Citizen’s Latest Affordable Automatic Watch Is Destined to Be a Collector Favorite

“Being smaller never stopped minutes from slicing hours into pieces,” reads the caseback of the new Tsuyosa x seconde/seconde/. It may sound like an ancient Japanese proverb, but it was written by the French horological artist known as seconde/seconde/ as the inspiration for this collaboration.

This limited-edition iteration of Citizen’s hit affordable automatic sports watch visualizes those wise, inspirational words by suggesting that the minute hand has sliced each hour index in half.

Citizen

Romaric André, better known as seconde/seconde/, is one of the most prolific collaborators in the watch industry. His graphic design work and cheeky alterations have graced the dials of Timex, Frederique Constant, Squale and many others.

Now, seconde/seconde/ has applied his playful touch to Citizen’s best sub-$500 all-purpose watch. This 40mm Tsuyosa features a pixelated katana sword for the minute hand.

Citizen

This nod to the nostalgic era of 8-bit gaming is reminiscent of the mods that established the artist’s reputation. Before collaborating with watch brands on new designs, senonde/seconde/ made playful modifications to coveted vintage watches, such as swapping the minute hand on a 1950s Rolex Oyster Royal with an NES-era Zelda sword.

The Tsuyosa’s typical applied hour markers have been cut in half, with printed slice graphics placed along each outer half, and the hewn inner halves appearing to fly off toward the dial’s center.

Citizen

Clearly, the implication is that the minute hand has cut each hour marker in half, reinforcing the metaphor printed on the caseback. It adds meaningful depth to the irreverent sword hand motif that began years ago.

Having a good time

Aside from the seconde/seconde dial remix, this is a standard-issue Tsuyosa. The pixelated sword and cleaved indices sit atop an icy blue sunburst dial, with a shade that sits halfway between the existing baby blue and navy blue options.

Citizen

The hour hand and seconds hand are unchanged, as are the date window and the cyclops magnifier placed on the sapphire crystal above it. It has the collection’s original 40mm stainless case with vertical brushing along the flat-topped midcase and sloped lugs, topped by a polished bezel ring.

An inset crown sits out of the way at 4:00, and it is a pull-out, contributing to the watch’s modest 50m water resistance. It comes on the collection’s original integrated President-style steel bracelet, featuring polished center links and brushed outer links.

Citizen

It runs on an in-house Caliber 8210 automatic movement that beats at 3Hz and offers a 42-hour power reserve. This is Citizen’s in-house version of the Miyota Caliber 8215 used by Timex and countless indie watch brands — it is pretty much the Honda Civic of automatic watch movements.

Availability and price

Seconde/seconde/ watch collaborations are always intriguing, but some of them miss the mark for me. This is one of the best I’ve seen because it noticeably alters the dial without compromising the watch’s effectiveness.

I also appreciate the callback to the French artist’s early days of irreverent modifications to vintage luxury watches, as well as the wise proverb on the caseback tying it all together.

The Citizen Tsuyosa x seconde/seconde/ is available now from Citizen for $495, not a cent more than a standard model. It is a limited edition of 3,600 pieces, which may sound like a lot, but given the rising popularity of seconde/seconde/ collaborations, it likely won’t last long.

Citizen

Citizen Tsuyosa x seconde/seconde/

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	Citizen Caliber 8210 automatic
Water Resistance	50m

• $495 at Citizen

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