n 1976, Citizen introduced the Crystron Solar Cell, the world’s first light-powered analogue watch — a technological breakthrough that would later evolve into Eco-Drive, one of the brand’s most emblematic innovations. Fifty years later, Eco-Drive remains a cornerstone of Citizen’s identity and a major contributor to its global sales.

One of the great strengths of the Citizen group is a highly integrated industrial ecosystem stretching from Japan to Switzerland, which, as Yoshihisa Yajima notes, allows it to “produce high-quality watches at scale.” With entities such as Miyota and La Joux-Perret, the group possesses substantial in-house manufacturing capabilities, ranging from components to complete movements. This structure enables the various brands within its portfolio across Japan, Switzerland and the United States (from Frederique Constant to Bulova) to pursue innovation in areas such as materials, precision and energy efficiency.

Thanks to its solar cells integrated directly into the dial, the Crystron Solar Cell launched by Citizen in 1976 is an iconic watch in the history of horology, marking the arrival of light power in analogue watches. This technology later became the foundation of the Eco-Drive system.

The global launch of the Crystron Solar Cell in 1976 in Europa Star. Fifty years later, Citizen celebrates this fundamental technological innovation, which still powers the majority of its models today after numerous refinements.

©Archives Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

Despite the group’s diversification (notably into machine tools and Devices and Components), watchmaking remains the cornerstone of its structure: for the most recent financial year available, 2024–25, this activity accounted for just over half of sales, at ¥177.1 billion (USD 1.2 billion) out of the Citizen group’s consolidated total of ¥316.8 billion (USD 2.1 billion). For the 2025–2026 fiscal year, Citizen has raised its forecast to ¥337.5 billion in sales, including ¥190 billion for watches, which would keep watchmaking at around 56% of total revenue.

Citizen in 1951 in Europa Star: the brand showed international ambitions very early on. It has since built a group that includes in its portfolio Swiss brands such as Frederique Constant, Alpina, Arnold & Son and Angelus, American brands such as Bulova and Accutron, as well as major movement manufacturers such as La Joux-Perret, while Miyota emerged directly as a movement supplier within the group.

©Archives Europa Star

In the early 2000s, the group experienced steady growth, before performance plateaued as market conditions shifted. During the 2010s, however, the company returned to a recovery trajectory. Around 2015, revenue reached approximately ¥340 billion, marking the peak of the period. From 2013 to 2018, performance remained at a relatively high level, although it began to ease slightly in the latter half of the decade. While the Citizen Group experienced a downturn during the pandemic, results have gradually recovered, with revenue once again exceeding the ¥300 billion ($2 billion) mark.

The group noted that recent growth has primarily come from North America, where the Citizen and Bulova brands have benefited from strong demand, as well as from the rapid expansion of e-commerce and direct-to-consumer sales. For the 50^th anniversary of Eco-Drive, Citizen therefore finds itself at the intersection of several dynamics: technological heritage, innovation, and the generational renewal of the watch market.

Like other major Japanese brands, it maintains in the background a vision of social contribution — one could call it “democratic” — in contrast with the increasingly exclusive outlook of Swiss watchmaking, and covering a wide range of price points, as reflected in its slogan: “Loved by citizens, working for citizens.” Even as the average price rises, the segment generating the vast majority of volumes — numbering in the millions of units per year — remains positioned between USD 200 and 600.

For the 50th anniversary of Eco-Drive, Citizen presents this limited edition of 650 pieces worldwide, featuring a dial made of washi, traditional Japanese paper, dyed in Chitose Midori, a deep green inspired by pine needles that symbolizes longevity and unchanging beauty, created by combining traditional Japanese indigo dye with yellow Ibuki kariyasu. The price of this model, bearing the eagle emblem, is $3,100.

The model is equipped with an Eco-Drive movement with an annual accuracy of ±5 seconds, featuring a perpetual calendar that automatically adjusts at the end of each month, including leap years, until February 28, 2100. The case and bracelet are made of Super Titanium, a material derived from Citizen’s own proprietary technology, and treated with Duratect Platinum, giving the metal a bright, almost translucent silver tone.

One point seems clear: while watchmaking is the group’s main engine, Eco-Drive is the main engine of its watchmaking! At the same time, like the watch market as a whole, the Citizen brand is gradually placing greater emphasis on mechanical watchmaking as well — notably with the high-performance Calibre 0200, that leverages La Joux‑Perret’s expertise and technical know‑how— and on the higher end with the The Citizen collection.

An update with Yoshihisa Yajima, who oversees all of this activity within the group and directly manages the Citizen brand itself.

Europa Star: Could you share Citizen’s main strategic objectives for 2026?

Yoshihisa Yajima: 2026 will be a major milestone for Citizen as we celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Eco-Drive. The launch of the Citizen Crystron Solar Cell, the world’s first light-powered analogue watch in 1976, was a breakthrough for the industry, and reaching this anniversary is something we are extremely proud of.

Eco-Drive remains a unique technology because it can generate energy not only from sunlight but also from very low levels of light. Over the years, we have continued refining the technology in several directions: reducing energy consumption, increasing power autonomy, miniaturizing movements while adding more functions, and allowing greater freedom in dial design. One of the ongoing challenges is always to let enough light pass through the dial while offering a wide palette of aesthetic expressions.

For 2026, we are introducing several new models — both mechanical and quartz — but the central theme is the 50^th anniversary of Eco-Drive. This technology remains a key pillar of the brand. Even though mechanical watches are gaining popularity, Eco-Drive still represents the largest share of Citizen’s sales, both in value and in volume.

Also introduced for the 50th anniversary of Eco-Drive and offered in two versions, the Eco-Drive Photon features an innovative design that expresses the evolution and progress of this technology, which converts light — even at low levels — into energy for the watch.

The dial is composed of two superimposed metal plates, pierced with undulating slits, revealing a dial made of structural colour film beneath. The reflected light creates constantly shifting expressions and hues.

The model is equipped with the new Cal.E036 movement, which can operate for 365 days on a single full charge. The case and bracelet are made of Super Titanium.

Which markets performed best for Citizen in 2025? Which do you expect to grow the most this year?

North America delivered particularly strong performance in 2025, and online sales also continued to grow significantly, especially through Citizen’s official channels.

Attesa, Series 8, and, on the women’s segment, Citizen L, performed well in terms of products. During the year we also organized launch events for Attesa and Series 8, which helped increase their visibility in the United States and other markets.

We are also seeing growing interest from younger consumers. We sometimes refer to them as “Zillennials,” a blend of Generation Z and Millennials, who are gradually returning to watch purchases. They are interested in both Eco-Drive models and mechanical watches.

If we’re talking about European markets more specifically, other collections also performed strongly, including Promaster, Tsuyosa and several other lines. In June 2025, we also celebrated in Italy the 40^th anniversary of Aqualand, marking the 1985 launch of the first dive watch equipped with an electronic depth sensor. The event received a very positive response.

For 2026, our objective is to maintain momentum in our strongest markets. Of course, U.S. tariffs have had an impact, but we have been able to adjust our pricing in order to preserve the value of our sales.

Last year, for the 30th anniversary of the high-end The Citizen line, created in 1995, the brand introduced several limited editions equipped respectively with the Eco-Drive A060 movement (accuracy ±5 seconds per year) and the mechanical Caliber 0200 (−3/+5 seconds per day).

What have been the most important product lines launched over the past five years? What do they represent for Citizen’s strategy?

Over the past five years, we have focused on increasing the value-added of our collections.

The Tsuyosa line has been particularly important in attracting new customers, while the Eco-Drive 365, introduced in 2023, represents a major technological advance. Once fully charged, the watch can operate for 365 days even in complete darkness. As pioneers of light-powered watch technology, we continue to improve efficiency by reducing energy consumption and extending the running time.

In 2025, we also celebrated the 30^th anniversary of The Citizen with limited editions. These included several types of watches and highlighted our capabilities in high precision, through the mechanical Caliber 0200 movement and Eco-Drive movements achieving accuracy of ±5 seconds per year.

in addition to the 2023 launch of the E365, The Citizen celebrated its 30^th anniversary in 2025 and released several limited‑edition models featuring Caliber 0200 and the high‑accuracy Eco‑Drive movement Cal. A060 (annual accuracy ±5 seconds).

For another anniversary in 2025 — the 40th anniversary of the Aqualand — Citizen celebrated this iconic model, the first dive watch with an integrated electronic depth sensor, with a limited-edition tribute in the Promaster line, featuring an ana-digi display.

This spring, the brand is launching a limited edition and four new models in its Series 8 mechanical watch collection, featuring a modern, sporty design.

How do you organize your production and operations?

Manufacturing is one of Citizen’s fundamental strengths. We are among the few watch groups capable of producing almost all components in-house. The Citizen Group is a unique watchmaking organization, with development and manufacturing operations in both Japan and Switzerland.

In 2013, we consolidated Japanese watch production under the Citizen Watch Manufacturing structure. Bringing these factories together allowed us to create a more integrated and efficient organisation for producing Citizen watches.

This approach enables us to produce high-quality watches at scale. Because we control not only final assembly but also the manufacturing of parts and components, we can adjust every element of a watch to achieve the best possible balance between quality, performance and cost. Having all these capabilities within a single structure significantly improves both efficiency and flexibility.

Citizen is also launching two new limited-edition models in the Attesa collection, expressing the ethereal beauty of the blood-red moon seen during a total lunar eclipse.

In 1970, the Citizen X-8 Chronometer was the world’s first watch with a solid titanium case, the ancestor of today’s Super Titanium.

What are the main focuses of your R&D?

Citizen has several key areas of research and development. Materials are one of them — Super Titanium (read our article here, editor’s note), for example, remains an important innovation for us. Precision and accuracy are another focus, with developments in high-precision quartz and mechanical movements.

However, our philosophy does not revolve around a single technological direction. Precision is fundamental, but a watch is also an object worn every day. Comfort, durability and aesthetics are therefore just as important. We always try to find a balance between technical performance and the beauty and emotional appeal of the watch.

The Eco-Drive 365 is a new generation of Citizen solar watches, launched in 2023, introducing a movement capable of running for 365 days on a single full charge, even in darkness.

Citizen and the artist seconde/seconde/ (Romaric André) recently collaborated on this special version of the Tsuyosa, playfully reinterpreted in this limited edition of 3,600 pieces. The artist drew inspiration from the name of the collection, which means “power” and “strength” in Japanese. The minute hand has been transformed into a katana, rendered in the pixel-art style of retro Japanese video games favoured by seconde/seconde/.

What synergies exist between Citizen and the group’s other entities worldwide?

Although the group includes many different brands, we do not seek to merge their identities. Each brand must retain its own positioning and character.

At the same time, we benefit from strong synergies, particularly on the technical side. For example, our collaboration with La Joux-Perret led to the development of the Caliber 0200 mechanical movement. Technical exchanges like this allow us to create new products while benefiting from the expertise of the group’s various entities.

The synergies also extend to manufacturing and components. Some Frederique Constant models are powered by movements manufactured by La Joux-Perret, while certain Accutron by Bulova models feature movements developed specifically for them by Citizen. Beyond product development, we also cooperate commercially — for example in distribution, logistics, sourcing and shipping — to identify new opportunities across different markets while preserving the individuality of each brand.