BY ERIK SLAVEN
When it comes to titanium watches, Citizen is a true pioneer. It wasn’t Porsche Design that launched the first titanium watch as many believe. In 1980, Porsche Design did introduce the first titanium watch and bracelet (all titanium watch), but it was Citizen that brought the first (almost) pure titanium case to market in 1970 with the X-8 Chronometer. In the 50+ years since, the brand has improved the lightweight metal with its proprietary Super Titanium alloy, which it also supplies to Japanese robotic spacecraft firm, ispace. The latest Hakuto-R GPS Chronograph pays tribute to space and the upcoming ispace lunar lander with a stylish, sophisticated all-titanium piece with GPS accuracy.
The ispace lander will use Citizen’s Super Titanium for its legs, so why not have a slick commemorative watch to boot. Not only is the case and bracelet Super Titanium, but sections have a special finish known as Recrystallized Titanium that’s heated to a high temperature and quickly cooled. This creates a moon-like texture that perfectly fits the theme of the watch. Citizen went a step further and added a Duratect DLC coating (carbon-based layer) to make it harder and much more scratch-resistant. The dimensions are large with a diameter of 44.3mm and thickness of 16mm, but there’s a lot going on with this piece, so the size is arguably necessary. Flip the watch over and the case back has a detailed print of the ispace lunar lander against a deep black background. The titanium bracelet integrates perfectly with the case and has Recrystallized Titanium center links to match the texture on the lower bezel. Water resistance is rated at 100 meters.
This is a high-end quartz watch, which allows for a lot of cool tech. For starters, it’s solar-powered via Citizen’s Eco-Drive, which is among the best of its kind with a power reserve of five years. The movement is the F950 and has been used in previous Hakuto-R collaborations (this is the latest of several), and puts mechanical counterparts to shame as far as pure functionality. Accuracy is virtually flawless with satellite wave GPS, there’s a second-time zone, alarm, day, date, chronograph and plenty of Citizen’s proprietary lume on the hands and dial. As with many complex citizen watches, the dial is aggressively styled with raised sub-dials that are recessed in the center, a Recrystallized Titanium pattern on the base dial and bold applied indices. It’s protected by an AR sapphire crystal. World cities are also printed on the black bezel in gold. Although mechanical movements are usually preferred by watch enthusiasts, high-end quartz movements like this provide more for non-purists.
The latest Hakuto-R GPS Chronograph (Ref. CC4044-53E) retails for USD 3,000, which is a lot for a quartz piece, but also reasonable for what’s being offered. The finish is top notch, the full titanium suit is above the norm and the direct collaboration with ispace is novel for sure. The price is also comparable to high-end quartz pieces from Seiko and Casio. It’s limited to just 1,000 pieces and will be available in July 2022.
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