Hands-On With The Impressive Citizen Zenshin 60 Automatic Collection
Citizen has been knocking it out of the park the last two years. We have seen a constant stream of interesting releases. The best thing about them is that the prices are affordable, and what you get for the money is almost unbeatable. Sure, not every model will be to your liking, but Citizen has been thriving as a brand. The latest addition to the lineup is a new series of Zenshin 60 Super Titanium sports watches. They now join the series of vintage-inspired sports watches that impressed us a lot last year. On top of adding a name to this collection, these four models might be the best yet. Let me explain what makes them so impressive.
Last year, I reviewed three Citizen Super Titanium series that impressed me. The first two series were powered by Eco-Drive calibers. They consisted of four chronographs (ref. CA4610-85x) and four Day-Date models (ref. AW0130-85xx). The second series was a quartet of Automatic Small Seconds models (ref. NJ0180-80x) that proved the best. At just over €400, these four watches offer just about anything you could want from a comfortable, lightweight daily wearer. The vintage-inspired design gives the watches proper style, the Super Titanium construction makes them super comfortable to wear, and the in-house movement is a reliable power train. Could that get any better?
The story of the Citizen Zenshin 60 Automatic collection
Citizen was just getting started. The series now has a name — Zenshin, meaning “progress” — and the new Zenshin 60 Automatic watches take the good things from the Automatic Small Seconds models and improve some of the key features. Let’s start with some basic details.
The four watches feature the same octagonal case as the previous models, but they have a different bezel. A new 12-sided bezel replaces the round bezel of the NJ0180 series.
The angular bezel adds more character, and the overall aesthetic slightly reminds me of the sharp lines of the Zenith Defy series. It’s a look that suits these watches very well and gives them a more contemporary overall feel.
The lugless case still has a 40.5mm diameter, 11.25mm thickness, 43mm length, and 100m water resistance rating. It features a brushed finish, polished bevels, and an all-polished bezel. Overall, it is quite an appealing look that accentuates the angular shapes nicely.
The case is accompanied by a Super Titanium bracelet with a lightly brushed matte finish. Additionally, the lower part of the center links features a polished finish that adds some visual brilliance to the bracelet. It measures 23mm wide at the case and tapers to 20mm wide within two links. All in all, the mix of finishes is well thought out and adds exactly the right visual sparkle to the watch.
The folding clasp features two nicely integrated push buttons that make it easy to open. While this clasp is certainly not the most sophisticated in the business, it is indeed a step up from the one found on last year’s Automatic Small Seconds models.
New dials that look nicely detailed
But that is not where it ends. The dials of the Zenshin 60 Automatic also look better. All four watches feature gradient dials with a great-looking vertically striated tree-bark-like pattern. The gradient is subtle and only starts to get significantly darker between the applied hours markers, ending in a darker color on the dial’s perimeter.
Citizen specifies four colors — dark blue, copper, green, and grey blue. The “copper” version looks more like a sand or beige color to me, whereas the “grey blue” dial has a nice, icy look to it.
Additionally, the sub-dials at 4:30 feature concentric graining and have a glossy finish that nicely contrasts with the texture of the dials. The applied markers and the central hour and minute hands are treated with lume so you can also read the time in the dark. Lastly, the dials eschew the date window, resulting in a clean overall aesthetic.
An upgrade in caliber for the Zenshin 60 Automatic collection
If you turn the watch around, you will see that Citizen decided to upgrade the movement compared to last year’s 8213-powered Automatic Small Seconds models. That brass-colored movement didn’t look that appealing, and that’s where Citizen upped its game. For the new Zenshin 60 Automatic models, Citizen uses its in-house caliber 8322. This automatic caliber operates at 21,600vph, has 21 jewels, and offers 60 hours of power reserve.
In terms of accuracy, the movement performs at a minimum of -20/+40 seconds per day. These specs, however, do not necessarily set it apart from the caliber 8213. The difference is all in the look and the finishing. As you can see, this time, Citizen chose to visually align the movement with the color of the case and bracelet. Additionally, the finishing of the different parts is more elaborate to increase the visual impact of the movement. Again, it makes these watches look and feel like a step up from the previously released models in the series.
Wearing the Citizen Zenshin 60 Automatic models
On the wrist, these watches truly show how good they are. After sizing the bracelet, which is a fairly easy task with the push pins, it wraps itself nicely around the wrist thanks to the many smaller links. The one thing I would have preferred is a more dramatic 23–18mm taper. It would make the design slightly more elegant.
But once on the wrist, the lightweight titanium proves super easy to wear. I generally prefer a bit of heft, but titanium is perfect for these daily wearers. Thanks to the case and bracelet’s Duratect treatment (Citizen’s proprietary surface-hardening technology), the watch can withstand the wear and tear of daily use perfectly since it is far more resistant to scratches than regular titanium.
Final thoughts on the new Citizen Zenshin 60 Automatic models
I found the 40.5mm case to be the perfect size for my wrist. It doesn’t have the larger impact that integrated-bracelet watches often have, meaning these Zenshin 60 models will work on wrists of many various sizes.
I loved the clear overall dial aesthetic combined with a vertically brushed pattern that provides depth and style. Add the far more pronounced bezel shape compared to the round bezels of previous models, and you have a properly attractive series of watches.
At €499, these Zenshin 60 Automatic models are hard, if not impossible, to beat. I feel that the incredible value for money Citizen offers with these watches instantly makes them some of the best watches you can buy for less than €500.
That’s quite the achievement because I was already impressed by last year’s releases. But Citizen shows that there is room to improve, and the impact of those improvements has made for another series of winners from the Japanese brand.
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