Vintage 1974 Citizen Cosmotron Special 7803A Electronic Hi-Beat JDM Watch – Lavender Lined Dial, Faceted Crystal & Original 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 over the watch market, Citizen spent a decade on the hybrid electro-mechanical watch, and the Cosmotron was the most technically advanced analogue watch the company built in the period. It keeps a conventional balance wheel and gear train, but the mainspring is replaced by a battery and the balance is impulsed by a transistor-switched coil instead of an escapement. At 36,000 beats per hour the seconds hand advances ten times a second.

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Description

This Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) Citizen Cosmotron Special pairs a faceted mid-70s case with a lavender-to-silver dial cut in fine vertical lines, shading from a pale centre band to deeper edges. Over it sits a multi-faceted crystal that splits the light into geometric reflections at every angle. It comes on its original block-link stainless steel bracelet with a Citizen-signed clasp. The serial number on the case back dates it to April 1974.

Inside is caliber 7803A, the most sophisticated of Citizen’s 78-series electro-mechanical movements, identified by its gold-plated finish and running at 36,000 beats per hour on 8 jewels. It carries two of the line’s more unusual mechanisms. The first is a gravity-actuated calendar quickset: pressing the crown with the dial held upright advances the date, and pressing it with the watch turned upside down advances the dual Kanji/English day wheel. The second is the zero-reset button at 8 o’clock, which flies the seconds hand back to 12 and, if the minute hand is within about three minutes of the hour, takes that back to 12 as well, so the watch can be set against a time signal. That pusher is what makes this a Cosmotron Special: the name refers to the Just Setting mechanism rather than to anything printed on the dial, which reads only CITIZEN ELECTRONIC COSMOTRON.

Technical Details

• Brand: Citizen

• Model: Cosmotron Special (Electronic)

• Reference Number: 7803-790499 TA

• Movement Caliber: 7803A (Gilded, transistorized electronic balance wheel)

• Jewels: 8 Jewels

• Frequency: 36,000 bph (Hi-Beat)

• Case Size: Approx. 38 mm (excluding crown)

• Lug-to-Lug: Approx. 42 mm

• Lug Width: 18 mm

• Case Material: Stainless Steel

• Crystal: Multi-faceted cut crystal

• Bracelet Material: Original Stainless Steel (Block Link)

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

• Functions: Gravity-actuated push-crown day/date quickset, 8:00 seconds zero-reset

• 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 This Specific Cosmotron

• The Transition-Era Hybrid: A short-lived moment in horology when mechanical balance wheels were driven by transistors, bridging the gap between the mainspring and quartz.

• 36,000 BPH Sweep: Ten beats per second, the same hi-beat frequency the best mechanical watches of the period ran at, and rare in a battery-powered watch.

• The Gravity-Actuated Quickset: There is no pull-out crown position for the calendar. Pushing the crown changes the date when the watch is held dial-upright and the day (Kanji/English) when it is turned upside down; a weighted lever inside selects the function by gravity.

• Faceted Crystal: The cut crystal throws geometric reflections across the textured dial that a flat modern crystal cannot produce.

• Lavender Lined Dial: The dial is cut with fine vertical lines across its whole face, shading from a pale silver centre to deeper lavender-blue at the edges.

• 8 O’Clock Zero-Reset Pusher: Pressing the button snaps the running seconds hand back to 12; held down, the hand stays there until released, so the watch can be started on a time signal.

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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 analogue watch — the Crystron Solar Cell of 1976, the technology Citizen later branded 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.