I’ve often wondered whether 2010 will be a year remembered for Citizen’s (much awaited) return to manufacturing of mid- to upper-range mechanical movements. We’ve so far seen new variants of the trusty Cal. 82xx (now almost as diverse as Orient Cal 46), eagerly waited to try out the Cal. 9015, and its richer incarnate the Cal. 0910.
What I’d like to share with you today is a recent acquisition, not of the New Age calibres above, but one from a time in history that we, the mechanical watch fans, are hoping that Citizen will be returning to. I purchased with watch only half knowing what it is. Either there are very few of these made, or that no one has cared to write about them online. It took a little while to piece all the information together, and definitely, there is more to learn. So, if anyone has further information on this watch, I'd love to know.
Many here who are much better informed than I am would know of the
Citizen Leopard of the late 1960s and early-1970s. They were dress watches equipped with high-grade Cal. 72xx that came in high-beat 28’800 A/hr as well as 36’000 A/hr. These would have competed against
Seiko Lord Matic (LM) and
King Seiko. At the time, Citizen also offered the Cal. 72xx in more modern and sportier package aimed at younger buyers.
Citizen Custom V2 23j “Blackie”.
The case diameter is 41 mm excl. crown, with a lug-width of 18 mm. Here’s how the Citizen Custom V2 23j looked when new (images compiled from
Ao’s Japanese Watch Collection)
The 13,500 JPY price tag would put the Custom V2 in the mid-range Citizen at the time. In 1970, 13,500 Yen would have also bought a
Seiko 7017 fly-back chronograph, though it was not quite enough for either a Seiko LM, or a Citizen Leopard. Presumably, a
Seiko 6105 Diver would have also cost more.
One thing that struck me from the beginning was how contemporary this Citizen is. It’s not just the black casing, but also the dial, and in particular the minute markers (which if you look closely, the white portion is actually the spacing between the minute markers). When I first saw this piece, if I hadn’t known better, I would have mistaken the V2 as a product of the 80s or later. The case back, however, had the designation
“Parawater”--a dead give away to pre-1974 vintage.
Here are two comparison photos. The first is with a familiar Seiko that I’m currently restoring, and which would have been sold in stores at the same time as the Blackie. Not to say that the 6105 looks dated, but the pair could not be more different.
The second is rather the reverse: the current
Citizen Promaster "Cal 2100" Eco-Drive Chronograph (E210), a modern Citizen with a retro case, reminiscent of the
octagonal-case variant of the vintage
Citizen Automatic Chronograph 8110A from the 70s.
This Citizen is equipped with an entry-level Cal 72xx, designated
Citizen 7290. The movement features auxiliary manual-winding and hacking.
Movement Specifications:Citizen Automatic Cal. 7290, 23 Jewels, 21’600 A/hr, Glucydur balance, Parashock anti-shock system, QuickSet Date, Semi-QuickSet Day, Manual-winding, Hacking,
with Power reserve of 41 hour
In terms of movement grade, compared with what Seiko offered at the time, the Citizen 7290 is in my opinion superior to the
Seiko 7006 (
21j, 21’600 A/hr), but probably inferior to the
Seiko 5606 (
23j, 21’600 A/hr, hand-winding, hacking, and base movement for KS/GS) in lacking a micro-regulator such as found on the
Citizen 7200 that equipped the Leopard. The Seiko 5606 that powered the LMs were adjusted to
Seiko “C” Accuracy Grade of -15/+25 sec/day. I’m wondering what the accuracy range for my Citizen 7290 (if one existed) would have been.
The 7290’s specification does make me think of a modern Seiko mechanical that shares very similar specs, i.e. 23 Jewels, 21’600 A/hr, hand-winding, hacking, but with normal hairspring key regulator. That movement is the current
Seiko 6R15.
Since obtaining this watch, I’ve had the movement regulated, and at +2 sec/day, this Custom V2 Blackie is one the most accurate mechanical watch I currently own. It may just be wishful thinking, but it would be great if this piece were fitted with a Leopard movement, either 28’800 or 36’000.
The most interesting aspect of this vintage Citizen is what its case is made from. Had it been other watch manufactures, what case material they may have tried in the distant past may not be worth a mention. But Citizen, as many of you would agree, have been pioneers of case surfacing since the 1960s. Many would support the argument that the company has the best case surfacing technology in the world today.
While machining titanium watch casing was not accomplished until the 70s (by Citizen in Japan, and IWC in Switzerland), some of Citizen’s earlier efforts to harden the case surface that I’ve come across include rhodium plating, and this piece.
I believe that the main focus of the design was to produce a case that was harder and more resistant to wear than stainless steel, through the use of a light-weight material. The case is made up of a steel cylindrical “core”, possibly incorporating the steel bezel, blackened with PVD coating. The rest of the case, including the case back, is made of light-weight
aluminium alloy.
Ao’s Japanese Watch Collection states that this alloy has a
Specific Gravity of 2.7 and
Hardness of 400 Vickers. The specific gravity of 2.7 indicates high aluminium content, as most aluminium alloys have a slightly higher specific gravity. The specific gravity for stainless steel is around 7.8, polymer (plastic) ranges from 1-2, while titanium alloy is round 4.4. As for the hardness of this casing material, 400 Hv is around twice that of stainless steel (200-240 Hv). However, titanium once perfected in the 80s, was twice as hard as aluminium alloy, while weighing only 60% more. No wonder it became the way of the future.
In 1970, this Custom V2 Blackie must have been as futuristic as it was innovative and ground-breaking. Sure, there for many others that broke the mould, like the
Seiko KS Vanac, but few would appeal to the modern eye as such as this watch. The fact that it’s powered by nice movement of high-grade pedigree is merely the icing on the
black pudding.
