The new Citizen Tsuyosa 37mm “Time Slip” with Smoked Black Dial

First presented in 2022, the 1980s-inspired Citizen Tsuyosa immediately became a best-seller for the brand and gained a lot of interest in the accessible field. First launched with a 40mm case, the collection rapidly expanded with new (and sometimes bold) colours, as well as slightly different movements and displays. The second major announcement came earlier this year, with the release of the more compact Tsuyosa 37mm range. Still fairly priced, still nicely designed, and still providing great wrist pleasure, everything was there (size included) except maybe for a slight lack of audacity in the colour schemes. Well, we now have this NJ0200-50E Limited Edition, the Citizen Tsuyosa 37mm with a smoked black dial and gold accents that adds elegance and cool factor.

In the past 4 to 5 years, Citizen has demonstrated its strength in the accessible automatic market, with compelling options such as the Challenge Diver, the Zenshin 60 Super Titanium or the Urban Military NJ0190 Series. But it’s mostly the Tsuyosa range that made the greatest impact… Surfing on the vibe of the integrated sports watch with a cool 1980s style, its sub-€300 price tag made it one of the inevitable options on the market, next to Seiko and the 5 Sport or, more recently, Casio with the new Edifice automatic range.

Following the initial 40mm models, Citizen unveiled 37mm versions of the Tsuyosa, a size that not only opened the range to a young and active feminine but also to men who want something more vintage and more comfortable – I can only confirm this myself, as I’d go for the smaller edition. With the new NJ0200-50E Limited Edition, nothing changes regarding the overall specs, design and technical constructions. We have the same 37mm x 11.5mm tonneau-shaped case, topped by a sapphire crystal with a magnifying glass over the date, a see-through caseback (in all fairness, unnecessary…), a crown slightly recessed at 4 o’clock (not the most practical) and a decent 50m water-resistant. Fit and finish is good, not spectacular, but that’s expected in this price range.

What sets this limited edition of the Tsuyosa 37mm apart is the dial, and it somehow adds a touch of punch to the classic 3 editions that felt a bit conservative to me (light pink, turquoise and dark green… not the most inspired choice). Now, we have a dial with revised texture, colours and depth, all thanks to a grained surface, mixed with a gradient black effect and gold-toned markers, hands and prints. The result… Pretty appealing, with contrast, depth and an unexpected touch of discreet luxury. Yes, you can maybe dislike the white date disc, but it somehow adds visual balance to the marker at 9 o’clock.

The watch retains the same bracelet – a flexible and quite comfortable multi-link steel bracelet with folding clasp and holes for micro-adjustment – that’s pretty well integrated with the rest of the watch. Inside, no surprises either, as this LE Tsuyosa 37mm retains the same automatic Calibre 8210, with 3Hz frequency and 42h power reserve.

Released as a limited edition of 8,000 pieces (hardly exclusive, but maybe it’s for the best), this smoked black Citizen Tsuyosa 37mm NJ0200-50E is priced at EUR 325 or USD 495. For more details, please visit CitizenWatch.eu or CitizenWatch-Global.com.