Best of Both Worlds for The Citizen’s 30th Anniversary
Automatic Caliber 0200 and quartz A060.
Citizen marks 30 years of its upmarket The Citizen collection with a matching pair of limited-edition 30th anniversary watches with aquiline ivory dials. Representing the best of both worlds, the pair offer Citizen’s best calibres in mechanical and analogue quartz watchmaking: one contains the automatic Caliber 0200, while the other boasts the top of the line, feature-rich Eco-Drive A060.
The Citizen Caliber 0200 30th Anniversary
Initial Thoughts
While little known outside Japan and certain enthusiast circles, the eagle-crested The Citizen watches are arguably the best Citizen has to offer, and also a tantalising value proposition. Both models are good in their own right, though the automatic is the winner here.
The Calibre 0200 model is probably the best made-in-Japan integrated bracelet sports watch currently available, combining the impressive case and dial finishing we’ve come to expect from premium Japanese watches, and a significantly more upscale movement than the King Seiko Vanac or Credor Locomotive.
The quartz model is appealing, The Citizen has plenty of other quartz offerings with the same movement but more interesting dials.
The Citizen Eco-Drive 30th Anniversary
Eco-Drive cal. A060
The conical bezel and flat lug chamfers of the Eco-Drive model are flat polished using a spinning tin-plate, creating a near distortion-free mirror finish. A Duratec “Platinum” treatment, with a hardness of over 1,000 Vickers, protects the case and bracelet, and also gives the titanium a blindingly white look.
The Citizen’s cal. A060 combines solar charging with a sophisticated Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) inside the watch, which controls a perpetual calendar and is able to pause the hands to save energy while not in use while continuing to keep time, like F.P. Journe’s Elegante. But unlike a Seiko Astron, or Casio G-Shock with a similar feature suite, the cal. A060 is accurate to within five seconds per year entirely on its own, without need of GPS signals.
A semitransparent dial with an ivory metallic finish allows just enough light through to charge the movement without compromising aesthetics. The dial base is a UV-resistant amorphous polymer that is almost invisible. As a result, the printing and diamond cut dial furniture appear to levitate just above the dial.
Automatic Caliber 0200
Citizen clad the mechanical model in uncoated stainless steel, which is significantly more vulnerable to scratches, but also easier to refinish. The Citizen’s finishing is excellent, better than expected for the price. The case is mostly straight grained, with tin plate mirror polished accents and satin flanks. Every line is impressively crisp, even up close.
Close up of another colourway of the same model.
Of course, without the protective coating of its quartz sibling, the 0200 case and bracelet are likely to collect plenty of scratches and scuffs, but the dial work will endure thanks to a sapphire crystal.
Citizen executed the dial just as well as the case. Interesting, the textured ivory dial – meant to evoke an eagle spreading its wings in flight – is not stamped. Rather, Citizen used electroforming, an additive technique, to raise the ridges on the dial. The hands and indices are diamond cut and gleam like cut gems.
Caliber 0200 builds on institution fine watchmaking know-how Citizen obtained through its acquisition of La Joux-Perret, back in 2012. Citizen tests each cal. 0200 individually, requiring daily rate between -3 and +5 seconds per day to pass – which coincidentally matches the Grand Seiko standard.
While not quite built to the same standard, the cal. 0200 belongs to a small club of finely constructed central rotor automatics with directly driven small seconds, along with the legendary Patek Philippe cal. 27-460 and the Roger Dubius RD480. Like those movements, it uses a clamp to hold the mobile stud carrier in place – a requirement of the Poincon de Geneve.
It doesn’t quite reach the same heights as the Grand Seiko 9SA5 – which is the current most sophisticated Japanese automatic – but stands shoulder to shoulder with Seiko’s rank and file 8L and 9S movements, with the added refinement of a free-sprung balance for better isochronism.
Key facts and price
Citizen “The Citizen” 30th Anniversary Limited Edition
Ref. AQ4100-57C
Diameter: 38.3 mm
Height: 12.2 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: Super Titanium™ bracelet
Limited edition: 500 each
Availability: At Citizen boutiques and retailers starting November 2025
Price: SGD5,319 (tax included)
Citizen The Citizen Caliber 0200 30th Anniversary Limited Edition
Ref. NC0201-54A
Diameter: 40 mm
Height: 10.9 mm
Material: Stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m
Movement: Caliber 0200
Features: Hours, minutes, and seconds
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Winding: Automatic
Power reserve: 60 hours
Strap: Stainless steel bracelet
Limited edition: 300 pieces
Availability: At Citizen boutiques and retailers starting December 2025
Price: SGD9,800 (tax included)
For more, visit citizenwatch-global.com.
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