600 pieces
100th Anniversary of the First CITIZEN Watch
Limited Edition Model Eco-Drive with Annual
Accuracy of ±5 Seconds
Hand-dyed Indigo
Washi Paper Dial Model

Features 02

A one-of-a-kind shibori pattern that’s forever changing

Our goal was to create the ultimate shibori-dye pattern—beautiful and fragmentary—on the dial. We chose to use the so-called pole-wrap shibori technique. Typically, the technique involves wrapping fabric around a pole, tying it with string, then scrunching it up to the top of the pole to create wrinkles and folds before dunking it in dye. Performing this process with washi rather than fabric adds a whole other level of difficulty. Fortunately, Tengu-jo washi, the ultra-thin Tosa washi we opted to use, is as strong as it is thin.

The biggest challenge when making the dial was how to dye the washi paper properly without tearing it. shibori literally means “tightening” or “squeezing,” and the tighter the fabric gets scrunched up, the smaller the gaps between the different colour patches and the more subtle and intricate the final pattern. To make this dial, we took shibori to the limits of the possible.

The use of washi was not our only innovation. We also dunked the washi in the dye mixture twice, scrunching it down a second time to create different wrinkles, pleats and folds. Repeating the process like this produced an even more delicate and intricate design perfectly in tune with the small dimensions of a watch dial. Building a layer of experimentation onto the basic pole-wrap shibori dyeing technique produced a series of dials that are genuinely one of a kind. It’s no exaggeration to say that no two of the six hundred pieces of this limited edition model have the same dial design.

The sukumo dye-liquid is made from the dried and fermented leaves of the indigo plant and lye is used to activate the fermentation process. Because both the materials and the process are wholly natural, the dye has a complex, ever-changing colouration which contains a multitude of tones and hues. In consequence, the indigo washi dial looks quite different depending on the angle of the light. This is a watch the wearer will never tire of looking at.

Learn more about making all-natural dye-liquid.

1. Coat the washi in plant-based starch and wrap it around a pole.
2. Stand the pole upright. Push the washi up so that it scrunches up at the top of the pole.
3. Dip the pole into water. (Wetting the washi will ensure it absorbs the dye equally.)
4. Scrunch the washi to the top of the pole again.
5. Dip the washi into the dye liquid until you get the desired colour.
6. Rinse the washi with water and let it dry.
7. Scrunch the washi again and dye it for a second time.
8. After the washi has dried, spread it out and dip it into the dye liquid to fine-tune the shading.
9. Rinse the washi with water and let it dry.

Craftsman’s comment

I wanted the washi to look like fabric

“Typically, shibori dyeing is a technique that’s applied to fabrics, so the idea of trying to create the same sort of pattern on washi was a pretty bold one. To be honest, the only reason I managed was because I used Tengu-jo washi from Tosa, a type of washi that’s strong enough not to rip when you scrunch it up into tight folds.” So says indigo dye master Kenta Watanabe, the craftsman also responsible for AQ4091-56M, another Hand-dyed Indigo Washi Paper Dial Model from The CITIZEN.

“Having to do the whole shibori dyeing process twice was really hard work. Still, I wasn’t willing to compromise on quality just because I was using washi rather than fabric. I hope that when customers pick up the watch, they’ll be struck by the beauty of the colour and the pattern and they’ll ask the store clerk if the dial material is fabric, only to be get the answer, ‘No, it’s washi.’ If that’s the sort of interaction that takes place in the store, I’ll be delighted.”