From Page to Wrist: Adam Kubert Talks About Citizen’s Iron Man Collaboration Watch

In an era when AI seems to be nibbling away at every corner of creativity, there’s something refreshing about seeing a brand choose human artistry over algorithms. Citizen’s latest Marvel collaboration, the Stark, Kinda Sorta Famous watch-and-pin set, is not only a nod to Tony Stark but also a showcase of what happens when you hand the pen (and the power) to one of the most respected names in comics. Adam Kubert, whose personal and family legacy in comics runs as deep as Marvel’s history, was tapped to bring Iron Man to life in a way that only a true comic book artist could.

Citizen Stark, Kinda Sorta Famous

Kubert didn’t simply rehash the familiar. Instead, he reimagined Stark with a style of his own, grounding the collaboration in authenticity and craft. The result is a watch that tells not just time but also a story, one in which Citizen honors both the Marvel universe and the artist behind the mask. In my recent interview with Kubert, we chatted about comics and watches and did a superhero landing on his thoughts regarding the collaboration.

The art of the cover

Our interview began with the two of us nerding out over one of Adam’s recent Wolverine cover illustrations. He guided me through the thought process behind creating a captivating cover — the dynamism, the colors, and using everything in your toolkit to foster intrigue from a single image. And he would know about that. Adam’s been illustrating comics for longer than I’ve been alive, and in that time, we’ve seen many iterations of our favorite heroes. In fact, this evolution formed the foundation of our conversation. Comics are as close as we get to modern-day mythology, and each artist brings a unique understanding of the character. In this way, Citizen encouraged Adam to take ownership of the work he did on this project, allowing him to shine through the character.

In recent years, AI has been taking work from creators, including comic book artists, when prompted to “create” images. And often, licensed products utilize stock art to churn out collectibles for consumers. I was intrigued by the amount of leeway Adam had here and wondered what makes Adam’s Iron Man unique from how others may view the character. “It’s the imperfections. He’s hard to draw because there are so many nuances to him [as a person] and to his costume. This lends to my style. I’m a bit more dramatic,” remarked Kubert. Yet, a watch dial is a far smaller canvas than he’s used to working with, so deciding on a singular image couldn’t have been easy.

Bringing Iron Man to the dial

We began discussing what it means for an image to stick with someone, and then Adam said, when referring to creating a single image of a character, “You want to make the character look as iconic as possible.” He went on to explain how, when imagining Iron Man, “I think of how he lands, how he flies. I wanted him flying right at us.” This is exactly how the character appears on the dial, flying toward us from the 6 o’clock position and leaving a luminous jet stream behind him, moving up the pinion and beyond the 12 o’clock mark. Within the jet stream, we see Stark’s name.

Now, something you may notice about this depiction of Iron Man is that it’s not totally symmetrical, and Adam did this intentionally. “That’s what gives it life. This gives it the movement I was looking for, and I was glad that it made it through to the final product,” he said. This is exactly the kind of thing that sets this apart from a typical character watch that might use stock photos, leaving you with something sterile and lifeless. This is also where the collaboration with Citizen’s designers came into play, as they added the gold plating to Iron Man while also adding lume to his eyes and the arc reactor in his chest. The illustration features both movement from Adam and a physical dimension from Citizen, adding a dynamic quality to such a limited space.

Panels you can wear

For this project, however, Adam had a bit more room to work with than one might suspect. To make this an even more tantalizing offer to comic fans and watch fans alike, the watch also comes with a lapel pin that features Iron Man taking off and using his hand repulsors to stabilize himself in his ascent. According to Adam, the watch and pin are intended to function as two adjacent comic book panels, showing different stages of Iron Man in flight. This certainly adds an extra artistic touch, but it also lends itself to the collectibility factor for fans. The realization of this intentional proposition led me to ask the most obvious question: will Adam be making another watch with Citizen?

Adam responded affirmatively, but he couldn’t share any information on which character(s) would be coming next, no matter how hard I went after that NDA. Even so, the prospect of an artist-drawn series is plenty to be excited about. The idea of a collection in which each watch-and-pin set works like a serialized story — panel by panel, hero by hero — feels like a natural extension of comic book storytelling, only this time rendered in steel, with an Eco-Drive movement, instead of ink and paper. It’s not just a watch collaboration; it’s also a narrative you can wear on your wrist and carry on your lapel.

Specs fit for a superhero

The watch itself offers a 100m water resistance rating, a mineral crystal, and a sizable 43mm diameter, which is likely to create extra space for a rendering of the hand-drawn illustration. The rest of the dial is black with painted indexes and is quite stark (hehe) to give Iron Man room to shine. This is all set in a black-coated stainless steel case, which draws further attention to the dial. When you flip the watch over, you’ll see an engraving of a business card for Tony Stark, including his title as CEO of Stark Industries and noting that he’s “kinda sorta famous” where he’s from, followed by his signature. Under the case back lies the Citizen J830 Eco-Drive movement to ensure that Iron Man remains fully charged!

The black leather strap is a modern take on the traditional rally strap, featuring more perforations than usual and sloping red stitching that, when combined with the illustration on the dial, adds more momentum. The buckle and tang match the black steel case, ensuring cohesion. All together, this watch makes for a fun wrist roll, as the stitching almost acts as a runway, building up speed until we come to our favorite Avenger jetting off to presumably clobber Thanos…or meet his friends for some shawarma.

EXCELSIOR!

Great comic books are never the work of one person; they’re the sum of countless creative voices working in harmony. Writers, artists, inkers, colorists, letterers, and editors all contribute their parts, layering vision upon vision until a hero leaps off the page. The Stark, Kinda Sorta Famous watch was built in much the same way. Adam Kubert brought the illustration, infusing Iron Man with energy, movement, and personality. From there, Citizen’s in-house designers figured out how to translate that vision into metal, lume, plating, and mechanics, accentuating the art rather than overwhelming it. The result is a piece that feels more like a collaborative comic issue than a licensed product — a wearable panel born of shared creativity, reminding us that when great minds come together, even a watch can tell a story worth collecting.

The retail price of this Citizen Iron Man watch (ref. AW2095-41W) is US$495. It is available via selected retailers, like Disney, and the Citizen website.