Citizen Introduces the New Armor Collection, Plus a New GPS Enabled Super Titanium Space Watch

Citizen has unveiled a handful of new watches using their unique Super Titanium material that span price ranges and styles. Super Titanium is a material that Citizen has been developing and refining over the past 50 years (this year marks the 50th anniversary of the first titanium watch, the Citizen X-8). Titanium, while lightweight, has some drawbacks when compared to stainless steel. For example, it doesn’t take a polish as easily (there’s a reason we see so many brushed, matte, and blasted finishes on titanium sports watches). Titanium can also scratch easily, and is notoriously difficult to machine. Citizen’s Super Titanium solves these problems to an extent – the brand has developed a series of titanium processing technologies and a case hardening process known as Duratect. The resulting “Super Titanium” material is more versatile than regular titanium in the finishing that can be applied, and it is 40% lighter than stainless steel while being 50% more scratch resistant. Citizen’s new releases showcase the material in a variety of ways. The Armor line is an affordable entry point into Super Titanium and offers a unique, industrial, sports watch look, and the all new limited edition Satellite Wave GPS F950, available later this year, is a new flagship product for the brand, celebrating 50 years of working with titanium, and an exciting new space venture. Let’s take a look.

Citizen Armor Collection

• Case Material: Titanium
• Dial: Black/gray
• Dimensions: 44mm, 41mm 
• Crystal: Sapphire        
• Water Resistance: 10 bar                   
• Movement: Eco-Drive
• Strap/bracelet: Titanium bracelet
• Price: $550-$650
• Reference Number: CA7058-55E, CA7050-57H, AW1660-51H
• Expected Release: August

Citizen GPS F950

• Case Material: Titanium
• Dial: Black
• Dimensions: 47.5 x 14.71mm
• Crystal: Sapphire        
• Water Resistance: 10 bar                   
• Movement: Cal.F950
• Strap/bracelet: Titanium bracelet
• Price: $5,000
• Reference Number: CC4025-82E
• Expected Release: December

We’ll tackle the Armor collection first. There are three watches in the new line: two quartz chronographs and a time and date model with a rotating dive style bezel. Citizen claims these watches are inspired by “modern armor,” and feature a mix of sharp angles and soft contours that give the watches an almost organic look. This is particularly true with the chronograph models, which have hidden crowns and pushers along the case band.

These watches are highly monochromatic, a series of different shades of gray. One of the chronographs offers some orange highlights, but honestly I think these watches work best by embracing the industrial look of titanium. There’s also a geometric pattern within the dials of these watches that offers some nice contrasting elements as well between dark and light shades of gray. 

These titanium watches are large in terms of diameter (the chronos are 44mm, the time and date model is 41mm) but it’s important to remember that with a lightweight material being used for the case and bracelet, these watches will wear more comfortably than a similar watch in stainless steel. There’s also convenience to consider: the Armor collection watches run on Eco-Drive movements, which are powered by solar energy and never need a battery replacement. A lightweight grab and go watch is never a bad thing. 

The Satellite Wave GPS F950 is entirely different type of timepiece, but is linked by Citizen to the Armor collection through the metals used. This expression of Super Titanium, however, represents something akin to a peak in what you can do with the material. The sharp angles of the case and bracelet, and the quality of finishing in both, is a direct result of Citizen’s 50 years of consistently pushing titanium further and further.

But the GPS F950 doesn’t only celebrate what is now a relatively common metal used for watches across all price ranges. This is also a space watch of sorts. Citizen partnered with Japanese start-up iSpace, inc., a company with the goal of expanding the human ecosystem to the moon with lunar missions currently in the planning stages, in 2019. Citizen’s Super Titanium material will be used in iSpace’s lunar lander and lunar rover, and this watch commemorates that partnership. 

The watch itself is a complex multi-function quartz timepiece powered by an Eco-Drive movement. The watch, as the name would indicate, is GPS enabled and uses Citizen’s Satellite Wave system to locate itself anywhere in the world, setting the time through an automated process. Additional functions include full world-time capabilities, a flyback chronograph, a countdown timer, and a power reserve indicator.

The Citizen Armor collection will be available in August.  The chronographs will be priced at $650, with the time and date model selling at $550. The GPS F950’s suggested retail price is $5,000 and will be available in December. It’s limited to 550 pieces. Citizen