Citizen's new luxury automatics feature striking astronomical dials and a Swiss-made movement

Citizen might be best known for its affordable, dependable watches, but there's a lot more to the Japanese watchmaker than its popular Eco-Drive lineup. The company also makes some rather extravagant timepieces under its Campanola label dedicated to high-end watchmaking.

Operating as Citizen's luxury watchmaking sub-brand, Campanola specializes in mechanically sophisticated timepieces with an emphasis on artistic design and intricate craftsmanship. Astronomy is a recurring source of inspiration, with several collections drawing on the beauty of the night sky, featuring complex dials and complications that set them apart from the company's more mainstream offerings.

Campanola's latest collection doubles down on that astronomy theme with a pair of mechanical watches inspired by the vast expanse of space. Meet the NZ4000-56E "Tenmanboshi" and NZ4000-56N "Kojo", two limited-edition models (170 pieces total) that combine intricate dial work with a brand-new Swiss-made automatic movement.

The black dial recreates a star-filled night sky

The NZ4000-56E "Tenmanboshi" (Japanese for sky full of stars) is the more striking of the two, with a multi-layered black lacquer dial designed to evoke a star-filled night sky. Citizen has combined lustrous lacquer with metallic powder and mother-of-pearl inlays to create a scattered constellation of colorful flecks.

Then there's the NZ4000-56N, which swaps the black cosmic backdrop for a blue mother-of-pearl dial, with its finely engraved radial pattern representing rays of light spreading across the universe. The natural iridescence of the material gives the dial a shifting appearance as light interacts with its surface.

A new Swiss-made automatic movement

On the inside is the new Swiss-made Y520 automatic calibre, developed by Swiss movement specialist La Joux-Perret. It offers a 60-hour power reserve, 29 jewels, and a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. The movement also gets some attractive radial finishing, which is visible through the exhibition caseback.

The two models share a 40mm stainless steel case, a dual-spherical sapphire crystal, and a matching steel bracelet. Both also feature a small seconds subdial at six o'clock and a matching Roman numeral chapter ring.

Pricing & Availability

As is usually the case with Campanola, both watches are exclusive to Japan and won't see an official global release. They're priced at ¥825,000 (~$5160) each and will go on sale in Japan on December 3 via select Citizen retailers, including the Citizen Flagship Store and Citizen Premium Doors.

The NZ4000-56E is limited to 100 individually numbered pieces, while the NZ4000-56N gets an even smaller run of just 70 pieces.

Specifications

• Case size: 40mm
• Case thickness: 13.9mm
• Case material: Stainless steel
• Crystal: Dual-spherical sapphire crystal with Clarity coating
• Dial: Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlays (NZ4000-56E); blue mother-of-pearl with engraved radial pattern (NZ4000-56N)
• Movement: Citizen Y520 automatic calibre by La Joux-Perret
• Power reserve: Approximately 60 hours
• Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz)
• Jewels: 29
• Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, hacking seconds
• Water resistance: 5 bar (50 meters)
• Bracelet: Stainless steel with double-push butterfly clasp
• Limited edition: 100 pieces (NZ4000-56E); 70 pieces (NZ4000-56N)