Inhorgenta Spotlight: Citizen x seconde/seconde/

Citizen has generated a lot of discussion – at Inhorgenta and on social media – with a very special, limited-edition model in cooperation with seconde/seconde/ from the Tsuyosa collection.

Citizen's Tsuyosa automatic watch line, launched four years ago, has impressed from the start with its vibrant designs and affordable mechanics. Now, the Japanese watchmaker, in collaboration with the French design studio seconde/seconde/, has unveiled a model with an azure blue dial.

The immediate rush even surprised Citizen. Anyone wanting to get their hands on one of the 3,600 limited-edition timepieces from this Tsuyosa collection needs to act fast. Barely released, the watches are already being traded on various secondhand platforms – above the recommended retail price of €449, of course.

Citizen Tsuyosa x seconde/seconde/

The term Tsuyosa means strength in Japanese. Indeed, the Citizen collection of the same name has made a strong impression since its market launch in 2022 and regularly surprises with new variations.

With the Tsuyosa x seconde/seconde/, Citizen demonstrates that it is not letting up in this regard. The brand enlisted the support of the French artist Romaric André, also known as seconde/seconde/. The self-proclaimed "vandal" of the Swiss watch industry primarily targets watch hands, replacing them with motifs that invariably elicit at least a smile.

With success: Since 2020, he has been collaborating with various brands, whose collections he "vandalized" – always with his ironic and supposedly disrespectful style.

The Parisian, who doesn't necessarily consider himself a classical artist, began his career in the watch industry by developing 8-bit style hands. These depicted a wide variety of motifs such as swords, spaceships, or bees and replaced the hands of some vintage watches.

Romaric André alias seconde/seconde/ explains:

„As a creative professional who always tries to combine opposites to create a powerful contrast, collaborating with a brand like Citizen is an exciting undertaking. On the one hand, there's a simple French company, and on the other, a large and long-established Japanese brand. The best collaborations are usually those that bring together parties that initially appear to be opposites.“

Small versus large: Minute Sword slices through indices

It was only natural that a sharp Japanese sword – the katana – would play a central role in the seconde/seconde/ special edition model with the Japanese brand Citizen. This traditional long weapon was primarily carried by samurai.

Now, as the minute hand, it rotates in front of the radiant azure blue dial of the limited-edition Tsuyosa. The katana is designed in pixel art style – a reference to Japanese retro video games, which are known and loved worldwide.

The rotation of this special minute hand has consequences: with a humorous touch, the razor-sharp sword appears to have split the indices in two. This creates an unusual dial design with a surprisingly logical insight, the message of which can be read on the case back.

„Being smaller has never stopped Minutes from slicing Hours into pieces.”

Translated: "Their smaller size has never stopped minutes from cutting hours into pieces."„

The underlying message: Even someone who appears small and weak at first glance possesses the strength to overcome enormous obstacles. "Better starts now"—the Citizen motto—thus becomes a call to face every challenge without hesitation and with courage.

And all this without a raised finger, but with humor and a wink. Design-wise, seconde/seconde/ and Citizen have also maintained a skillful balance. Under the sapphire crystal with date magnifier, the dial appears almost "normal" at first glance – not at all like a comic strip motif. The Tsuyosa x seconde/seconde/ is thus a wearable, modern watch with a radiant blue dial and a playfully packaged message.

Incidentally, the limit of 3,600 also refers to our timekeeping system. As is well known, an hour consists of 3,600 seconds.

The watch offers the usual reliable Citizen quality. The 40 x 11.7 mm stainless steel case, water-resistant to 5 bar, houses the Miyota caliber 8210 movement with a 42-hour power reserve, manufactured by Citizen's own movement manufacturer. The movement is visible through the transparent case back.

(RRP €449)

citizenwatch.eu