Washi Paper in a Nature-Inspired Dial: Citizen’s Iconic Nature Collection
Grand Seiko used to be known for their SBGA211 “Snowflake”. Most of us would have heard of its inspiration: the snow-covered Jonen and Hotaka mountain ranges seen from their Shinsu Watch Studio. Since the Snowflake’s launch in 2005, GS had a few more notable nature-inspired models such as the Mount Iwate and Autumn. The cadence changed in 2021. While we may remember 2021 as the 2nd year of COVID-19 or the year of countless Pfizer jabs, Grand Seiko launched a long list of new models with nature-inspired dials. The Sekki series, White Birch, Omiwatari, Lake Suwa, Sakura-kakushi and many more were announced in quick succession. While watch fans have more options now, Grand Seiko’s nature dials are no longer as exotic as they used to be and prices crept up too. With my limited budget, preference for high accuracy quartz (HAQ) watches and liking for unconventional options, I started looking for alternatives.
The closest watchmaker to Seiko is undoubtedly Citizen. They’re both Japanese and both have been pushing the boundaries of watch technology for decades. While continuing my search for HAQ watches with unique dials, I stumbled upon their washi paper dial Eco-Drive The Citizen series. Washi paper has been used in Japanese sliding doors and lanterns for centuries, owing to its light diffusion properties. It is a perfect fit for Eco-Drive watches as it allows light to penetrate the paper and reach the solar cells underneath that power the movement. The result is a highly textured dial that perfectly hides the solar cells. Initially, the discovery was bittersweet as the still-in-production 40 mm AQ4091 series was likely too big for my wrist, especially with the male bracelet end link. Hope appeared in February 2022 with Citizen’s announcement of the limited edition, four-season inspired, 37.5 mm AQ4100 series.
The day that the green and blue units reached my local dealer (the brown and black models will be released in August 2022), I rushed down to his place. I originally eyed the blue dial model as it would pair well with my wardrobe. However, upon seeing both in person, the green dial AQ4100-06W “Spring Air” captivated me. In comparison, the blue dial AQ4100-14L “Summer Azure” had a much paler blue and gentler gradient than the pictures suggested. It was a dilemma with wardrobe pairing but I took the green home in the end with a massive hole burnt through my pockets.
The dial of the Spring Air is an absolute chameleon, albeit a single-colored one. From afar, it looks like a vivid green gradient/fumé dial. Bring it closer and you’ll see the exquisite fibrous texture of the washi paper. To protect the delicate washi paper, a plastic protective cover is placed on top of it and the logos, indices and prints are applied on the cover. This creates an effect where all the dial elements seem to be floating above the dial. While Citizen said it’s a spring scene through a window, it reminded me of a crystal clear lake with a bed of vivid green aquatic grass at the bottom. View it under direct strong light and you’ll see a golden sheen on the dial as if someone sprinkled some glitter or fairy dust on it. Every look at the watch is a treat for one’s eyes.
Everything else on the dial is executed to a high level of finishing, comparable to that of Grand Seiko. The dauphine hands, baton markers and date window all have consistently applied brushed top and highly polished sides. The contrast provided by the brushed and polished provides excellent visibility which is necessary as the Spring Air does not come with any lume. The minute track and the black-on-white date wheel are all crisply printed. Beyond those, the Citizen logo and the The Citizen eagle logo are applied. All of these are covered by a spherical sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coatings so effective that sometimes it looks like the watch has no crystal at all!
The case is well executed too. Made of hardened titanium (Citizen calls it Super Titanium with Duratect Platinum), it should stand up to daily uses. Most of the case is brushed, except for the polished bezel and the angled transition strip between the lugs and the sides. The angled design ensured that the Spring Air does not look dated even when worn on the original crocodile leather strap. Since the titanium is only used in the case (there’s no bracelet), it doesn’t give an unbelievably light feeling typical of titanium bracelet watches. Nevertheless, it definitely doesn’t feel heavy.
The Spring Air is powered by the Eco-Drive A060 quartz caliber which is a star on its own. The movement offers a ±5 s a year accuracy which is twice that of standard Grand Seiko 9F movements inside entry-level GS models of similar price. The solar-powered movement comes with a 7-month power reserve which can be extended to 1.5 years in power-saving mode. Coupled with a perpetual calendar, it basically means you will never have to adjust or change anything on the watch. The focus on accuracy is extended to the independently adjustable hour hand for timezone adjustments without affecting the watch’s accuracy. Citizen has never promoted any equivalent technology to Grand Seiko’s Backlash Auto-Adjust or Twin Pulse Control Motor. However, given that the hands on the Spring Air seem as thick as those in my Grand Seiko SBGN005 and that the second hand steps with the confidence of the Chinese military’s goosestep marching, I would assume Citizen devised something clever quietly. If you are wondering how one checks the power reserve, month and leap year, that’s what the recessed button on top of the crown is for.
The genuine crocodile leather strap is probably the part that I liked the least about the watch. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s a high-quality strap, it just doesn’t fit me. Out of the box, it is very supple and comes with a polished deployant buckle with Citizen’s logo on it. Despite Citizen being a Japanese company, my hope for straps that will fit my small Asian wrist was misplaced. For me to wear it, additional holes would have to be punched. I don’t think the velvet backing would stand up well to the tropical Singapore weather and my sweaty wrist either. So I got a 19 mm (yes, it’s irritatingly 19 mm) Horween leather strap from Nomad Watch Works to replace it. Unfortunately, the deployant buckle couldn’t be reused as it is designed for extremely thin straps.
All in all, the Citizen The Citizen AQ4100-06W “Spring Air” is an amazing watch but I really hope Citizen can do better in branding and global availability of their high-end The Citizen range. Over the years, models in the current The Citizen lineup went from having no special branding to carrying the Chronomaster branding and now the The Citizen branding. While Grand Seiko has a particular ring about it, the The Citizen moniker is rather unwieldy. You’ll know if you try to write an article about it with the grammar checker highlighting the The Citizen term throughout the document. While I think that the The Citizen line should be considered by every watch enthusiast, the AQ4100 series is simply unavailable in Singapore despite models being listed as available worldwide. Citizen’s main boutique here is a small kiosk in Vivocity which does not carry the The Citizen lineup. While it does carry some Bulova models, critically, the famous Bulova Lunar Pilot was nowhere to be seen when I visited. In comparison, Seiko has a proper boutique in the same mall. We can only gain access to the The Citizen lineup through local dealers who buy them from Japanese dealers. Citizen’s lack of experience with limited-edition models is also apparent with the Spring Air. While it is a 250-piece limited edition model, the unit number is not stated anywhere on the watch or accompanying documents. It definitely doesn’t provide the fun, prestige and possibly resale value of knowing the exact number of the unit. I’ll admit that enhancing branding, bringing in additional product lines and setting up boutiques are costly business decisions that have to be justified by potential returns. The relative lack of market awareness for the The Citizen line probably does not justify it at this moment. That being said, Grand Seiko was in a similar position a decade or two ago. If Citizen intends to mimic Seiko’s success with Grand Seiko, they should probably take a few pages from their playbook. Or maybe it should just stay put so that Citizen can continue to offer amazing, under-the-radar options like the Spring Air at a reasonable price.
[Update 6 Jul 2022] Seems like Citizen has been working on bringing the The Citizen lineup to Singapore. They have just announced the lineup’s exclusive availability in Singapore via Watches of Switzerland Singapore on their Facebook page. From the pictures, it does seem like the Iconic Nature collection and the automatic Cal. 0200 models are available at their NEX boutique. That’s also Watches of Switzerland’s boutique that carries Grand Seiko. I got my first “luxury” watch: a Longines Conquest VHP GMT from Watches of Switzerland so it’s definitely a place worth checking out.
Specifications
Model: Citizen AQ4100-06W “Spring Air” (Limited edition, 250 pieces worldwide)
Movement: Solar high accuracy quartz, Eco-Drive A060 (±5 s a year, 7 month power reserve, extendable to 1.5 years)
Size: 37.5 mm diameter, 45.5 mm lug-to-lug, 19 mm lug width, 12 mm thickness
Case Material: Hardened Titanium
Crystal: Dual spherical sapphire with anti-reflective coating
Complications: Perpetual calendar date, independently adjustable hour, power reserve indicator (via button)
Water Resistance: 10 bar/100 m
Strap: Brown genuine crocodile leather with deployant clasp
RRP: 350,000 JPY, excluding taxes (~4,148 SGD)
Gallery
