This Gorgeous Japanese Sports Watch Looks Like it Should Cost Way More than $1,095

Citizen utilizes in-house design elements to compete with Swiss and fellow Japanese sports watches at a fraction of the price.

Close-up of a steel Citizen Series 8 watch with a textured light blue dial

By Brad Lanphear

Published February 27, 2025

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Updated March 4, 2025

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There is a certain Japanese watchmaker known for dropping simple dial layouts over ornately glittering monochromatic textures, placed in perfectly polished angular steel cases.

If Citizen isn’t the brand that came to mind, it should be.

A steel watch with a blue face on a blue background — The Citizen Series 8 831 features a mesmerizingly beautiful dial.

Take a look at the new Series8 831 for evidence. The simple yet refined case frames a geometric light blue dial that emulates the surface of a swimming pool on a sunny day.

Citizen’s Series8 consists of mid-tier modern sports watches with luxury looks and high-end performance but price tags under $2,000. It provides more attainable alternatives to brands like Grand Seiko and Audemars Piguet without sacrificing too much quality.

the side view of a steel watch case and bracelet — The Series 8 831 has an angular steel bracelet that matches the case, but is not integrated.

Without that information, you might guess that the new Series8 831 is priced between $4,000 and $6,000. In both looks and performance, it stands toe-to-toe with watches from that luxury tier.

In-house design references

Steel sports watches with integrated bracelets and angular, industrial design elements became fashionable in the 1970s.

Swiss brands like Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe leaned into this industrial influence, but their Japanese counterparts, Seiko and Citizen, kept things more refined.

a steel watch with a light blue face — The octagonal case has smooth angles and flat brushed surfaces.

Both Japanese watchmaking powerhouses designed smooth, angular cases that resembled the outside of an airplane rather than the inside of a car engine. Citizen has continuously referred back to that aesthetic over the years, and the Series8 831 is a prime example of its modern execution.

The circular dial contrasts the oblong octagonal case, with a flat top and three-sided sloped bezels. Angular H-shaped links give the appearance of an integrated bracelet, but the standard lugs can hold any replacement strap.

the exhibition case back and steel bracelet of a Citizen watch — The Series 8 831 runs on Citizen’s in-house caliber 9051 automatic movement.

Thanks to Citizen’s vertically integrated production, this Series8 watch is powered by a movement that greatly outperforms its price. The in-house caliber 9051 is both automatic and manual winding, has a 40 hour power reserve and is impressively thin.

An aquatic dial

The real highlight of the Citizen Series8 831 is the light blue geometric dial texture.

the light blue dial of a steel Citizen watch — The Citizen 8 831 dial is a mosaic of hexagons with inner interlocking scalene triangles.

It’s a mosaic of hexagons, inside of which are interlocking scalene pyramids that meet at off-center points. The tiles are arranged in a seemingly random order so that the inner points never line up.

Viewed on the wrist, this complex pattern plays with the light to mimic the appearance of a swimming pool with a gently rippling surface.

A classic dial with lume-coated sword hands and applied baton indices appears to float on said surface. The outer rim is lined with a shimmering 240-count track, which matches the number of times the second hand beats per minute.