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Dissecting the Citizen Watch Price: Are They Worth It?

By Karlton Miko Tyack Updated May 14, 2024

Are you curious about the average price of a Citizen watch? Good. Their range is impressive, as is the quality per cost category.

My introduction to Citizen happened via Bulova. I’ve been a long-time fan of the formerly American brand (they’re still American in spirit, though). Citizen bought them in the aughts. 

When this happened, I looked into Citizen. They turned out to be a great parent group for the brand.

The average Citizen watch price, for the record, is more than fair.

Watches may very well be the nucleus of this Japanese electronics company. When it comes to well-built, well-priced, no-nonsense workhorse timekeepers, I tend to trust electronics companies. That is why I like Braun so much.

Let’s dig into the huge price range of Citizen watches and even some best practices when buying one.

Table of Contents

  • How Much Do Citizen Watches Cost
  • Price of a Citizen Watch: Explaining the Range
  • Buying Citizen: Best Practices
  • Conclusion: Worth-It Workhorses

How Much Do Citizen Watches Cost

So, how much do Citizen watches cost? Well, the price of a Citizen watch depends on the model. They have a huge range — from just over $100 up to around $5,000. I’m referring to the retail price here.

The range may even go lower and higher on secondary markets and the Amazon of the world.

When a watch brand has that wide of a range, there are always two risks. 

First, the affordable core line could just be treated as a cash cow line. Sometimes, brands use fast-selling cheap pieces as a way to fund and bring all focus to expensive stuff.

History of Citizen Watches

The other risk is the complete opposite. Perhaps their specialty is low-cost or mid-tier models. So, their more expensive pieces are overpriced and do not offer as much horological value as the models below them. Or, what is offered isn’t worth the price difference.

Fortunately, that’s not the case here. Here’s why.

Price of a Citizen Watch: Explaining the Range

Citizen boasts a number of achievements in watchmaking. When you’re done here, check out our exploration of that in this post. And you’ll find these achievements or brand-specific features at every price point. 

That’s why I think they’re worth it.

To give you an idea of this, let’s look at a budget model and then a high-priced one.

Looking at an Affordable Citizen Model

This budget Corso model (some reference numbers include AW1232-04A and AW1236-03A) is well under $200. Considering every Citizen watch is a real-deal timekeeper, not a fashion watch, this is a budget price.

It’s built solidly with a stainless steel case and comes with a decent leather strap. By the way, Citizen is also a member of the leather working group. This group works to minimize the leather industry’s environmental impact.

Most importantly, in my opinion, it has a classic, timeless design and features a brand-specific movement. The Citizen Eco-Drive is a reliable quartz movement that’s powered by light and reduces the need for battery changes.

Here’s a deep dive into that technology.

It’s a good sign that they equip their low-priced models with this tentpole technology. It shows they aren’t stingy. 

This watch has a mineral crystal. However, there are Citizen models with sapphires that are less than $100 more, like the Eco-Drive Arezzo.

Best Citizen Watches

Meanwhile, you can find models for even less than $100 on Amazon. Reference B008FG6ZRI may not be powered by Eco-Drive, but it’s solid, versatile, and has great details like that day-date window.

This is good, honest pricing.

Did I mention that Citizen watches all have a five-year warranty?

Looking at a More Expensive Citizen Model

Now, we know that an affordable Citizen is worth it. But what about anything with a six-digit price tag?

Let’s use Reference AQ4100-65W of The Citizen as an example. Some premium features worth highlighting include its titanium construction and its movement. Caliber A060 is accurate within five seconds a year. So, it’s strong yet light and insanely accurate.

The Citizen AQ4100-65W

It also has a perpetual calendar, which is, by and large, a high-end complication.

Looking at the impeccable build, I’d say those features, so far, would be justified at around $2,000.

Beyond that, it’s a limited edition marked on the case back. And, the flawless dial surface is created using Japanese washi paper. It’s a hand-made material composed of special Japanese tree fibers.

Anyone who’s only ever thought of Citizen as a workhorse brand would be surprised to know they make such an artistic model. I definitely think this adds a unique cultural specialness that justifies the price.

And there are other models with this perfect balance of features.

Buying Citizen: Best Practices

Fortunately, since Citizen offers fair pricing, you can basically just choose a budget for yourself, and search models within that. Of course, you want to consider what features are important to you, as Citizen offers them all.

My biggest piece of advice when buying Citizen is to look at the references. If you want to compare prices in different markets for a specific model, always add the reference or model number when you’re searching.

The way they label lines can be confusing. Go ahead and Google image search Citizen Corso. You’ll get several models attached to that name, none of which seem to have a consistent theme going. It’s like the Omega Seamasters of the ‘80s.

Citizen Eco Drive BM8240 03E watch review

Citizen is a Japanese company, popular all over Asia. You might think that Citizen watch prices in India or the average Citizen watch price in the Philippines might be more affordable. 

First off, even if they were, shipping may balance that out.

Second, they aren’t always. In fact, they’ve historically sold more in Asia than in America. So often, this higher demand commands higher prices.

Conclusion: Worth-It Workhorses

I’ve had people judge my respect for Citizen because they are such a workhorse brand. No one would deny that they have horological chops. But in the past, the brand of it all was often missing.

A lot of people like this about them.

But beyond that, as you now know, you can dig deeper into their sublines to find some pretty artistic pieces. And, when it comes to Citizen watch price, you also now know that it’s completely fair.

Do you own any Citizen watches? Let us know in the comments! And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter at The Slender Wrist!

Categories: Watch Guides

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Karlton Miko Tyack

About Karlton Miko Tyack

A lifelong watch enthusiast, Karlton has worked with quality timepieces of all price points and calibers, vintage and contemporary. He was born in LA, studied art history in Boston, and is a lover of rugby, football, and optimism.

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