Citizen teams up with Billie Jean King for a new watch and an upcoming film while the U.S. Open heads into its second week of play.
By Logan R. Baker
In the 25 years that Citizen has sponsored the U.S. Open, entire generations have watched male and female tennis legends compete at Flushing Meadows. After all, who could forget Roger Federer’s triumphant run of five straight titles in the late 2000s? Or young Andy Roddick’s lone Grand Slam victory in 2003? From Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi to this past decade’s dominance at the hands of Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray, Citizen has timed each match with the same accuracy the brand is famous for.
This year, Citizen unveiled a new special-edition commemorative timepiece for the brand’s sponsorship Silver Jubilee. The watch—which uses the brand’s sunlight-powered Eco-Drive system—differs from previous year’s iterations with the addition of a small date window at 3 o’clock and a power reserve tucked in the bottom left corner of the dial. The Japanese watchmaking force—which has invested heavily in the North American market through sport ambassadors and partnerships over the past decade—also announced a partnership with tennis legend and former world number one Billie Jean King last month. Citizen is heavily involved as a sponsor in a new film coming out in September that documents the famous Battle of the Sexes match between King and Bobby Riggs. In the film, which features Academy Award winner Emma Stone as King and Academy Award nominee Steve Carell as Riggs, a spotlight is shown on the behind-the-scenes drama that surrounded the match as well as on King’s private life as she came to terms with her own sexual identity.
King’s relationship with time is a complicated one. She attributes her management of it as one of the reasons for the success of her professional tennis career. “When we’re playing, that twenty-second gap you have between points, champions use that time better than everyone else. How we regroup, how we plan how to execute, how we’re going to serve, where we’re going to return, and adapt to what is going on. You’ve got to pay attention all the time and be aware—self-awareness is really important in everything. It’s one ball at a time.”
In honor of this new relationship, Citizen has released a new watch powered by Eco-Drive that commemorates King’s efforts in empowering women around the globe as well as her unwavering support for LGBTQ rights. The mother-of-pearl dial contrasts subtly with a faux leather strap to create an elegant homage to King’s life work.
The Citizen U.S. Open 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition is available for $200 and the Billie Jean King Commemorative Watch for $180. More information is available here.
Battle of the Sexes comes out September 22. The U.S. Open runs at Flushing Meadows from August 25–September 9 at the Billie Jean King International Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, NY.
