I’m not worried because, again, this is a Japanese watch, and in Japan there is a real hatred for visible wear and tear. Why? Because little else (than, say, platinum) picks up scratches like polished titanium. Even when you could polish titanium like that, most companies don’t. That means an entirely polished bezel, which is remarkably hard to do in titanium. The watch is made entirely of grade 5 titanium, but that on the case itself has been polished like steel. Most people are surprised by the Caliber 0100’s incredible sense of lightness, even on the bracelet. If anyone ever wants to know how a domed sapphire crystal is done properly, simply consult the Citizen Caliber 0100. I want to stop here and compliment Citizen on making sure the sapphire crystal was ideally made with the right amount of anti-reflective coating so as to offer no glare. It is also water resistant to 50 meters and is topped with a lightly domed sapphire crystal. The case is only about 9mm-thick (despite the deep dial) with a roughly 44mm lug-to-lug distance. Most serious Japanese watches tend to be about this width and certainly formal in style, so the design direction fits in with what you’d expect from any particular Citizen timepiece that has been crafted with incredible pride. Having said that, the dial, which never shies away from light (even as it collects it), is eye-catching enough to be worn with short sleeves and some moderately casual attire. It would be accurate to say that the Caliber 0100 seems made to be worn with sleeves. That’s about as small as I’ll go as someone who prefers short sleeves. The timepiece itself is charming and so very nice to look at, with modest, sensible dimensions at just 38mm-wide (it is actually closer to 37.5mm). As this is a thoroughly Japanese watch, I’d really like to see it next time with an equally Japanese name. “Reference AQ6021-51E” also doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. That is going to make discussing these each individually a bit complex for many people. This is the Caliber 0100 watch that contains the Caliber 0100 (cal.0100) movement. For now, I’d like to keep talking about the bigger picture of the Caliber 0100 as a wristwatch and not just a movement.Ĭitizen, for all its careful preparation making a frame to house this beautiful movement, also seemed to forget giving that frame (the watch) a name. Accuracy, mind you, is not a simple matter to achieve, but let’s get back to talking about the movement later. Most watches don’t even list the estimated accuracy of their movements - that’s how little many timepiece makers actually value accuracy these days. Compare that with the best Rolex watch money can buy, which has an advertised accuracy of within two seconds per day (highly impressive when compared with other mechanical watches). In 2018, Citizen only wanted to focus on the movement technology, as it was a major innovation offering accuracy of within one second per year. A year later, in 2019, Citizen finally unveiled the Caliber 0100 (aBlogtoWatch hands-on here). The Calibre 0100 began its public life merely as a movement in a not-to-be-sold pocket watch case in 2018. These values seem to be at play when understanding each aspect of the Calibre 0100, from its visual design to its strengthened titanium case and bracelet. It has been my experience that the Japanese manufacturing mindset values precision, efficiency, performance, and durability, above all else. The timepiece fits so well in line with values from the culture that created it, one might argue that Citizen’s goal with the Caliber 0100 was to honor Japanese engineering in general. Elegant and well-proportioned, among its other virtues, the Caliber 0100 is a glowing example of Japanese dress-style watch excellence and humility. It actually makes me quite happy that the Citizen Caliber 0100 watch (here as the reference AQ6021-51E) is lovely enough on the outside to get copious compliments from those who have no idea what it contains on the inside. If you are looking for something “Grand Seiko quality” from Japan’s Citizen, then look no further than the very impressive Citizen Caliber 0100 - which also happens to include the world’s most accurate self-contained timepiece movement.
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