Citizen
Parent Company: Citizen Group
Activity
Wristwatches, watch mechanisms
Reason for Boycott
Citizen is a Japanese manufacturer whose origins date back to the Shokosha Watch Research Institute, established in 1918. The company states that it operates as an integrated manufacturer, producing watch components and completing final assembly within its own group, while conducting business in more than 130 countries. Citizen Watch is also a publicly traded global corporation. No verified evidence was identified showing that Citizen supplies weapons, surveillance systems, military equipment or logistical support to the Israeli military. No reliable evidence was found of Citizen operating factories, branches or infrastructure projects in illegal Israeli settlements, or of proven forced labor or systematic child labor in its supply chain. Citizen was not identified among the reviewed BDS priority targets. The brand therefore does not meet the criteria for Strict Boycott. However, Citizen’s presence in Israel does not appear to be limited to isolated resale or unauthorized parallel imports. Israel-based Adi Watches sells numerous Citizen models using official-importer descriptions and prices them in Israeli shekels. Citizen watches are also widely available through multiple local Israeli retailers, supporting the existence of an organized and continuing commercial distribution network. Official import and retail activity in Israel does not, by itself, establish direct complicity in war crimes. Nevertheless, Citizen does not fully meet BYKT’s clean “Purchasable” standard because of its documented organized commercial presence in the Israeli market. Since no direct military, settlement or forced-labor complicity was verified, Citizen should be classified as“Conscience-Based / Discretionary.”
