Citizen has always been a crowd-pleaser in delivering quality watches at extremely reasonable prices to the masses. The Japanese brand is focused on innovating mechanical and quartz watches, and it’s been involved in producing some of the most important models in the early era of electronic timekeeping.
From 1975 to 1981, the Citizen Watch Company was churning out a new watch every year, each with a world-first feature — a testament to the unwavering dedication the Japanese have come to be known for when perfecting their craft.
However, the storied brand has peaked in its expertise, because instead of yet another solar-powered, mass-produced watch, it will now add a tourbillon to its name. Called the Citizen Tourbillon Y01, the watch boasts a rare Japanese-made tourbillon, something that would be less of big news had it been in its sub-brand, the higher-end Campanola.
In typical Japanese style, the watch is largely understated, choosing only to show off the one crucial element that makes it so special. At 42mm, the Y01 is a decent-sized wristwatch that’s encased in 18k white gold and held together by reliable titanium screws.
At the heart is the Calibre M001-Y01, operating at 3Hz with an impressive 100 hours of power reserve. But the highlight of it all lies at six o’clock, where through the dial is a rather big aperture that reveals the tourbillon.
Design inspiration is equally poetic; the monotone dial is supposed to reflect Japanese values and aesthetics — presumably beauty in simplicity — and the caseback’s vertical Geneva stripes are expertly engraved to represent wet trees in the rainy season, though that might take a bit of imagination.
Said to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Japanese department store Daimaru, the Citizen Tourbillon Y01 is a limited edition of only two pieces and will be sold exclusively there at an eye-watering price of ¥10 million (S$124,790). That’s a reasonable price for Japanese perfection though, and a piece of Citizen history.