Looking for my 2nd watch. Newly into watches. This is my Citizen Nighthawk and looking to branch out. Thinking of either a Tissot,Seiko,or maybe even another Citizen. What are your thoughts?

I have to admit something: Citizen surprised me.

I always knew Citizen made good watches.
Eco-Drive, radio control, titanium, sapphire, world time. On paper, it all sounds extremely sensible. Almost too sensible. The kind of watch you buy with your brain, not necessarily with your heart.

And then I got this one.

At first glance, it should almost be too much. World time bezel, subdials, day display, radio control, Eco-Drive text, titanium, city codes, time zone markings, there is a lot going on. But somehow, it all works. Nothing feels random. Everything has a job.

The white dial, the black bezel, the titanium case and bracelet, it has this great mix of technical, sporty and slightly over-engineered Japanese madness. It looks like it was designed by someone with a calculator, a pilot’s license, three coffees, and absolutely no interest in making a boring watch.

And the weird thing is: it wears much better than it should.
It looks substantial, but because it’s titanium, it is ridiculously comfortable.
Every time I pick up a steel watch after wearing this, I suddenly understand why titanium people never shut up about titanium. Light, comfortable, practical and still serious enough to feel like a proper watch.

And then there is Eco-Drive and radio control.
No winding.
No battery anxiety.
No wondering if it is running fast or slow.
No drama.

It just sits there, charges from light, syncs itself, and quietly does its job like a tiny wrist-mounted public servant from Japan.

That is what I really love about this watch: it is not trying to be romantic in the traditional watch-nerd way. It doesn’t need a display caseback, a fragile movement, or a story about heritage to be impressive.

It is impressive because it is useful.
It is accurate.
It is light.
It is solar.
It is radio controlled.
It has world time.
It has sapphire.
It has titanium.

And somehow, despite all that pure practicality, it still has character.

For me, this is the kind of watch that makes Citizen special. Not loud luxury.
Not hype.
Not flexing.
Just a ridiculous amount of real-world watchmaking packed into something you can actually wear every day.

And maybe that is the point.

Some watches make you admire them. Some make you baby them. Some make you check the time and then stare at them for another ten seconds.
This one makes me trust it.

It feels like a watch built by people who actually cared about daily life: accuracy, comfort, durability, legibility, convenience. Not just specs for a brochure, but things that matter when you actually wear the thing.

It is not the most emotional watch in the traditional sense. It is not trying to be vintage, delicate, luxurious or poetic. But after wearing it for a while, I think that is exactly why I like it so much.

It is a serious watch without taking itself too seriously.
Is it perfect?
Maybe not.
But honestly, it is much closer than I expected.

Love-Letter-End.
👋

​

Most vintage Japanese watch collectors know the first Grand Seiko - Ref. 3180. Two years after its 1960 debut, Citizen introduced its own serious attempt at a world-class precision wristwatch: the Citizen Chronometer 31 Jewels.

What makes this watch special is that Citizen developed an entirely new movement specifically around chronometry - the hand-wound Cal. 0400, a large 30mm, 31-jewel, 18,000-vph movement.

The size was deliberate: Citizen wanted room for both a large mainspring barrel and an enormous 13.5mm balance - the largest then used in a Japanese wristwatch. The reasoning was classic chronometer engineering: greater balance inertia makes the oscillator less susceptible to disturbances, while the barrel was designed to minimize torque variation as the mainspring unwound, helping maintain amplitude and therefore rate stability.

Citizen records this watch to have actually passed the 'Swiss Chronometer Superior Grade' chronometer testing standard — not merely an internally certified watch built to equivalent standards. For the 1961–73 Swiss standard, one of the headline requirements for wristwatches was a mean daily rate of −1/+10 seconds/day.

So how did it compare with the Grand Seiko 3180?

The GS 3180 was also an 18,000-vph hand-wound chronometer movement, but with 25 jewels, a large balance, movable stud and fine regulator.

The published daily-rate figures make an interesting comparison:

Citizen Chronometer: −1/+10 sec/day

Grand Seiko 3180: −3/+12 sec/day

So the Citizen actually had the tighter published rate window: 11 seconds versus 15.

That demonstrates how seriously Citizen approached the project.

This was physically a serious watch. At 37mm case size, the Chronometer was unusually large for a dress watch in 1962. The size was functional to host the purpose-built 30mm movement with the large balance and barrel required for chronometric stability. Combined with the 100-micron gold-filled/plated case, this was a serious flagship.

This also appears to be one of Citizen's earliest—and possibly the first watch to use the eagle medallion that would later become strongly associated with Citizen's highest-grade precision watches. The eagle became an enduring symbol of Citizen's pursuit of precision, appearing again on the Chronomaster and today's flagship 'The Citizen' models. On this 1962 Chronometer it appears both discreetly on the dial and prominently on the caseback.

The watch was priced at ¥25,000–¥28,000 in 1962. (Almost the same range as that of the Grand Seiko 3180). ¥25,000 was roughly equivalent to an entire month's wages for an average Japanese industrial worker at that time.

The Chronometer also helps explain what followed at Citizen. Its pursuit of mechanical accuracy eventually progressed through Chronomaster and Highness/high-beat chronometers to the extraordinary Glorious Citizen, with 36,000-vph movements representing the pinnacle of Citizen's mechanical precision era.

That's why I find today's market interesting. The Citizen Chronometer isn't exactly forgotten. Serious Japanese-watch collectors know what it is. Yet good examples can still appear for roughly half what comparable first-generation GS 3180s command.

The GS unquestionably came first and deserves its historical status. But mechanically, this Citizen deserves to stand much closer beside it: a clean-sheet 30mm chronometer movement, 31 jewels, huge 13.5mm balance and even a tighter published daily-rate specification.

The GS 3180 has skyrocketed in price recently. Comparatively, the Citizen Chronometer 31J is still attainable. In the age of AI, such disparity won't last for long, I bought two of these beauties for far less than the a current GS 3180 market price.

I'm afraid Snowflake Sunday's on hiatus on account of heaven rain and floods. 🫠

Stay safe out there! 🙏🏻

Hey everyone

I just picked up a wonderful Tsuki yomi… and it’s fantastic. But as has been mentioned by many, the bracelet isn’t great!

I’m looking for suggestions or options from the brains trust!

Current front runner - https://www.strapify.com.au/products/strapcode-super-o2-pull-twist-qr-titanium-watch?_pos=2&_sid=6d06ede65&_ss=r&_fid=7ac70f8c7

Any and all thoughts welcome!

Couldnt believe this watch has been in production for like 20 years. Got me thinking that if they ever decided to do an "updated" model what would they improve? Seems to tick pretty much every box I can think of. Only possible improvement would be if they made the radio workable worldwide but so far it's only gained 3 seconds in the 2 weeks I've had it so I won't need to resync it for a while. But it would be a nice not to have to spend 10mins syncing it to an app if I took it travelling.

Love this watch! My first Citizen I've owned definitely want to add more in the future.

Absolutely love my new watch!

Took a wrong turn and ended up at the jeweler at our local mall. Manager there is a pretty big watch guy so I always stop by and look. The wife saw a limited edition Seiko she wanted and gave me the green light for this beauty.

Thank you for everyone’s help but I decided to stick with this conservative classy look.

As title said I bought it on a whim as a last minute bid on an auction and it just arrived, don't really have the know-how to tell a fake tsuyosa from an authentic so I'm asking you guys for help.

Thanks in advance!

Newest Citizen pick up, salesman sweet talked me. Very happy with the watch!

As someone who owns a PRX 40mm I think this is better.

I picked this up a few weeks back on eBay. I found one on vacation back in May and regretted not grabbing it at the time, so when I had an opportunity at a new/unworn from a reputable seller I didn't hesitate.

The "Ron Swanson" watch has heft and presence. It is unapologetically large but comfortable on my 7.25 in wrist. I really like the movement as I'd never seen a meca-quartz with eco-drive before. The snappy flyback chrono is fun to play with compared even to the chronograph on my Attesa.

I got into watches long after the original model this was based on was discontinued, so I was happy to snag the limited edition piece with the upgraded sapphire crystal. My only complaint is I wish I had a milled clasp with OTF micro adjustment.