The new Citizen Attesa Platinum Shine collection leans into the brand’s two greatest strengths: cutting-edge quartz technology and mastery of titanium. With three limited edition references in a new platinum-coloured hue, Citizen demonstrates why it’s still the leader in titanium watches, 55 years after making the first one.

Thanks to a decadent recrystallised titanium bracelet and nearly scratch-proof Duratect coating, the new Attesa proves that quartz can still feel luxurious.

Initial thoughts

Almost as soon as quartz timekeeping technology began to mature and prices began to fall in the 1980s, makers of quartz watches began to cede the luxury end of market to brands that focused on mechanical watches. But that never stopped a few brands, Citizen and Seiko chief among them, from pursuing the development of ever-better quartz technology and bringing it to market in a premium format. The ultimate expression of this focus is probably the Citizen cal. 0100, the most accurate wristwatch in the world.

The Citizen 0100 – the world’s most accurate wristwatch.

But quartz is just one part of the equation for Citizen, which has also achieved a leading market position in two specific fields. The first is solar power.

Light-powered watches is nothing new, dating back to 1972, but it was Citizen’s advances in the late 1970s that propelled this technology forward. In 1995, the brand debuted Eco-Drive, which remains the leading light in solar-powered timekeeping. In fact, Tag Heuer licenses Citizen technology for its own Solargraph watches.

The Citizen X8 – the first titanium watch.

Another field that Citizen pioneered is titanium, creating the first titanium-cased wristwatch in 1970 and paving the way for the preponderance of titanium watches we see today. Interestingly, Citizen never really stopped being at the forefront of titanium development, and in recent years has developed a wide range of ultra-hard coatings that make the brand’s titanium watches nearly as scratch-resistant as ceramic.

A demonstration of Super Titanium’s robustness – untreated on the left, Duratect-treated on the right.

The Attesa Platinum Shine collection merges these strengths. On one hand the watches feature some of the most innovative multi-function solar-powered quartz movements in the industry, and on the other they’re cased up a new silvery hue of recrystallised titanium, one of the brand’s most appealing Super Titanium offerings.

The watches are not cheap; the three-hand ref. CB0284-66A costs more than US$1,000, and the top-of-the-line ref. CC4076-65A costs nearly US$2,500. But the product quality, with the possible exception of the stamped clasp, is obvious. With network time-synchronised movements that will never require a new battery and cases and bracelets that will still look new after years of wear, the Attesa manages to be an expensive quartz watch that feels like a good value.

A timely trio

The biggest and baddest watch in the Platinum Shine collection is the ref. CC4076-65A, identifiable by its 3-6-9 sub-dial layout, which is 44.6 mm in diameter and over 15 mm thick.

But the case volume is put to good use, housing the satellite-linked F950 movement, claimed to offer the world’s fastest time-only signal reception, pulling down the current time from GPS satellites in as little as three seconds. The F950 also the most accurate of the three, rated to +/- 5 seconds per month if not satellite updated.

The other chronograph in the mix is the slightly smaller ref. AT8284-61A, distinguished by its 6-9-12 sub-dial configuration. Finally, the least expensive model, which also happens to be the most wearable at just 40 mm, is the three-hand ref. CB0284-66A.

All three models share the same engraved dial motif inspired by the texture of the recrystallised titanium bracelet that is transparent enough to allow for highly efficient solar charging.

Unlike the satellite-linked F950, the H800 and H145 in the smaller watches update themselves the old fashioned way, via radio signal from one of the various official public time signals around the world.

Seemingly simple, they offer a novel travel complication: Direct Flight. This feature enables the user to adjust to local time (and date) in any of 26 global time zones quickly via the crown. It’s more impressive than it sounds, with the central seconds hand momentarily transforming into a time zone pointer, read against the DLC-coated bezel.

Super Titanium

What the three watches have in common is also the main thing that makes them appealing: their Super Titanium cases and bracelets with recrystallised titanium center links. Citizen uses pure titanium, known as grade 2, as the base material for these components. Known for its softness, grade 2 titanium is prone to pick up scratches with a Vickers rating of about 150 Hv. For the purposes of comparison, 316L stainless steel, used by everyone from Omega to Patek Philippe, is rated to about 220 Hv.

Super Titanium is Citizen’s name for grade 2 titanium treated with an ultra-hard coating, known as Duratect. Depending on the colour, Duratect can boost hardness beyond 2,000 Hv, besting tungsten carbide and rivaling ceramic and sapphire crystal. Citizen developed these processes and continues to manage them in-house.

The properties of Super Titanium make it an almost ideal material for a watch case. It’s extremely lightweight, hypoallergenic, nearly scratch-proof, and won’t crack under tension like ceramic. There are just two downsides. First, the production of Super Titanium is costly, several times that of untreated titanium. Second, the cases can’t effectively be refinished in the event that something does manage to scratch the surface.

In practice, neither of these downsides are significant. Citizen has achieved the scale to produce these components relatively economically, meaning replacement is possible even if refinishing is not.

Super Titanium under the microscope.

Citizen also makes what is known as recrystallised titanium, in which grade 2 titanium is heat-treated at extremely high temperatures in conjunction with a controlled cooling process. This process results in a surface pattern that is unique to every piece, since the crystals form naturally, similar to the way in which Widmanstätten patterns form in meteorite.

Previously offered with a black coating, the recrystallised titanium bracelet center links in the Platinum Shine collection get a brighter look that brings out the crystalline surface. With its nearly scratch-proof Duratect coating, likely in the neighborhood of 1,400 Hv, the recrystallised titanium is an appealing accent, managing to be both beautiful and hard-wearing.

Recrystallised titanium under the microscope.

Key Facts and Price

Diameter: 44.6 mm
Height: 15.4 mm
Material: Super Titanium with Duratect Platinum DLC coating and Recrystallised Titanium
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: F950
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, second time zone, chronograph, alarm, and satellite wave GPS; accuracy of ±5 seconds per month without GPS sync
Winding: Eco-Drive
Power reserve: Five years

Strap: Super Titanium and Recrystallised Titanium

Limited edition: 2,200 pieces
Availability: At Citizen retailers and boutiques from November 2025
Price: US$2,437 excluding taxes

Diameter: 42 mm
Height: 10.8 mm
Material: Super Titanium with Duratect Platinum DLC coating and Recrystallised Titanium
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: H800
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, second time zone, chronograph, and world time; accuracy of ±15 seconds per month without radio sync
Winding: Eco-Drive
Power reserve: 10 months

Strap: Super Titanium and Recrystallised Titanium

Limited edition: 2,500 pieces
Availability: At Citizen retailers and boutiques from November 2025
Price: US$1,319 excluding taxes

Diameter: 40.6 mm
Height: 10.6 mm
Material: Super Titanium with Duratect Platinum DLC coating and Recrystallised Titanium
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: H145
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, and world time; accuracy of ±15 seconds per month without radio sync
Winding: Eco-Drive
Power reserve: Two years

Strap: Super Titanium and Recrystallised Titanium

Limited edition: 1,400 pieces
Availability: At Citizen retailers and boutiques from November 2025
Price: US$1,220 excluding taxes

For more, visit Citizenwatch-global.com.