As one of the world’s most prolific watch manufacturers, Citizen offers an incredibly diverse catalog that spans everything from vintage-inspired mechanical pieces to smartwatches. However, one of the reasons I have such a strong appreciation for Citizen is because the Japanese manufacturer remains committed to producing wristwatches with conventional analog displays that still push the boundaries with decidedly modern functionality. Among the brand’s latest releases for 2024 are two new Citizen Attesa Satellite Wave GPS F950 watches, crafted from Super Titanium and powered by its advanced Caliber F950 Eco-Drive movement with satellite-controlled GPS timekeeping.
The new Citizen Attesa Satellite Wave GPS F950 watches follow the same overall design and construction as the brand’s limited-edition Attesa Layers of Time Eco-Drive Satellite Wave GPS CC4057-60E model that debuted earlier this year as part of a capsule collection with colorful structural ink dials. Both new models are crafted from the brand’s proprietary Super Titanium alloy with a black Duratect DLC finish; however, Model CC4059-64L features a black and blue colorway, while Model CC4074-61W embraces a more refined and dressy color palette of black and rose gold. Aside from their colorways and the finishing on their components, the two new Attesa Satellite Wave GPS F950 watches are otherwise identical, although each one offers a decidedly different expression of this same fundamental design.
The black-finished Super Titanium cases of the new Citizen Attesa Satellite Wave GPS F950 watches measure 44.6mm in diameter by 16mm thick, and they are furnished with curved anti-reflective sapphire crystals and solid titanium casebacks. A crown flanked by a pair of pushers resides on the 3 o’clock side of the cases, while world time bezels with sapphire inserts surround the crystal on the front side of the watches. On Model CC4059-64L, the bezel insert is blue with the city names applied in silver using a vapor deposition process, while Model CC4074-61W features a black insert paired with Duratect Pink accents for the bezel ring and city names. Since the hands-on Citizen’s Attesa Satellite Wave GPS F950 watches move to display their world timer functions, their bezels are fixed (rather than offering a rotating design), and water resistance for the new models comes in at 100 meters to protect against most forms of daily contact.
The dials for the new Citizen Attesa Satellite Wave GPS F950 watches follow the same layout with a trio of registers, three centrally-mounted hands, and a date window at the 4:30 position. Since the Attesa models feature highly advanced quartz movements, their hands perform different functions depending on the specific mode of the watch, and the registers feature multiple scales to correspond with their various uses. In theme with their respective colorways, Model CC4059-64L features a blue-violet striped dial with silver-colored hands and hour markers, while Model CC4074-61W is fitted with a black dial, and its hands and hour markers are given a rose gold finish to match the Duratect Pink elements on its bezel. Additionally, the central hands are luminous on the new Attesa Satellite Wave GPS F950 watches, and small luminous rectangles also appear along the periphery of the hour markers to further help with legibility in low-light settings.
Powering the new duo of Citizen Attesa Satellite Wave GPS F950 watches is the brand’s Caliber F950 Eco-Drive movement, which offers the world’s fastest GPS satellite timekeeping signal reception speed, with the ability to receive a signal in just three seconds. As one of Citizen’s Eco-Drive movements, the Cal. F950 is capable of powering itself with either natural or artificial light, although it also features a power-saving mode that will allow it to run for a whopping five years on a full charge. Additionally, while the Citizen Cal. F950 offers autonomous accuracy of +/-5 seconds per month, it also receives time signals from satellites orbiting the Earth, and any small deviations in accuracy will be corrected to ensure that the movement will always display the correct time.
In addition to its light-powered technology and satellite-controlled timekeeping, the Citizen Caliber F950 movement also offers an ample assortment of other features including a dual timezone display, a world timer, and a 1/20-second chronograph that can measure times up to 24 hours. Further adding to this list of functions, the Caliber F950 also includes an alarm, day and date displays, a perpetual calendar, and indicators for power reserve, light level, and daylight savings time. While the world time function offers access to the time in 27 different cities, the Caliber F950 also includes a “Double Direct Flight” feature that simultaneously displays the time in two different cities (home time and local time), with the ability to quickly switch them in a one-step process.
Despite their different colorways, the two new Citizen Attesa Satellite Wave GPS F950 watches are both fitted with the same bracelet, which is crafted from Super Titanium with a black Duratect DLC finish to match their cases. The bracelet features an angular H-link design, and it appears to be identical to what can be found on its limited-edition sibling from the previously mentioned Layers of Time collection. Completing the bracelet is a folding clasp with a black Duratect DLC finish to match the rest of the watch, and while the clasp doesn’t appear to include any type of integrated extension system, it operates with a double push-button release and is signed with Citizen’s logo.
While a high-tech timepiece with satellite-controlled timekeeping is hardly the watch for mechanical purists, Citizen’s Attesa models represent a unique offering within the market, as they provide thoroughly modern functionality while still retaining the appearance and craftsmanship of a traditional analog wristwatch. With an official retail price of $2,195 USD, the new Citizen Attesa Satellite Wave GPS F950 models exist as premium options within the Japanese manufacturer’s catalog, although they also cost slightly less than their various limited-edition siblings that debuted earlier this year. Additionally, regardless of whether or not you would personally choose a Citizen Attesa over a traditional mechanical timepiece, it is hard not to have an incredibly strong appreciation for these models, as they are some of the very few pieces that truly push the functional boundaries of the conventional analog wristwatch. For more information on the Citizen Attesa Satellite Wave GPS F950 collection, please visit the brand’s website.