The company was established in 1918.
The founding fathers selected the name Citizen so it would be "Close to
the Hearts of People Everywhere" and soon after adopted the company’s
formal name, Citizen Watch Company.<o:p></o:p>
During the last seventy-five
years Citizen has expanded its business throughout the world and has achieved
recognition as the global brand. The past twenty-five year period has coincided
with the company’s dramatic rise to its current position as the world’s largest
watchmaker, a distinction Citizen has held every year since 1986.<o:p></o:p>
Beyond sheer size, Citizen is
also recognized as a worldwide leader in advanced technology. From the world’s
slimmest LCD watch to the first voice recognition watch and the world’s first
professional dive watch with an electronic depth sensor, Citizen’s record of
"world’s firsts" is unmatched.<o:p></o:p>
More recently, Citizen has
staked out a new position as the leader in timekeeping with its Eco-Drives
watches that are light powered. With models ranging from dress models to sports
models to professional dive watches, Citizen Eco-Drive runs continuously in any
kind of natural or artificial light for a lifetime of use. Fueled by light, it
never needs a battery.<o:p></o:p>