Citizen has collaborated with French creative studio seconde/seconde/ on a limited-edition version of the Tsuyosa Automatic, introducing a bold graphic intervention that alters the dial without changing the watch’s underlying construction. The collaboration applies seconde/seconde/’s conceptual approach to a mass-market automatic model known for its integrated bracelet and accessible price point.
The watch retains its stainless steel case and bracelet, sapphire crystal, and automatic Caliber 8210 movement, which is visible through an exhibition case back. The most notable change appears on the dial, where a pixelated katana-shaped minute hand cuts across the hour markers, referencing the Japanese meaning of “Tsuyosa,” which translates to strength. A printed phrase on the case back expands on the visual concept with a text-based graphic element.
Image Credit: Citizen, seconde/seconde/
What's Driving This Trend
- Graphic-hand Interventions
- A pixelated katana-shaped minute hand replacing conventional indicators signals opportunities for rethinking functional components as core visual assets that alter perceived value.
- Cultural-symbol Integration
- Referencing Japanese language and iconography on product surfaces points to potential for storytelling-led design to deepen emotional resonance with global audiences.
- Mass-market Meets Conceptual-studio
- Collaborations that graft avant-garde studio concepts onto accessible, high-volume models suggest scope for premiumized narratives without extensive engineering changes.
Who This Affects Most
- Watchmaking
- Traditional horology firms can find disruptive potential in elevating dial and hand design as differentiators that command scarcity-driven premiums.
- Fashion-accessories
- Accessory brands stand to benefit from limited-edition graphic treatments that turn functional objects into collectible style statements.
- Consumer-goods Branding
- Companies across consumer categories could exploit studio collaborations to rapidly refresh established SKUs with culturally charged visual narratives.
