Takashi Kumagai is a Japanese designer. Although known for his work with high end bags and luggage, he has also worked with clothing brands such as Quicksilver. Recently, he lent his sense of style to this Citizen Independent ITA21-5157.

Independent is a long standing sub brand of Citizen. Generally speaking, the Independent lineup consists of fashionable watches designed with a style that’s often a little edgy. I think most would agree that this watch, with its bright orange dial, blacked out case, unusual subdial layout and blue accents is definitely a little “out there.”
The square steel case measures about 42mm across and houses a domed glass crystal. The subdials are used to measure the running seconds, (6:00 position) chronograph minutes (9:00 position) 24 hour time (3:00 position) and also retrograde 1/20th chronograph seconds. Regular chronograph seconds are tracked in the traditional manner through the large central seconds hand.
In keeping with the theme of the watch, it is packaged in a bright orange box.
The case is a snapback design, and the band is nylon. It appears that there is a web like construction on the strap back; probably for ventilation. Lug width is 24mm.
The chronograph pushers are nicely integrated into the case design.
Although the bright blue hands stand out strongly against the orange background, at night, you won’t see anything. There is no lume on the dial or the hands.
For those of you who like the general design of the watch, but not the colors, Citizen also produces this model in more traditional style, including some with steel bracelets.
Although not for everyone, this Citizen Independent is a fun watch to wear for those not averse to a little color and style on their wrist, and it’s a great reason why you should always keep an eye on the offerings from the various sub-brands that both Citizen and Seiko offer.