Citizen's Satellite Wave GPS F950 Celebrates Half a Century of Titanium Watchmaking

In 1970, Japanese watchmaker Citizen launched its first-ever titanium timepiece, bringing a revolutionary and complex material into the world of horology. Now, half a century on, the brand is celebrating the 50th anniversary of this momentous achievement with the new limited edition Satellite Wave GPS F950.

Thanks to five decades of technological advancements, the new timepiece is now crafted out of a material known as Super Titanium, which is used in both the lunar lander and rover currently in development over at iSpace in Japan. A two-piece construction utilizes a pair of surface hardening techniques to achieve both richer coloration as well as better scratch resistance, while its detailing such as the concave surfaces at 2 and 4 o’clock de-emphasizes the pushers and come inspired by the thrust chamber of a rocket engine’s nozzle extension. Powering the chronograph itself is then an in-house solar-powered Eco-Drive movement.

“Our success in creating a two-piece case construction using titanium, a notoriously hard-to-process material, enabled us to add elegant design features such as two-tone colouring and different polishes for individual surfaces,” the brand says. “The sheer breadth of these effects gives the case a rich expressiveness with its appearance changing depending on the viewing angle or the lighting conditions.”

For those interested, Citizen’s new Satellite Wave GPS F950 is now available at retailers for $5,000 USD, limited to just 550 pieces globally. Head over to the company’s website to learn more.

Elsewhere in watches, IWC Schaffhausen will be offering guided virtual tours of its watchmaking headquarters in Switzerland.