ON THURSDAY, MARCH 19, New York City’s iconic Guggenheim Museum played host to a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Citizen Brand’s Eco-Drive watches. To mark the occasion, the brand launched two Limited Edition Eco-Drive PHOTON timepieces, which were presented to press in the afternoon in one-on-one interviews with President of Citizen Watch America, Jeffery Cohen, as well as executives from the company’s Japanese headquarters. The subsequent cocktail soirée gathered together a group of industry influencers, tastemakers and watch enthusiasts who were all united in their appreciation of Citizen’s long tradition of innovation.
Citizen’s current campaign is “Powered By Any Light”.
In our one-on-one appointment, and in the remarks he made to the crowd from the second tier of the spiral ramp overlooking the event space, Cohen asserted that Citizen does not simply cater to markets, it creates them, saying, “We are the first. No, not the market leader, we are the market maker of this entire category of watches.”
Cohen noted that the technology that was created five decades ago feels even more relevant today, a sentiment that was reiterated by Citizen’s managing director, Eric Horowitz — “the man who makes things happen at Citizen,” says Cohen. “Back in 1976, Citizen introduced this simple yet cutting edge idea that a watch could be powered by light, any light, and never need a battery,” Horowitz shared with the crowd of attendees. “At the time, it was actually a very bold leap forward in the watch industry. Today, dare I say, it actually feels quite genius of us. Eco-Drive doesn’t just power our watches; it powers our business. It’s a technological marvel in the spirit of true innovation and it’s innovation that is the lifeblood of our brand.”
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As it was made abundantly clear in my one-on-one interview and throughout all touchpoints of the event, from the choice of venue to the swag bag, which included a Citizen-branded lamp/speaker duo to “bring soft light and sound to any space,” it is innovation that is at the core of Citizen’s brand DNA. It is through innovative ideas and Japanese capabilities that the company can provide their customers with a quality product at exceptional value.
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When I asked about the sustainability of the timepieces, and how the technology they introduced in the 1970s allowed for the elimination of hundreds of millions of batteries ending up in landfills, Cohen told me that’s not their primary focus, that they “don’t really talk about it,” and he sees it as a byproduct of innovation: “Our technology, the relevance and the pursuit of everything is through innovation; it’s part of our DNA and that’s where the sustainability comes through.” He went on to say, “We don’t have to brag about it. If you have to brag about it, it’s not real, it’s not authentic, it’s marketing. We don’t market it that way; it’s a real benefit to the consumer.”
What their marketing does focus on is a new generation of watch collectors, with a recently launched “Powered by Any Light” campaign that features a young couple cataloging the various light sources that power the timepieces, including city, neon, strobe, disco, arcade and mood lights. And apparently, it’s working. Cohen told me, “I just had a conversation with my retail people who said there’s more young people coming into our stores, teens, Gen Alpha that are looking at our watches and buying our watches, and that’s all done through product and messaging. We’ve aged down the brand 5-8 years in the last couple of years. It’s Zillenials, Gen Alphas, they’re loving watches. We’re seeing this generation doesn’t want the Apple Watch their mother is wearing.”
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