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.
Walter Wolf Racing
Citizen’s first brush with Grand Prix racing was with the Walter Wolf Racing F1 team, which 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. Several Citizen Walter Wolf Racing watches and chronographs were produced including a 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 neat toolbox-shaped box. There was also a gold dial variant. 1985 also saw the release of a much beefier titanium Walter Wolf chronograph (37-1033 or 3530-351118TA) with a rotating case. 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 One. With a case shape inspired by the nose cone of Toyota’s Formula One car and, it 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
As an honorable mention, there has been an unbranded Marlboro F1 Racing Analogue Digital World Time 2005A promotional timepiece that runs a Citizen Miyota movement. The bezel features the names of Grand Prix circuits in the overall sequence of the 2005 Formula One calendar, the last season that Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello raced for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro. Other Marlboro Racing timepieces with Miyota movements have also been produced without outward references to Formula One.
References
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
https://marketplace.watchcharts.com/listing/690743-citizen-miyota-marlboro-f1-racing-analogue-digital-world-time-carbon-fiber-dial