Ever since the introduction of new mass-produced GMT movements like the Citizen 9054 and the Seiko 4R34, the race to supply affordable GMT watches has been hotter than ever. It seems like there has never been a better time to find an awesome GMT watch and it’s great to see brands like Seiko, Mido, and Citizen really going at it. Recently, Citizen announced an expansion to their Series 8 collection with a trio of new “flyer” GMT models equipped with the travel-ready Citizen 9054 movement. And although you’ll pay a little bit more than the usual, trusty Eco-Drive Nighthawk, these seem like a pretty great deal overall.
When I first saw renders for the new Citizen Series 8 GMT models on social media, I almost immediately dismissed the watches. So many of Citizen’s recent releases are comically large. This accounts for a lot of the cool flight-ready Navihawk Eco-Drive models and some of the recent divers. But these new Citizen Series 8 GMT watches come in at just 41mm in diameter with a case thickness of 13.5mm. That was surprising and now I’m itching to find a way to handle one in person.
On top of that, the Citizen Series 8 GMT models blend in an attractive integrated bracelet look that feels more Tissot-like than Citizen. With this run, you can get a version with the blue/red “Pepsi” configuration, a blue/black “Batman” configuration, or a limited edition gold tone model pictured below. The production count for those gold versions is 1,300 pieces, so I’m sure you won’t have a tough time finding one if you’re really into that root-beer-type look. By the way, the watches come with a sapphire crystal and a water-resistance rating of 100m. Sadly, it’s just a push-pull crown but I’m sure it’ll get the job done.
Citizen Series 8 GMT Specs
- Case diameter: 41mm
- Case thickness: 13.5mm
- Water resistance: 100m
- Case material: Steel
- Movement: Citizen 9054
- Power reserve: 50 hours
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Bracelet: Integrated steel
- Price: $1,695 (‘Batman’ or ‘Pepsi’), $1,795 (Gold Tone Model)
Of course what will really seal the deal here is the jumping local-hour hand functionality you get with the Citizen 9054. Often times, this kind of feature is restricted to much more expensive watches—so leave it to Citizen to try their best to democratize the feature as best as they can. But, if you look at that dial, you’ll see that there is no internal 24-hour scale. So (what a tragedy), you’ll only be able to track two time-zones with this one. Personally, out of all of these I’d go for the blue/black model. But it’ll be interesting to see if Citizen releases other colorways in the future. I’m actually surprised we didn’t just get a black-dial/black-bezel model with this first run.
Learn more about the Citizen Series 8 GMT watches on the official Citizen site.
Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.