To store electrical energy the first Eco-Drive movements employed titanium lithium-ionrechargeable or secondary batteries. Though the Eco-Drive caliber 7878 movement solar cells remained slightly visible through the dial, the physical styling of the light-powered watch was no longer constrained by visible solar cells. By locating a sufficiently translucent dial material over the now more efficient solar cells, enough light could pass through the dial face to power the movement. Previous light powered watches from Citizen and other manufacturers had the solar cell(s) mounted directly on the dial.This innovation was enabled by marked improvements in thin film amorphous silicon solar cells, which, by the early 1990s had become significantly more efficient. This movement was the first light-powered movement where the solar cells could be mounted under the dial. The technical platform that made the Eco-Drive concept possible was the Eco-Drive caliber 7878 movement. The Eco-Drive concept introduced several technical refinements over previous solar powered watches, including light-capturing cells that could be made virtually invisible behind the dial instead of highly conspicuous, enhancing the appearance of the watch. Ĭitizen introduced the Eco-Drive line to Asia, Latin America, and Europe in 1995 and to the United States in April, 1996. As of 2007, the company estimated the drive system had eliminated the disposal of ten million batteries in North America. Gn-4w-s CitizenĮco-Drive is a model range of watches manufactured and marketed worldwide by Citizen Watch Co., Ltd., powered primarily by light. Example of the invisible solar cells thanks to VITRO technology, using the CB0021-06E radio-controlled watch model (from 2011 to 2018).

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