Eco-Drive is CITIZEN’s unique technology for generating power from any light source. It was born from the advent of batterydriven quartz watches in the 1970s.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF ECO-DRIVE DEVELOPMENT

The world’s first light-powered analog quartz watch

“CRYSTRON SOLAR CELL”

CITIZEN quickly recognised a key drawback to these new timepieces — it was not easy to replace batteries. That period also saw a rise in awareness of the Earth’s ecology, which highlighted another concern — the spent batteries created chemical waste. In this environment, CITIZEN leapt ahead of other companies by developing a new “ecofriendly watch” that kept running virtually indefinitely without the need for batteries. In 1976, CITIZEN succeeded in the release of the world’s first light-powered analog quarts. Later, this proprietary technology was named “Eco-Drive,” to communicate the message about the technology’s social and environmental value. Now, it has become a key symbol of CITIZEN’s technological prowess and enjoys popularity in more than 100 countries around the world.

HOW ECO-DRIVE WORKS

Benefits of Eco-Drive:

1. Watches powered by light
2. Easy to charge even in dim light
3. Works even in total darkness

ONGOING VISION OF THE ECO-DRIVE WATCH LINEUP

Continuous improvement of light-powered technology helps to refine the Eco-Drive watch lineup with more functions and beautiful designs. Reducing energy consumption enables more compact solar cells, which translates into more attractive dials and higher levels of functionality. It also enables thinner and smaller watches that deliver greater accuracy.

Here are some example Eco-Drive advancements.

More accurate

CITIZEN PROMASTER F900 SATELLITE WAVE -GPS

Latest Eco-Drive watch combines greater accuracy with more function.

In 2011, CITIZEN launched the world’s first watch capable of syncing with GPS satellites in space to get time and location information for automatic time and calendar correction. Eco-Drive SATELLITE WAVE brought accurate time to more people around the world. Now CITIZEN are adding the PROMASTER SATELLITE WAVE -GPS pilot watch to this family.