Description
Citizen 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.
🕰️ Citizen 4-650468 Y — the caliber 6501 automatic
Citizen sold this watch without a model name. The dial carries only CITIZEN, AUTOMATIC and 21 JEWELS, and 4-650468 Y is a case reference, not a line such as the Leopard, the Jet or the Auto Dater.
The caliber 6501 is the day-date member of Citizen’s 6000 family of automatics: 21 jewels, 21,600 vibrations per hour, and roughly 42 hours of power reserve. It was the movement Citizen used for ordinary daily watches through the early 1970s, cased here in one of the water-resistant “Parawater” cases the company had been building since 1959.
The case is a cushion-shaped stainless steel design with a brushed bezel and polished flanks, holding a deep blue sunburst dial with applied faceted baton indices and a day-date window at 3 o’clock. The case back is engraved 4-650468 Y, PARA WATER, CITIZEN, STAINLESS STEEL, with the serial 20300217.
That serial dates the watch to March 1972. Citizen’s eight-digit format gives the last digit of the year followed by the month, and the “PARA WATER” engraving corroborates it — Citizen used the Parawater mark on its water-resistant cases from 1959 until about 1972–73, after which the backs read WATER RESISTANT instead.
The movement is a self-winding 21-jewel automatic, as stamped on the rotor. The caliber number itself sits under the balance and the dial code is partly covered by an index, so it cannot be read directly; the case reference, the jewel count, the day-date layout and the date all identify it as the caliber 6501.
The bracelet is a period stainless steel mesh, its clasp stamped CITIZEN.
Product Specifications:
- Movement: 21-Jewel Caliber 6501 Automatic (Mechanical)
- Case Material: Stainless Steel
- Case size: Cushion case — not yet calipered. Comparable 6501-era Citizen cushion cases run approx. 37–38mm wide excluding crown and approx. 11mm thick.
- Dial Color: Blue
- Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Day/Date Calendar
- Water Resistance: Vintage “Parawater” (Not guaranteed for modern diving)
- Band: Original Vintage Stainless Steel Mesh
This watch has recently been serviced by a professional watchmaker and keeps good time.
Comes complete with original stainless 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.
This watch ships from 🇺🇦 Ukraine with tracking number
Modes of payment:
- PayPal
- Credit Cards (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover)
- bitcoin
We guarantee the item you receive looks and works exactly as advertised — or your money back.
Citizen lug-width matched leather straps — 18 / 19 / 20 mm
About the watch factory
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.
