In 2024, Citizen is one of the most well-known watchmakers in the world but 100 years ago, the Tokyo-based company could only hope for a legacy along the lines of few others in the Electronic Age. Founded in 1918 as the Shokosha Watch Research Institute, Citizen would hold the tenets of many other Japanese brands: to offer high-quality timepieces at prices customers could actually afford. However, it wouldn’t create its first timepiece bearing the Citizen name until 1924 — a pocket watch powered by the caliber 16 hand-wound movement. Today, it honors its illustrious history with a reinterpretation of this white-dialed original for its 100th anniversary.
Limited to just 100 pieces, the 100th Anniversary Special Edition Pocket Watch isn’t a straight reissue though it’s very reminiscent of the 1924 pocket watch model, with its white dial color, hour markers font, and 6 o’clock small seconds subdial. To evoke the vision of snowfall that signals the passing of time, the dial has been given a fresh pattern, obtained through a process that includes electroforming, clear coating, and polishing.
Since it’s meant to be stored in your pocket, Citizen opted for a modern material to make it more lightweight. Rather than a typical steel case, the 100th Anniversary watch is housed in titanium alloy. 43.5mm in diameter, the watch hangs on a braided cord made from pure Japanese silk dyed in a specially-made indigo charcoal color. Luckily, the watch isn’t powered by the original caliber 16 but a modern hand-wound movement, Caliber 0270, featuring a stop second function and a free-sprung balance wheel with an accuracy of -3/+5 seconds per day. Through the exposition caseback, you can see the beautiful Côtes de Genève finish on the decorated bridges.
If you’d like to own a piece of this commemorative jubilee from Citizen, head over to the brand’s website where the 100th Anniversary Special Edition Pocket Watch will be priced at $9,000.
