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Citizen Watch Company history
Citizen Watch Company company history timeline
Since its foundation in 1918, CITIZEN has promoted a global, multicultural mindset that fosters excellence and creativity.
Citizen began in Tokyo in 1918 as a horological research center, the Shokosha Watch Research Institute.
In 1924, the Shokosha Watch Research Institute produced its first “CITIZEN” and ever Mayer of Tokyo Mr.
Determined to create a Japan-made rival product, the Shokosha Watch Research Institute, the precursor of CITIZEN, launched its own pocket watch in 1924.
With the birth of the Citizen Watch Company in 1930, the name of that first pocket watch became the name of the company.
Since its founding in 1930, the company has achieved many milestones such as:
1930 : "Citizen Watch Co., Ltd." established taking the idea to the company name.
1931 : Citizen's first men's wristwatch.
In 1935 the company built the factory in the Tanashi area of Tokyo that remains its main production facility.
1936 : Tanashi Factory, it was established in 1936 for greater mass-production line to correspond with the market's high demand
In 1936 the company built the factory in the Tanashi area of Tokyo that remains its main production facility.
Also in 1936, Citizen began selling watches in southeast Asia and the South Pacific; China also became a destination for exports.
Ranging from the model 1410 Field watch Eco Dive to the Eco Zilla (my fave BTW) Wore all sorts of brands starting in 1949 to now.
In 1949 Citizen established a subsidiary, Citizen Trading Co., Ltd., to handle domestic marketing.
In 1953 Citizen entered into a joint venture with Rhythm Watch Co., Ltd., another Japanese timepiece manufacturer, to sell the latter’s clocks.
New: Hanhart returns their 417 ES 1954 to the original
1956 : The first domestic watch with "Parashock" technology.
1958 : The first domestic watch with alarm, a built-in hammer beats the case back for about 10 seconds at the set time.
In 1958 Citizen resumed exporting watches to China, and, two years later, it started selling its machine tools there.
1959 : The first domestic waterproof watch ,"Parawater".
In 1959, Citizen launched Japan’s first fully waterproof timepiece, the Parawater.
1960 : The first domestic watch for the visually impaired.
In 1960 the company entered the all-important American market by providing Bulova Watch with parts for watches to be assembled and sold in the United States.
Citizen also made a significant public relations gesture in donating 850 synchronized clocks for use in the Olympic Village at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Citizen also placed more emphasis on developing its line of business machines, which was launched in late 1964.
“Timepieces Industry,” Oriental Economist, April 1965.
Citizen also placed more emphasis on developing its line of business machines, which was launched in 1965.
In 1965, Hattori and Citizen by themselves accounted for more than 80% of Japanese watch production.
1966 : The first domestic electronic watch, "X-8".
1967 : World's first transistorized electronic quartz clock, "Crystron".
In 1967 Citizen entered the gem and jewelry business, establishing a subsidiary, Citizen Jewelry, for that purpose.
The company established a precision machinery division in 1971 to manufacture such industrial equipment as precision lathes.
In 1972 the company entered the eyewear business as import and sales agency for Christian Dior frames.
1974 : Analog quartz watch " Citizen Quartz Crystron".
In 1975, the Crystron Mega was announced with an annual accuracy of +/- 3 seconds.
In 1975 the company established a United States sales subsidiary, Citizen Watch Company of America, Inc., in Los Angeles; its headquarters later moved to New York City and then to Lyndhurst, New Jersey.
In 1976, Citizen released the Crystron Solar Cell, the World’s first light-powered analogue quartz watch.
A pivotal advance was the development of a revolutionary light-powered technology, Eco-Drive, which CITIZEN pioneered well ahead of other watch manufacturers – as early as 1976.
Introduced in 1976, the brand takes pride in being environmentally conscious from early on.
American sales started out small, accounting for only 10 percent of Citizen's total sales in 1977.
In 1978, they made the thinnest quartz watch, with the movement measuring only 1.00 mm.
By 1980, one-third of all watches sold in the United States were digital, but Fairchild Camera & Instrument, Intel, Litronix, and Motorola had all been driven out of the watch business.
Citizen's success was a major part of the overall success of the Japanese timepiece industry; Japan became the world's second largest watchmaking nation by 1980, boasting a 21 percent share of the world market and shaving Switzerland's lead to a mere 1/2 percent.
1982 : The world's first quartz divers watch with water resistance to 1300m.
Citizen expanded its information-equipment group, the descendant of its office-machine business; in 1984, it began exporting its printers and disc drives to the United States.
In 1985 Citizen and Hattori Seiko—the name K. Hattori & Company had assumed in 1985—entered into an agreement to supply each other with parts.
The company decided that non-timepiece products should eventually account for half of total sales, compared to 32% in 1985.
In 1986 it joined with the United States manufacturer Perkin-Elmer to form Perkin-Elmer Citizen, a venture to produce and assemble analyzers and semiconductor processing devices in Japan.
1987 : The world's first digital quartz with sound recognition.
1989 : The CITIZEN Promaster collection was launched.
1989 : The world's first watch being able to measure altitude and air pressure.
Citizen’s industrial machinery operations launched the CRS/CRR series of precision industrial robots in October 1991.
1993 : World's first multi-zone " Radio-Controlled Watch".
In 1993, Citizen also introduced the world’s first multi-band atomic timekeeping watch.
May 1995 saw the debut of The Citizen line of limited edition watch models, which were accurate to within five seconds a year, were water resistant to ten atmospheres, and came with a free ten-year after-sales service and lifetime repair warranty.
Established in 1995, The CITIZEN was conceived as a brand that would embody that ideal.
1995 : The world's first analogue solar watch with alarm chronograph and "The Citizen"
In April 1996 Citizen launched its Eco-Drive watches, which featured a battery rechargeable from a brief exposure to light and never needing replacement.
Further diversification came in September 1996 when the Carrera golf club was introduced.
Improved economic conditions in the United States and strong sales in southeast Asia helped Citizen recover somewhat during fiscal 1996, when profits increased 30 percent over the previous year.
Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. is the world’s largest watchmaker, responsible for about 22 percent of total world watch production, which in fiscal 1996 amounted to 240 million watches.
As it neared the 21st century under the new leadership of Hiroshi Hakuta, appointed president in June 1997, Citizen Watch seemed certain to maintain the top position in watches for years to come and was well positioned to profit when the Japanese economy finally recovered from its extended slump.
Hiroshi Hakuta was appointed president in June 1997, becoming the first to attain that post from the non-watch side of Citizen's operations and the first with a background in engineering.
1998 : "Promaster Eco-Drive Duo", world's first hybrid power system watch (light power and movement power).
1999 : "Attesa Eco-Drive Radio-Controlled Watch" for Japan marketed.
Compounding the situation in fiscal 1999 was an oversupply of watch movements and a sharp appreciation in the yen during the second half of the year, resulting in a steep decline in profits for the year.
2000 : Premium watch series " Campanola Collection" marketed.
Demand for Citizen watches in North America, however, remained robust as the Eco-Drive models were particularly well received and were generating one-third of North American revenues by 2000.
In 2000 Citizen was bolstered by strong sales of crystal oscillators, LCD modules, and chip-based LEDs for PCs and portable electronics.
Citizen responded with an aggressive restructuring program, launched in October 2001, that included a workforce reduction of 2,000, or about 20 percent, as part of a broader cost-cutting program.
In 2001 Citizen's performance weakened thanks to economic downturns in Japan and North America and the slumping information technology industry.
Restructuring charges of ¥7.7 billion ($58 million) coupled with ¥6 billion ($45.2 million) in appraisal losses on company shareholdings contributed to a net loss for fiscal 2002 of ¥12.6 billion ($94.7 million), its first in 46 years.
2003 : World's first full metal case Radio Controlled watch with built-in antenna.
"Citizen, Seiko Watch to Strengthen Sales Efforts Abroad," Nikkei Report, August 9, 2005.
"Citizen Watch to Expand Low-End Watch Lineup," Nikkei Report, September 15, 2005.
For instance, in June 2006 Citizen announced that it had developed a wristwatch with an integrated Bluetooth interface able to wireless communicate with a cell phone and indicate when a call was being received, by vibrating, lighting up, and displaying the party's name and number.
2006 : In the analog radio clock Full Metal Eco-drive radio launched the world's thinnest watch.
2007 : Eco-drive radio clock world time released a high-sensitivity receiver provides three areas in Japan, the United States world.
2008 : In addition to the three areas worldwide United States and Europe, launched the World Time Eco-drive radio clock radio capability to receive the new Chinese standards.
2008: CITIZEN bought Bulova Watch Company.
2009 : In 2009 BASELWORLD, Eco-Drive Dome, the concept model, was released.
The 80th anniversary of the founding of Citizen Watch in 2010 was an important milestone.
2010 : In 2010 BASELWORLD, concept Eco-Drive Loop and Eco-Drive Eyes were released.
2011 : In 2011 BASELWORLD, the world's first satellite synchronized watch, Eco-Drive SATELLITE WAVE was released.
2012 : In 2012 BASELWORLD, concept models Eco-Drive Luna and Eco-Drive Nova was released.
2013 : In 2013 BASELWORLD flagship model Eco-Drive SATELLITE WAVE -AIR was released.
2014 : CITIZEN launched it's first global brand statement "BETTER STARTS NOW".
In 2015 CITIZEN Watches Australia marks its 50th anniversary, celebrating half a century of improving the lives of everyday Australians with innovative, world-class watches.
2015 : CITIZEN first global campaign: " CHASING HORIZONS" wins Gold Lion and Silver Lion at Cannes Lion 2015.
2016 : CITIZEN WATCH CO., LTD. to acquire FREDERIQUE CONSTANT GROUP.
2016 : CITIZEN marks 40th anniversary of its proprietary light-powered technology with Eco-Drive.
2017 : Citizen Celebrates 25th Anniversary as the Official Timekeeper of the United States Open and Announces Partnership with Tennis Icon, Billie Jean King.
The photograph on the left was taken in April 2018, when Citizen opened its doors for the first time in 100 years to journalists.
And the Citizen Caliber 0100 which was announced in Baselworld 2018 as the most accurate stand alone quartz watch (+/- 1s a year). The Baselworld showing was a prototype pocket watch in a sapphire glass case and not a commercial release.
The brand partnered with media giant Disney in 2018 to design a co-branded watch collection based on Star Wars, Disney and Marvel.
2019 : Marking the 30th Anniversary of PROMASTER, CITIZEN launches “Save the BEYOND” Campaign.
2019 : CITIZEN introduces “Caliber 0100” - New Eco-Drive watches featuring the world’s most accurate time-keeping of within ±1 second per year.
As of May 2021, for an autonomous analogue light-powered quartz watch, according to research by Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
"Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. ." International Directory of Company Histories. . Encyclopedia.com. (June 22, 2022). https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/citizen-watch-co-ltd-0
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| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martignetti Corporation | 1908 | $10.0M | 36 | 29 |
| Co-Sales | 1905 | $16.0M | 200 | 5 |
| Newton Manufacturing | - | $46.0M | 160 | - |
| Don McGill Toyota | 1970 | $86.0M | 300 | 18 |
| Roberts Camera | 1957 | $500,000 | 6 | - |
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| cklass | - | $43.0M | 271 | - |
| Longstreth | 1977 | $22.7M | 50 | - |
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Citizen Watch Company may also be known as or be related to Citizen Watch Company and Citizen Watch Company of America, Inc.