What makes the new Citizen Premier collection qualify as luxury?
Buffy Acacia- The Citizen Series8 and Attesa ranges have now been grouped under the Citizen Premier collection, touting luxury as its intended purpose.
- The Citizen Premier Series8 watches are now more clearly separated from the likes of the Promaster line of tool watches.
- Two new Citizen Attesa references are made from Super-Titanium with hardness coatings and a black ceramic bezel.
As a watchmaker, Citizen has defied categories for over a century. The vast majority of its watches have always had affordability as a priority, but it was never an ‘affordable brand’ as a sole purpose. Rather, Citizen has focused on progress. Whether it was the record-breaking quartz watches of the 1970s or the innovation of Eco-Drive’s solar power, Citizen always finds the practicality behind every creative decision. Breaking off with a dedicated collection for luxury watches, the Citizen Premier collection has taken two pre-existing model ranges under its wing.
You can’t define luxury by a specific price point or even objective standards of finishing, but rather by its distinctive attitude. To have a brand like Citizen declare that the Citizen Premier collection will be its new arm for luxury watches is significant, because it introduces a degree of separation between Premier and non-Premier watches. To get a better handle on what’s going on, let’s look at the watches which inaugurates the Premier range. None of them are particularly expensive – and Citizen has certainly made more expensive watches before, notably under its Grand Seiko-rivalling “The Citizen” range which breaks into 5 figures. Instead, the Series8 and Attesa ranges offer premium production on a budget.
The Series8 is Citizen’s submission to the world of chunky, geometric sports watches with integrated bracelets. But not every model is alike, and the various references can have completely different case shapes and styles, even though the same energy carries through the whole collection. For example, the new Series8 890 is a green-dialled variant of a watch we’ve seen before, with an internal dive bezel and an octagonal bezel which is pretty strongly reminiscent of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore. Then there’s the Series8 880 GMT in gold PVD with a round bezel that lets the case do all of the chunky talking. Finally, the 831 doesn’t even have an integrated bracelet, but its smooth bezel and strongly-faceted lugs give it a much more slender profile. Its ice blue dial glitters with a variety of triangular shapes within a hexagonal grid, playing with light unexpectedly. All of the Series8 watches are automatic and powered by Citizen 9000-series movements with great specifications and reasonable prices. The Series8 831 is US$1,095, again emphasising how Citizen’s definition of luxury is relative.
The Attesa collection seems truly futuristic, utilising Citizen’s most advanced Eco-Drive modules which use GPS signals from orbiting satellites to synchronise time automatically, no matter where you are. There are plenty of watches made for travelling, but not many can detect when you’ve crossed into another time zone and adjust the displayed time within three seconds. It also allows you to keep track of home time, set alarms, and use a chronograph, making it fulfil all of the duties of a great digital watch with a purely analogue display. These two new references set themselves apart with a black ceramic bezel for extreme scratch resistance, while the cases are made from Citizen’s Super-Titanium for lightweight comfort and strength. The silver model is coated with Duratect Titanium Carbide which is almost as scratch resistant as the ceramic, as is the Duratect DLC coating of the black model. Both of them are still relatively affordable too, coming in at US$1,995.
Citizen Premier collection price and availability
These inaugural Citizen Premier collection models are now available. Price: US$1,095 (Series8 831) / US$1,995 (Attesa)
| Brand | Citizen Premier | |
| Model | Series8 831 | Attesa |
| Reference Number | NB6051-59L | CC4104-53E (Silver) CC4105-69E (Black) |
| Case Dimensions | 40mm (D) x 11.6mm (T) | 44mm (D) x 13.7mm (T) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel | Super-Titanium with Duratect coating and ceramic bezel |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres | |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire | |
| Dial | Ice blue geometric pattern | Black |
| Lug Width | Integrated | |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Super-Titanium bracelet |
| Movement | Citizen 9051, in-house, automatic | Calibre F950, Eco-Drive solar quartz |
| Power Reserve | 42 hours (Series8 831) 5 years on full charge (Attesa) |
|
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date (Series8 831) Hours, minutes, seconds, date, satellite wave synchronisation, chronograph, alarm, home time (Attesa) |
|
| Availability | Available now | |
| Price | US$1,095 | US$1,995 |