Citizen

Citizen's history begins in 1918 with the Shokosha Watch Research Institute in Tokyo, founded by the jeweller Kamekichi Yamazaki. A pocket watch named Citizen followed in 1924, and Citizen Watch Co. was incorporated in 1930; the first wristwatch appeared in 1931. The company's defining technology is light-powered quartz: it introduced an analogue solar watch in 1976 as the Crystron Solar Cell, and in the mid-1990s consolidated the approach under the Eco-Drive name, which now covers most of its production. Radio-controlled and satellite-synchronised timekeeping and titanium cases with hardened surfaces are the other recurring themes.

The main lines are Promaster, the professional diving and pilot range launched in 1989; Attesa, built around titanium; The Citizen, the high-accuracy top tier introduced in 1995; and the automatic Tsuyosa. Citizen also owns Bulova, Frédérique Constant, Alpina, Arnold & Son and Angelus, and its Miyota division supplies movements to a large part of the industry.