Japan’s Citizen Watch Co. continues its month of new releases, introducing its relaunched Series 8 Collection to the U.S. market. The series comprises four models in two distinct designs, the 870 and 831. Together, the Series 8 models mark another substantial step by the brand into a more luxurious segment of mechanical watchmaking; the name itself is meant to represent an expression of “the infinite possibilities of Citizen’s craftsmanship,” with the 8 standing in for an infinity (∞) symbol.
The launch of Series 8 comes on the heels of Citizen’s announcement earlier this month about the Caliber 0200, its first new mechanical movement produced in-house in over 10 years. The timepiece containing Caliber 0200, the luxuriously appointed Ref. NC0200-90E (aka “The Citizen”) is set to retail for $6,000. The Series 8 models, by contrast, are meant to provide fans of Citizen’s luxury designs with some more cost-effective options, with both the 870 and 831 priced at or below $2,000.
Series 8 870
Headlining the new Series 8 collection is the 870 design. The watch, available with either a black or silver dial, is a sporty steel watch, characterized foremost by its overall sleek finishing, two-piece bezel, and integrated bracelet.
The 870 case is sized at 40-mm in diameter by 10.9 mm thick and capable of a 100-meter water resistance.It is finished with sharp facets throughout, with alternating polished and brushed finishing put to use to create an engaging and sporty look. As mentioned, the case’s foremost distinguishing feature is its two-piece bezel, which is made up of one dark and one lighter piece that fit together to form a partially-rounded frame for the dial.
The dial’s straightforward configuration is much the same in both the silver and black dial versions. Along the outer edge is a white minute ring, with elongated applied markers at each hour, broken up only at the 3 o’clock position by an outlined date window. At the center are a set of bold, thick hands for the hour and minute and a simple polished counter for the seconds.
Powering both models is Citizen’s mechanical, automatic Caliber 0950, which beats at 28,800 vph and features a power reserve of 50 hours as well as a reported accuracy of -5 to +10 seconds per day.
Series 8 831
The 831 offers the most affordable options within the new Series 8, in either a sleek steel case with black dial or a gold-toned steel case with a blue dial. Its case is sized at 40 mm like the 870 models’, but here with an octagonal shape rather than a two-part round bezel configuration.
The case features sharp alternating finishing throughout, but is slightly slimmer on the wrist than the 870, at only 10 mm thick. Additionally, the case is not designed to be integrated with the bracelet; the steel model comes on an H-link brushed steel bracelet, and the gold-tone edition opts for a urethane-and-calf-leather blue strap. Finally, signature to the 830 is a new crown guard protecting the crown, which sits slightly extended from the case but still helps ensure a 100-meter water resistance.
The dial is also similar style to those of the 870 models, albeit with more of a multi-textured look. A minute ring on the outer edge, punctuated by applied hour markers, forms the first sector; the second one, encompassing the center of the dial, has a smoother surface and is accented with a bevel-edged date window. Slightly tapered hands of various sizes display the hours, minutes, and central seconds.
Citizen’s Caliber 9051, another mechanical automatic movement, beats inside the 831 models, attaining a frequency of 28,800 vph but a slightly less impressive accuraty of -10 / +20 seconds per day. It also carries a slightly shorter power reserve of 42-hours at full charge.
Pricing and Availability
The new Series 8 collection is set to become available in the United States in Autumn 2021, with both the black-dial and silver-dial 870 models marked at $1,500, the black-dial 831 set at $1,000, and the gold-tone 831 priced slightly below that at $950. Citizen also has plans for a third design within the collection dubbed the 830 (above), though it will not be available in the U.S. market via any official channels.
To learn more, you can visit Citizen’s dedicated Series 8 collection website, here.
A Grand Seiko killer it is not.