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The good Citizen knocking at Grand Seiko’s door…
Pictured above is “The Citizen Caliber 0210 Automatic”
which (together with its no-date-display predecessor, the “0200”) represents
what is probably Citizen’s most serious non-quartz watch challenge in recent
memory, with the exception of such outliers as the commemorative Y01 Tourbillon
of 2017 (intriguing, but limited to only 2 pieces and created with the likely involvement of independent Japanese watchmaker, Hajime Asaoka), and excluding mechanical
models from Citizen’s Swiss subsidiaries such as Arnold and Son and Frederique
Constant.
Bearing Citizen’s “THE CITIZEN” name (essentially
what Grand Seiko is to Seiko, except comprised of only quartz pieces until now),
both the 0200 (introduced in 2021) and 0210 (intro’d in 2023) unsurprisingly manifest
mission and design tenets similar to those of GS: Accuracy, legibility and reliability for daily
wear, first and foremost; a high level
of finishing to please the eye; and a certain conservatism of design to stand
the test of time.
The 0200 & 0210 both boast new
automatic calibers designed and manufactured in-house, regulated to run at a
Grand Seiko-like -3 secs.~+5secs/day, with an adequate 60-hr. power
reserve.
The backside (image from the ‘Net)
The new automatic movement’s finishing isn’t
unattractive, but it does appear somewhat pedestrian even to the naked eye
(despite, reportedly, finishing advice from Citizen’s Swiss subsidiary, La
Joux-Perret), although a marked improvement over the more industrial,
rough-hewn look and feel of Citizen’s Miyota movements to date. As a bit unfortunate timing would have it for Citizen,
Grand Seiko did move the goal post further afield with the new and attractive
9SA5 movements that debuted in 2020 with GS’ Evolution 9 line.
(Another photo of the movement gleaned from
the ‘Net)
The Zaratsu polishing on these pieces is
immediately evident to the eye, as the hour and minutes hands, and applied
indices all sparkle with life in a way that will be both familiar and appealing
to GS fans. They are set off to
particularly good advantage by the glare-reducing, textured dials of the 0200
and 0210, in either black or white.
The black iteration has a cool granular appearance,
kind of like fine asphalt (for want of a better descriptor), while the white is
somewhat reminiscent of GS’ Snowflake dial.
(Credit:
Citizen Global website)
The Citizen
Caliber 0210 automatic is slightly thicker than the 0200 (11.2mm vs. 10.9mm),
as it has been modified to accommodate a date function and increased
water-resistance from 50m to 100m, but the change in thickness is almost
imperceptible unless the cases are compared side-by-side.
The 0200 and 0210’s distinctive integrated
case-bracelet design will likely be polarizing, but it does successfully
distinguish Citizen’s foray into GS territory from its other mechanical and myriad
quartz offerings.
As an aside, one can’t be but struck by the
case design’s similarity with the IWC Ingenieur Ref. 3521 of yore…
An instance
of borrowed inspiration or convergent evolution?:
The bracelet feels merely adequate, its
links a bit too thin, a bit unrefined to the eye and touch, not quite measuring
up to GS’ offerings. Wearing comfort of
the 0210 is nevertheless high, and its 40mm stainless steel case feels quite at
home on the wrist. (I’ve not tried on
the 0200 which, I believe, has already been phased out in favor of the 0210).
As a reliable and accurate, versatile, everyday
companion of a watch that works equally well with jeans or a jacket, the 0210 succeeds in its mission and positions itself (@MSRP
880,000 yen) as a viable, attractive alternative to Grand Seiko, especially for
Citizen fans who may have long hoped for a finer mechanical timepiece from the
brand or for those just curious to try something new and competitive from
Japan’s no. 2 watch manufacturer. Grand
Seiko would do well to answer the knock at the door and find out what the good citizen
next door has been up to.
Thanks for looking/reading : ]
