New Release: The Relaunch Of The Citizen Series 8

We’re back with news of the Citizen Series 8 relaunch and here’s something exciting — these watches feature automatic movements! Citizen and mechanical: these are words I won’t tire of saying any time soon. Let’s take a closer look.

In the highly competitive $1,000 to 2,000 price range for mechanical watches, we are spoiled for choice. One noticeable absentee in the running, though, has been Citizen. On the one hand, we haven’t been so surprised by this because the brand has been thoroughly committed to Eco-Drive. On the other hand, when people are spending this level of money, they typically want a mechanical movement inside the case. And then there’s the gigantic elephant in the corner of the room called Seiko. We so often compare both brands and, well, the “big S” almost owns this space. With the new Citizen Series 8 models, though, we finally have the first semblances of mechanical competition.

What’s interesting to note with the Citizen Series 8 models is that they come in three different flavors. Quite frankly, and this seems to be par for the course with Japanese watch companies, the differences are subtle. Yet, there are a couple of unique new movements here along with new cases and dials.

The Citizen Series 8 870 Mechanical

The 870 Mechanical is the flagship model within the Citizen Series 8 lineup. With this watch, we get the brand-new Caliber 0950 automatic movement with 50 hours of power reserve along -5 to +10 levels of daily accuracy. It ticks on at 28,800vph. The watches come in a 40mm by 10.9mm thick stainless steel case with a unique polished and brushed two-piece bezel. Whether you opt for the black or white dial, both feature a date, luminous hands and hour markers, and a stainless bracelet. These watches are water-resistant to 100 meters and have an anti-reflective sapphire crystal. Pricing is set at $2,000 when these arrive in Autumn.

The top models within the Citizen Series 8 look clean and the loosely elongated octagonal case shape harkens back to the Japanese watch designs from the ‘70s. However, the dials look modern and I like the contrasting bezel surfaces that give these every day watches a bit of character. I’m anxious to see these in person because the sizing seems more than reasonable. Pricing-wise, these are in a very crowded field and it will be interesting to see if the buying public finds them distinctive enough to consider.

The Citizen Series 8 830 Mechanical

The Citizen Series 8 830 Mechanical is where things get a bit funkier. This model comes in two styles. Both have a similar dial construction. The case is certainly sportier than the prior 870, yet it still comes in at 40mm in diameter. The thickness does grow slightly to 11.7mm. This octagonal case design looks more equilateral and features crown guards despite a similar water-resistance of 100 meters. The 830 also uses the Caliber 0950 automatic. Regarding the funkiness, the dial and at least one of the case materials qualify.

This Citizen Series 8 model has a three-later dial. The lowest tier is metal, the middle is mother of pearl, and the top looks like a transparent lattice. All of these comes to together to show off the iridescent pearl to create a very different look. Notably, the lumed hands are skeletonized to not obscure the view. A stainless model with polished silver dial accents is available for $1,800 along with a grey coated version with gold dial accents for $1,900. Both come on bracelet and will be available this Autumn.

I’m usually not a huge fan of ornate watches from any brand, but both Seiko and Citizen always offer them. Perhaps the mother of pearl dials are quite popular within the Asia market. In this case, though, I like the stainless version of the Citizen Series 8 830 Mechanical. If we go by the pictures, the blue color dominates and I think that looks pretty nice against the intricate black latticework dial. If nothing else, these look a bit more distinctive versus the 870 to me at least.

The Citizen Series 8 831 Mechanical

The Citizen Series 8 831 Mechanical is where the naming designations get a bit tricky. One look at this watch and you’d rightly think that it is the same as the 830, but with a more traditional dial. Oh, but you’d be wrong! In fact, the 40mm mid case is possibly the same, but it comes in at a very reasonable 10mm in thickness. The reason for that is the use of a different movement. The caliber 9051 brings less power reserve with 42 hours and less accuracy with -10 to +20 seconds per day. It has the same frequency of 28,880vph, 24 jewels, and also a date complication. Like the 950, these watches can also be hand wound.

With the Citizen Series 8 831 Mechanical, we once again get a couple different choices in terms of color and case material. The most traditional model comes with a black dial presented on a bracelet and will retail for $1,200. The other option is for a case with some sort of gold plating, a blue dial, and a rubber/leather strap for $1,200. Both watches also use a sapphire crystal and are water-resistant to 100 meters.

Out of all the Citizen Series 8 models, I think that the black dial 831 Mechanical is my favorite. The dial, once again, looks like it has three layers or steps and while it isn’t overly shocking, I think it looks sharp. Plus, even though the case is the same as on the 830, I feel like the staider black dial allows the case to show off its edges more. Plus, while the accuracy and power reserve suffer, the prices for these models are significantly more attractive.

Final thoughts on the Series 8

I’ll be very honest here. I am pleased that the newest Citizen Series 8 models have moved away from their former Eco-Drive powertrains. The pricing isn’t out of the ordinary for movements with these specs and especially when coupled with what looks like some pretty fantastic finishing. On the other hand, these watches are awfully conservative looking (aside from the 830 Mechanical pieces) and I question whether they’ll truly make an impact. Then again, it’s a start and that’s an improvement in itself. Now, I’m hopeful that Citizen will bring us a fantastic new mechanical dive watch. Let’s see…

For more information on the Citizen Series 8, visit the official site.