This Citizen Crystron LC was purchased new from Edments Jewellers in Bourke Street, Melbourne on the 12th August 1977. It contains the Citizen 9062A movement, which differs from the more common 9060A in that it does not have a day indicator. This leads to a relatively large and easy to read time display. The 40-0033 case is a hefty piece of stainless steel and gives the watch a solid '70s vibe.
Whilst it is a well known fact that Seiko began the 'Quartz Revolution' with the release of the Seiko Quartz-Astron in 1969, it is perhaps not as recognised that the first Japanese electronic watch was not a Seiko, it was a Citizen.
Folowing the success of the NASA inspired Bulova Accutron in 1960, watch manufacturers around the world began to seriously look at novel methods of powering their movements. In 1964, Citizen opened the Tokorozawa Research Laboratory, a facility in the western suburbs of Tokyo created specifically to investigate the development of electronic watches. Within two years Citizen began the production of the 0800 Caliber, controlled by a transistorised circuit moving with a balance wheel and powered by a silver oxide battery. The first watch using this movement was the X-8, which went on sale in March 1966 and was Japan’s first electronic watch. It ran for a full year without stopping, which was a major advance in an era dominated by automatic movements. The X-8 led to the Cosmotron line of electronic watches, which sold until the mid 1970s.
Whilst it is a well known fact that Seiko began the 'Quartz Revolution' with the release of the Seiko Quartz-Astron in 1969, it is perhaps not as recognised that the first Japanese electronic watch was not a Seiko, it was a Citizen.
Folowing the success of the NASA inspired Bulova Accutron in 1960, watch manufacturers around the world began to seriously look at novel methods of powering their movements. In 1964, Citizen opened the Tokorozawa Research Laboratory, a facility in the western suburbs of Tokyo created specifically to investigate the development of electronic watches. Within two years Citizen began the production of the 0800 Caliber, controlled by a transistorised circuit moving with a balance wheel and powered by a silver oxide battery. The first watch using this movement was the X-8, which went on sale in March 1966 and was Japan’s first electronic watch. It ran for a full year without stopping, which was a major advance in an era dominated by automatic movements. The X-8 led to the Cosmotron line of electronic watches, which sold until the mid 1970s.
The development of the Quartz movement provided a great improvement in accuracy, the oscillating quartz crystal was accurate to within one second per week versus one minute per week for a typical mechanical watch of the era, and in 1973 Citizen followed Seiko's lead, releasing its first quartz analog watch, the Citizen Quartz Crystron. With this new technology, the company found an area where it would excel, releasing a new 'world’s first' watch every year from 1975 until 1981. These included the first solar powered analog quartz, the first LCD alarm watch and the first ana-digi. To this day Citizen are recognised as leading the development of many of these technologies.
Citizen's first LCD watch, and the first LCD watch to show time, day, and date was the Quartz Crystron LC, released in 1974, followed by the Quartz Crystron Mega in 1975, this was the first quartz watch with an extraordinarily high frequency of 4,194,304 Hertz making it accurate to within 3 seconds a year. The Mega was not only mega-accurate, it was also mega-expensive, ranging up to a solid gold model costing ¥4.5 million.
Citizen's first LCD watch, and the first LCD watch to show time, day, and date was the Quartz Crystron LC, released in 1974, followed by the Quartz Crystron Mega in 1975, this was the first quartz watch with an extraordinarily high frequency of 4,194,304 Hertz making it accurate to within 3 seconds a year. The Mega was not only mega-accurate, it was also mega-expensive, ranging up to a solid gold model costing ¥4.5 million.
Whilst my watch would have been nowhere near that expensive it would not have been a cheap watch, 1977 was before LCD watches went mass market and the presentation of the very futuristic packaging shows that this was considered something special. Being time and date only it was not at the top of Citizen’s CQ range, those now had alarms, and it probably cost about AU$100, slightly more than a Seiko 6319 Chronograph or 6117 World Timer or even an Omega Seamaster!
Mass production of cheap digital watches in the 80s and beyond has obscured the fact that many of the 70s LCDs from Japan and Switzerland were high end watches with impressive build quality.
Mass production of cheap digital watches in the 80s and beyond has obscured the fact that many of the 70s LCDs from Japan and Switzerland were high end watches with impressive build quality.
References and further reading:
Sweephand's excellent writeup of the X8
Watchtime - History of Citizen
The Digital Watch Library
Sweephand's excellent writeup of the X8
Watchtime - History of Citizen
The Digital Watch Library