The unique grammar of watch design by CITIZEN

Three grammars in watch design unique to CITIZEN. A thinking template for practicing “Designing Emotion.”

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Design that expresses the characteristics of new materials and new functions

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Design that expresses the characteristics of new materials and new functions

Expressing beauty aligned with material characteristics

A model that focuses on giving a strong character, through design, to a watch that employs new materials. (CUSTOM V2 BLACKIE)

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Self-assertion through special attire

By embellishing a watch with functions that are invisible from the outside, the design aims to make users feel the value of those functions, instill confidence in owning them, and even spark a desire for self-assertion. (Conversely, how to adorn new mechanisms and materials to engage users is crucial. This may be a design area in which CITIZEN, which continues to take on new challenges, particularly excels.) (QUARTZ E·F·A)

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Novelty as an “instrument”

By crafting a watch—though itself a kind of “instrument”—into a type of instrument that has never existed before, this model seeks to encourage new user behaviors. (Eco-Drive Bluetooth®)

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Design that reconciles contradictions and opposing elements

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Design that reconciles contradictions and opposing elements

Embodying tough elegance

A paradoxical connection model of Tough × Elegant. Aimed at satisfying the tough gentleman. (PROMASTER LAND)

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Intelligence and strength

A design that reconciles seemingly contradictory elements of intelligence and strength. (PERPETUAL CALENDAR)

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Embodied sense of speed

A design that overcomes the contradiction of feeling a sense of speed from a watch that cannot move on its own and keeps time with unwavering rhythm. (SATELLITE WAVE F100)

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Sense of oneness with the natural environment

Like “a sense of speed,” this model seeks to overcome contradiction through the power of design. From a watch that should be an industrial product, users perceive the natural environment; by wearing it, they gain a sense of unity with nature. (PROMASTER PROFESSIONAL DIVER 1000 M)

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Design that closely attends to specific users

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Design that closely attends to specific users

Empathy from the maker

Many of CITIZEN’s watches, like the PROMASTER series, are created with specific users in mind. Even among them, this model is distinctive. Its design supports the very act of directly touching the watch and, far from causing stress, even imparts comfort. You can feel the maker’s wholehearted concern for the user in this watch. (CITIZEN SHINE)

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Legibility that provides reassurance

A model that thoroughly pursues the “legibility” demanded by divers. Envisioning specific users is one aspect of CITIZEN’s approach to watch design. (DEPTH METER)

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New values born from specific use cases

As with a diver's watch, this model attends closely to specific users as a yacht-racing watch. In doing so, it achieves a distinctive design that generates a new sense of value in watches. (WIND JACK)

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“Femininity” and “consideration for women”

A watch made uncompromisingly and exclusively for women. (xC MINISOL)

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Embodying ways of being for women

A model embedded with design elements that embody the evolving ways women are situated within society. (xC)

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A floral wrist ornament gifted to women

A model that places its axis in watch design as jewelry. (EXCEED LADIES)

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Elements of Design

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