CITIZEN Center Second, C mark, 1950s

— An early move —

The 1950s were a turning point in Japanese watchmaking: the seconds hand moved from its own small sub-dial to the centre of the face, and the centre-seconds layout was established.

The "C mark" sits proudly at twelve — a classical, warm emblem no longer used by Citizen, and one that carries its decade with it.

— A maker's insistence on lasting brightness —

The case back is stamped "EVERBRIGHT BACK" and "STAR". Everbright was a steel developed at the time for corrosion and wear resistance, and even a case back records how seriously innovation was taken. The perlage inside the case and the carefully finished bridges are genuinely good to look at.

— PHYNOX, a new material —

"PHYNOX" is printed at the foot of the dial: the mark of an unbreakable new mainspring alloy, adopted as leading-edge technology to push the watch's reliability as far as it would go.

The ageing across the dial is exactly what the years produce and what no current product can imitate.

— Japanese taste, handed on —

At 34mm the case sits neatly under a cuff, composed without overstating itself. Winding the crown brings back, for a moment, the warmth of the period and the pride of the people who built it.