The Citizen Adds Two Tosa Washi LEs, One Dyed Crimson And One Threaded With Gold

Citizen calling its top collection The Citizen is still one of the more confusing naming decisions in the industry. Just to illustrate the level that we're talking about, it's as if Seiko named their higher tier The Seiko instead of Grand Seiko. But regardless of the name, they make brilliant watches. Their latest releases are the also unfortunately named AQ4100-65X and the AQ4106-00B. Again, regardless of the names, look at how pretty these two things are.

Both cases measure 38.3mm wide and 12.2mm thick, and are made out of Super Titanium, Citizen's hardened titanium alloy. The difference is the Duratect coating. The AQ4100-65X gets Duratect Platinum, a cool silver color, while the AQ4106-00B gets Duratect Sakura Pink, which is a sort of soft gold. Water resistance is 100 meters.

But the case is secondary. The dials are why you'd buy either. The AQ4100-65X uses Tengujoshi, the thinnest and most fragile grade of washi. Rather than dyeing the fibres, Citizen lays a translucent crimson layer over the paper, so the texture stays visible and light still reaches the solar cell underneath. The AQ4106-00B uses Unryushi paper, where extra-long fibres swirl through the sheet like frost on glass. Citizen tints those fibres pale gold, then adds a broad gold sweep across the lower dial that recalls kintsugi repair. On both, the hands and baton markers match the case color.

Inside both is the Citizen calibre A060 Eco-Drive, showing hours, minutes, seconds and date. It charges from any light source, runs for 18 months on a full charge in power-saving mode, and is accurate to ±5 seconds per year. The AQ4100-65X comes on a Super Titanium bracelet; the AQ4106-00B on a crocodile leather strap.

The Citizen AQ4100-65X is priced at $3,000, limited to 350 pieces. The Citizen AQ4106-00B is priced at $3,100, limited to 300 pieces. Both are available now. See more on the Citizen website.