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For nearly 80
years, Citizen has been a standout in the world of
watchmaking. Innovation and precision has been the hallmark of
this company, and they have always been forerunners in their
field. The very name of the watch and the company implies the
policy of giving the best service and merchandise to all
“citizens”. As the names "Citizen Watch" or "Citizen Group"
state, their policy is to provide the best products and
services to all "citizens" in the world.
The beginnings of the
Citizen Group were founded with its ancestral company, the
Shokosha Watch Research Watch Institute, in 1924. This
organization made its first pocket watch, naming it the
“Citizen”. The then Mayor of Tokyo, Mr. Shimpei Goto did so,
with the concept that such a luxury item should become
available to the general populace. The idea was for the
company to service all citizens in the world. The word
“Citizen” later became the company name, and has now come to
mean watches of the highest beauty and technology.
Time and time again,
Citizen has pioneered innovative technologies and has also
helped to ensure that watches are essential to modern life.
Watches are really like apparel, for clothing not only
protects and keeps the human body warm enough—but dress can
also be decorative and express individuality. So it is with
watches. They are functional because they tell time; however,
they also make an individual fashion statement. Thus, Citizen
style brings the aesthete to what could be viewed as the
humdrum, which is quite appropriate since the company is
involved in a number of environmental causes; moreover,
Citizen takes into account, all the various aspects of daily
living, and makes modifications accordingly. Citizen also
designs keeping in mine traditions, trends, sex, age, and
culture.
Also, Citizen was the
first watch company to distribute merchandise produced with
titanium, which was one substance, as opposed to some others,
that didn’t cause metal allergic reaction. Some other
benchmarks in the life of Citizen include the following:
Parashock, the first Japanese-made shock resistant watch, was
marketed in 1956. Just three years later, the first water
resistant watch came out, called the Parawater. Next, in 1980,
Citizen came up with the tiniest component of that time, which
echoed what the Japanese were doing with their computers then.
Then, in 2002, Citizen developed one of the world’s most
miniscule movements. Recently, also, Citizen has globally
presented additional technological breakthroughs. For
instance, there is the "Eco Drive" which permits freedom from
battery replacement, and the “Wave Watch" having an
all-metallic case. And in 2003, Citizen launched Stiletto.
This is the thinnest light powered watch ever- it combines the
Eco-drive technology with a case and bracelet 4.4mm thick.
However, Citizen is
complicated. They don’t sell just watches. Truly, watches
count for less than 40% of business. Clocks, jewelry,
eyeglasses and various health care products are marketed by
Citizen
Some words about the
structure of the company. Citizen has a number of
subsidiaries, and here is the chronology of acquisition: in
2001, Japan CBM or Citizen Business Machines Corporation was
set up; in April 2002, the Citizen Trading Co., Ltd. and Japan
CBM Corporation become fully-owned subsidiaries; in April of
that same year, the integration of two Japanese exterior parts
companies took place, Ageo Seimitsu MFG. Co., Ltd. and Tama
Seimitsu Co., Ltd. Also in April another subsidiary was
acquired, Heiwa Tokei Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Then in May,
CMS, their financial subsidiary was established.
Next,
moved in 2001, the corporate headquarters is now located at
Nishi Tokyo-shi. Also, not all watches are manufactured in
Japan. They are sometimes made in various other countries, for
cost effectivess, like Mexico.
Moreover, the long arm
of Citizen reaches out into other countries, such as
Australia, the South Pacific, and South Africa, the USA, and
Europe, to name some. There are various Citizen websites for
these countries, and on them you can find information such as
authorized retailers and service centers. You should be
guaranteed that an authorized Citizen service center would
include cleaning and water resistance test, replacement of
gaskets, reassembly and lubrication of movement. You should
also have a minimum year’s warranty on your repair services.
Some of the main
Citizen watches you might be interested in purchasing could be
something from one of its collections, such as the Aviara, the
Calibre, the Corso, the Electra, or perhaps, one of the charm
watches. Then there are also the Citizen Dive watches, the
Mickey Mouse, the Nighthawk, Skyhawk, and Sailhawk, and
finally the Promaster. There are also various chronographs,
and this list is by no means inclusive.
Citizen
also has a tradition of making headlines with its products,
and 2005 is no exception. Consider that in June, Citizen was
to launch a curved clock using electronic paper display. And
in May—The Citizen Group began production of camera modules
with autofocus, to be used in cellular phones. These are both
landmark technologies, so Citizen is certainly continuing its
tradition.
Lastly, “for watches that do more than just
time-keeping”, which is one of the company slogans, if you are
looking for a Citizen, you want the genuine article, and not
some counterfeit. You should know that fake
timepieces, normally are in two categories. There are the
higher level fakes that are made to closely mimic the real
thing. Then there are also the lower grade timepieces, usually
easy to identify, with minor and/or strange alterations here
and there. It appears that the makers of the latter assume
correctly that the masses, so to speak, know very little about
fine watches. Often, too, in this case, the consumer is aware
that he or she is buying a fake. However, if you don’t want a
counterfeit, and especially if you know little about watches,
by all means, take your watch to an authorized dealer, who can
validate quality and reliability. No matter what, you’re
better off safe than sorry!
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