Citizen is the world’s largest watch manufacturer and looking at their well-designed divers – like this full-serviced 1981 Citizen Ref. 72-0399 automatic watch here – and one can easily see why. The Citizen here combines classic 1970s sport design with affordability, leaving us with great designs like the one here.
Citizen produced a range of automatic watches throughout the 1960s through the early 1980s – a few were/are relatively well known, but others are not and rarely seen. Citizen began production of the Ref. 72-0399 in 1975, and produced them in a range of dial colors – blue, silver, etc. All had day complications.
And this Citizen is powered by the legendary Ref. 8210A automatic movement - used in a wide range of Citizen automatics at the time (to include some of Citizen's more well-known divers), the 8210A automatic features hand winding capability, is easy to use and service, and quite reliable. Nothing fancy, but it does what it was designed to do, and it does it well.
Vintage Citizen watches are a little like discovering watches all over again. There’s much to learn - unlike vintage Seiko, Citizen has its own ecosystem and a (lot) less rabid following, and it’s quite under the radar (at least for now).
This Citizen automatic comes on a leather-backed canvas strap, and with nylon strap, rugged travel case, and springbar tool.
1981 Citizen Ref. 72-0399 Automatic Watch
DIAL: Silver Citizen-signed "linen" dial, with applied Citizen logo; correct hour, minute, and second hands. Lume shines when exposed to strong light. Date quickset works as designed.
CASE: Stainless-steel case measures 37.5mm (39mm w/crown) x 39mm stainless steel case, with brushed case top.
BAND: This Citizen comes on a beige leather-backed canvas strap; it also comes with a red, white, and blue nylon strap.
CRYSTAL: Domed acrylic crystal – no scratches or cracks.
MOVEMENT: Citizen 21-jewel Ref. 8210A automatic movement (which can also be hand-wound), produced in November 1981 and beats at 21,600 beats per hour. We have performed a full service on this Citizen automatic.
CROWN: Stainless-steel Citizen crown.