Citizen’s range of mechanical ‘Challenge Timer’ chronographs, using the 8110A movement, included a number of models that were very ‘1970s’ in their design. One model, however, was of a more ‘classic’ design – the 67-9313. With two dial variations, black and ‘white’ it has become known as Citizen’s ‘speedy’, based on its resemblance (particularly the bezel insert and case designs) to the famous Omega Speedmaster. which had been launched in 1957. A key difference of course is that the 8110A has two sub-registers, for hours and minutes, whilst the Omega has three since it has a continuous second sub-dial. The Omega was also hand wind only until around 1988 when automatic versions were introduced, also with day and date complications.
The Citizen 8110A movement is also notable for its high-beat rate (28,800 beats per hour), its ‘fly-back’ capability and compact design. Unlike the Omega, the Citizen ‘speedy’ had only a short production run in the mid-1970s, and is now one of the most desirable vintage Citizens.
This week’s watch is my ‘white’ dialled version – in fact the dial is a silvery white finish rather than plain white, but for simplicity’s sake, we’ll call it white 🙂 :
White dials are hard to refurbish if they have faded or discoloured badly, so finding a good dial is a major plus when looking at these. This one came on a steel bracelet, which I have replaced with a black leather strap – I prefer leather – and I wasn’t entirely convinced the bracelet was original, mainly because of the only approximate fit of the curved ends, but it is of the correct style:
This one is from October 1976, and is correctly marked for this model (note to self – need to clean those notches on the case back!):
The crown is quite small on this model, and is partly recessed into the case – it is signed ‘CTZ’:
As cases collect scratches and dings over the years, it’s inevitable that they are sometimes polished. This can remove at least some of the original finish and sharpness, which has a mix of brushed and polished areas:
The bezel on this model gives some protection to the insert, certainly compared to some of the other models in the range. And replacement inserts are not available these days. I don’t think this one has seen a great deal of wrist time:
Brian’s page on the restoration of the 8110A speedy is a great read if you’re interested in this model: https://sweep-hand.org/brians-8110a-restoration-the-speedy-67-9313/
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