Elements of CITIZEN Design
76 keywords that constitute the elements of CITIZEN Design, grouped into 11 categories. It articulates the question, “What emotions do CITIZEN watches allow users to perceive?” by putting into words the watch-design hints and techniques that had accumulated as tacit knowledge among individual designers.
a / Functionality
One essential role of a watch is to keep time accurately—that is its essence. Yet contemporary watches take on roles beyond that. “Functionality” is what a watch reveals about how it can contribute to the various activities the user undertakes—the relationship it establishes with those activities.
01 Functionality that does not compromise the essence
02 Expressing functionality
03 Functionality that leads to beauty
04 Consideration for specific users
b / Sensation and Intuition
When people encounter the unknown, they try to reconcile it with the cognitive schemas formed by past experience. Among those, the watches in this category evoke sensations and intuitions that are hard to verbalize.
05 Quietude from a finely wrought presence
06 Embodied sense of speed
07 Oneness with the natural environment
08 Unforgettable uniqueness
09 Communicating a sense of fun
10 Allure created by what is left unseen
11 Ephemerality through light and shadow
12 Conveying “wholesomeness” and “healing”
13 Diorama-inspired thrill
14 Retro-futuristic feel from multifunctionality
15 Excitement born of activeness
16 Strength born of imbalance
17 Evokes images of nature
c / Satisfaction
Satisfaction is the feeling gained when a watch meets the various standards users seek. Watches in this category assume specific user needs and focus on fulfilling them.
18 Intellectual satisfaction through delicacy
19 Luxury as a symbol of status
20 Satisfaction through unity
21 Seeing oneself in the watch
22 Not causing stress to others
23 “Femininity” and “consideration for women”
24 User-friendly
25 Embodying tough elegance
26 Embodying the ways of women
27 Self-assertion through special attire
28 Instantly legible luxury × functionality
29 Watch-ness as an ornament
30 A floral wrist adornment for women
d / Beauty
As an essential value of a watch, along with function, one can cite “beauty as an accessory for adornment.” Models in this category, while of course ensuring the other essence of function, also pursue “beauty” through various approaches.
31 Beauty of machining
32 Beauty of tradition and culture
33 Making function an element for “beauty”
34 Classic beauty
35 Composite, comprehensive beauty
36 Sublimation into beauty through balance
37 Expressions of beauty tailored to material characteristics
38 Beauty and individuality through quality of construction
39 Beauty as an ornament
e / Reassurance
Tools extend human actions. However, if a tool offers no assurance for the actions it extends, it cannot be called an excellent tool. From the perspective of wearing a watch, one can also regard it as a tool to protect the body. Models in this category represent the various forms of reassurance that wearing a watch can provide users.
40 Reassurance through strength
41 Motherliness within functionality
42 Reassurance imparted by ruggedness
43 Legibility that provides reassurance
f / Desire to Own
This category comprises models that explore and concretize how the feeling of wanting an object arises. It includes watches tailored with striking designs that combine perspectives that kindle desire to own—universal value, technological and aesthetic novelty, powerful impact, fashion trends—with the watch.
44 Functions and design fit for the times = must-have item
45 Clean luxury that arouses desire to own
46 Leveling up your everyday self
47 Communicating appeal clearly
48 Appealing sense of balance
49 Impact that stokes desire
50 Expanding expressions of status
51 Gadget-like appeal that tickles ownership desire
52 Timeless universality
g / New Value Perspectives
One appeal of the watches created by CITIZEN lies in a respect for the fundamental value of the watch, while also incorporating new technologies and materials and building in features useful in a variety of situations. Models in this category present new kinds of value in watches.
53 Novelty as an “instrument”
54 Imparting a sense of futurism
55 Bringing new technology into the watch
56 New values born of specific use cases
h / Singular Individuality
As the saying goes, “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down,” models with overly prominent individuality may fail to be accepted by users. At the same time, among the countless watches out there, there are users who want distinctive models that don’t blur into anonymity. This category comprises models that tackle the proposition of how a watch expresses a one-and-only individuality, approached from various angles.
57 Friendly charm with a futuristic feel
58 Fusion of technology and beauty
59 Presence as a “watch”
60 Character born from a design shift
61 A watch that is unlike a watch
62 A watch as a cherished “presence”
i / Maker’s Passion
From intricately engineered precision devices, one may sometimes fail to sense humanity. Conversely, the functions and construction of a watch can convey the presence of its makers who care about the user. From the watches in this category, one can feel the efforts of the makers behind the scenes in various ways.
63 Balancing functionality and decoration
64 Earnest craftsmanship and warmth
65 Maker’s dedication
66 Maker’s attentiveness
j / Comfort
A watch, like clothing, is always in close contact with the wearer, and like a computer, it is operated—so above all, it must not cause stress but provide comfort. Models that fall into this category represent the kinds of comfort that CITIZEN watches have delivered to users to date.
67 Design that cares for the user
68 Visual and physical wearing comfort
69 Weaving a story by not over-asserting
70 Subtractive comfort that brings out the material
71 Affording operation
72 Comfort with no sense of resistance
73 Not pushing people away
74 Gentleness that reaches the five senses
k / Intelligence
When do people perceive intelligence? One instance is when features such as impeccable precision and a certain regularity—qualities that convey unwavering consistency—are observed. The models that fall into this category are distinctive watches that embody the above elements that evoke a sense of intelligence.
75 Intelligence and strength
76 Intelligence through Geometric Design
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To select models that embody CITIZEN identity, we conducted a company-wide survey and performed quantitative text analysis of the responses. Based on the results, we determined the 12 categories that serve as the final criteria for CITIZEN identity. This can be described as the verbalization of the 'CITIZEN-ness' that has been accumulated as tacit knowledge over more than a century of craftsmanship.
DESIGN SOURCE 100
Based on the 12 categories of CITIZEN identity, we selected 100 models from three perspectives: (1) whether they possess CITIZEN identity, (2) whether they have a high degree of design completion, and (3) whether they have elements we wish to reference in the present day. All models were meticulously researched using sketches as a method.
Essence of Design
Through quantitative analysis of the vast text generated from research on 100 models, we extracted eight statements that represent the essence of design underlying CITIZEN models across eras. These are guiding principles that should always be kept in mind in CITIZEN's design activities.
