Japan’s Citizen Watch Co. has introduced an all-new ladies’ collection, called Citizen L Ambiluna, which was announced last week during the SHE Summit, a global women’s leadership conference in New York City. Grammy Award winner Kelly Clarkson and celebrity vegan chef/restaurateur Chloe Coscarelli, both Citizen watch ambassadors, and Ellen Seckler,Citizen Executive VP of Marketing, were all on hand at the SHE Summit for the watch’s official launch, and took part in a Citizen-sponsored panel discussion on “Spending Your Time on What Matters Most.”
The new L Ambiluna joins the Citizen L collection, a family of ladies’ watches outfitted with the brand’s proprietary Eco-Drive technology, which powers the watches’ movements through any natural or artificial light source, eliminating the need to replace batteries and thus, Citizen says, upholding the collection’s mission statement of being both stylish and environmentally friendly. The L Ambiluna also displays some very distinctly Japanese influences both in its design elements and materials. “Supporting women with watches that enhance our personal expression and provide exceptional reliability is a core value of the Citizen brand by respecting our most important resource – time,” explained Seckler at the SHE Summit. “With a Citizen Eco-Drive Watch, you never need to change your watch battery, you can clear up the clutter in your drawer with watches that don’t work, and you can help to contribute to a cleaner world by not discarding batteries in our landfills.”
The collection — whose name comes from combining “ambient” and “lunar” — takes its design inspiration from the work of Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, known for his use of geometric forms and delicate light structures. Fujimoto’s “absolute light” philosophy informs several elements of the watch, including the frosted “moon-glazed sapphire” crystal, which is meant to evoke “a pale moon veiled in a haze casting a soft light,” the brand says. Fashion journalist Yoshiko Ikoma, a former editor at the Japanese editions of Vogue, Elle, and Marie Claire, serves as a brand advisor on the Citizen L collection.
Two models are available. One is a limited edition of 1,000 pieces, with a 37.8-mm case made of a trademarked alloy called Super Titanium, which uses the surface-hardening Duratect technology that is proprietary to Citizen. Five times harder than stainless steel, Super Titanium is also lightweight and gentle on the skin. The straps are made of a special woven textile called Nishjin, crafted by 350-year-old, Kyoto-based textile manufacturer HOSOO, which also uses the material to weave traditional Japanese garments such as kimonos. The Nishjin straps have a delicate sheen that complements the dial’s frosted, ethereal look. The Eco-Drive movement is Caliber G620, with an accuracy of +/- 15 seconds per month and runs eight months on a full battery charge. The L Ambiluna Limited Edition is slated for a fall/winter release, priced at $1,850.
The other new watch, which is not limited in production and also available in fall/winter 2016, has a 24.6-mm stainless steel case with a bangle bracelet. It is distinguished by the addition of an “Urushi drop” — an element of traditional Japanese lacquerware that creates dazzling light reflections — floating above the top left of the case. Each Urushi drop is handcrafted, with colors and lacquered layers that differ slightly, ensuring that no two are exactly the same. A diamond drop, positioned between the case and the Urushi drop, serves as a 12 o’clock indicator. Inside is Citizen’s Caliber B035, with Eco-Drive technology and +/- 15 seconds per month of accuracy, which runs for seven months on a full charge. The non-limited L Ambiluna will retail for $695.
