Bernie Sanders' mitten-wearing appearance at the presidential inauguration has become a hot topic, but what watch will he choose?

What kind of watches do top celebrities choose? Celebrity Watch Hunting is a series of columns showcasing moments from celebrities around the world. This time, we'll be looking at the watch worn by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders!

Bernie Sanders

　Bernie Sanders, born September 8, 1941, is a New York senator who ran closely against Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020 for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. Recently, Sanders has been attracting attention again, thanks to his appearance at the US Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2021. While many attendees were dressed up in glamorous attire and celebrities like Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez performed, Sanders appeared in a thick winter jacket and thick, patterned mittens. His casual, everyday look drew praise, with some saying it was "unusual for a senator, but also relatable," and collages of him sitting cross-legged on a folding chair circulated on social media. A charity sale of merchandise featuring the image was even launched, raising an astounding ¥188 million.

　So what kind of watch does Sanders choose? Here we'll take a look at some of the watches he wore during his campaign rally in February 2020.

　In fact, a watch believed to be identical to Sanders' has been spotted on his wrist for several years: a Citizen Eco-Drive watch from the Japanese manufacturer.

Citizen Eco-Drive Watches

　The model Sanders is believed to be wearing is an Eco-Drive watch with a black dial featuring three hands, a calendar display, and bar indexes, and a full metal exterior. A model with the same design has been on sale in North America since 2003. Eco-Drive is a proprietary Citizen technology that converts sunlight or faint indoor light into electricity to power the watch, storing any excess electricity in a secondary battery.

　Citizen began its overseas expansion in 1936, exporting to Asian countries, and has since expanded its market to approximately 140 countries and regions. The Crystron Solar Cell, the ancestor of Eco-Drive and the now-familiar solar-powered watch, was introduced overseas in 1976 and became a milestone model that promoted environmental conservation to the world from an early stage. Developed in the 1970s, the first oil crisis brought strong interest in energy and resource conservation. Developed with the goal of creating a "watch that never stops, without battery replacement," the solar-powered watch technology has been highly praised around the world, including in Germany, a country at the forefront of environmental conservation. Eco-Drive, which inherits this DNA, continues to evolve as one of Citizen's signature technologies.

　Sanders is known as a politician who places importance on environmental issues, and this perspective may be reflected in his choice of watch.