CITIZEN The latest and greatest in watchmaking

　Caliber 0100 boasts ultra-high accuracy, within ±1 second per year. When it was announced in 2018, Citizen declared that it would be mass-produced the following year. I was skeptical, but this year, a wristwatch version, "The Citizen Caliber 0100 Model," was released. With its ultra-high 8.4 MHz AT-cut quartz oscillator, which has excellent temperature characteristics and minimal positional error, plus the torque required to turn the thick, long brass hands, Caliber 0100 truly represents the pinnacle of mass-produced quartz watches. It seems unlikely that a mass-produced solar-powered movement capable of achieving ±1 second per year on a standalone basis will be readily apparent.

　But it's not just the outstanding movement that's noteworthy about this model: Citizen's designers have given the Citizen Caliber 0100 a look befitting such an ultra-high-precision timepiece.

　Caliber 0100 is powered not by a standard primary battery, but by Eco-Drive, which generates power from light. Because the solar cell that receives the light is located under the dial, the dial is basically made of polycarbonate, which has high light transmittance. However, increasing light transmittance reduces the texture, and vice versa. This is not an issue for a regular Eco-Drive, but the Caliber 0100, with its ultra-high vibration and strong torque, requires light-receiving performance that is superior to conventional models. Citizen's designers and design team succeeded in enhancing the texture of the dial by maximizing the light-receiving area.

　The indexes are also elaborate. You might think that one side is diamond-cut, but in fact every facet is diamond-cut. The same goes for the thin second hand, which is diamond-cut in the shape of a mountain and has a sharply curved tip. These are perhaps the most elaborate features of any mass-produced watch.

　The case design is also simple. Its simple surface structure is reminiscent of a quartz crystal, but thanks to the high precision of the processing, distortion of the surface is extremely small. To emphasize this simplicity, Citizen's designers even decided to remove the date display.

　While the Citizen Caliber 0100 model is purposefully minimalist to highlight its high precision, the Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive GPS Satellite Radio-Controlled Watch Promaster 30th Anniversary Limited Edition emphasizes its high functionality through its design. It is equipped with the Caliber F990, the top-of-the-line light-powered Eco-Drive GPS Satellite Radio-Controlled movement. It simultaneously displays local time and home time, can instantly switch between the two, supports 39 time zones around the world, and can receive GPS satellite signals in as little as three seconds. Citizen has created an extremely complex exterior befitting this highly functional movement.

Since the Series 8, Citizen's higher-end models have further enhanced the texture of their exteriors. Specifically, the clearances between exterior components have become narrower, creating a more three-dimensional appearance. In addition, Citizen's specialty, multi-layer dials, have become even more complex. This model represents the pinnacle of this trend to date. The face has a five-layer structure, and is equipped with a signal code and a rotating slide rule that fill the large case. Despite this, it remains highly legible and easy to handle.

　These two new Citizen watches feature exteriors ideal for the high-performance movements they house. While there are many high-tech watches in the world, these two are truly outstanding in that the interior and exterior concepts are perfectly synchronized.