Citizen Tsuno Chronograph Racer
Celebrating a century of Japanese excellence
Tokyo-based Citizen is one of the world’s largest watchmakers, with a truly monolithic output. Yet it still maintains industry respect. One of its standout watches is the “Bullhead”, the octagonal, all stainless steel model that takes its nickname from the position of the crown and chronograph pushers at the top of, rather to the side of, the case resembling a bull’s head with its horns. Most bullhead styles are larger and thicker than traditional chronographs with cases that are not evenly shaped, being thicker and wider at the top. Now Citizen’s Bullhead has been reimagined to celebrate the brand’s centenary.
“As 2018 marks Citizen’s 100th year, we focused on our archive model, the Bullhead Chronograph,” says Toshinori Okazaki, a senior executive in the brand’s product and design team. “It’s an outstanding product that’s attracted lots of fans all over the world since we launched the original in the Seventies.”
The original 1972 Challenge Timer series of bullhead chronographs, or tsuno (“horn”) as it’s known in Japan, is coveted by collectors and later inspired Citizen’s Promaster series with a focus on air, land and sea.
But don’t mistake the 2018 version for a simple re-release. The new model includes a hand-assembled movement featuring the brand’s signature solar Eco-Drive technology (among other tricks, this uses light-capturing cells beneath the dial to power the movement, and is ultimately responsible for the elimination of hundreds of millions of watch batteries since its introduction in the Nineties), inside a 45mm case that includes a tachymeter, alarm, date window and domed sapphire crystal with luminous hands and markers.
“We tried to pay respect to the original design but this is more like a reinterpretation, seeing as the product has evolved,” says Okazaki. “First, the movement is powered by any light and the design is more sophisticated. It is possible to look at archive models but we will never make a reissue. It must be something better. Citizen has continued pioneering the world of watches with the motto ‘Better Starts Now’. It is a simple belief that it’s always possible to make something better, and now is the time to start doing it.”
£795; citizenwatch.com