Reply With QuoteThat ecodrive is handsome, and they are both such bargains! Where did you find them?
I have been on a bit of a Citizen buying spree recently. You can pick up some really excellent older watches for cheap prices.
Here are two of them.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2kHsK32][/url
This one is the Citizen Attesa ATP53-3032 E610-T015573.
It is solar and atomic, though it just receives the Japanese signals. Easy to use an emulation app though to sync the watch.
It is all Duratect titanium with an AR coated sapphire crystal. It has day/date, chronograph, second timezone and alarm.
I find it a very attractive watch, the blue highlights add a bit of interest to the dial and and the long slim second hand, with its ‘atomic’ aerial balance is especially nice. The case and bracelet are mainly brushed and satin finishes with just a few highly polished highlights.
The watch is in very good condition for its age, the Duratect titanium has held up very well with no major marks. The watch is a good size at 42 mm (45 to the crown), 48 mm lug to lug and a slim 10.7 mm thick. It has the JDM ‘trick’ clasp allowing fine adjustment on the wrist.
The watch came with all its boxes and papers and spare links. So how much did it cost me to get it to my door paying all fees and shipping from Japan? That would be just £90! Pretty amazing value for such a quality watch. They do crop on eBay but are priced at a heck of a lot more than this, so I very pleased with acquisition.
Some wrist shots.
Here is another JDM watch I received in the same shipment.
This is the the ATD53-2611. It is full Duratect titanium with a AR coated sapphire crystal. The notable thing about this watch is that Citizen say it is the worlds first full metal, solar radio controlled watch.
I thought I would pick it up because of this historical significance and the fact it is quite an attractive thing in its own right. It is Japanese signal only but it is easy to sync it with an emulation app.
It is quite an elegant thing, the crown is very recessed and the top button is also completely recessed and needs a pin to push it, if you are going to set the time and date manually. The bottom button just shows the reception status and initiates a manual receive.
This watch was not cheap when issued in 2003, coming in at about 70,000 yen. Citizen had it as a premium product and designed it as such. Citizen were obviously proud to declare the ‘Radio Controlled, Eco-Drive, and Titanium’ on the dial. The quality shows up in the fit and finish, with its applied polished metal batons and matt finished metal numerals. The dial is a very attractive honeycomb pattern, when you examine it closely. The AR coated sapphire crystal gives great clarity to this attractive dial.
The lume is still strong and it has an usual lume marker on the dial to differentiate top and bottom in the dark.
The watch is small compared to the Citizens of today but many would like its 38 mm wide, 42 mm tall and 8 mm thick size.
The watch is in very good condition, given it age, no major marks or dings.. The watch was shown as dead in the advert but most eco-drives will revive if given a good sunbathing session.
So how much did it cost me to get this elegant, great quality and historical significant watch to my door from Japan? .................................That would be a mighty £25! Why would you not buy it?
A few wrist shots.
Mitch
Last edited by Mitch; 12th May 2021 at 11:50.
That ecodrive is handsome, and they are both such bargains! Where did you find them?
My question as well...Originally Posted by craggie
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Mitch another Citizen fan here although I prefer the Vintage , amazing value for money Ebay or Japanese auctions ?
I found them on Yahoo Japan auctions.
These watches were never issued in the West, so that is the place to look for them. Citizen were leaders in early solar and radio watch technology and they also led the way in case hardening technology. Their various levels and processes of hardening are great. Again their JDM models tend to get the best hardening treatments and also they tend to have better bracelets and AR sapphire crystals tend to figure more prominently.
Mitch
Many thanks for your update, it's like a whole new world of possibilities
Last edited by number2; 12th May 2021 at 17:04.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Many thanks for your update, it's like a whole new world of possibilities
Here is another Citizen I bought at the same time.
It has an attractive 'ribbed' pattern on the dial.
Decent lume.
The watch is the, Japan only, Attesa ATD53-3081, Direct Flight Jetsetter model. Again, it is full, hardened, Duratect titanium, with a DLC coated bezel and an AR coated sapphire crystal. It is atomic and solar and this one does indeed sync with the USA, Europe and China as well as Japan. It comes with Citizens, very useful, micro adjustment clasp, allowing adjustment on the wrist.
It is a chronograph and also has an alarm, as well as a 24hr dial. When the chrono is running, the second hand sweeps smoothly, rather doing the one second tick. It utilises Citizens Perfex Multi 3000 system which, inter alia, checks the position of the hands, by a sensor, every minute and adjusts them if they have become misaligned due to a shock etc.
It gets its 'Direct Flight' name from the city name ring next to the date window, allowing you to quickly switch time, via the crown, to any of many cities around the world.
The watch is fairly large at 46 mm to the crown, 52 mm to the lugs and 12.5 mm thick.
The watch is in good condition, a few scrapes here and there but nothing dramatic. This was more expensive than the other two, coming to my door for £110.
Some wrist shots.
Mitch
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