Are The Citizen Watches Considered Luxurious? Find Out Here!

Most casual watch wearers must have been familiar with Citizen as a well-known Japanese brand. Citizen is known for its excellent craftsmanship and affordable price, but there’s more to it. In a separate entity, The Citizen stands as premium Citizen line which offers a line up of high-quality watches, one level above the regular Citizen watches.

As a separate line, The Citizen solidifies its existence in the premium watch market by pursuing the ideal and becoming a vital part in daily life. Hence, are The Citizen watches luxurious? To understand what The Citizen means for casual watch wearers and collectors, check out the explanation below.

What Is The Citizen?

Ever since its beginning in 1924, Citizen has had one vision: to become an integral part of watch wearers’ lives. As technology advanced, the brand developed a premium line called The Citizen in 1995 to epitomize the ideal. The Citizen was birthed from the vision of crafting watches as the constant part of everyone’s lives.

When building the Citizen brand, the watchmakers brought the most advanced technologies to manufacture watches that genuinely reflect their essences. The first two models, CTA57-0521 and CTZ57-0523, showcased distinct characters that separate them from regular Citizen watches. They bore superior accuracy while maintaining simplistic and practical designs.

The Citizen Throughout the Years

Fast forward to 1998, The Citizen’s second-generation models upgraded their usability in response to customer demand. Some of the notable models, like CTN57-0602 and CTN57-0601 featured a perpetual calendar with a validity until 2100 and a World Time Function. To ensure comfort, The Citizen also added hypoallergenic metal bands and push-button clasps. The gentle texture and easy opening made the watch snugly comfortable around the wrist.

In 2005, The Citizen introduced Super Titanium incorporation into its creations. The original Citizen material provided scratch and corrosion resistance while ensuring lightness and safe wear for sensitive skin. As seen in CTQ57-0955, the Titanium watch received the Duratect PTIC treatment, which resulted in stunning stainless steel and platinum tones.

The Citizen reached a grand milestone in the brand’s 80th anniversary with Caliber 0910. The automatic mechanical movement became the second sustainable solution behind Eco-Drive. From creating the components to assembling the in-house movement, The Citizen watchmakers are dedicated to creating a mechanical movement with the best accuracy.

Tinkering with Eco-Drive resulted in the new founding which opened a new ground for The Citizen. When most quartz watches only had an accuracy of ±15 seconds per month, The Citizen managed to achieve an accuracy of ±5 seconds per year. Combined with the Eco-Drive technology, The Citizen solar-powered watches made suitable timepieces for all occasions, particularly those in business communities.

While relentlessly running toward the future, The Citizen kept on holding onto the traditional Japanese techniques. In optimizing the Eco-Drive technology, The Citizen utilized washi as an ideal light absorbent in 2017. Washi is a traditional Japanese paper, commonly found in paper sliding doors and lanterns. It can absorb light through the gaps of the fibers while its textured surface catches the light, giving varying distinct impressions based on the viewing angle.

The year 2021 marked a further step in The Citizen’s technology advancement. To sharpen accuracy and improve aesthetics, The Citizen collaborated with Switzerland’s La Joux-Peret to create Caliber 0200. This effort resulted in a high-end automatic movement with an average accuracy of -3/+5 seconds daily.

Read also: How to Charge Citizen Eco-Drive Watch – All You Need to Know 

Are The Citizen Watches Luxurious?

Despite the high-end materials and components incorporated in the watches, The Citizen is generally not considered a luxury brand in the traditional sense. Most luxurious timepieces tend to cost more than $5,000, but most The Citizen watches cost less than that.

While The Citizen used high-end materials, like Super Titanium, it’s still not comparable to generally perceived luxury materials, such as platinum or gold. Even so, The Citizen’s technology is not to be undervalued. Built with in-house components, The Citizen watches showcase Japanese watchmaking excellence in cooking new creations by combining innovation and traditional values.

Despite not playing a role as a luxury watch brand, The Citizen boasts masterful craftsmanship and an innovative spirit. Years of a consistent presence in the market prove The Citizen watch quality to watch enthusiasts around the world. Instead of prestigious materials, The Citizen strikes a balance between accessibility and technological advancement.

Which The Citizen Watches Are Highly Recommended?

For budget-friendly timepieces, watch collectors and casual wearers can consider The Citizen. Using high-end materials and components, The Citizen watches offer premium quality without draining your wallet dry. Here are some of Gnomon recommended The Citizen watches:

1. The Citizen Eco-Drive Super Titanium Soaring Eagle

Bearing the eagle symbol on the dial The Citizen Eco-Drive Super Titanium Soaring Eagle blends innovation and elegance masterfully. Built with Super Titanium, the well-proportioned 38.3 mm watch is lightweight and comfortable to wear around the wrist. The added Duratect Platinum coating ensures optimal protection against scratches and corrosion.

The metallic paint improves the watch’s aesthetics as it creates a dynamic pattern with uniquely charming shifts in changing lights. This feature allows the watch to have dressy and sporty impressions effortlessly.

On the dial, the 12 o’clock is marked by the double-baton indices. Together with the sleek dauphine hands and applied baton indices, the overall dial displays a balanced design. The date aperture at 3 o’clock doesn’t disrupt it; rather, it enhances the watch’s functionality while keeping it harmoniously proportionate.

To cover the dial, The Citizen applies a double-domed scratch-resistant sapphire dial with Clarity Coating anti-reflective treatment. It improves readability as the glass seemingly disappears in bright sunlight.

Suitable for outdoor activities, The Citizen Eco-Drive Super Titanium Soaring Eagle is equipped with 100 m water resistance. Within the screw-in case back is the Eco-Drive A060 movement that powers up the watch with an accuracy of +/- 5 seconds a year.

Price: $2,590.00 USD

2. The Citizen Eco-Drive Tosa Washi

Made of robust titanium, The Citizen Eco-Drive Tosa Washi is a lightweight and durable 40 mm watch. To improve the titanium's durability by five times, Duratect coating is applied. The combination of the titanium and the Duratect coating birthed Super Titanium that encases and wraps the Eco-Drive Tosa Washi.

As a stunning dress watch, The Citizen watch accentuates clean aesthetics by incorporating handmade tosa washi on the dial. The traditional Japanese paper’s warm and gentle texture can absorb light optimally, allowing the Eco-Drive movement to work effectively. On top of the dial is a solid crystal with dual spherical sapphire glass.

For better readability in the dim light, The Citizen watch features luminous hands and indexes. As for functionality, the watch features a perpetual calendar and a decent 100 m water resistance for outdoor activities. Similarly to the previous model, The Citizen Eco-Drive Tosa Washi is powered by the Eco-Drive A060 movement with an accuracy of +/-5 sec per year.

Price: $2,490.00 USD

Read also: 6 Men’s Citizen Eco-Drive Watches: Elegance and Innovation 

3. The Citizen Eco-Drive

Featuring the iconic environment-friendly solar-powered movement, The Citizen Eco-Drive is a premium timepiece with the highest level of refinement in its case finishes. Zaratsu polishing is added to the stainless steel case and polished bezel, giving a flawless mirror-like impression with a stunning shimmer when it catches the light. For added protection against scratches and corrosion, The Citizen gives the mandatory Duratect treatment to the watch’s surface.

Measuring 37.5 mm in diameter, the watch snugly fits comfortably around every wrist size. Its refined and glamorous look is completed with the 19 mm polished and brushed stainless steel bracelet. With a three-fold deployant clasp, The Citizen-signed buckle wraps the wrist securely while accentuating extravagant impressions.

To give the stunning dial the clearest view possible, The Citizen adds the dual spherical scratch-resistant sapphire dial coated with Clarity Coating. Its anti-reflective treatment helps repress reflections, effectively making the glass seemingly disappear under the bright light.

The Citizen Eco-Drive features a power reserve indicator at 9 and 10 o’clock. On the other hand, the date complication is at 3 o’clock. Adjusting the date is made easy with forward and backward moves on the crown. At its heart, The Citizen watch houses the A010 caliber. It’s a high-accuracy quartz (HAQ) movement with an accuracy of +/- 5 seconds a year. With a screw-in case back, the watch is equipped with a decent 100 m water resistance.

Price: $1,950.00 USD

4. The Citizen Eco-Drive 40

Highly polished and satin-brushed 316L stainless steel material is the shell of The Citizen Eco-Drive 40. For optimal protection, The Citizen applies Duratect coating. It offers extra durability and a shiny appearance. The 40 mm watch also features a steel bezel for added longevity.

Under the dual spherical sapphire glass lies the sunburst warm dial with a clean design. The non-reflective coating treatment gives the dial reliable protection and helps improve readability in dim light. Double-baton indices mark the 12 and 6 o’clock, the date aperture is found at 3 o’clock, and the Citizen logo is applied at 6 o’clock. Overall, the design is well-balanced.

The Citizen Eco-Drive 40 has a decent 100 m water resistance, making it suitable for timekeeping during outdoor activities. Though the Eco-Drive is not a field watch, it still has the high precision of the A060 movement. The in-house movement reaches the accuracy of +/- 5 seconds a year.

Price: $1,890.00 USD

5. The Citizen Super Titanium

Utilizing Super Titanium allows The Citizen to create optimal durability and robustness. Such characters can be seen in The Citizen Super Titanium series. The watch is not only sturdy but also lightweight and hypoallergenic for the utmost comfort for every wearer. With 38.3 mm diameter, the 80-gram watch looks stylish for outdoor or indoor occasions.

The Citizen Super Titanium features a screw-lock type crown which offers an adequate 100 m water resistance for outdoor activities. It’s powered by the A060 caliber, allowing the watch a running time of 7 months. For busy travelers, the perpetual calendar feature may prove helpful as it can help keep track of the seasons.

Price: $2,280.00 USD

6. The Citizen Eco-Drive Sunray

At first glance, the brilliant Zaratsu polishing covers the case and the polished bezel of The Citizen Eco-Drive Sunray. True to The Citizen’s assurance in durability, the Duratect surface-hardening treatment is added to keep the watch appearing impeccable.

Final Thought

Citizen and The Citizen may not be too different in appearance, but their qualities speak to their separate entities as timekeeping devices. Though considered a premium watch, The Citizen isn’t exactly what the consensus considers luxury. The Citizen watches don’t feature high-end materials, like gold and platinum; instead, they thrive on high-grade technology and continuous innovation in modern-day watchmaking.

Picking one of The Citizen watches to add to your collection shouldn’t be a difficult decision. Most of the watches are well below $5,000. While their prices may be far behind the renowned luxury brands, The Citizen is a worthy timepiece to wear for its long-lasting authentic craftsmanship.

Read also: The Citizen Watch Review: Is Citizen Automatic Black Good Enough?