Picture this – California, 2025. A triple digit summer day, I decided to go to Macy’s at my local mall and to check out the Tissot PRX. A watch that has been on my radar ever since it’s release, even more so with my family and friends recently purchasing them I thought maybe it was time for my own. The one that caught my attention was the 40mm quartz version with the mint green dial and for $410, the quality was great and the bracelet was sweet. But when I put it on my 6.5″ wrist, that integrated bracelet just stuck out past my wrist and looked too big for me which was very disappointing.
I proceeded to walk through the mall to the many jewelry stores looking for other watches, specifically looking for something around the same price range and on a steel bracelet. The next watch was the Citizen Zenshin Chronograph with the white dial. Now, I really enjoyed looking at the dial but as soon as I picked up that Super Titanium case and bracelet, I was put off. I get that it boasts extreme durability and scratch resistance, combined with it being lightweight, but for me it felt cheap and almost hollow. Followed by the unsatisfying pushers and waiting for the long, uneventful return of the chronograph hand to reset, it was clear that the watch wasn’t for me. I think I may have been spoiled with the quick, mechanical-type reset of my mecha-quartz chronograph from Nezumi.
A great contender to this list was Citizen’s Promaster dive watch on a black silicon strap which for under $300 was great, but I really wanted something different and especially with the steel bracelet. I know, I’m stubborn.
About five jewelry stores later, I finally found one full of Bulova, G-Shock, and Citizen watches and so I tried another Zenshin, a Bulova Marinemaster, and even a Promaster on a steel bracelet which felt even worse than the Super Titanium Zenshin.
Now, since the release of the Tsuyosa, I have been intrigued with these integrated offerings from Citizen, but didn’t look too much into them as most people had at best, were in different towards the quality of the bracelet. But alas, there I was amidst numerous Tsuyosa’s in various colors and I had to pick the Sky Blue, Tiffany-esc version and was pleasantly surprised with the overall quality and build, especially for the price. And this color was 20% off!
The bracelet I thought was perfect for the price, no crazy well designed clasp or superb build quality but definitely adequate and better than that of my Seiko 5 bracelet. I’m a sucker for an open case back on an automatic watch, I do wish it had a screw-down crown but I can let that go due it’s to sporty/vintage esc styling, and the cyclops date is a cool touch. And so I said, take my money.
I returned home, adjusted the bracelet, started to take pictures, and as I wore it around the house, I began to feel instant regret and wondered if I should have gotten something else, like the Promaster which is more of what I usually go for. A diving-tool watch, uni-directional bezel, screw down crown, black dial, and cheaper with more water resistance (although no sapphire crystal). I spent hours going back and forth in my head, even went on eBay to look up the going price for the Tsuyosa to see if I could get my money back. I’ve never felt like this before after buying a watch. But I put my watch away in the watch box and went to sleep. I woke up the next morning, got ready for church, and put on the watch and said “okay it’s pretty cool” and proceeded to wear it for the next 8 hours, if not more.
Now after wearing the Tsuyosa for a second day, over another eight hours, I thoroughly enjoy wearing this watch as it offers something different in my collection. A watch that can provide a sprinkle of color whether I’m in a graphic tee or a collared shirt, that doesn’t have to be practically functional to time unnecessary events. I don’t have as many reservations as before, and I will most likely still buy that Promaster for the collection.
-Cristian
UPDATE – 3 months later
I hate to admit when I’m wrong. But my wife and 3D Lanes himself called it when I purchased this Citizen Tsuyosa back in June. He said I would flip this watch in twelve months, my wife said three. And I find myself on the unfortunate side that I think many of us find ourselves on our watch collecting journeys, and that is simply not liking a watch anymore and wanting to sell it. And let me be clear, this is not one of those “just change the strap and you will like it again” type of situations. I have spent these past three months, and really the majority of 2025 thinking or even re-thinking about why am I interested in watches, why do I purchase some over others, and what meaning or sentimentality to I attribute to the watches in my collection.
And the short answer is, I have no emotion attached to this Tsuyosa, other than I thought the color was cool and it fit my wrist better than the Tissot PRX. I find that I have to force myself to wear this watch, and it is fun and nice to have on the wrist as I drive to work but once I sit down at my desk I can’t help but think “what if this was in 37mm” and “man if this had a quartz movement for $100 less, it would be perfect”. Because frankly, for the style and purpose this watch is supposed to fit, it doesn’t match up. It’s trying to be some sort of homage or albeit copy of the Rolex OP, combined with the sporty integrated-ness of the PRX. But at 40mm and 11.7mm thickness housing, their 8210 movement all for an MSRP of $475 – that is outrageous to me. Yes it is constantly on sale for around ninety dollars less which is what I paid, it’s still not great value for your money and I just don’t like the watch.
Now, about a month later I purchased the Citizen Promaster for $277 which was a steal and that is my new beater dive watch and I really like that watch and is great value for money. Sure the stock rubber strap went straight in the bin but I wasn’t expecting anything amazing. WIth that being said, I dipped my toes into the Citizen watch world and I think it’s safe to say I probably won’t purchase any current or new models in the future.
However, I want to bring up one last point and that is if you find yourself to be in a similar situation where you might be feeling remorse, guilt, or regret on purchasing a watch – it’s okay. Let yourself go through those feelings, explore that watch more and fully experience it. For many collectors and enthusiasts out there, we don’t always get the chance to pick up a watch or even try it on before we purchase it. And even that doesn’t guarantee you will love wearing it for an entire day, wearing it through various seasons, occasions, or what have you. Sometimes you will go through phases (usually in the beginning) during your collecting journey where you buy many watches in a short period of time so you can experience what you like and what you don’t. I have certainly gone through that phase this year by buying over ten watches and selling a few as well.
At the end of the day, slow down, enjoy your watches, buy what you like, and start making memories with your watches.
-Cristian
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