The irresistible charm of Citizen's Campanola watches. Recommendations and explanations.

Citizen watches excel in practical watchmaking technologies such as light-powered Eco-Drive and Duratect. Campanola is a rare brand that combines Citizen's advanced technology with philosophical themes. Experience the allure of Campanola, as if you were holding the universe in your hands.

The origins of Citizen Watch and Campanola

In recent years, Citizen watches have perfected the manufacturing technology for quartz movements, pursuing slimmer designs and higher precision. In addition, by collaborating with the Swiss company La Joux-Perret, the company has acquired manufacturing know-how and is improving the quality of its mechanical movements.

At first glance, Campanola is made with a unique concept that seems incompatible with this philosophy of pursuing technology. Let's take a look at the artistic and philosophical origins of Campanola.

High-quality quartz technology made famous by Cal.2035, Cal.8826, and Cal.0100

Citizen Watch is known as a giant in quartz watches, but what really determined its current position was the start of its external movement sales business in 1980.

The quartz movement Cal. 2035, launched on the global market in 81, quickly took the watch industry by storm and became the global standard. By 99, the cumulative production of Cal. 2035 had reached 17 billion units, earning it a Guinness World Record.

Its technological capabilities continue to evolve, with the release of the Cal. 8826 in 2016, which is just 1mm thick, and the Cal. 0100 in 18, which is autonomous and highly accurate with an annual accuracy of ±1 second.

Campanola: A complex mechanism realized with quartz

Like the world's most popular Cal. 2035 series, the quartz movement functions based on three hands and has a simple design that emphasizes practicality.

However, the movement manufacturing technology that Citizen Watch has accumulated has made it possible to equip quartz watches with complex mechanisms similar to mechanical watches.

Campanola, which launched in 2000, is a brand of complicated watches that has completely changed the way we think about quartz watches.

He has managed to realize advanced complex mechanisms, such as minute repeaters and perpetual calendars, which are rarely used even in mechanical watches, in a quartz watch, which was previously thought to be unsuitable for complications.

The appeal of Citizen Campanola watches

The name Campanola comes from the anecdote of the "Campanola Bell," which was a bell that told the time in the 5th century BC in the Campania region of southern Italy. The bell tower, which is said to have been the first in the world to tell people the time, is layered with multiple meanings related to time. Let's explore the appeal of Campanola.

An original design that evokes space

If you get to the bottom of what a clock is, or what time is, it leads to astronomy and the universe.

Campanola's multi-layered dial and distortion-free dome-shaped crystal express the "beauty of the sky," making it seem as if a microcosm is at your fingertips.

Respect for Japanese culture and careful consideration

Time flows from the past to the present and into the future, and valuing time leads to the unbroken continuation of history and tradition. Many of the dials of Campanola watches, which are made in Japan, are decorated with lacquer, a traditional Japanese technique.

Starting with the dial, which was created by Tetsuo Gido, a master of Aizu lacquerware and a traditional craftsman, the unique beauty of the sky is expressed through multiple layers of lacquer.

High quality at an affordable price

Campanola's dials are made using electroforming, which allows them to express unevenness down to 0.0001mm, and the crocodile leather straps are made using only the ``bamboo pattern'' of small crocodile leather, demonstrating the company's thorough pursuit of quality down to the smallest details.

Furthermore, the watch is equipped with complex mechanisms such as a minute repeater and a perpetual calendar, which would not be surprising if a mechanical watch from a long-established Swiss fashion house were priced at over 1000 million yen.

Despite this, Campanola watches are priced from around 30 yen to 130 million yen, a reasonable and strategic price point that is unique to Citizen watches.

Recommended Citizen Campanola Watch Series

Campanola has five collections, each of which expresses a different aspect of Citizen's advanced technology or a different perspective on the universe. Here, we will focus on three of the collections and introduce their characteristics.

Grand Complication: A complex mechanism realized with quartz movement

Campanola has a "Complication" collection that features highly complex mechanisms, and the "Grand Complication" series in particular is complex in a way that would be unthinkable in a conventional quartz watch.

It is equipped with a perpetual calendar, minute repeater, moon phase and chronograph.

Campanola's perpetual calendar is designed so that date adjustments at the end of each month or leap year adjustments are not required until February 28, 2100.

Eco-Drive, a feature synonymous with Citizen watches

The Eco-Drive collection is equipped with Eco-Drive, the revolutionary light-powered technology developed by Citizen Watch in 1976.

It generates electricity even from the dim light of fluorescent lamps, and is tough enough to continue operating in the dark for about six months from a full charge. Campanola's ring-shaped flexible solar cell does not interfere with the dial design.

The subdial at 12 o'clock, which uses electroforming to represent the brilliance of the sun, and the lacquer finish and moon phase that represent the universe are also excellent.

Cosmosign: The ultimate symbol of space

"Cosmosign" is a collection that displays the moon phase or the entire sky of constellations at 35° north latitude on the dial, allowing you to grasp the movement of celestial bodies in real time.

The moon phase dial rotates at a different speed than the 24-hour dial, displaying the positions of the sun and moon, as well as the times of sun rise and set. Some constellation dial models display up to 1027 stars with a magnitude of 4.8 or higher, and 166 nebulae and star clusters, creating a beautiful, intricate dial.

This collection allows you to observe the stars at your fingertips, even when the starry sky is not visible, giving you the feeling of "holding the universe in your hands."

The unique beauty of Campanola attracts people

Citizen Watch, which excels in the development of quartz watches, expresses time and space, eternal themes in watchmaking, through Campanola.

Not only Grand Complications, but also Eco-Drive and Cosmosign are solutions that only Citizen or Campanola could achieve. If you own a Campanola, you will experience new value and beauty in watches.