Citizen is one of the most influential watch companies on the planet with over 100 years of operation. It offers one of the widest range of products in terms of style, functionality, and price point thanks to strategic partnerships like that with Disney as well as the breadth of powerhouse brands under its umbrella. In particular, Citizen is the market leader in the U.S. when it comes to mid-priced luxury, making Citizen Watch America one of the most integral subsets of the Japanese-based business.
At the helm of Citizen Watch America is industry veteran Jeffrey Cohen. As President, Cohen is responsible for the company’s full portfolio of brands, including Citizen, Bulova, Caravelle, Wittnauer, Frederique Constant, Alpina, and Ateliers DeMonaco in the USA, Canada, Caribbean, United Kingdom, Ireland, Mexico and Latin America.
Cohen entered the space over four decades ago at Movado. He accepted his first job there in 1983 as a sales trainee, and within a year, he was promoted to sales manager. From that moment forward, Cohen’s momentum and growth only continued to skyrocket.
By 1986, he rose to the role of Regional Vice President of Sales for chain and department stores, and by 1987 he was named Vice President of National Accounts. In 1990, Cohen was promoted to Vice President of Sales for Movado and then Senior Vice President four years later.
He was first President North America at Movado and then went on to become Worldwide/Global President before joining Citizen Watch Group in 2010.
By the new millennium, he had become the first President North America at Movado, and then went on to become the Global President before joining Citizen Watch Group in 2010. Here, Cohen quickly rose in the ranks yet again. By 2011, he had been promoted from Executive Vice President to President of Citizen Watch America, a position he’s now held for over a decade.
We were fortunate enough to sit down with Cohen to learn a bit more about his passion for watches, his leadership approach, how he measures success, the importance of work-life balance, and so much more, including the big plans he has in store for Citizen Watch Group in 2025.
When did you know you wanted to be involved in the watch industry?
When I was younger, I always admired people wearing watches. It says a lot about the person based on the watch they’re wearing—for instance, whether they’re more forward-thinking or traditional. I remember feeling it was important to have one for my first job interview out of college—I wanted to make that first impression others had made on me. But when I entered the watch industry as a career, I never thought it would be for a very long time—I hadn’t counted on falling in love. I saw immediately the beauty and passion of the watch world, and I knew that this would be my life.
Can you share a pivotal moment in your career journey that shaped your current leadership approach?
Operational agility and unlocking the power of people have always been a focus of my management style. In my years with Citizen, I’ve been responsible for leading the integration of the Bulova and Citizen brands in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the UK, and then the integration of Alpina and Frederique Constant after Citizen Watch Group acquired the brands in 2016. I was pleasantly surprised by the relative ease of these major transitions, and I credit this to the quality of the people, the unique strengths each brand brought to the group, and the ability to adapt, evolve, and remain agile. There has never been a question that we’re even stronger together.
How do you measure success? Financial metrics? Impact-based metrics? Something else?
Financial metrics are always a key element of success, especially as part of a large group listed on the stock market and answering to shareholders, but other metrics are important as well.
As a company, we’re very close to our wholesale partners thanks to long-standing relationships and a consistent approach to the market built over my years at Citizen, and their ongoing growth and success are key metrics.
The growth and diversification of our audience are also key metrics and ones I care about deeply. We have an active and ongoing conversation with current and prospective consumers—including Gen-Z and millennials—and we focus on introducing them to timekeeping and enriching their understanding of our category and our brands.
And lastly, measuring the health, growth, and diversity of our employees is also an important metric to me. We have employees at Citizen Watch Group who have been here for over 30 years, employees who started their careers with Citizen and have grown and been key to many strategic business functions. I’m also very proud that we continue to grow and attract young professionals to our business. If our company culture opens the door to a long and fulfilling career in the watch business, that’s among the most important metrics of success to me.
What role should business play in driving social and environmental progress?
We believe in sustainable and ethical business practices and doing what we can to be a good corporate citizen across all of our brands. These initiatives include everything from Citizen’s eco-drive technology and Alpina’s straps and recycled cases repurposing ocean plastics to supporting organizations like 1% for the Planet, Save the Beyond, The Leather Working Group, Everybody Solar, and social projects like the Veterans Watch Maker’s Initiative, Maestro Cares, and the Latin Music Preservation Fund. We have big sustainability goals at Citizen—we’ve expanded solar power to many of our factories, improved eco-friendly packaging, and continue to focus on driving down carbon emissions. Values and ethics—being a good corporate citizen—and extending those values to your employees, partners, and customers is a core part of our company culture. You can read our full sustainability report right here.
How do you navigate and adapt to evolving market trends and consumer preferences within the watch space?
As a company, we’ve had an aggressive and progressive focus on digital transformation for the last 10 years. We actively leverage data from current and prospective consumers to track evolving market trends and consumer preferences. Insights from our ongoing conversation with the end consumer inform our strategies from marketing to channel and product development.
How do you go about building a team and attracting talent at Citizen?
Thanks to my long-standing relationships in the industry and the reputation of Citizen Watch Group, I’ve been able to hire the best-in-class people. I’ve drawn from my network as well as from outside the industry to bring a fresh perspective. Every member of our team has a seat at the table when it comes to innovation, and ideas are embraced at every level of our organization. We have a flat structure and empower our employees to push boundaries within their disciplines.
How do you foster innovation and creativity within Citizen’s company culture?
I foster innovation and creativity through cross-capability collaboration within our corporate culture. For example, our product development and marketing teams sit together so that every day, collaboration can happen organically from inception to final delivery. We also have monthly meetings where every discipline (sales, sales ops, marketing, data and analytics, media, retail development, e-comm, finance, creative, legal…) from every brand gets together to reflect on the performance of past activity and gets informed of upcoming initiatives. Overall, we strive to have a very open environment where everyone is encouraged to speak up and bring in their ideas to the table.
Can you share examples of how you’ve collaborated with other watch industry leaders to address common challenges or opportunities?
I’m the Chairman of the 24 Karat Club, which aims to foster the interests of the jewelry industry, and I’m an active member of the American Watch Association, which also aims to foster relationships between leaders within the industry. I’m also the current Chairman of Jewelers for Children, which has donated more than $62 million to help children who are victims of catastrophic illness or life-threatening abuse or neglect. When we’re privileged to be successful, it’s so important to give back, and as a father, children are a cause that’s particularly important to me.
How do you prioritize well-being and work-life balance as a leader in the watch industry?
Maintaining a work-life balance can be challenging especially when you’re so passionate about your work, but I have a wonderful and supportive wife who encourages me to do what I love while also striving for balance. When I’m not in the office, I work from my home in the Berkshires, which allows me to connect with nature and bring the peace and tranquility that comes from that environment into my work. I think your environment is so important and has a major impact on how you show up in the world. I also enjoy collecting art by the American pop artist Steven Kaufman, who worked with Andy Warhol, and surrounding myself with this art brings me joy and helps keep me balanced.
Do you have any upcoming events or projects within the Citizen umbrella that you’re particularly excited about?
In 2025, Bulova will be celebrating its 150th Anniversary and Accutron its 65th anniversary. Bulova is the only watch company that has been operating continuously in the New York City area. We started the celebrations early with a few private screenings of the Bulova documentary that highlights both brands, including the space and military history with Accutron having provided the timing mechanisms for 46 NASA missions and Bulova being the only privately owned watch to go to the moon. Bulova and Accutron have such rich histories—we’re constantly learning new things through collectors we meet—and making that documentary has really highlighted how important the brands are within horological history and American history as a whole.
So, for next year, we’re planning an 18-month rollout inclusive of everything: the documentary film, a new movement caliber, a traveling and interactive digital museum, and a refreshed brand campaign. Our 150th anniversary is going to be impactful, engaging, and unforgettable for consumers and the trade across the globe.
What practical advice would you offer aspiring leaders, in the watch industry or other fields, who aim to make a positive impact?
There are three key pieces of advice I’d offer to aspiring leaders in the watch industry and beyond: be a good listener and find the white space in everything. Build a culture that’s engaging. And always be a market leader, not a market follower.
