Mickey Mouse DISNEY AW1596-08W

In the Japan of the 1920s, most of the watches sold were pocket watches imported from overseas. Determined to create a Japan-made rival product, the Shokosha Watch Research Institute, the precursor of CITIZEN, launched its own pocket watch in 1924. As a first product, it was magnificent—but it lacked a name. Tokyo Mayor Count Shinpei Goto was asked to suggest one. The name he came up with was “CITIZEN,” an expression of the hope that as many people as possible—citizens—would use and cherish the watch for a long time.