HANDS ON: Citizen Series-8 GMT Review

There’s plenty that Citizen does well. But one of the more surprising aspects of the brand is it’s more premium sport watch 800 line. The Series 8 GMT that was released last summer was another entry into that line that broadsided me specifically, but a lot of industry professionals as well. Recognizing that the brand definitely stuck it’s toes into the more trendy options with both a Pepsi configuration, and a Batman, Citizen new what it was doing - Full sending an attractive, reasonably price, and more importantly available entry into the ring. Naturally, I had to review it and selected the Batman model (I’m all Pepsi'-ed out). So let’s get into it.

The stainless steel watch measures in at a modest 41mm x 13.8mm, with a surprisingly reasonable 47.8mm lug to lug. It was very comfortable felt a lot higher build quality than one might come to expect from the brand’s more boutique-y options. The exaggerated brushed case features a reserved crown, and chamfered edges sporting the watch up quite a bit. What you will notice, is the weight of the watch. Despite it’s relatively smaller size (Only made more apparently by its really steep bracelet taper) the Citizen Series-8 GMT is quite the Chonk. While I wouldn’t say I was at risk of smacking door frames, you definitely know that it’s there.

The dial is quite attractive. One concern I had when the watch was released, was that texture isn’t always a good thing for legibility, and the Series-8 has some incredibly deep texture to the dial. Modeled after the Tokyo skyline, the sharp juts and deep lines create quite the juxtaposition with the handset. Though, surprisingly, I didn’t once struggle to read the time. While the dial texture caught the light well, it didn’t harm legibility and gave the entire watch a more luxurious feel - Though, I suppose the thick indices and handset do help with legibility. The sapphire bezel felt nice, with satisfying clicks you don’t always get with a watch in this price-point, and the inclusion of a subtle date window was a good addition. The simple orange tip for the GMT hand was lume filled and easy to pick out, and setting the GMT function was a breeze (more on that next). Overall, I felt the case and dial was punching way above it’s weight class.

Inside the Series-8 GMT is the brand’s own Citizen 9054 Caliber made in conjunction with Miyota. The watch ticks at 4-Hz and offers a 50-hour power reserve.

When it comes to 24-hour GMT’s, for a long time the movement with these specs and functions were largely reserved for more luxury brands. In fact, the Rolex GMT-Master II is the most widely known GMT movement, but relatively recently we’ve seen brands like Tudor and Tag Heuer utilize these hacking GMT functions in a much lower pricepoint. And even more recently, Citizen (obviously) and Swatch have created even more affordable movements that utilize these “Flyer” GMT functions, making it much more economical to have a GMT with these specs. In that regard, the Series-8 GMT definitely hits high marks for it’s look, feel, and function and the movement is a large part of that success.

Since I know we have a lot of bracelet snob readers (myself included), let’s touch on the bracelet a little bit. The integrated bracelet is almost perfect. It’s fit to the case is fantastic, and the sharp taper (from 22mm to 18mm) classes up the stainless steel sport watch quite a bit. I ended up taking it to Washington, where the temperature was in the low teens and wearing the watch even with gloves was no problem at all. That being said, I do wish the watch had some micro-adjustment systems because in the cold, I was about a half-link shorter than in the heat. So being able to adjust it on the fly would have elevated the watch much higher.

In conclusion, I had very few qualms about the Citizen Series'-8 GMT. I’m sure it’ll have it’s fair share of competition in this price-point, since it is a little north of what we’d generally consider “affordable” but I think it’ll find it’s place. While not a GMT, I likened the watch to my pears in a similar vein as the new Tissot PRX automatic. High build quality, wide appeal, and a fantastic integrated bracelet design. Overall, I don’t foresee this watch having a hard time selling. I mean, we like Citizen, and the Series 8 GMT, so much that we included both on our Best Japanese Watch brands list and also our list of Favorite GMT's.

HOW MUCH IS THE CITIZEN SERIES-8 GMT?

Price for the watch comes in at a modest $1,695 USD in the steel models, with a little bit of a premium for the cool gold plated model.