In 1924, Citizen created its first-ever product: a pocket watch. It was given the name “Citizen” to express the idea of a watch that as many people as possible would be able to use and cherish for a long time. Inspired by that original philosophy and commemorating the anniversary, the Japanese watch manufacture now launches a pocket watch that pays tribute to the original’s aesthetics.
The Citizen 100th Anniversary Special Limited Edition Pocket Watch boasts a beautiful ivory-colored dial with blued hands and subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock. The surface features a stunning pattern that is created by electro-forming, clear coating and polishing to achieve the look of a layer of snow, symbolizing the passage of time. It is protected by a dual spherical sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating that highlights the expression of depth.
The manually-wound movement displayed through an exhibition case back is also a feast for the eyes. Like its predecessor from 1924, the bridges are decorated with sensuous parallel lines of equal width composed of 45-degree arc-grained bars, a so-called Côtes de Genève finish. Whether the base plate with its overlapping circular pattern perlage (pearl-pattern) decoration or the diamond-cut bevels of the bridges, every detail is finished with attention to detail.
From a technical viewpoint, the Cal.0270 uses a free-sprung balance wheel, a component that demands a high level of machining precision. The escapement is made using the LIGA micro-fabrication process. Its high-end manufacturing results in a daily accuracy of -3 to +5 seconds, a level exceeding the ISO 3159 standard for wrist-chronometers with spring balance oscillator. It has a power reserve of 55 hours when fully wound.
Once the watch is fully assembled, it undergoes 17 days of in-house testing in six different positions and at three different temperature levels. Only if all these tests are passed does the watch receive its official in-house Caliber 02 Standard Certification.
Limited to 100 pieces, the pocket watch is housed in a mirror-finished case made from a titanium alloy that measures 43.5mm wide and 13.4mm thick and attached to a braided cord watch chain which is made by Domyo, a Tokyo company that has been producing kumihimo braided cord since the mid-seventeenth century. Pure Japanese silk, it has been dyed a ravishing indigo especially for this limited edition.
Pricing for the Citizen 100th Anniversary Special Limited Edition Pocket Watch is marked at $9,000.
To learn more, visit Citizen, here.