Interview: Citizen’s Senior General Manager Yoshihisa Yajima And Jeffrey Cohen, President Of Citizen Watch America, On The Brand’s 100th Anniversary
Last month, Citizen put on a truly eye-opening exhibition called “Layers of Time” to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the First Citizen watch. Through the lens of 100 different watches in 12 different categories, pulled from the Citizen archive of over 6,000 different watches, the exhibition started in Japan before coming to New York for a small private viewing, then will move onward to Europe.
Citizen’s first-ever watch model.
The special limited-edition pocket watch made for the 100th Anniversary of Citizen’s first watch.
While attending the event, I expected to take a few images of some of Citizen’s more iconic models from the brand’s history – Eco-Drive models including the “Eco-Zilla,” their Fugu dive watches, the Aqualand – but you can see my personal collection Citizen was very narrow. The full exhibition was a shock to the system, in some ways, because it opened my eyes to a whole world of fascinating design and incredibly technical watchmaking. It was one of the more fascinating watch exhibitions I’d visited, but I wished it would have been open to the public. Well, I’ll have more on that in a bit.
A Citizen Diamond Flake from 1962.
A Citizen Worldtimer from 1976.
I knew Citizen had serious watchmaking bonafides – other companies often collaborate with Citizen and their sub-brand Miyota to create never-before-seen horology – but I had never gone that deep into the brand’s back catalog of watches. The brand also had a lot of original sketches on display. While this story centers around an interview I did at the exhibition, I want to share a few watches with you, so I’ve put them in the mix.
Citizen Chronometer from 1962.
Sketch for the “Soundwich” from 1984.
The “Soundwich” from 1984.
As a part of the traveling exhibition, I briefly sat down with two people who have played a significant role in Citizen’s success, both globally and specifically in the U.S. market. With the help of an interpreter, I was able to pick the brain of Yoshihisa Yajima, Senior General Manager at the Watch Business Center as well as Citizen Brand Manager, about the broader history and success of Citizen and what it means to be a Japanese company with a global view. Separately, I also sat down with Jeffrey Cohen, the long-running President of Citizen Watch America. These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
Mark Kauzlarich: Over the last 100 years, Citizen has made a name for itself as a timekeeping specialist, and we see much of that history on display here. But like many Japanese companies that branch out into other fields, Citizen hasn’t limited its skills solely to the narrow focus of wearable timekeeping. There’s also Citizen Miyota, which makes everything from movements to LCD screens. Citizen Seimitsu produces more watchmaking parts and products, such as mini-printers. What are the kinds of things that Citizen does that we don’t often see or think of? Why tackle these products as well?
Yoshihisa Yajima. Photo: courtesy of Citizen
Yoshihisa Yajima, Chief Operating Officer of Citizen: Even though we started out as watchmakers, we actually do other things as well. Watchmaking is still our core business, but with the technology we have developed, we have been able to transfer it to other businesses as well. We use skills and technologies like miniaturization, precision manufacturing, engineering, and minimizing power consumption. Citizen has become a corporation that is good at making use of discrepancies. We mix and match technology, craftsmanship, and design – things that don’t always live well together, but we’ve found a way to balance this across different projects and companies. And yet, at the core, we always keep the watch and watchmaking in mind.
MK: It seems that a big part of that is not keeping a narrow definition of what a watch is or should be. The watches on display highlight the fact that you not only combine analog and digital, but often go even further – like a tactile watch with braille indications.
The Citizen Calendar from 1952.
YY: Our philosophy is to keep on creating the watch which would help people’s lives. Sure, there are some people who find digital watches cool. Some want a combination of digital and analog. Others just want only a mechanical timepiece. We often spend a lot of our time thinking about all the ways that people want to express themselves and how we can fill that role.
MK: I think many casual enthusiasts would be surprised to hear that Citizen is a Japanese company. The choice to name the company Citizen was very forward-thinking for the time, making the brand accessible to a global audience. At the time, an English-sounding name might have been more accessible for a global brand, but with an increased interest in Japanese craftsmanship and heritage, will we see Citizen start framing its work and watches through that lens of heritage more than in the past?
The first Attesa in titanium.
YY: We believe that Japanese DNA comes through in things like our dedication to craftmanship, high quality, details, precision, technology, and design. We want to keep making products that show that there is value in these things, and if we can show the value we can use these same things to keep making progress. Our products don’t have to be obviously “Japanese” if that heritage comes through in the way we make them.
Mark Kauzlarich: First of all, it’s been really interesting to walk through the exhibition and see all these various watches. There’s a lot of inspiration for me for watches I didn’t know existed, but I might need to look for myself. Has there been any consideration to opening this up to the enthusiast community? It would be a shame if more people couldn’t see this for themselves.
Photo: courtesy of Citizen
Jeffrey Cohen, President Of Citizen Watch America: There’s been a lot of consideration. In fact, it’s already in motion. The entire third floor of the new Citizen Flagship in New York is going to become a Citizen museum, with a small portion dedicated to other brands. The goal is to bring this to the wider community so they can see the different categories, materials, and ways the brand has been able to innovate over the last 100 years. We plan to have a full calendar of events bringing in all the different watch collectors and communities into the space.
MK: In your tenure with Citizen, what are some of the most significant changes that you’ve seen, especially maybe in the U.S. market?
JC: I think innovation has gone to a whole different level, from material to advancement to movement technology. Take, for instance, Eco-Drive going from a core watch with a power reserve of six months to a minimum of a year with E365. Super Titanium, with Duratect – now using different type of DLC finishes takes it to a totally different level. Even most recently in the mechanical side, there’s been a very big interest in the resurgence in development of mechanical watchmaking.
MK: Citizen is one of the few brands that emerged from the quartz crisis in a way that has integrated both quartz timekeeping and mechanical. What has that afforded you, not only for innovation in terms of the watches you’re making, but what you are bringing to the end customer? And how do you keep those two things aligned side by side?
Photo: Charlie Bennet for Hodinkee
JC: We’ve learned to speak two different languages, in many ways. Eco Drive really is our baby on the quartz side. But the mechanicals are certainly a whole different species. But keeping them aligned often comes down to understanding our customer. Lately we’ve been bringing in a younger demographic on both fronts, with Eco Drive as a line focused on sustainability, but also having the mechanical line for the younger people who want to understand and appreciate the mechanics of watchmaking. It’s about having two different pathways to the consumer, while also being able to cover different price ranges as well. Even if it’s two different languages and kept separate, we always have people in the middle. From product development to marketing, we have people that bridge the gap to keep the company cohesive while allowing each side to experiment, grow, and follow where their development takes them, while keeping to the roots of watchmaking.
Citizen Caliber from 1931.
MK: Speaking of your roots – and I spoke to Mr. Yajima about this – but with a renewed interest in Japanese heritage and culture in watchmaking, how does that come through in Citizen’s products? Can we expect to see more direct acknowledgment of that heritage?
JC: Sure, Japanese heritage is very, very popular right now across a lot of demographics in a way it hasn’t been in the past. So we’ll lean in when we think it’s appropriate, but we don’t really get into the Swiss brand versus the Japanese brand debate. We own Swiss companies, but more than any country-focused marketing, we’re about being inclusive. What you see today of our Japanese heritage comes through in the unbelievable technology, engineering, and development of materials and movements. It’s really mind-blowing, to be honest with you.
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