Citizen Eco-Drive Eyes Concept To Be Released As Limited Edition In February

The highly anticipated Eco-Drive EYES, first introduced as a concept model at BASELWORLD 2010, will be released as a limited edition (250 units of the white model and 250 units of the black) beginning from February 2013.

With “Light and Shadow” as its design theme, Eco-Drive EYES represent traditional Japanese aesthetics utilising natural lighting and shadow depth to accentuate the dial surface of the watch. The shadows created by natural light bring the appearance of greater depth and movement. What’s more, CITIZEN’s proprietary Eco-Drive technology powers the watch using any light source, thus further reinforcing the overall concept of how natural light inherently affects the way we perceive light and dimensions.

Citizen AO9010-02A

CITIZEN perpetuate their product policy of “The Fusion of Technology and Beauty” with new exciting models by continuously crafting innovation into design appeal. This has yielded new breakthroughs such as the revolutionary Eco-Drive concept models, which have been displayed at BASELWORLD since 2009, and have resulted in the production of various limited editions.

First unveiled at the 2010 BASELWORLD, the Eco-Drive EYES attracted considerable attention for its natural simplicity and for the technical expertise required in the design. The addition of an elegant black model ideally complements the limited edition, which will be launched in 2013.

Natural shadows serve to enhance the intrinsic brilliance of light. CITIZEN have long honed their ingenuity on utilising natural light in their watch-making craft, in the ultimate quest for beauty and perfection.

• “EYES” symbolise clearness, sharpness and brilliance, conveying astute vision and character. The iconic shape of the dial centre, the crest of Eco-Drive EYES, also conveys a sense of infinity of light and time energy.
• Dome-shaped sapphire crystal used in the construction is inspired by classic botanical garden architecture, which is able to absorb light from 360° all around. In order to bring out maximum clarity, the crystal undergoes a meticulous polishing process.
• Thirteen ceramic indexes are designed for maximum height to extend the shadow it casts on the dial surface. This is inspired by super-modern skyscrapers and legendary monuments such as Stonehenge.
• The strap is constructed of an exclusively developed soft liquid rubber that adheres comfortably to the contours of the wearer. The simple, smooth design accentuates the natural splendour of the watch case. The white strap features a special coating that makes it highly soil-resistant.

World-first* watch design featuring ceramic three-dimensional dial

CITIZEN selected high-grade ceramic as the ideal material for the Eco-Drive EYES “Light and Shadow” concept. The smoothness, purity and solidness of ceramic demonstrated unique contrasting characteristics found with no other material. Ceramic is often fragile and difficult to handle. CITIZEN’s state-of-the-art precision processing technique made it possible to create the world’s first three-dimensional design using ceramic for the face of the watch.

At a glance, the ceramic indexes appear beautifully simplistic. Yet in order to make the surfaces of every side perfectly even, it required a technically superior method of polishing the surface evenly to 0.3㎟.

In comparison to the usual watch manufacturing process, the Eco-Drive EYES took approximately 80 times longer to make, due mainly to the time required to polish the individual ceramic parts used. Only the handpick ceramic parts that passed stringent inspections were used in the watches.

* As of November 2012, in-house study by CITIZEN.

Precision construction multi-case design of exquisite beauty

The body and case lug are constructed individually, with the details polished to ultimate beauty. The natural curvature of the case lug tapers out to the delicate edge, which fits almost seamlessly onto the case body. The individual case parts are mounted at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions of the casebody, fusing the multiple case structures perfectly together.

Technical Details