Citizen Offers Customised Watches Online

Japan's Citizen Watch Co Ltd said yesterday that it has a new idea for that special but inexpensive gift: a $50 watch that the buyer custom designs using a personal computer.

Customers who wish to order the watches need to apply to Citizen by the Internet, e-mail or mail away for a free CD-ROM which contains the watch design software.

The watches take about 10 days to manufacture, the company said.

Customers can select a design for the watch face from among 306 designs Citizen offers or they can create their own messages or patterns.

Family pictures and photos of other loved ones can be used so they are very special and different from existing watches, a Citizen spokesman said.

 

For PC beginners, there is also a simpler approach. They can select one of seven completed models and add to those their original messages and patterns.

The price for a customised watch is 6,000 yen ($48) and an additional delivery charge of 1,000 yen ($8) is necessary.

Citizen will accept orders from February 20 through March 31, but only in Japan.

The limited-time offering is the second of its kind.

Citizen said it had a similar two-month program that started last October, for which it expected orders of 1,000 pieces but received requests for 9,000 pieces during the period. The orders can be placed to Citizen via the Internet on: http://www.citizen.co.jp/watch/