A double pioneering achievement: titanium solar watches

CITIZEN Super Titanium™ x Eco-Drive

It was then that the Japanese company presented the world's first titanium watch. Six years later, another premiere followed: the world’s first light-powered analogue watch. It is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year – now known as Eco-Drive.

For over two decades, CITIZEN has been bringing together both pioneering innovations and today’s trending themes in its watch collections. The result is a range of solar-powered titanium watches which are virtually independent in terms of energy supply, highly resistant and suitable for everyday use. CITIZEN will present a total of 12 new models made from Super Titanium™ and featuring Eco-Drive movements in spring 2026: Two chronograph lines and one three-hand line.

Super Titanium™ 2026: Classic and economical starter models

While CITIZEN featured striking, angled designs in its Zenshin range in 2025 to mark the 55th anniversary of Super Titanium™, the brand is now returning to classic round case shapes – for both its new chronographs and its three-hand models. With prices starting at 249 euros, they offer an affordable start to the world of CITIZEN’s light-powered titanium watches.

Super Titanium – three-hand models with Eco-Drive (Ring-Solar)

The four new three-hand models, with a 40 mm case diameter, are available with dials in black, blue, green and silver. The solar cell used here is almost invisible, installed as a dark or grey ring and as a minute track (Ring Solar). Inside, the in-house J810 movement keeps the watch running for up to 240 days without any additional light. The watch has a monthly accuracy of +/- 15 seconds, is water-resistant up to 5 bar.

Super Titanium Chronograph – featuring the Eco-Drive movement B620

This chronograph collection is equipped with the proven in-house Eco-Drive calibre B620. The solar cells are integrated as sub-dials at the 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions, where they are hardly noticeable. The power reserve is 270 days and the accuracy is +/- 15 seconds per month. These chronographs also feature anti-reflective sapphire glass, a practical battery indicator and water resistance up to 10 bar. The dial colours are black, blue, green and silver.

Super Titanium Chronograph – Thinner with Eco-Drive H504 movement

Another chronograph model with Eco-Drive – available with dials in black, blue, green and silver. CITIZEN offers these new 40 mm models equipped with the in-house H504 movement, resulting in a slightly slimmer case (10.29 mm). The solar cells are also integrated here as sub-dials at the 2, 6 and 10 o’clock positions. The power reserve is 180 days, the accuracy is +/- 15 seconds per month.

Super Titanium™ is a technology developed by CITIZEN for the surface hardening of solid titanium. It is at least five times harder than stainless steel. It is extremely scratch-resistant, lightweight and skin-friendly, offering excellent comfort. (The Vickers hardness of stainless steel is approximately 200 HV).

Duratect Titancarbid (TIC): Duratect is a surface-hardening technology developed by CITIZEN that improves the surface hardness of metals such as stainless steel and titanium, thereby protecting the watch case from scratches and damage. This technology offers excellent polishing performance and keeps metals looking shiny for a long time. Duratect titanium carbide has a silvery colour similar to that of pure titanium. Titanium carbide technology is
widely used in a variety of applications, and CITIZEN’s Duratect titanium carbide has a Vickers hardness of between 1,000 and 1,200 HV.

Eco-Drive iis a technology developed by CITIZEN that powers watches using any natural or synthetic light source, meaning that the battery never needs to be changed. Eco-Drive is the first product in the watch industry to be certified as an Eco Mark product by the Japan Environment Association (JEA) and honoured for its contribution to environmental sustainability.