Description
Citizen quartz 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.
About the Crystron Line
“Crystron” was the name Citizen gave to its quartz watches in the 1970s. On the dial it sits beside the stylised CQ monogram — short for Citizen Quartz — which Citizen printed on its quartz models through the decade and into the early 1980s.
The name is best known from the Crystron Solar Cell of 1976, the world’s first analogue wristwatch powered by a solar cell and the ancestor of today’s Eco-Drive. Most Crystrons were battery-powered quartz watches in steel cases, usually with a day-date window, built for people who wanted quartz accuracy without a mechanical watch’s upkeep.
The 8620 calibre inside this watch belongs to the first generation of those analogue Crystrons, from the middle of the decade, when a quartz watch with hands was still a new thing to own.
About This Watch
This Citizen Crystron left the factory in May 1975. Its case back carries the CQ monogram over CITIZEN QUARTZ, Citizen’s reference 8620-860110 TA, the serial 50501502 and the case code GN-5-S. The first digits of the serial give the year and month.
The dial is a green sunburst that runs from a deep bottle green to a lighter grey-green as the light moves across it. Applied steel batons mark the hours, with a doubled baton at twelve, around a printed minute track. It reads CITIZEN over QUARTZ at twelve and carries the CQ monogram above CRYSTRON at six. At three a framed window shows the day and date. The day wheel is bilingual, English and Japanese Kanji, and Sunday is printed in red.
Inside is Citizen’s calibre 8620A, a 7-jewel quartz movement with day and date, signed CITIZEN JAPAN on the plate. The stainless steel case is broad and angular, with polished surfaces and sharp facets running into the lugs. The watch is fitted with a vintage steel mesh bracelet whose clasp is signed TITUS. It is not a Citizen bracelet; it was fitted later.
Technical Specifications
- Brand: Citizen
- Line: Crystron (CQ, Citizen Quartz)
- Reference Number: 8620-860110 TA
- Movement: Citizen calibre 8620A quartz, 7 jewels, day-date
- Serial Number: 50501502
- Production Date: May 1975
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Case Diameter: Approx. 39 mm (including crown)
- Lug Width: 18 mm
- Dial: Green sunburst, applied steel batons, day-date at 3 (English / Kanji day wheel)
- Crystal: Mineral glass
- Case-back: Stainless steel, stamped CITIZEN QUARTZ / STAINLESS STEEL / 8620-860110 TA / 50501502 / GN-5-S / JAPAN
- Country of Manufacture: Japan
Condition Report
The green sunburst dial is clean and even, with no fading or spotting visible in the photographs, and the printing and applied markers are intact. Around the edge of the crystal there is a thin yellowed ring, visible in the close-ups.
The case shows light scuffs and fine hairlines from use but keeps its facets. The case back has scattered scratches, and its engraving is fully legible. The movement is clean.
The Titus mesh bracelet is in good working order. The clasp plate has light scratches.
This watch has recently been serviced by a professional watchmaker and keeps good time.
Comes complete with vintage Titus steel mesh 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
Why Collectors Want This Watch Today
Citizen’s first analogue quartz watches from the mid-1970s are an affordable way into the early quartz era, when quartz was still Citizen’s headline technology. This one is not rare. Crystrons were made in large numbers and turn up regularly, so the appeal is the watch itself.
What sets it apart from the many silver-dial Crystrons is the green sunburst dial, which changes colour as the light moves across it. The angular steel case is typical of the decade, the day wheel is bilingual, and the 8620A movement needs only a battery every few years.
At 39 mm across with the crown, it wears as a solid everyday watch without feeling oversized.
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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 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.
