Citizen releases collaboration model with Ginza Tanaka, based on the company's first watch

The "CITIZEN × GINZA TANAKA Platinum Model," a collaboration between Citizen and Ginza Tanaka, a company that manufactures and sells precious metals, has been announced. A limited run of 16 pieces will be released in mid-February 2020. (Pre-orders began on November 14, 2019, on the crowdfunding site Mirai Shopping.)

A collaboration between two companies that led the early days of Japan's watch and precious metals industries

　Citizen and Ginza Tanaka have something in common: they are both brands founded by Kamekichi Yamazaki.
　Ginza Tanaka began as a wholesaler of precious metal accessories in 1892 under the name "Shimizu Shoten" (later changing its name to "Yamazaki Shoten").
　Yamazaki has made significant contributions to Japan's precious metals industry. At the time of the company's founding, there was no custom of wearing jewellery in Japan, so he not only conveyed the appeal of jewellery to the Japanese, but also pioneered the early days of the Japanese precious metals industry by being the first in Japan to devise regulations such as 18K and 24K gold. His work overlaps with that of Citizen (originally known as Shokosha Watch Research Institute), which was founded in 1918 with the aim of manufacturing domestically produced watches for the public.

　The latest model was created by the two companies over 100 years after their founding. The overall design is based on the 16-inch pocket watch, the first watch released by Citizen under the name "CITIZEN" in 1924.
　The case is made by Ginza Tanaka using platinum 950. While regular platinum 950 is made of 95% platinum mixed with palladium, this model is made of a mixture of 95% platinum and 5% gold, giving the platinum strength on a par with stainless steel. It's a special case that could only be realized by Ginza Tanaka, who has extensive knowledge of precious metals.
　Kamekichi Yamazaki was a driving force behind the Japanese watch and precious metals industries. We would like to congratulate him on the fact that his achievements have now borne fruit in the form of a single product over 100 years.

Kamekichi Yamazaki was a businessman and member of the House of Peers. He built the foundations of Japan's watch and precious metal industries during the period of rapid modernization from the Meiji to Showa eras.

The 16-inch pocket watch bearing the name "CITIZEN" was released in 1924. "CITIZEN" was the name given by Goto Shinpei, the mayor of Tokyo at the time, in the hope that the watch would be loved by citizens for a long time. The movement of this pocket watch is also engraved with "☆S (Hosi-es)."