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Celebrating Citizen’s Under-Recognized Horological History
A special limited-edition pocket watch pays homage to the Japanese brand’s 100 years of innovative watchmaking.
W hen the Shokosha Watch Research Institute set about launching a homegrown pocket watch to satisfy the growing Japanese market, they wanted a name that would represent the company’s egalitarian ambitions. Shinpei Goto, the mayor of Tokyo, had an idea. He told them to call it Citizen.
Released in 1924 for ¥12.5 (¥20,000 today), the Citizen pocket watch was an unmitigated success. Emperor Shōwa owned one – and so, it seemed, did nearly every citizen in Tokyo, leading Shokosha to adopt the moniker as its new brand name. One hundred years on, Citizen Watch is world renowned for its attainable yet finely constructed pieces. Now, to commemorate its 100th anniversary, on December 6 Sotheby’s New York will auction the #001 watch in a special limited edition reinterpreting the inaugural Citizen pocket watch.
While Japan had a long history of careful time-keeping and observational astronomy – as well as a traditional calendar of 24 sekki, or solar seasons, that shaped cultural notions about time – in the early 20th century it lacked an established watch industry like those in Switzerland, France and Germany. Shokosha was founded to develop the technical skills necessary for a domestic watch company to stand toe-to-toe with its European peers, and it had the advantage of a culture of artisans who prized precision and craft. Over the last century Citizen has become, by number of watches sold, the largest watchmaker in the world, and its robust research and development division boasts an impressive list of accomplishments in watchmaking.
For example, in 1956, according to the Citizen Museum, the Parashock became the first watch to survive a 120-meter drop test. Citizen was also the first to launch a solar-powered watch (the 1976 Crystron Solar Cell, which housed a predecessor to their current Eco-Drive movements) as well as a radio-synchronized watch (the 1993 Radio-Controlled), and was among the earliest to create a satellite watch (the 2011 Eco-Drive Satellite Wave). Today its popular Eco-Drive movements lead the industry for light-powered analogue watches, offering up to six months of power from just a few hours of exposure.
Then, in 2020, Citizen launched a wristwatch armed with the record-setting Caliber 0100. While most mechanical movements are measured in seconds gained and lost per day, the Caliber 0100, using an advanced crystal oscillator and a slew of other innovations, is accurate to within a single second each year. As Jack Forster writes in the book Citizen: The Essence of Time, a copy of which is included in the lot, this movement powers what is, “simply put, the most precise and consequently the most accurate watch ever made.”
The reference NC2990-94A pocket watch on offer at Sotheby’s represents a number of benchmarks in the company’s storied history.
The presentation is simple yet elegant on its surface. Traditional blued pomme hands extend toward Breguet-style numerals, with a small-seconds indicator at 6-o’clock. The case is a beautifully finished titanium (Citizen was among the first watchmakers to adopt the lightweight material), framing a soft-white dial that uses electroforming – another Citizen creation – to mimic the appearance of accumulated snow. The dial’s ivory tone and soft texture offer a subtle update to the pure-white step-down dial of the 1924 original – a metaphor, the company says, for the steady passage of time.
On the verso, visible through the sapphire exhibition case back, is the manually wound Caliber 0270, an 18-jeweled, 28,800-vph interpretation of the original movement. Even in its first product, Citizen showcased an astute understanding of watchmaking mechanics – an overcoil hairspring, for instance, was rarely seen outside of Bregeut’s chronometer watches. (A Citizen watch would eventually achieve chronometer certification in 1962.) That hairspring, among other elements, returns in the 2024 edition, plus a number of upgrades to the balance and escapement. A modern free-sprung balance wheel helps ensure a daily accuracy of -3 / +5 seconds, surpassing COSC requirements.
The original’s utilitarian finishing is also updated with an elegant Côtes de Genève pattern and diamond-beveled edges. The case’s onion crown and angular bow have updated designs as well. As is customary on a Japanese pocket watch, the bow is secured by a woven, indigo-dyed silk cord – made here by Domyo, a Tokyo-based maker of kumihimo braided cords since 1652.
Collector interest in pocket watches is arguably the predecessor of the modern luxury watch market, yet very few manufactures offer mechanical pocket watches in their catalogues today. Out of 100 pocket watches made by Citizen, 99 have been sold by the company, making this watch on offer at Sotheby’s Important Watches auction the last chance for collectors to obtain this homage to history.
Proceeds from the sale will benefit 1% for the Planet, an organization that encourages businesses to contribute to environmental causes.
