Beyond watches, Citizen also manufactures calculators, printers,[3] health care devices, and precision CNC machining equipment.

It took over Shokosha Watch Research Institute (founded in 1918) and some facilities of the assembly plant opened in Yokohama in 1912 by the Swiss watchmaker Rodolphe Schmid.

[5] The development of this brand was supported in the 1920s by Count Gotō Shinpei with his hope that watches could become affordable to the general public.

[6] Citizen launched the world's first multi-band atomic timekeeping watch in 1993 and has remained a pioneer of this field.

The watches can synchronize with radio clocks in Japan, North America, and Europe, automatically selecting the correct frequency by location.

These features are comparable to the synchronization with atomic clocks found in Casio Wave Ceptor watches.

The Perpetual Chrono A-T synchronizes with the atomic clocks in Colorado or Germany, depending on signal strength and location, and incorporates Eco-Drive technology, so it does not require replacement batteries.

[13] The watch's bezel has alternating smooth and serrated edges to provide a positive grip in wet conditions, with the shape inspired by the pufferfish.

Citizen eventually adopted Fugu as the watch's official name, even engraving some models' casebacks with a pufferfish logo.

With a Miyota 8203 movement, Fugu automatic watches can be hand-wound – a significant advantage over their original competitor (Seiko's now discontinued SKX).

One early model, called the Citizen Vitality, used the watch hands to drive a small electric generator, but was discontinued following complaints that the device could explode and cause wrist injuries.