In honor of the 100th anniversary of the first Citizen watches, the renowned Japanese manufacturer has announced the release of a capsule collection of five different limited models.
The Citizen Layers of Time collection, inspired by geological layers of rocks and minerals that formed the Earth millions of years ago, features the brand's signature Eco-Drive solar movements and unique transparent dials with special structural inks developed in collaboration with Fujifilm Corporation.
The first of the five new limited series in the Layers of Time collection is the Citizen Attesa Layers of Time Eco-Drive Satellite Wave GPS CC4057-60E - the top model of the collection, largely following in the footsteps of the original Hakuto-R collaborative watches. The case and bracelet of the Citizen Attesa Layers of Time CC4057-60E are made from the brand's Super Titanium alloy with black Duratect coating, boasting water resistance of 100 meters, and the case measures 44.6 mm in diameter and 15.4 mm thick.
The dial is protected by a domed sapphire crystal, surrounded by a bezel with a gradient finish reflecting the purple, green, and blue hues characteristic of the dial, made with structural inks.
The Citizen Attesa Layers of Time CC4057-60E houses the Caliber F950 Eco-Drive movement, capable of charging from any light source and featuring a satellite GPS chronometer, perpetual calendar, chronograph with 1/20-second timing, light level indicator, power reserve indicator, world time function, and a lifespan of about 2.5 years (in power-saving mode).
Additionally, all five models in the Citizen Layers Of Time collection are released in limited editions, with the Attesa CC4057-60E model being limited to 1,900 pieces and having an official retail price of $2,295 USD.
The second new model in Citizen's Layers of Time collection is the Citizen Attesa Layers of Time Eco-Drive Radio Controlled AT8286-65E. It largely replicates the design of the limited Attesa HAKUTO-R AT8285-68Z model that debuted last year. Like its flagship counterpart in this collection, the Citizen Attesa Layers of Time AT8286-65E features a case and bracelet made of Super Titanium with black Duratect coating, and it has 100 meters of water resistance. However, this model is smaller than its flagship counterpart - 42 mm in diameter and 10.8 mm thick - and has a flat sapphire crystal over the colorful dial with inks and a less intricate black world time bezel.
The Citizen Attesa Layers of Time Eco-Drive AT8286-65E is equipped with the Caliber H800 Eco-Drive movement, which can also be found in the limited edition HAKUTO-R series. In addition to solar charging and radio-controlled timekeeping, Cal. H800 also includes a perpetual calendar, chronograph, world timer, power reserve indicator, and a power-saving mode runtime of about 10 months.
Compared to its flagship counterpart, the Citizen Attesa Layers of Time Eco-Drive Radio Controlled AT8286-65E will be more numerous and less expensive. It will be released in a limited series of 2,100 pieces with an official retail price of $1,495 USD.
The third model in the Citizen Layers of Time collection is based on the recently announced Geo Trekker series, and it is the Citizen Promaster Layers of Time Eco-Drive Radio Controlled Geo Trekker BY3005-56E. Unlike its two premium counterparts in the collection, made from Super Titanium, the case and bracelet of the Citizen Layers of Time BY3005-56E are made of stainless steel with a dark gray coating, and they measure 46 mm in diameter and 11.5 mm thick. Like the Geo Trekker watches from the main collection, the limited edition Layers of Time version boasts the greatest water resistance in the collection - 200 meters - and its colorful dial, made with structural inks, is protected by a flat sapphire crystal, surrounded by a bold bezel with an aviation scale.
Inside, the new Citizen Promaster Layers of Time Eco-Drive Radio Controlled Geo Trekker BY3005-56E is identical to its serial counterparts and is equipped with the proprietary Caliber H864 Eco-Drive movement. In addition to radio-controlled timekeeping and a runtime of about 2.5 years in power-saving mode, Citizen Cal. H864 also features a perpetual calendar, world timer, and power reserve indicator. Compared to its counterparts in the Layers of Time collection, the Promaster Geo Trekker BY3005-56E model will be released in the largest limited edition - 10,000 pieces, and its price will be slightly higher than its counterparts in the main collection, amounting to $895 USD.
The fourth model in Citizen's Layers of Time collection is based on one of the brand's PCAT models (PCAT stands for "Perpetual Calendar Atomic Timekeeping"), and it is the Citizen Layers of Time Eco-Drive PCAT CB5878-56E. Like the GeoTrekker variant from the collection, the new Citizen PCAT Layers of Time CB5878-56E model features a case and bracelet made of stainless steel with a dark gray coating, as well as a flat sapphire crystal protecting the dial with proprietary structural inks. However, since this model is not part of the Promaster collection, its water resistance is a more standard 100 meters, and around the crystal is a black bezel with tachymetric markings.
The Citizen Layers of Time Eco-Drive PCAT CB5878-56E is equipped with the same Caliber E660 Eco-Drive movement as the Citizen PCAT CB5918-02L watch, which I reviewed last year. Like other modern PCAT models, Cal. E660 offers the convenience of solar charging and radio-controlled timekeeping, as well as a perpetual calendar, power reserve indicator, world time function, and a runtime of about three years in power-saving mode. Compared to the Geo Trekker model in this series, the Citizen Layers of Time Eco-Drive PCAT CB5878-56E will be released in a significantly smaller edition, a limited series of 2,400 pieces, although it will be somewhat cheaper - its official retail price is $850 USD.
The fifth and final model in Citizen's Layers of Time series is presented in the brand's women's collection - it is the Citizen L Mae Layers of Time Eco-Drive EM1067-53E. This model, with a stainless steel case and bracelet with a dark gray coating, is noticeably smaller and more elegant - 29.5 mm in diameter and 8.3 mm thick - and features a domed sapphire crystal over the dial, which is surrounded by a thin fixed bezel with four diamonds at the "3 o'clock" position. Remaining in style, the structural ink dial of the Citizen L Mae Layers of Time EM1067-53E is adorned with four diamonds at the cardinal points, the crown is decorated with a blue cabochon, and its water resistance is lower than its counterparts - 50 meters for protection from daily contact.
Since the Citizen L Mae Layers of Time Eco-Drive EM1067-53E belongs to the category of simple watches, it is equipped with the well-known Caliber E031 Eco-Drive movement, which can also be found in a number of other three-hand models from the brand. Like other Eco-Drive movements, Cal. E031 can charge itself from any light source, and its runtime after a full charge is about six months. Despite the use of diamonds, the Citizen L Mae Layers of Time Eco-Drive EM1067-53E is the most affordable model from the latest capsule collection. It will be released in a limited series of 4,200 pieces with an official retail price of $650 USD.