Seiko, Citizen and other Japanese Watches
This is the tenth Citizen Japanese dealer catalog, released during 1973. Some of the interesting models from the catalog are highlighted and a full copy of the catalog can be downloaded at the end of the article.
Seiko has applied for a patent for a new moon phase mechanism. There is no guarantee that this will be produced but it is nice to see some research being done in this area, and it hopefully will one day appear in an actual product.
In the first half of 2026 Citizen released 197 new models, including 39 limited editions. This article provides details on all models and also includes some statistics on the releases with comparisons to previous years.
In the first half of 2026 Grand Seiko released 28 new models, including 11 limited editions. Credor released six models during the first half of the year. This article provides details on all models and also includes some statistics on the releases with comparisons to previous years.
In the first half of 2026 Seiko released 99 new models, including 42 limited editions. This article provides details on all models and also includes some statistics on the releases with comparisons to previous years.
Seiko has applied for the registration of the trademark "Queen Seiko" in Japan, US, and various South American markets. The Queen Seiko range was initially launched in 1962 the year after the introduction of King Seiko. The King Seiko brand was relaunched in 2022, so with the registration of the trademark we may see the partner branding introduced.
I recently picked up a Citizen company brochure from around 1962. It describes some of the company history and gives an overview of the watch production and sales companies. A full copy of the catalog can be downloaded at the end of the article.
At a recent GS9 Watches & Wonder preview there was an exhibit showing the disassembled mid-case of the new Ushio 300 divers. This case confirmed the new bezel assembly design that had previously been seen in multiple patent applications from Seiko Epson.
I was luck enough to recently attend a GS9 Club event in Ginza to preview the models that were announced at Watches & Wonders earlier in the year. It was great to see all these models together at one time as the release for these will be spread out across many months.
This is the ninth Citizen Japanese dealer catalog, released during 1972. Some of the interesting models from the catalog are highlighted and a full copy of the catalog can be downloaded at the end of the article.
This is the eight Citizen Japanese dealer catalog issued for the second half of 1971. There are numerous interesting models presented and you can see the ongoing evolution of the range at that time. A full copy of the catalog can be downloaded at the end of the article.
This is the sixth Citizen Japanese dealer catalog issued for the first half of 1970. Some of the interesting models from the catalog are highlighted and a full copy of the catalog can be downloaded at the end of the article.
Traditional solar powered watches have their cells placed under a translucent dial, this limits the materials that the dial can be made from and excludes popular materials such as metal. To remove this design limitation Citizen developed light powered calibres that use a flexible solar ring around the outside of the dial or the watch case.
This is the fifth Citizen Japanese dealer catalog issued for the first half of 1970. Some of the interesting models from the catalog are highlighted and a full copy of the catalog can be downloaded at the end of the article.
This is the Supplement issue for the 1969 No.4 Citizen Japanese dealer catalog. This is not the complete catalog, but just the supplement showing models that have been released after the main No.4 catalog. Interesting models are detailed and the full supplement can be downloaded.
In September 1976 Citizen launched the world’s first analog solar powered watch, the Crystron Solar Cell. This was a technology that Citizen had been working on for a number of years with a prototype model shown off a couple of years earlier.
I created a group of posters to visualize all of the modern Grand Seiko models released since the brand's relaunch in 1988 up until the end of 2025. There are 1140 models pictured and these are grouped by the year of release. The posters are provided free of charge for non-commercial use.
Seiko has updated their model numbering scheme, releasing new models starting with the character H instead of the initial S that they have used since the mid-1980’s.
This is the third Citizen Japanese dealer catalog issued for the second half of 1968. Some of the interesting models from the catalog are highlighted and a full copy of the catalog can be downloaded at the end of the article.
The No.2 Citizen Japanese dealer catalog was released in 1968 and presents many of the models available at that time. The catalog includes men’s and ladies watches, clocks, and thermometers. A PDF copy of the full the catalog is available for download.