In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Eco-Drive, the The CITIZEN green washi dial model made using plant dye and indigo dye will be released on May 28.
Green has long been a color beloved as a symbol of nature and life through the changing seasons, but it is considered extremely difficult to extract green dye from a single material. Therefore, since the Nara period, the green imbued with the essence of life has been produced by layering the blue of indigo with plant-derived yellow.
This model takes inspiration from this concept, resulting in a green washi dial expressed as a product of plant dye while inheriting the flow of indigo-dyed washi dials treated with indigo dye. It is a dial finished based on traditional techniques from Watanabe's indigo dye workshop in Tokushima Prefecture, crafted as a modern creation.
The yellow dye layered with the indigo uses "Kariyasu," a dye that has been used since the Nara period for dyeing clothing and kimonos. Among them, "Ibuki Kariyasu," which grows wild in the vicinity of Mount Ibuki in Shiga Prefecture, is a historically significant dye recorded in the "Engishiki," known for its soft yellow hue.
The yellow of Ibuki Kariyasu is prone to fading, making color adjustment extremely delicate. The color is fixed through repeated dyeing and drying and is then layered with indigo to achieve the ideal green.
As the shades of indigo change, the color tone varies significantly, hence the coloration has been developed through numerous prototypes.
This color, produced through a process exceeding that of the indigo-dyed washi dial model, subtly changes its expression depending on the angle of light, quietly accumulating time.
Reservations are currently being accepted for early display, so please be sure to check this delicate expression in-store.