part of your life, a companion. That is why The CITIZEN sees telling accurate time as its key mission. It wants to mark each individual second of your life with greater purity and precision than any other watch brand. With both Eco-Drive and mechanical movements, our untiring quest for greater accuracy continues.

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​​There are 365 days in a year.
​​For us, each individual second counts.

The fundamental mission of a watch is a straightforward one: to tell the accurate time. Ever since the founding of the brand, The CITIZEN has devoted itself wholeheartedly to the pursuit of accurate timekeeping. But we conceive of accuracy not within the time frame of day or a month, but of an entire year. The technology we created limits deviation to almost nothing over the course of 365 days. We think about every individual autonomous second, counting themselves off day by day and month by month. That is why The CITIZEN developed movements that use only the most rigorously selected crystal oscillators and are assembled from individual components of extraordinary precision. We have achieved the highest levels of annual accuracy: ±5 seconds and ±1 second. We were able to do this because we are manufacture, meaning that we make all our own components and conducting final assembly in-house.

We only use crystal oscillators
that have passed rigorous tests

For quartz watches, the quality of the crystal oscillator inside the movement is the key to accurate timekeeping. But The CITIZEN is not prepared to use even the highly accurate crystal oscillators suitable for normal quartz watches without first putting them through a battery of tests.

For models with annual accuracy of ±5 seconds, we set aside newly manufactured tuning fork-shaped crystal oscillators for a six-month observation period to check the stability of their frequency.

For models with annual accuracy of ±1 second, we use a different kind of crystal oscillator: the AT cut crystal oscillator. We ensure stability through repeated ageing. As part of that process, we also test their frequency, finally selecting only those crystal oscillators that exhibit minimum change over time. We continue to test the crystal oscillators even after they have been built into the watch’s movement, with only those that meet our rigorous standards being sent out to our customers. In the pursuit of accuracy, everything depends on how obsessive you are about the crystal oscillator.

Taking the temperature
1,440 times per day

Temperature is the factor that has the greatest impact on the accuracy of the crystal oscillator. From freezing mid-winter to baking-hot summer, we actually live with greater temperature differentials than we often think. A quartz watch which tells the correct time at 25 degrees Celsius, experiences a slowdown of 0.1 seconds per day for every 5 degrees Celsius that the temperature changes. For a watch that measures its accuracy on an annual basis like The CITIZEN, that constitutes a major deviation. Hence The CITIZEN being equipped with a temperature correction function. This function automatically monitors and adjusts for the watch’s internal temperature once per minute for a total of 1,440 measurements per day. Incessantly compensating for frequency changes caused by changes in temperature makes sure that accuracy is maintained.

Committed to accuracy
whatever the movement

We believe that accuracy is the essence of a watch. And accuracy is something that The CITIZEN is pursuing via both light-powered Eco-Drive and mechanical movements. In the quest for sustained accurate timekeeping, the new Caliber 0200/0210 mechanical movement uses a free-sprung balance wheel to achieve average daily accuracy of -3/+5 seconds, a level in excess of chronometer standard (ISO3159). Once the watch is fully assembled (but the wrist band not yet attached), it undergoes 17 days of in-house testing involving six positions and three temperature levels. The obsession with accuracy has been a feature of CITIZEN mechanical watches over the last century and it continues to this day.

The embodiment of user-friendly.

Discover the functions and technologies that
make The CITIZEN an integral part of your life.

At the stroke of midnight.
​​Instant date change mechanism

It’s worth staying up late to watch The CITIZEN calendar at midnight. The date changes to the next day exactly when the time reaches 12.00 a.m. We created this instant date change mechanism by combining two things: our mastery of electronics and the skill and precision with which our watchmaking Meisters attach the hands.

This function is not available on all models.

One year in four is a leap year.
With a perpetual calendar, that’s no reason to worry.

Some watches require regular adjustment because their calendars insist on going on to the 31st even for months with fewer than 31 days. We want our watches to display not just the correct time but the correct date as well. That is why The CITIZEN features a perpetual calendar function that automatically takes into account the different number of days in different months, as well as leap years when they come around every four years. The perpetual calendar is valid until 2100, so you can rest easy until then!

This function is not available on all models.

Independently adjustable hour hand.
​​Great for international travel

​​The independently adjustable hour hand is very convenient when travelling abroad. Operation is simple. With the crown, you can move the hour hand in one-hour increments, while the minute hand and second hand keep ticking happily on. And because the hour hand connects to the calendar, the date will change when the hour hand goes past 12.00. The independently adjustable hour hand makes The CITIZEN an excellent companion when crossing time zones on trips overseas.

Eco-Drive

Eco-Drive

Can you power a watch with the highest level of annual accuracy using nothing more than light for your energy source? The answer is yes and that breakthrough in user-friendliness was made possible by Eco-Drive, CITIZEN’s proprietary light-powered technology. As well as not needing regular battery replacement, The CITIZEN Eco-Drive models can run for over six months off a single full charge. Since they charge from artificial indoor lighting as well as from sunlight, you don’t need to worry about your watch stopping suddenly. Welcome to complete peace of mind.

CITIZEN Technologies