The Citizen Series 8 880 GMT Turns You Into a Local, Twice Over

Ask me about my current favorite Citizen models, and I’ll quickly point to the brand’s Series 8 watches. It’s Citizens’ collection of modern mechanical watches that falls somewhere between the high-end “The Citizen” line and the brand’s affordable offerings. The Series 8 collection was unveiled in 2021, and two years later, the brand added the first Series 8 880 GMT models to the lineup. Immediately after their release, I’ve always wanted to try them out. It’s been a long three years since they were unveiled, but I’ve finally had a chance to learn more about this modern series of travel watches. Did the long wait raise expectations too high? There’s only one way to find out.

When Citizen unveiled the first trio of Series 8 880 GMT models, one immediately caught my eye. It wasn’t the red-and-blue “Pepsi” or the blue-and-black “Batman” models. Instead, it was an opulent gold-colored model with a champagne-tone dial that stood out. The combination of yellow and rose-gold PVD on this watch looked both bonkers and intriguing. But the more important general takeaway of the series was that the Citizen had introduced something superb. This modern, stylish series of GMTs, powered by a “true” GMT caliber, is one of Citizen’s best. It was love at first sight. Three years later, we have seen quite a few GMTs from brands big and small in the same space. On top of that, Citizen has added several more variations to the lineup. So, with that in mind, I set out to see where this series lands in today’s landscape of travel watches.

The details of the Citizen Series 8 880 GMT

Let’s kick things off with some specs. The Citizen Series 8 880 GMTs have a 41mm stainless steel case that is 13.54mm thick and measures 47mm from lug to lug. If you add the fixed central link, the length is 53.3mm. But as the lugs and the central link slope down steeply and transition smoothly into the bracelet, it doesn’t feel large. On top of that, it sits really nicely on the wrist.

But we’ll get into that in a bit. The case design is modern and angular, featuring a mix of brushed and polished parts to enhance the visual drama. The intricate finishing is impressive, as the case sides alone feature a mix of finishes. The small polished parts connect nicely to the polished chamfers, and it shows that a lot of thinking went into the case execution.

Speaking of the case flanks, the lugs transition into an angular, wider part that resembles the ears of a Nautilus. While this GMT’s case is far more modern and angular, it has the same visual effect. I love the case design because it looks inherently different from the many Rolex GMT-Master-inspired designs that are out there.

There aren’t many modern GMTs that combine a modern look with the familiar charm of a GMT. The bidirectional bezel features a 24-hour GMT scale using modern typography. We had two models in for review. The first features a blue-and-black insert paired with a black dial (ref. NB6031-56E). The second features a blue-and-white insert paired with a blue dial (NB6034-58L).

A dial pattern inspired by the Tokyo skyline

The dials feature a pattern inspired by the Tokyo skyline. It has resulted in an abstract pattern that loosely resembles the city’s high-rise buildings with their many windows. It’s another element that fits the watch’s overall modern aesthetic nicely. The dial features large applied markers placed inside the minute track, which features larger luminous markers every five minutes.

A clever design trick is that these luminous markers are just as wide as the hour markers, so they feel like an extension of those. When they light up in the dark, they obviously have the same double functionality serving as hour and minute markers. Another detail I love is that the markers are large. They are visually aligned with the bezel numerals and the overall proportions of the dial and bezel.

At three o’clock, you will find a date window. The black dial version has a black disc with white numerals. The blue dial version has a white date disc with black numerals. On the lower half of the dial of both models, you will find two lines of white text and a third line that says “GMT” in orange.

It corresponds to the orange-tipped GMT hand, which is white on the blue-dial version and black on the black-dial version. It’s fun to see how the designers chose to have it contrast on the blue dial version and blend in on the other version. Lastly, the modern hour and minute hands are filled with lume, and the sharp minute finish the look in style.

The in-house Citizen caliber 9054

In both watch cases, you will find the in-house caliber 9054. The automatic GMT caliber operates at 28.800vph, has 24 jewels, and offers a 50-hour power reserve. It is a GMT in a flyer style, so you can adjust the local hour hand in one-hour increments. And as many of you will know, the Miyota 9075 is the same caliber that Citizen sells to outside parties.

But the caliber 9054 ups the power reserve, and the accuracy is regulated to an average of -10/+20 seconds per day. That is similar to the Traska Venturer GMT that is powered by the Miyota 9075. A brand that goes a step beyond that is Nodus, which regulates the 9075 to an accuracy of +/- 8 seconds per day for its Contrail GMT.  Those are also the watches that this new Citizen Series 8 880 GMT has to compete with.

Before we get into that, though, the Citizens come with a three-link bracelet with a fold-over clasp with push-button release. The brushed bracelet’s center links feature polished chamfers, while the flat links add subtle sparkle when worn with the watches. The bracelet’s quality is super solid, and the clasp closes with a firm click. Unfortunately, the bracelet doesn’t feature screw links, and the clasp lacks a micro-adjustment system for precise sizing.

Wearing the Citizen Series 8 880 GMT

While that might make sizing a bit less practical, once I had sized the watches, I had fun wearing them. I like that modern overall presence a lot. As already said, it offers something different from your usual GMT. On top of that, the design is very well done. All the elements balance out nicely, and as soon as you put the watches on your wrist, they feel immediately at home.

One thing that stood out immediately, though, is the substantial thickness. It is a chunky case at 13.54mm, but it is balanced on the wrist nicely by the sturdy bracelet. Visually, the bezel adds quite a bit of mass to that angular case. While the watch sits nicely on my wrist, you will definitely know you are wearing a watch. The 183-gram weight will also add to that experience.

Overall, I would have loved to see this series a bit thinner, especially given that some brands that use the Miyota equivalent of the Citizen caliber have managed to create thinner watches. A great example is the Nodus Contrail GMT, which is only 11.8mm thick. Additionally, the RZE Contrail GMT and the Traska Venturer GMT are also thinner at 12mm. As most of you will know, 1.5mm makes a difference when it comes to comfortably wearing a watch. Having said that, I love the modern look, and the build quality is excellent. It ensures the watch sits securely on your wrist.

Final thoughts on the Citizen Series 8 880 GMT

Off the wrist, there were two things about the crown that I was surprised by. First, I was surprised to find out it’s a push-pull crown. While I don’t mind that in principle, I am used to seeing screw-down crowns on similar watches. On top of that, a screw-down would have fit the case side nicely. But once I started looking closely, I noticed that the crown is set fairly low relative to the case side. It’s not placed in the middle, which would give the designer a nice opportunity to recess the crown into the case side.

But once I started exploring the case from up close, the case construction is actually a lot more intricate than you might think at first. The base connects the lugs and the back, while the case sides flow towards that “end-link” that connects to the bracelet. It looks ingenious and creates a variety of angles and finishes. I have to give Citizen a compliment for this design because it is well-designed and engineered. It results in a series of GMT watches with a lot of character, making for great modern traveler’s watches.

The best affordable option? It sure is a great one!

At €1,225, this is a great series of affordable GMTs that offers something different in terms of looks. The competition primarily comes from micro brands such as Nodus, Traska, RZE, and Nezumi. These brands use the Miyota 9075 caliber for their GMTs and are priced similarly or slightly lower. But if you want an affordable GMT from a big brand, this is a great option.

Of the two, I was most impressed by the blue-and-white version. It is simply a preference for colors. Having said that, it’s a close call. Citizen currently also offers a version with a blue dial and a blue-and-red “Pepsi” bezel, as well as an exotic anthracite “gunmetal” version with gold-colored details and a silvery dial.

It is a series of four interesting GMTs that will hopefully stay in the collection for a long time. The Series 8 is the brand’s most interesting series in terms of modern design. The Series 8 880 GMT series is the perfect proof of that. With a unique case design and construction, this is a series to keep an eye on. And I hope that Citizen will create some more colors. I would love to see more of the bonkers gold versions that we saw when the series was introduced. On top of that, some new versions in stainless steel. The potential of this series is simply great, and I will keep a close eye on it.

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