What caught my eye about this particular Citizen bullhead was the smaller size and unusual octagonal case, standing apart from the more typical round cases of Seiko’s counterparts and base metal Citizen bullhead models. It was of the very popular “bullhead” or “Mickey Mouse” configuration where the movement is rotated 90-degrees counter-clockwise, resulting in the pushers and crown resting at the top of the case. Rather, it was a sober reverse-panda dial configuration, with white sub-dials on an otherwise plain black background in an all stainless steel case (there was also a second variant in an all-stainless steel case that was a proper panda). 67-9356-was not as exotic as the examples shown above. To give the timing of this development some perspective, three short years later the Valjoux 7750-the world’s most ubiquitous chronograph movement today-was ordered to be destroyed by management as a result of the challenges brought forth by quartz’s encroaching dominance.īut the watch that I’ll be looking at today-the Citizen “Bullhead” Challenge Timer, ref. In 1972, they proudly released the superb 8110, the brand’s impressive automatic chronograph caliber. Citizen’s 8110A chronograph caliber.ĭuring this era, Citizen was definitely throwing caution to the wind. The ’70s saw quartz and traditionally manufactured, mechanical timepieces jostling for precious wrist space, with consumers generally preferring the (at the time) technological superiority of quartz watches. The first commercially available quartz watch was released in 1969, a development that led to the monumental quartz crisis. Today, we’re tackling one of the most popular models that it can be found in-the octagonal, all stainless steel Challenge Timer “Bullhead.”įirst, some background. It does not store any personal data.We went in-depth with the caliber 8110 in our last installment of Chronography, where we highlighted its technical superiority over its Seiko brethren. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. And if you happen to bring one of these stateside, don’t hesitate to reach out – we’d love to hear your impressions of this reissue in the metal. If that’s you, check out this Japanese retail listing. It’s also completely possible that it will simply never be sold through official channels in the United States, and the watch will develop a cult following among enthusiasts who are inclined to import them. But these things change all the time, and a decision to bring the Challenge Timer to US shores after a run in Japan wouldn’t be unprecedented. The fact that for an American collector these watches might be difficult to track down adds a bit to the mystique and negates any lingering disappointment that these don’t use mechanical movements.Īt this time, we have no indication from Citizen that this watch is going to be available in the United States anytime soon. For a fun watch like this at a value oriented price point (it appears to sell for the equivalent of about $250), we’re more than OK with a quartz caliber. Dial text reveals the biggest change from the original watch to the recreation, and that’s that this new version uses a quartz movement.
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