Jet Family Tree Published!

Posted on June 20, 2012 by sweephand

I’ve finally been able to complete a family tree for the Jet Auto Daters – after lengthy and patient searching I was able to get hold of definitive reference material. Interestingly the group incudes a hand winding model – essentially the base movement without the circular greared rotor seen in the Jets. Access is via the blogroll link on the right….

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This Week’s Featured Watch #35 – Custom V2 ‘Blackie’, 4-721331

Posted on June 17, 2012 by sweephand

Citizen pioneered the use of black coated cases in the early 1970s, producing a range of watches known as the  ‘Custom V2’. Last week I featured the alarm model, and in week 25 I presented my first automatic ‘Blackie’ https://sweep-hand.org/2012/03/07/this-weeks-featured-watch-25-the-custom-v2-blackie/

This week is another example of the Custom V2 black coated models, in very nice condition and from 1970 when this type of coating was first launched by Citizen.The new coating at the time allowed light weight aluminium alloy cases to be used since the coating was described as offering greater resistance to wear than stainless steel.

First though, a word about the ‘Blackie’ name – it appears that Citizen themselves named these models in this way, rather than it being a later nick-name. Their historical site describes the model as the カスタムV2　ブラッキー, which translates to: Custom V2 Blackie

Retailing at JPY13,500 when launched in 1970, the 4-721331 uses the 23 jewel 7290 movement which runs at 21,600 beats per hour and features hand winding and hacking:

The case back code correctly shows ‘BLS’ – black case, steel bezel – and a production date of December 1970, whilst the plastic sticker is still in place:

The design is simple and clear, with lumed hands and hour markers:

These shots show the well finished bezel, with its brushed bevel:

The design of these black cased V2 models stands the test of time well in my opinion, and remain very wearable – they also have a fine quality movement, only a small step below the ‘Leopard’ range, offering reliability and good time-keeping. Hard to find fault!

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Jet Family Tree On The Way!

Posted on June 16, 2012 by sweephand

I’ve finally been able to get definitive information on the ‘Jet’ group of automatic movements produced in the early to mid-1960s 🙂  This was one family tree I had been struggling with since I didn’t quite have enough reference material, so I was having to make some assumptions – not always a good idea!

So please watch this space – I’ll try and get the Jet family tree published over the next few days.

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This Week’s Featured Watch #34 – The Custom V2 Alarm Date

Posted on June 8, 2012 by sweephand

Citizen made two versions of a hand winding alarm watch, both using a Swiss design which was later used by the Russian maker Poljot. The first type was launched in 1958 using the 9800 movement with 17 or 21 jewels, and featured a ‘cricket’ style double case back. In 1964 a second version, this time with a single case back was introduced, using the same movement but now designated 3100 and with 21 jewels only.

With either a plain dial (movement number 3101) or a date window (3102), the early 1970s also saw several sports versions in the line-up and a couple had inner rotating timing bezels as well as the fourth hand for setting the alarm. These models formed part of the ‘Custom V2’ line and also featured black coated cases, reflecting the changes in design facilitated by new materials.

My example is one of the sports models, made in August 1971. The inner rotating ring is very much of the 1970s, with its unusual markings on a metallic orange background:

Although there are some scratches, the original glass is thick and nicely beveled:

The back is plainly marked, and the pin against which the alarm hammer strikes can be seen – this means that the back has to be positioned correctly, but this is ensured by a small locating pin inside the case back which locates in a hole on the edge of the case. Note the case material code – BLS – indicating black case and steel bezel:

Unfortunately the original strap is far too fragile to use:

This is a sizeable watch, measuring 42mm across, excluding crowns, and 44mm lug to lug (apologies for the horrible cheap strap – was a temporary fitting!):

The winder at 10 o’clock rotates the timing ring, whilst the winder at 2 o’clock winds the alarm and at one step out sets the alarm pointer. The crown at 4 o’clock winds the watch and at one step sets the time:

 

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36000 beats per hour in action

Posted on June 7, 2012 by sweephand

Following my previous post about the Highness, here’s a one minute movie to show what the sweep of the second hand looks like when running at 36000 beats per hour / 10 beats per second:

http://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk252/Sweephand/Highness/?action=view&current=MVI_0538.mp4

And this is what it sounds like :):

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/stephen.netherwood/36kbph.wav

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Citizen’s version of the Snow Leopard?

Posted on June 3, 2012 by sweephand

Although Citizen’s range of ‘Leopard’ high-beat watches is probably fairly well known, there were one or two higher end versions in the line which are much less often spotted (!). Like the Snow Leopard in the animal kingdom, they are elusive and hard to find, and perhaps the most elusive of all is the ‘Highness’.

I’ve seen only one Highness outside of Japan auctions, which I managed to acquire, and only a very small number have appeared for sale in Japan over the last couple of years. The movement used is the 28 jewel 7730 , running at 36,000 beats per hour. This is part of a small family of 7700 movements, mainly powering a few standard Leopard models at 28,800 bph but also the ‘Challenge Golf’ (7760).

More info on the highness here: https://sweep-hand.org/2011/04/24/this-weeks-featured-watch-2/ and the Challenge Golf: https://sweep-hand.org/2011/06/07/this-weeks-featyured-watch-6-the-challenge-golf/

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Some Great 8110a Restoration Work!

Posted on May 26, 2012 by sweephand

If you’re interested in Citizen’s fine 8110a flyback chronograph there’s a very informative thread on the Watchuseek forum showing some excellent work by ’31jewels’, who is a master watch repairer. He shows in detail the restoration and servicing work he’s done both on his own and a customer’s watches, and the thread is now complete after starting back in mid-April. A highly recopmmended read!:  http://forums.watchuseek.com/f21/citizen-bull-head-8110a-restoration-service-31-jewels-677877.html

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This Week’s Featured Watch #33 – The Cosmotron GX

Posted on May 21, 2012 by sweephand

In 1969 Citizen’s electro-mechanical watches, introduced in 1966, became known as ‘Cosmotrons’. The technology in these combined new printed circuitry and a battery with a relatively conventional balance and hairspring. But one Cosmotron was an exception to this convention – the ‘GX’ – since this was in fact a very different animal, in that it was a tuning fork watch.

Citizen’s tuning fork watches were known as ‘Hisonics’ (see my example here: https://sweep-hand.org/2012/01/07/this-weeks-featured-watch-19-the-hisonic/), so I’m not sure why Citizen chose to place the GX in the Cosmotron line.

Originally developed in the USA by Bulova, the tuning fork technology was an innovation that turned the 360 vibrations per second of a tiny tuning fork into circular movement, resulting in much greater and guaranteed accuracy that even the best mechanical watches couldn’t match. The equivalent Bulova movement to the Hisonic is the 218, whilst the equivalent for the GX is the 219. However quartz technology soon eclipsed even the tuning fork’s time-keeping qualities, so the Hisonic and Cosmotron GX models enjoyed only short production runs in the mid-1970s.

The GX is now a fairly rare piece, and is seen less often for sale than the Hisonic. My example is from November 1975:

The dial carries the unique GX applied logo:

The case back is plainer than the Hisonic models, some of which carried a gold medallion, and is a simple snap on design. This one is engraved, possibly to celebrate 15 years of service – I believe with the Yashica camera company. The serial number confirms November 1975 production:

The 3701B movement has 11 jewels rather than the 15 found in the Hisonic, and the movement is not stamped ‘LIC. BULOVA’ . The crown is signed (CTZ) and in normal position the date can be quickset, at one click out the watch is hacked and time can be set, at second click (fully out) the battery is fully disconnected when the watch is not in use:

However one of the most obvious differences is that only one coil is used:

And cheaper plastic is in evidence rather than the copper plate seen in the Hisonic:

The lower jeweling, use of a single coil, greater use of plastic and plain case back are clear evidence that cost savings were applied to this model, and maybe this is why Citizen branded it a Cosmotron, keeping the Hisonic as a more exclusive high end piece.

Whatever the reasons, the movement functions perfectly well!

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This Week’s Featured Watch #32 – the Crystal Date 17j

Posted on May 10, 2012 by sweephand

When the well known Crystal Seven series was launched in 1965, using the ’52’ base caliber, a number of other models were also produced with variants of this movement. I’ve covered two of them in previous ‘Featured Watch’ posts – the 520 (https://sweep-hand.org/2012/03/20/this-weeks-featured-watch-27-the-520-auto-dater/) and the 540 (https://sweep-hand.org/2012/04/28/this-weeks-featured-watch-31-the-540-auto-dater/). The latter was the date only version of the 52xx movement, and this was also used in the more attractively named ‘Crystal Date’.

The Crystal Date was made with 17, 21, 27 and 33 jewel 5400 and 5401 movements, and there was also a Super Crystal Date Model, using the 33 jewel movement. I’m assuming from the name that it had the same hard mineral glass used in the Crystal Sevens. Most noteworthy is that the Crystal Dates (and another model using the same movement, the ‘Compact’) feature a special applied logo on the dial, above the 6 o’clock marker. This week’s watch is the 17 jewel variant, which has elegant lumed hands and lumed dots outside the hour markers:

Typical of its day, the bezel is fluted, whilst the back shows production inMarch 1967. The back carries the rarer ‘OR’ case type code:

The crown is the older ‘C’ style:

Here’s the 5401 identification on the movement:

And finally back to the logo – on this one it’s a mix of applied and printed. The central part is an applied decorative ‘A’, for automatic, with a printed design around it:

On higher jeweled models, the logo is all applied, and they also have an applied rather than printed ‘Citizen’ signature. Click on the ’52 Crystal 7 / Seven Star Family Tree’ blogroll link to see where the Crystal Date fits in the movement group.

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Citizen’s Jet Automatic Movement

Posted on May 1, 2012 by sweephand

I’ve added a new page focusing on what is a unique feature of Citizen’s vintage automatics from the early 1960s – the ‘Jet’ movement. With its circular geared rotor this was Citizen’s standard caliber for its automatics in the early to mid-1960s before moving over to the more familiar swinging weight type from around 1965.

The new page provides infomation and pics, as well as a little video – there’s also a summary of the movement numbers, production dates and model names. Hopefully it provides a useful addition to sit alongside the Movement Table.

Although the swinging weight rotor is efficient and reliable and is the standard method for automatic winding, the Jet rotor is more aesthetically rewarding in my opinion – i.e. it looks cool 🙂

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