Citizen marks 30 years of its up-market The Citizen collection with two limited-edition watches featuring washi paper dials inspired by Japanese nature. Both use solar-powered quartz movements accurate to ±5 seconds per year, housed in titanium cases treated with ultra-hard Duratect coatings.

Initial Thoughts

Citizen’s somewhat clumsily named The Citizen sub-brand is 30 years old but little known outside Japan and enthusiast circles. Most The Citizen watches are distinguishable by an eagle crest on the dial, as well as their obvious quality. While the line has since grown to include mechanical watches, which are quite good, it remains a quartz-first brand – which is good as its quartz offerings are excellent and amongst the most advanced in the world.

While often compared to the Grand Seiko cal. 9F models, The Citizen’s quartz offerings have more functions, and thus have more in common with the three-hand Seiko Astron 3X models, or Casio’s premium G-Shocks. These share solar charging, a perpetual calendar, and a power saving made which pauses the hands to save energy while not in use, like F.P. Journe’s Elegante.

But unlike GPS-reliant Astrons and G-Shocks, Citizen’s high end quartz movements are fully autonomous, and accurate to within five seconds per year with a maximum deviation of two seconds per month during normal use. More important still, The Citizen’s traditionally styled offerings are much easier on the eyes than any G-Shock or modern Astron, striking a technological and aesthetic balance between the nostalgic 9F and wrist computers.

Washi Dials and Very Hard Cases

The first anniversary model, the ref. AQ4103-16W, is inspired by the sun setting over the Japanese alps. The dial depicts mountains’ ridge line in gold leaf against a black dial with a subtle brown gradient made of washi, traditional Japanese paper.

It is paired with a titanium case, protected by Citizen’s “Duratect Amber Yellow” ultra-hard coating. According to Citizen, the amorphous carbon coating is in the range of 1,700-2,300 HV, which is exceptionally hard, comparable to sapphire crystal even.

The second edition, the ref. AQ4100-22A, paints the sun rising over freshly fallen snow, with platinum leaf dusted across a “Tosa” white washi paper. Citizen treats the titanium case of this model with blinding white “Duratech Platinum”, which is not nearly as hard as the previous gold tone at 1,000-1,100 HV, but still several times the Vickers hardness of unprotected grade five titanium. This configuration is extremely similar to the bracelet-borne ref. AQ4100-65W from two years ago.

The Citizen’s case work holds its own against comparable priced Grand Seikos. The conical bezel, and flat lug chamfers are black polished using a spinning tin-plate, creating a distortion-free mirror finish that will remain that way for a very long time thanks to the Duratec treatment.

The pin pusher in the case flank allows you to commune with the Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) inside the watch. Reading the instruction manual before attempting is mandatory, but you can use it to adjust the perpetual calendar, fix misaligned hands, and factory reset the watch.

While the hands and dial furniture and certainly reminiscent of a high-end Seiko, the washi paper dial, made from pressed gambier bark fibres, is distinctly Citizen. The washi paper hides the unsightly solar cell and adds visual interest while still allowing enough light to reach the movement.

As a result of the protective clear layer over the paper, which is likely polycarbonate or acrylic, the dial printing and float appears to float. These dials reward close inspection, especially under high magnification.

Key facts and price

Citizen “The Citizen” 30th Anniversary Iconic Nature Collection
Ref. AQ4103-16W (Black dial, Duratech Amber Yellow)
Ref. AQ4100-22A (White dial, Duratech Platinum)

Diameter: 38.3 mm
Height: 12.3 mm
Material: Titanium with hard amorphous carbon coating
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: Caliber A060
Features: Hours, minutes, seconds, perpetual date, solar charging, power save mode, lower battery indicator.
Frequency: 32,768 Hz
Power reserve: 18 months in power save mode

Strap: Crocodile leather

Limited edition: 400 each
Availability: At Citizen boutiques and retailers starting October 2025
Price: US$3,300 (Black dial, Duratech Amber Yellow), US$3,200 (White dial, Duratech Platinum)

For more, visit Citizenwatch-global.com.