Citizen Watch Co. Signs Tennis Champion Nicole Vaidisova to its Unstoppable Roster

LYNDHURST, N.J., March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizen Watch Company of America, Inc. (COA) has signed 17-year old Nicole Vaidisova, the world's Top 10 ranked tennis champion on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour to its international media campaign, Unstoppable. Ms. Vaidisova has already won 6 career Tour singles titles and is the youngest female player in the Top 10, achievements that embody the core of the Citizen Eco-Drive(R) Unstoppable campaign.

Print ads featuring Nicole Vaidisova, which will run in English, Spanish and French throughout the United States and Canada, break in April in a variety of weekly magazines including People and Us Weekly, and monthly beauty, fashion and lifestyle magazines including Glamour, Marie Claire, Latina and LouLou. In-store collateral material will be made available starting in April as well.

Laurence Grunstein, president of COA, explains the company's decision to work with Ms. Vaidisova. "Citizen has been a proud sponsor and Corporate Champion of the US Open Tennis Championships for 15 years, and our new relationship with Nicole Vaidisova is a logical extension of Citizen's commitment to tennis. In addition to strength and precision, Nicole exhibits power, poise and grace both on and off the court. She exemplifies the unstoppable spirit of the Citizen Eco-Drive brand."

When she was just 15 years old, Ms. Vaidisova won her first professional Tour event in Vancouver. Later that season, she became 1 of only 3 players in the Tour's history to win 2 tournaments in her rookie year. At 16, she won 3 back-to-back professional Tour events, in Seoul, Tokyo and Bangkok. Then, at 17, she reached her first Grand Slam semi-final at the French Open, beating top seed Amelie Mauresmo and Venus Williams in the process. Most recently, she reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January. Ms. Vaidisova currently resides in Bradenton, FL where she trains at the Nick Bollettieri Academy and is represented by IMG.

Citizen Eco-Drive's Unstoppable campaign, which first launched in Fall 2003, has featured a variety of top athletes over the years. This Spring, Vaidisova joins Citizen's 3 current Unstoppable athletes including LPGA golf sensation Paula Creamer, the winner of 5 LPGA events including the recent 2007 SBS Open at Turtle Bay; Emeka Okafor, the starting Power Forward/Center for the Charlotte Bobcats; and Michael Waltrip, two-time winner of the Daytona 500 and current owner of the Michael Waltrip Racing team.

About Citizen Eco-Drive

Be a model citizen and go green with Citizen Eco-Drive watches, which prove that style and sustainability can co-exist with their ecologically friendly timekeepers.

Citizen Eco-Drive utilizes the power of light from any natural or artificial light source and converts it into stored energy. Enough energy is stored to power the watch for at least six months, even in the dark. Citizen holds the leading position in the mid-priced watch market in the United States and is available nationwide at fine jewelry and department stores. http://www.citizenwatch.com/