Eco-Drive with Annual Accuracy of ±5 Seconds
Hand-dyed Indigo
Washi Paper Dial Model
The CITIZEN 30th Anniversary Limited Edition
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A colour. A mood. A feeling.
A gathering cloud pattern on ultra-thin Tosa washi.
The skilled work of an indigo-dyeing master.
Designs no two of which are the same.
A magical micro-universe made from
different intensities of indigo.
Exclusive to your wrist.
Features
Features 01
Born of the most sophisticated craft skills,
the magical beauty of murakumo tie-dye
The dial is made of Tosa washi dyed using traditional Japanese aizome indigo-dyeing techniques. Working in collaboration with Watanabe’s, an indigo dye workshop in Tokushima Prefecture, we sought to find an expression worthy of The CITIZEN’s 30th anniversary, a milestone for the brand. Our search led us to the specific technique known as “gathering clouds tie-dye” (murakumo shibori-zome). Creating this marvellous pattern—which looks exactly like the clouds in the sky—takes immense skill. The washi is scrunched into a ball to crease it, then carefully dyed to produce different concentrations of indigo. The final appearance of the dial—no two of which are alike, like the ever-changing clouds themselves—depends wholly on the experience and sensitivity of the craftsman, who has to decide how much he can safely crease the washi and how often it should be dipped in the dye. The visual impact of the gathering clouds is only increased by the sophisticated glossy black case treated with proprietary DURATECT DLC. A special process that heightens the transparency of the upper plate on top of the washi is applied to further accentuate the complex and delicate cloud pattern.
Features 02
Thin and strong Tengu-jo washi brings out
the beauty of the murakumo pattern
Murakumo (gathering cloud) tie-dyeing involves creasing a piece of washi, then dipping it in the dye liquid and washing and drying it, all several times over. Knowing how often the process can be repeated without damaging the washi is a challenge. Our search for a washi variety tough enough to withstand that process and thin enough to be sufficiently light permeable for Eco-Drive led us to Tengu-jo washi. This ultra-thin and highly transparent paper is made by Hidakawashi, a maker of Tosa washi based in Kochi Prefecture’s Hidaka village, through which the famously blue waters of the Niyodo River flow.
Learn more about Tengu-jo washi.
Comment from the Creator
There’s a natural beauty in the randomness
of the gathering cloud pattern
Master dyer Kenta Watanabe (Watanabe’s)
To me, the appeal of a washi dial made with the gathering cloud tie-dye technique lies in the incidental quality of the pattern, the fact that it’s beyond human control. The beautiful, irregular pattern is made by scrunching up the washi and dipping it in the dye liquid. The result is as delicate as it’s random. After you’ve dyed the scrunched-up washi, you open it up to see if you’ve got a nice cloud pattern at the proper dial size. If you haven’t, then it’s back to dyeing and finetuning again. Once that’s done, you inspect the washi carefully through a tube with the same diameter as the dial to get an idea of what it will look like in the watch. That’s a crucial step. Achieving a pattern in line with the image in your mind’s eye is never easy. I remember bombarding my coworkers with questions as I painstakingly made the dials, one by one: "Do you think I should give it another dip in the dye?” and “If I dye it again, is there a risk of making the pattern too strong?”
Because I’m working by hand and using all-natural Tosa washi and a chemical-free dye liquid made from dried, fermented indigo leaves, it's impossible for me to reproduce the same murakumo cloud pattern twice. There are countless different gradients of indigo on the dial, and the sheer variety of hues only becomes more pronounced under natural light. As such, each piece in this limited edition really is unique and individual.
The random pattern created by murakumo tie-dye evokes the sea and the sky; it looks like a little world unto itself. The combination of different shades seems to contain all the power of nature and can, I think, bring us into closer contact with the natural world. When you realise that this beautiful indigo colour originates from the fields where the indigo plants grow, you can’t help but feel all the wonder and mystery of nature. The wavelengths of indigo are supposed to have healing properties. I really hope this watch will give a sense of tranquility, a sense of returning to the heart of nature, to the people who wear it.
Features 03
Sophisticated materials and functions
highlight indigo’s natural beauty
The Super Titanium™ case has been treated with strikingly black and glossy DURATECT DLC. Distinguished for its scratch resistance and gorgeous lustre, Super Titanium™ acts to further highlight the magical presence of the indigo washi dial dyed using the gathering cloud tie-dye technique. Made of blue crocodile leather (LWG-certified*), the band harmonises with the indigo of the dial while having a character all its own. Multiple functions include a perpetual calendar (requiring no month-end or leap-year adjustments until February 28, 2100) and an instant date change mechanism that advances the calendar to the next day precisely at midnight.
Leather Working Group (LWG) is an international not-for-profit organisation whose members include brands, tanneries and chemical suppliers. LWG evaluates the safety and environmental performance etc. of the leather manufacturing process and awards certification only to tanneries that pass its rigorous audits.
Line Up
Crafting the next ideal:
The CITIZEN
The eagle mark:
Symbol of The CITIZEN
The eagle symbolises The CITIZEN’s twin commitments to “looking ahead and pursuing the ideal” and to “becoming an integral part of users’ lives.” The mark is discreetly engraved on the dial and crown of some models.
The master artisans who
breathe life into our watches
The CITIZEN watches are made at CITIZEN's special watch workshop nestled deep in the Nagano countryside. They are hand-assembled down to the last component by our highly experienced master watchmaking Meisters.
