IFL Watches Introduces An Artistic Tribute To Japan With The Citizen Tsuyosa Concept Collection
Japan is an infinite source of inspiration for creative people. The history and culture of the Land of the Rising Sun have long sparked a rich palette of artistry in art, fashion, furniture, and architecture. With the Citizen Tsuyosa Concept Collection, IFL Watches pays tribute to Japanese culture by creating four very distinctly Japanese dials for the Citizen Tsuyosa. The brand’s popular watch is the perfect canvas for the artists at IFLW to honor Japanese culture with hand-painted dials based on images of four historically important Japanese cities. Let’s find out more!
It’s no secret that Japan has long been praised for its craftsmanship. We see this in watchmaking, but it goes far beyond that. The love for learning a craft and appreciating the skill and detail that comes with it is ingrained in Japanese culture. Over time, Japanese arts and crafts have captivated audiences worldwide. One thing that shows us is that Japanese culture has been able to preserve traditional customs while embracing modernity. The team at IFLW has taken the opportunity to create four hand-painted dials celebrating four Japanese cities, each with distinct artwork. The result is the Tsuyosa Concept Collection, a series of timepieces that pays tribute to the country’s remarkable culture.
The four dials of the Tsuyosa Concept Collection
As mentioned, the popular Citizen Tsuyosa is the canvas for the artwork of the Tsuyosa Concept Collection. The artists at IFLW chose four cities that all tell different stories. The first of the four is Osaka, which is considered Japan’s nightlife capital. The dial gets a purple and blue backdrop mimicking the city’s streets at night.
In the forefront, you see a mysterious silhouette standing guard while a modern samurai girl emerges from the shadows. The dial merges the ancient Japanese warrior spirit with modern nightlife characterized by bright neon colors. It’s a fun take on Osaka’s mix of cyberpunk atmosphere and ancient history.
The second of the four dials depicts the traditional architecture of Kyoto. It features one of the traditional temples in Japan’s ancient capital, often considered the country’s most beautiful city. Whereas the first dial puts you in the middle of the action, this second dial slows things down significantly. The dial celebrates the beautiful, serene style of Kyoto’s scenery. Additionally, it is impressive to see the level of detail the artists put into the image.
Celebrating Tokyo and Hiroshima
The dial celebrating the current Japanese capital, Tokyo, depicts the small streets of the metropolis. The image shows the warmth of a Yokocho alley, where steam rises from ramen shops, and lanterns cast their mellow glow over dango stalls. As a result, you get an intricate view of the daily life in the biggest city of Japan. It’s a picture focused on the friendliness of the traditional streets of Tokyo and the traditions of good food that are everywhere if you look past the modern images of the mega city.
The fourth and last dial honors the Itsukushima Shrine, the symbol of peace and resilience in the city of Hiroshima. The image shows the famous “floating” torii gate emerging from the serene waters at dawn. By using soft tones, the dial gets a warm, pleasant feel that still has plenty of detail to create maximum visual impact. As you can see, each of the four dials has a distinctly different look and mood. Therefore, the set of four is as interesting to the fans of one particular city as it is to people who would love to own all four variations.
The technical details of the Tsuyosa Concept Collection
Most of you will be familiar with the Tsuyosa, but let’s remind ourselves of the details. The Citizen Tsuyosa Automatic has a 40mm stainless steel case with a 11.7mm thickness and a 49mm length. The case has a predominantly brushed finish, but the polished bezel adds a nice visual sparkle.
The crown is positioned at 4 o’clock and integrated into the case nicely. Moving inward, the dial features large hour markers with white lume and a date window at 3 o’clock. As you can see, the watches do not have the regular date magnifier because that would interfere with the dial artwork.
Each watch comes fitted with an integrated stainless steel President-style bracelet that is super flexible and comfortable on the wrist. I love the look of the mix of brushed and polished links for some proper luxury vibes. The bracelet features a folding clasp with a push-button release and a few pin holes for micro-adjustment. If you turn the watch around, you will get a glimpse of the in-house-produced Citizen caliber 8210. This automatic movement operates at 21,600vph and delivers a 40-hour power reserve. According to Citizen, the average accuracy is approximately ±20 seconds per day.
Final thoughts on the new IFL Watches Tsuyosa Concept Collection
But as always with IFLW releases, the fun is in the dials. Citizen’s Tsuyosa model is the perfect canvas for these four images. As a result of the large, open dials, the art truly pops. It’s great to see these four dials because they are a nice reminder of what makes Japan such a special country.
The culture and the people seem to seamlessly combine traditional craftsmanship with modern-day culture, giving many Japanese places and brands the soul that we love. The IFLW Tsuyosa Concept Collection is a great reminder of that. This exclusive Japan-inspired collection will be available starting today at 16:00 CET. IFLW will produce 50 pieces of each dial variant, which will be available for €890 on the official IFL Watches website.
What do you think of this collection? Do you have a favorite dial, and if you’ve been to Japan, what was your favorite city? Let us know in the comments!
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