Citizen Watch Co., Ltd is an electronics company based in Nishitokyo, Japan and mainly known for their watches. As of 2008, they also serve as the parent company of Bulova. Citizen was founded in 1930 by Japanese and Swiss investors. The name Citizen was first registered in Switzerland by Swiss watchmaker Rodolphe Schmid in 1918 and brand development was supported in the 1920s by Count Goto Shinpei, a Japanese physician and politician. Up until World War II, Citizen’s growth was largely powered by technology transfer from Switzerland. Decades later in 1993, Citizen launched the world’s first multi-band atomic watch.
Maki Engineering Sponsorship
Citizen sponsored Maki Engineering for several rounds of the 1975 Formula 1 season, with the watch brand’s logo appearing on the Maki F101C. No team editions were made.
1978 Austrian Grand Prix
Citizen was a sponsor of the 1978 Austrian Grand Prix, with their logo appearing on the official event program’s illustrated cover. Archive footage of the race also shows the Citizen logo on track side billboards.
Walter Wolf Racing
Walter Wolf Racing began competing in 1977 after Slovenian-Canadian businessman Walter Wolf bought 60% of Frank Williams Racing Cars and the assets of Hesketh Racing. The Canadian outfit competed until 1979, after which the team was sold to Emerson Fittipaldi.
A few years later, several Citizen Walter Wolf Racing watches and chronographs were produced. This included black and titanium versions released in 1982 and 1983, respectively. The Walter Wolf logo features on both the dial and case back, and came in a toolbox-shaped box. A gold dial variant was also released. A titanium Walter Wolf chronograph (ref. 37-1033 or 3530-351118TA) with a rotating case was released in 1985.
The Citizen logo appears on the case back only on all the above models.
Toyota Racing
The somewhat obscure limited edition Citizen Toyota Racing F1 Team Chronograph was released in 2003, the team’s second year in Formula 1. The case shape was inspired by the nose cone of Toyota’s F1 car, and also happens to resemble a Hamilton Ventura. A round cased version has also been released, with the Citizen logo featuring on the case back.
Marlboro Powered by Citizen
Marlboro-branded watches were common in the 1990s, most of which served as sponsor merchandise. One honorable mention that stood out was a Citizen-powered Marlboro chronograph (ref. 2005A) with a bezel that features the names of Grand Prix circuits in line with the 2005 F1 calendar, the last season that Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello raced for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro.
Related Pages
References
https://www.progcovers.com/motor/f11978.php
https://jimchungblog.com/2022/10/20/a-lost-era-and-lifestyle-that-cannot-return/
https://vintagecitizenwatches.com/2014/12/14/citizen-walter-wolf-chronograph/
https://www.thewatchsite.com/threads/citizen-walter-wolf-watches-fomula-one.348827/
https://www.catawiki.com/en/l/5247185-citizen-walter-wolf-formula-1-racing-team-men-s-wristwatch-1978
https://www.safonagastrocrono.club/racing-watches-10-citizen-walter-wolf-racing-team/
https://www.plus9time.com/blog/2020/2/10/citizen-and-walter-wolf-racingnbspbrochure
https://www.walterwolfworld.com/products/
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/genuine-citizens-mens-chronograph-310592698
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/36894676/the-formula-for-style
https://oportunityleiloes.auctionserver.net/m/lot-details/index/catalog/4547/lot/1467068