Introduced in 2021, The Citizen Caliber 0200 is a masterpiece that captures the essence of what Citizen thinks about watches. Designers' desire to create good mechanical watches eventually took the form of time precision and aesthetics. Free sprung balance, high precision that exceeds the standards of the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute "C.O.S.C.", and three-dimensional modeling that is typical of Citizen. This is a model that symbolizes the new The Citizen that challenges the ideal of the next watch.
Eiichi Okuyama: Photographs by Eiichi Okuyama Masamasa Hirota (this magazine): Interviews and texts Text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan) [Article published in the July 2021 issue of Chronos Japan] New value created by 0200 The regular version of "The Citizen Mechanical Model Caliber 0200" has two types of dials. The upper right is a blue dial with lacquer sprayed over a sunray pattern. The upper left is a black dial with an electroformed finish. At the 12 o'clock position on the dial, the "Eagle Mark", the symbol of The Citizen, has been added. A symbol of foresight, the eagle, which has built partnerships with humans since ancient times, indicates the direction of The Citizen.Citizen acquired Switzerland's Prosur Holding in 2012. With the addition of the company, which owns movement maker La Joux Perret, Citizen has re-entered the mechanical watch field. However, Citizen had been developing mechanical watches even before that. In addition to the standard self-winding 82 series, in 2010, the 90 series, which was newly developed as a thin movement, and the 09 series, which is a brother machine for The Citizen, were added to the lineup. Unfortunately, the Citizen that carried the 09 series was discontinued, but Citizen was developing a model to replace it. The long-awaited unveiling was the 2021 “The Citizen Mechanical Model Caliber 0200”.
A major feature of this work is the coexistence of smooth surfaces and steep ridges. As the lower right photo shows, the edge is raised to the limit. At the bottom left is the self-winding caliber 0200. In order to achieve a case thickness of 10.9mm, the movement is secured to the back cover. In addition to the thin case, the weight balance between the bracelet and the watch itself, and the curvature on the inside of the bracelet provide excellent wearing comfort.Caliber 0200 is characterized by a completely different design from the previous Citizen. It looks like a so-called "luxury sports watch", but its design was inspired by the old Citizen wristwatch. In addition, the combination of the undistorted surface applied to the case and the perfectly steep ridgeline is rare for Japanese watches to date. It looks simple, but it is a very expensive model.
The reason why Citizen gave it a completely different design is because of the automatic movement it houses. The newly developed Caliber 0200 is a high-precision machine that exceeds the standards of the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute "C.O.S.C." in addition to the free sprung balance. The finishing of the movement also exceeds that of similarly priced Swiss watches.
Kenji Tsuchiya, who was involved in the Caliber 0200 project. In 2007, he was in charge of the high-precision development project for the Citizen 90 and 09 series. Afterwards, Mr. Tsuchiya was dispatched to La Joux Perret in Switzerland, which was acquired by Citizen, and later returned to Citizen. The author during an interview with Mr. Taro Nakagawa, who was responsible for the design of Caliber 0200. Mr. Nakagawa was stationed at La Joux Perret in place of Mr. Tsuchiya. Their experience led to the idea of using La Joux-Perret mainplates and bridges for Caliber 0200.
Caliber 0200 has a solid build. It is a basic gear train with a small seconds dial at 6 o'clock, and the automatic winding is the same as the 90 series and 09 series, a simple one-way winding system. The size of the movement is also as large and thick as the old self-winding watch. Looking at the composition alone, the caliber 0200 looks like an automatic winding from the 1950s. However, by incorporating an "aggressive" design, it has become a self-winding movement with first-class performance.
Citizen Watch's Taro Nakagawa and Kenji Tsuchiya were responsible for the design. "With 0200, I wanted to emphasize the mechanical watch-likeness," he says of the concept. The reason why the date display is omitted and the small second is used is to emphasize the difference from the quartz watch.
On the left is Mr. Taro Nakagawa, currently stationed at La Joux Perret. He has perfected not only the ambitious free sprung, but also the new anti-seismic device "Run Block". On the right is the Perlage decoration applied to the mainplate at La Joux Perret. La Joux Perret's clients include renowned luxury watch manufacturers. Citizen, which identified aesthetics as a development issue, commissioned the company to manufacture the main plate and bridges, including finishing. Completed parts are assembled in Japan.Even before the development of Caliber 0200 officially started, Citizen had continued basic research to improve precision. This work on balances and escapements has resulted in the new free-sprung balance of Caliber 0200. This precision adjustment device, which does not have a regulating needle, is easy to maintain accuracy for a long period of time and is resistant to shocks. As such, it is becoming an integral part of Swiss luxury watchmaking.
However, it was unexpected that Citizen, who seemed to have kept their distance from mechanical watches for many years, suddenly equipped with a free sprung balance. I thought it was made by La Joux Perret, but it was made by Citizen. Mr. Tsuchiya explains, "Especially in terms of quality, we decided to adopt the free sprung balance because we have established a system for in-house production." In addition to the free-sprung balance, the Caliber 0200 has one of the highest moments of inertia of any company movement at 28,800 vph. Therefore, not only theoretically, but also the actual carrying accuracy will be excellent. Likewise, the escapement and gears are entirely Citizen. “Citizen has long accumulated high-precision parts processing technology, and this is fully demonstrated in the production of parts for Caliber 0200,” says Tsuchiya.
Caliber 0200 Caliber 0200 is the first mechanical movement released by Citizen in 11 years. The configuration such as the small seconds at 6 o'clock and the one-way automatic winding is extremely classic. However, it does come with modern mechanics such as a free-sprung balance, a bearing-retaining rotor, and a practical power reserve. Accuracy is more than C.O.S.C. certified chronometer. Self-winding (29.1mm diameter, 5.0mm thickness). 26 stones. 28,800 vibrations/hour. Power reserve about 60 hours. The average daily difference at static time is -3 to +5 seconds.Mr. Nakagawa said that he wondered whether Caliber 0200 should be the center second. “By using a small seconds dial instead of placing the 4th wheel in the center, the design becomes simpler and productivity increases. Also, by increasing the tooth profile module (tooth size) and the thickness of the gear, machining accuracy is improved. It makes the clock more accurate.”
In-house manufactured screws demonstrate consideration for aesthetics. The head of the screw is as thick as an ultra-luxury product. In addition to mirror-finishing the top surface of the screw head, the tool hole for inserting the screwdriver has a "slotted" corner that is slanted. This is one of those details that can only be found in ultra-luxury watches. The balance and gears of Cal.0200 are all made by Citizen. By adopting the classic layout of placing the small seconds at 6 o'clock, the size of the teeth that drive the clock is up to 1.5 times larger than that of the 90 series. As a result, the machining accuracy of the tooth profile is also improved. It seems that it is a high-end machine that the top surface of the gear has a line finish. Cal.0200's escapement is a standard club tooth type. However, nickel-based materials are used for the escape wheel. This is because the LIGA process is used to improve component precision. Also, by molding the escape wheel with LIGA, a type of plating, we obtained a more precise shape than cutting. This also contributes to improved efficiency. One of the reasons for the high precision of the Cal.0200 is the free sprung balance, which does not have a speed dial. Adjust the delay and advance of the clock by turning the four weights attached to the amida of the balance. Efforts on mechanical watches made it possible to mass-produce the fleece sprung balance, which can be said to be a symbol of luxury watches.The new accuracy test shows that attitude. A typical C.O.S.C.-certified chronometer measures the accuracy of the movement itself. The content is a test for 15 days at 3 temperatures and 5 postures. Caliber 0200, on the other hand, undergoes 3 temperatures, 6 positions, and 17 days of checks while the movement is in the case. Encasing the movement in general can alter accuracy slightly. So Citizen decided to measure accuracy in a more realistic cased state. “We knew that the 0200 would be more accurate, so we decided to measure the accuracy while it was in the case,” says Tsuchiya. The average daily difference at rest is -3 to +5 seconds, which is stricter than C.O.S.C.-certified chronometers.
Cal.0200 that combines practicality and aesthetics. The symbol is the plate that fixes the beard. By pressing the outer circumference of the beard holder, it becomes difficult for the beard holder to move even when receiving an impact. Furthermore, by lengthening the plate, it looks like a luxury product. Visible in the center of the balance is the new anti-seismic run block.Caliber 0200 also stands out for its aesthetic considerations. The main plate and bridge are made by La Joux Perret in Switzerland. This is Citizen's first attempt to apply a hairline to the top surface using a special jig. The diamond-cut chamfer is also exceptionally deep for a Japanese movement. It is rare in this price range to have a perlage decoration on the entire baseplate.
The baseplate and bridges are manufactured by La Joux Perret, a subsidiary of Citizen. As the company has long experience in manufacturing high-end movements, the finish is excellent. The perlage decoration applied to the main plate is fine, and the hole stone is as large as that of a high-end Swiss model. “La Joux Perré has a wide variety of finishes, and their skill has allowed us to enhance the aesthetics of the Citizen movement,” says Tsuchiya.What's interesting is the new anti-seismic device "Run Block" added to Tenshin. For years, Citizen has used a seismic device called a Parashock. On the other hand, "I wanted to add something new," Mr. Nakagawa gave Caliber 0200 a new anti-seismic device. The impact resistance and resilience when receiving a shock are almost the same as conventional parashocks, but the design has the advantage that the balance looks larger. At the same time, a steel plate was added to the balance receiver to support the beard. This not only firmly supports the beard, but also accents the appearance.
The Citizen Mechanical Model Caliber 0200 released by Citizen. The effortless design, clever packaging, and new mechanisms incorporated here and there boast a degree of perfection that you wouldn't expect from a mechanical wristwatch after a long time. This model points to a new ideal for Japanese luxury watches.
The Citizen Mechanical Model Caliber 0200 NC0200-81L/NC0200-90E Citizen's ideal form of wristwatch. In a practical size, it is equipped with a newly designed self-winding movement that is robust and highly accurate. By intentionally adopting a one-way winding system, in theory, the mainspring can be easily wound up under various conditions. Despite its thin profile, it has a three-dimensional shape and sharp edges. Self-winding (Cal.0200). 26 stones. 28,800 vibrations/hour. Power reserve about 60 hours. SS (diameter 40mm, thickness 10.9mm). 5 ATM water resistant. The average daily difference at static time is -3 to +5 seconds. Each price is 605,000 yen (tax included). Scheduled to be released in August 2021. By registering with the "Citizen Owners Club", we support you with a 5-year free warranty and free inspection.