CITIZEN is pleased to announce its first exhibit of a new platform service called “Riiiver” at South by Southwest® (SXSW) 2019 — one of the largest creative gatherings in the world, showcasing music, film and interactive media held in Austin Texas each year. The exhibit will begin from March 10th, 2019 at its Interactive Trade Show.

Riiiver is a totally new service developed under the concept of evolving lifestyles with watch innovation. With the aim to communicate the concept broadly and distinctly, CITIZEN is the first watch manufacturer* to join the ranks at SXSW.

Riiiver development background

In an ever-changing world of newer technologies and diversified lifestyles, the watch industry is undergoing a decisive transformation. CITIZEN challenges the conventional by focusing on the “time” and “lifestyle” in a totally new approach with Riiiver. CITIZEN worked in collaboration with VELDT Inc. on developing this platform.

What is Riiiver?

Riiiver is an open IoT platform service to expand experiences with “time” and “lifestyle” by connecting people, things, and services based around watches. Transcending race, gender or generation, people can find their own lifestyles, share and connect them through Riiiver. The name comes from the idea of how rivers have transformed and evolved human civilization in such context. The three “i”’s in Riiiver stand for “imagine,” inspire” and “innovate,” which are the key actions that support that expansion.

For the first time at SXSW, CITIZEN will exhibit a watch that derives from this new platform. As development continues, further exciting technologies will be introduced including other products and services that can be connected in this platform.

What we can do with Riiiver

Using Riiiver, everyone will be able to create and manage unique experiences that can make life more convenient and entertaining by combining the services and IoT devices at their own will.

The Riiiver app will initially be available for download on smartphones. Availability on other devices and services will be added in the future, including personalized watches developed through Riiiver.

Three examples of how the new platform can interactively link the app to watches are:

- By pushing one of the watch buttons, the watch hand display shows the direction of nearby café..
- Through the users’ smartphone, color of room illumination can be changed according to the daily weather condition.
　　i.e. When it is cloudy day, the light becomes brighter.
- After completing 10km-run, music can be set to automatically change.

These are just a few examples of how Riiiver can transform personal experiences.

Riiiver teaser website

The Riiver teaser site is launched on January 21, 2019, ahead of the exhibit on SXSW this year. Various engaging content — including its development, interviews with engineers and developers and FAQ — will continuously be updated. The full-scale application version is planned to be released in the summer of 2019.
URL: https://riiiver.com/en

About the exhibit at SXSW 2019

SXSW is an annual event that attracts industries and creative people related to interactive media, music and films, which brings people and companies from around the world to meet and share ideas. CITIZEN believes the event is an ideal place to unveil the Riiiver concept and what it holds for the future at its booth at the Interactive Festival.

- SXSW 2019 exhibit -
Date and time: March 10th (Sunday) to 13th (Wednesday), 11am - 6 pm.
Venue: SXSW 2019 Interactive Festival, Trade Show site
Austin Convention Center
500 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78701

SXSW 2019 official website
URL: https://www.sxsw.com/

*About collaboration with VELDT Inc.

To start this new business, CITIZEN has partnered with VELDT Inc. — a respected company developing wearable products and related services.

-VELDT Inc. corporate outline-
　Address: 5-18-10 2D Jungumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
　Representative: Jin Nonogami, Founder & CEO
　Establishment: August 1, 2012
　Capital: 200 million yen
　Business: Development, production and sales of wearable and IoT devices, software and services. Health-care solutions, consulting and management of IoT system.

URL: https://veldt.jp