Vintage 1973 Citizen Cosmotron Electronic 7802A Hi-Beat JDM Watch – Deep Forest Green Dial with Original Signed Bracelet

Citizen electro-mechanical wristwatch

MADE IN JAPAN

The Citizen Legacy: A Pioneer of Precision
Founded in 1918, Citizen is now one of the largest watch and movement groups in the world. The Japanese brand is known for its highly accurate and reliable Eco-Drive solar-powered watches. The Citizen group owns Bulova, Alpina, Frederique Constant, and Arnold & Son, as well as movement manufacturers Miyota and La Joux-Perret.

🕰️ A Revolution in Horological History: The Citizen Cosmotron Series

Before quartz took full control of the watch market, a brilliant, short-lived era of horology birthed the hybrid electromechanical watch. The Citizen Cosmotron belongs to that era. A conventional balance wheel keeps the time, but in place of a mainspring and escapement it is impulsed by a transistor-switched coil running off a battery — an arrangement that let the movement beat at 36,000 vph and gave the second hand its smooth sweep.

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Description

This Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) Citizen Cosmotron has a deep forest green sunburst dial that shades from dark emerald at the edge to vivid green under the light. The cushion-style stainless steel case is unpolished, and the watch sits on its original brick-link stainless steel bracelet with a signed Citizen clasp.

Beneath the dial is the Caliber 7802A, running at 36,000 beats per hour. It uses Citizen’s gravity-actuated quickset: hold the watch vertically with 12 o’clock facing upward, and a firm press of the recessed crown advances the date. Flip it completely upside down with 6 o’clock facing upward, and the same push of the crown rapidly cycles through the English and Kanji day wheels.

Technical Details

• Brand: Citizen

• Model: Cosmotron Electronic

• Reference Number: 4-870042 Y

• Movement Caliber: 7802A (Electronically controlled balance motor)

• Jewels: 8 Jewels

• Frequency: 36,000 bph (Hi-Beat)

• Case Size: Approx. 37.5 mm (excluding crown)

• Lug-to-Lug: Approx. 42.5 mm

• Lug Width: 18 mm

• Case Material: Stainless Steel

• Bracelet Material: Original Stainless Steel (brick link)

• Calendar: Day/Date window at 3 o’clock (Dual Language Kanji/English)

• Quickset Function: Gravity-based push-crown system (12 up for Date, 6 up for Day)

• Country of Manufacture: Japan

This watch has recently been serviced by a professional watchmaker and keeps good time.

Comes complete with original steel bracelet*.

(*)Note: Stock bracelets are often shortened by previous owners and may not fit you(see bracelet size in the product images). We match the strap to this watch’s lug width, so there is nothing for you to measure — just pick a padded leather strap for Citizen from the options at the top of the page.

Why Collectors Seek the Cosmotron

• The Transition Era Hybrid: It captures a short-lived moment in horology when mechanical balance wheels were powered by transistors, bridging the gap between traditional mainsprings and modern quartz.

• Liquid-Smooth 36,000 BPH Sweep: Running at 10 beats per second (36,000 vph), the second hand sweeps the dial with a fluidity rarely seen in battery-powered watches.

• The Gravity-Actuated Quickset: An orientation-sensing lever inside the movement reads which way up the watch is: pushing the crown changes the date when held upright, and changes the day when flipped upside down.

• Original JDM Example: A Japanese Domestic Market watch, still on its original signed Citizen bracelet, with an unfaded green gradient dial.

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We guarantee the item you receive looks and works exactly as advertised — or your money back.

The Spirit of Innovation: The Citizen Legacy
Founded in 1918 with the mission of creating timepieces that are “Citizens” of the world, the Citizen Watch Company has spent over a century redefining the boundaries of horology. From its origins as the Shokosha Watch Research Institute, the brand has remained steadfast in its philosophy: “Better Starts Now.” This belief—that it is always possible to make something better—transformed a local Japanese workshop into a global powerhouse of precision and craft. By controlling the entire manufacturing process in-house, from the individual components to the final assembly, Citizen ensures an uncompromising standard of quality that few manufacturers on earth can match.
What truly sets Citizen apart is its relentless pursuit of pioneering technology paired with environmental consciousness. The brand made history by introducing the world’s first light-powered watch, the Eco-Drive, which eliminated the need for battery replacements and forever changed the industry’s approach to sustainability. Beyond its eco-friendly milestones, Citizen’s history is decorated with “world firsts,” including the first professional diving watch with an electronic depth sensor and the most accurate satellite-synchronized timekeeping systems. When you wear a Citizen, you aren’t just wearing a watch; you are wearing a piece of history engineered for the future.
Why Choose Citizen?

• In-House Manufacturing: Citizen designs and builds its own movements — its Miyota calibers are among the most widely used in the world.
• Built to Last: Citizen engineered its 1960s–70s calibers to be serviced rather than discarded, which is why so many are still keeping good time today.
• Heritage of Firsts: The first light-powered analogue watch (1976, the technology that became Eco-Drive), the first dive watch with an electronic depth sensor, and satellite-synchronised timekeeping.