Case Study: Citizen Watch achieves faster, higher-quality prototypes and 3× cost savings with 3D Systems' ProJet 3500 HD

3D Systems’ ProJet® 3500 HD 3D Printer Saves Citizen Watch Time and Money

Citizen Watch, founded in 1931 and known for innovations like Eco‑Drive and radio‑controlled clocks, relied on in‑house NC machining to produce prototypes and assembly jigs. Machining was slow, expensive, and limited the number of verification models, constraining design iteration and prompting Citizen to evaluate ten 3D printers to speed development and cut costs.

Citizen chose 3D Systems’ ProJet 3500 HD (MultiJet Modeling with VisiJet materials) for its high precision, surface quality and fast build cycles. According to Mr. Naito, the printer turned a 20–30 day process into overnight production, enabled better mock‑ups and jig designs, paid back three times its installation cost within six months, and improved product quality while being easy to use.

Citizen Watch

Naito

Product Development