Citizen Chronomaster vs. Grand Seiko Quartz

So I'm in the market for a rest-of-my-life quartz dress watch. Here's what I care about...

  • High accuracy

  • Low maintenance

  • Quality satisfying for the price

  • Good deals on the aftermarket

  • Looks frugal but impresses watch nerds

Maybe it's obvious why my choices have narrowed to Citizen vs. Grand Seiko. In no particular order, my thoughts...

Functionality: The GS GMT hand is really cool, but all I really want is easy hour adjustment, which both models have. Meanwhile, the Chronomaster has a perpetual calendar, which fits that "I never want to touch my crown" HAQ ethos. Solar Eco-Drive is also a pretty cool perk, although it sounds like GS has a huge advantage with finding service outside Japan.

Dial: I've probably read too much GS marketing material about the profound, ancient Japanese influence behind every odd dial pattern the brand produces. So I admit I first thought that the washi-paper Chronomaster dials were a little derivative. Wrong - washi has the tremendous utility of being a translucent material that allows the Eco-Drive to work!!! Brilliant! (They're both amazing, but any textured GS is out of my current price range.)

Finishing quality: I assume both are excellent, but I detect a slight prejudice towards Grand Seiko in various reviews. No idea how Citizen's higher-end bracelets hold up.

Branding: Well, I said that "looks frugal to non-enthusiasts" was important, and both brands certainly pass that test. Here Citizen really polarizes me... I love that gorgeous cursive "Chronomaster", but the chicken is not to my taste.

Wild card: I love the indigo dials that Citizen puts out, but this is meant to be a GADA watch that will match every outfit I'll ever own... especially formalwear. Deep blues are not meant to be matched with black. Will I ever be in a position where I care?

I think this post gives away that I'm currently leaning a little bit towards the Chronomaster (which is also cheaper), but that worse JDM availability might prevent me from finding the perfect model (while the GS SBGN013 is very easy to shop for). In any case, I like to force myself to cool down for a few weeks before going through with a big purchase like this.

Anyone else have similar motivations? Do your high-accuracy quartzes get a lot of wear?

Reply
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I can sympathize with the feelings toward Citizen's logo. To me it always looked like a chicken that went "splat" over a windshield.

The only high accuracy quartz that I own is a Bulova Accutron II and I don't wear it very often TBH. Part of the reasons why is because it's a very large watch and another reason is that I don;t really need he accuracy.

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Both excellent watches and understand your rationale regarding one. I don’t think whichever you do acquire is a “wrong” decision.

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If Japanese is the only option go with the Citizen but generally the Swiss put more effort into their quartz movements using more jeweled bearings. Even the plastic Moonswatch has 4 jewels in it by ETA. Your going to see more old working Swiss quartz around than either Seiko or Citizen.

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I'd go GS on this occasion , just because I like this watch substantially more than the Citizen in question. If it's a forever piece your going to be looking at it for a long time ( hopefully) .

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If it’s rest of life I’d splurge on the GS. No chicken and just a bit more handsome. You’ll be looking at it a lot!

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I’d go for the Citizen. At least I know that the bird is the emblem of their high end models even if you don’t want anyone else to know.

I find it odd people complaining about the bird who are perfectly OK with the giant, ugly, gothic GS right above the words Grand Seiko.

“Hey!!!! What does that giant G S stand for????”

….

“Oh, no. Never mind!!!! It’s written right here!!!!”

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Would go for the Citizen.

The titanium, the set and forget, the washi, the crown-guard...

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Both are excellent HAQ options, and you really can't go wrong. (I have both a Chronomaster and GS 9F quartz, though different models). Functionality-wise, Citizen is superior. Truly low-maintenance, with solar and perpetual calendar. You touch the crown only twice a year, for daylight savings, and even then, you can jump the hour forward or backward without hacking the movement. Finishing/design-wise, they are very close, but I do think GS has a slight edge. GS feels just a tiny bit more refined and well-designed. Though the Citizen is very well finished and definitely feels luxury. So this really depends on how sensitive you are to this. Good luck!

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Mine is a Casio Oceanus T200 SLE, and I love it. And I have been eyeing The Citizen Chronomaster, but the one with the white paper dial and the 'Chronomaster' text instead of the logo.

But for your choices I too would go with the Grand Seiko...

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The Citizen would be an excellent choice, I own a Chronomaster and I absolutely love it.

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Zaratsu super titanium?

Yummy