Citizen was established in 1925. Citizen's founding fathers selected the name Citizen so the company would be "Close to the Hearts of People Everywhere" and soon after adopted the company's formal name, Citizen Watch Company. During the last seventy-five years Citizen has expanded its business throughout the world and has achieved recognition as a global brand. The last 25 year period has conincided with the company's dramatic rise to its current position as the world's largest watchmaker, a distinction Citizen has held every year since 1986. Beyond sheer size, Citizen is also recognized as a worldwide leader in advanced technology. From the world's slimmest LCD watch to the first voice recognition watch and the world's first professional dive watch with an electronic depth sensor, Citizen's record of "world firsts" is unmatched. Most recently Citizen has staked out a new position as the leader in maintenance-free timekeeping with its Eco-Drive collection of light powered watches. With models ranging from dress models to sport models to professional dive watches, Eco-Drive runs continuously in any kind of light for a lifetime of use and they never need a battery. Maintenance-free timekeeping has arrived and Citizen leads the charge.