ⓘ Citizen – edited by
Citizen Hong Kong has launched five new open heart automatic watches, among the cheapest mechanical watches sold by the brand. The price is set at HK$2,580 to HK$2,980, or approximately $329 to $380.
The line has been divided into two references. There are four NH9138 models, and the fifth, the NH9139-80X, is the two-tone one, with a brown dial and a rose gold-plated steel bracelet. Among the NH9138s, the 07X has a copper dial on a brown leather strap, the 15A has a silver dial with blue hands on black leather, the 82A is silver on a bracelet, and the 82L is blue on a bracelet. The leather pair is priced at HK$2,580, the two steel bracelet models at HK$2,680, and the two-tone tops the range at HK$2,980.
Everything else is shared between the five. The case is made of stainless steel with a diameter of 40 mm and a thickness of 10.7 mm, the glass is made of sapphire and the water resistance is 5 bar. The dial features Roman numerals and an opening at the bottom left that exposes the balance wheel, and the case back is transparent so you can observe the rest of the operation. Citizen covers them with a three-year warranty.
The bracelet versions weigh 129 g. On the skin the weight drops to 73 g.
Inside is the Citizen caliber 8229. Citizen Hong Kong doesn’t publish its data, but reference listings put it at 21 jewels, a 42-hour power reserve, and 21,600 vibrations per hour, with a speed of between -20 and +40 seconds per day. It’s built by Miyota, owned by Citizen, and is hand-windable, although the second hand generally doesn’t break.
A note on pricing. Hong Kong does not charge sales taxes, so those figures are directly comparable to a pre-tax US price rather than inflated by it.
Buy the Citizen NJ0150-56E on Amazon.
Most of my time is spent writing, and somehow, it still hasn’t stopped being fun. My work mostly revolves around everyday technology, games, watches, DIY modding, and occasional pieces on the chaos of tech politics when companies and governments collide. I try to keep things simple and honest, without sounding like a product brochure. I have a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and an associate’s degree in English studies from the College of New Caledonia in British Columbia, Canada. Away from articles and deadlines, life is usually focused on making music, taking photos, or trying to finish games that should have been completed months ago.
