For a brand that was founded in 1918, Citizen has a very youthful
spirit. It does not come as a surprise given the “Better Starts
Now” belief it abides by in the pursuit of the essence of time,
philosophically and technologically.
The motto defines and drives Citizen’s forward-looking state
of mind and direction with the subtext: “no matter who you
are and what you do, it is always possible to make something
better, and now is the time to start doing it.” The inclusive and
positive stance is what makes the tagline so powerful and
resonant for a hundred-year-old brand that proves time and
time again to be ahead of its time.
Right from the get-go, Citizen has embraced innovation and
the use of technologies and techniques in watchmaking.
This culminated in a milestone for the Japanese brand last
year when it proudly unveiled the Caliber 0100 Eco-Drive
movement—featuring the world’s most precise timekeeping
accurate to within one second per year—for its 100th
anniversary celebration.
At this year’s Baselworld fair, the Citizen Watch Group marked
its 101st year in the business by asking “What is time” in
conjunction with a “We Explore Time” theme. Alongside the
display of exciting new products from all the brands belonging
to the Citizen Watch Group were Citizen’s new timepieces
for 2019. They included the limited-edition models of each of
Citizen’s Land, Marine and Sky categories from its Promaster
professional sports watch collection, which marks its 30th
anniversary this year. Also making an appearance is Miyota,
an iconic watch movement brand that affirms Citizen as a true
manufacture d’horlogerie.
The highlight of the show was indubitably the wristwatch series
powered with the groundbreaking Caliber 0100 that took pride
of place at the exhibition. They exemplify Citizen’s spirit of
invention in exploring the future of watches and challenging
the limits of what’s possible, ensuing from its proprietary light-
powered Eco-Drive technology and state-of-the-art satellite-
synchronised timekeeping as examples.For 2019, Japanese architect Tsuyoshi Tane was again granted
the privilege of conceptualising the Baselworld booth for
Citizen Watch Group. Revealing his train of thought on how the
notion of time has alwas been contemplated by humanity, he
stated that the process would continue well into the future. In
trying to balance technological progress with sustainability, he
concluded that the trajectory of our future will be determined
by the citizens of the 21st century.Coupled with the Paris-based architect’s own “Archaeology
of the Future” focus of designing architecture that adheres
to the memory of a place by connecting its past to the future,
the scene was set for the pavilion to take shape. Against this
backstory, the evocative booth design allowed Citizen’s latest
watches to be showcased while also providing a platform to
shine the light on future time.The Time Theatre booth was indeed a surreal spectacle,
decorated with 70,000 hanging (watch) base plates.
Visitors gravitated towards the sublime space where they
were free to dream about the mysteries of time and to
wander and explore as they wished. Simulating a space-
time continuum, the glimmering, cylindrically shaped Light
Is Time installation located in the central arena of the venue
transformed an ordinary visit into a magical experience
as visitors embarked on a momentary journey to envisage
what the future held.Back To The
Future
The Citizen Watch Group
bedazzled with a design-centric
and futuristic booth at Baselworld
2019 as it marches into its second
century of watchmaking.
BY TAN SIOK HOON