Citizen Gives the Tsuyosa a Pixelated Edge with seconde/seconde/
“Being smaller has never stopped Minutes from slicing Hours into pieces.”
Rather than reinventing one of its strongest entry-level mechanical offerings, Citizen has opted to tweak it. The brand’s first collaboration with Paris-based creative studio seconde/seconde/ results in a limited-edition Tsuyosa that is, at a glance, entirely familiar— until it isn’t.
The Tsuyosa x seconde/seconde/ ref. NJ0157-81L keeps the now-familiar integrated-bracelet sports watch formula intact, but inserts a graphic intervention that shifts the tone without compromising the watch’s everyday appeal. The collaboration draws on the meaning of “tsuyosa,” the Japanese word for strength, interpreting it in characteristically seconde/seconde/ wry fashion.
Sized at 40mm in stainless steel and measuring 11.7mm thick, the watch uses the established Tsuyosa case architecture, complete with sapphire crystal, a date magnifier, 5 bar water resistance, and an exhibition caseback. The integrated three-link bracelet remains unchanged, preserving the balanced, accessible proportions that have made the model a consistent performer in Citizen’s mechanical lineup.
The difference is found on the dial. Here, seconde/seconde/— the creative identity of artist Romaric André— replaces the traditional minute hand with a pixelated katana sword, referencing retro Japanese video game graphics. As the sword rotates, the applied hour markers appear visibly “sliced,” a small but effective visual device that adds humor without sacrificing legibility. The blue dial and matching sword hilt keep the look cohesive rather than chaotic.
Additional collaborative details extend to the bracelet clasp, which features engraved “slashes,” and the exhibition caseback, printed with the phrase: “Being smaller has never stopped Minutes from slicing Hours into pieces.”
Inside, Citizen equips the watch with its automatic Caliber 8210, operating at 21,600 vph with approximately 42 hours of power reserve and a stop-seconds function; accuracy is rated at -20 to +40 seconds per day.
Citizen, seconde/seconde/
Citizen, seconde/seconde/
