Citizen Bullhead Panda Automatic Chronograph Watch, c. 1970 — view 1 of 4 — View 1 of 4 · Image: Hill Auction Gallery / LiveAuctioneers · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 4 · Image: Hill Auction Gallery / LiveAuctioneers · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Citizen Bullhead Panda Automatic Chronograph Watch, c. 1970

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.

Maker / attribution: Citizen (maker)
Date: c. 1970
Historical period: Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Country of origin: Japan
Object type: Wristwatch
Auction house: LiveAuctioneers auction archive
Lot: Item 179691737
Credit line: Auction lot record: lot 240, Sink or Swim, Hill Auction Gallery (2024), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original): Citizen Bullhead Panda Automatic Chronograph Watch (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 179691737), this is a wristwatch by Citizen, made in Japan, dated c. 1970. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Lot description — Hill Auction Gallery

A vintage Citizen Bullhead Chronograph wristwatch, produced circa 1970. Serial number 70902633. Features automatic 23 jewels movement, a panda face dial measuring approximately 32mm, with three sub-dials including month and day, and a water-resistant case. The back of the case is stamped "CITIZEN WATCH CO. JAPAN WATER RESISTANT BASE METAL TOP STAINLESS STEEL BACK" with the serial number. Accompanied by a newer wide black leather band decorated with red stitching and having an impressed "ECHT LEDER" ("real leather") stamp on the back. Condition: Good overall condition having mild age related wear and with mild to moderate surface scratches to crystal. Untested, and may require parts, service, and/or repair. Estate fresh to the market. Shipping : Hill Auction Gallery offers in-house ground contiguous USA domestic shipping, excluding New Mexico, for $35 plus insurance. Gallery will refer third party shippers for international buyers. Purchaser pick up available upon request.

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

Atlas type guide

Chronographs and split-seconds watches

A chronograph is a watch with an additional seconds hand that can be started, stopped and returned to zero independently of the timekeeping. Louis Moinet built an early example in 1816 and Nicolas Rieussec a recording 'chronographe' in 1821; Adolphe Nicole's heart-shaped reset cam (patented 1862) made the modern return-to-zero possible. Split-seconds (rattrapante) chronographs add a second hand that can be stopped for intermediate times; flyback chronographs restart instantly.

Chronographs were essential tools for doctors (pulsometer scales), artillery (telemeter), engineers and sport. In wristwatches, Valjoux, Venus, Lemania and later the automatic chronographs of 1969 (Zenith El Primero, the Chronomatic Calibre 11 group and Seiko 6139) are milestones.

What to look for

Push-pieces on the case band or a single button in the crown (monopusher).
Subsidiary registers for minutes and hours; tachymeter, telemeter or pulsometer scales.
Column wheel versus cam control visible in the movement.
Calibre markings of specialist makers (Valjoux, Lemania, Venus, Landeron).

Dating clues

Pocket chronographs with heart cam reset: after 1862.
Wrist chronographs: from c. 1910; two-button designs from the 1930s.
Automatic chronographs: from 1969.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Mechanisms mentioned

Chronograph — Complication
Jewel bearings — Component
Self-winding (automatic) mechanism — Component

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryRecorded
MaterialsNot in source
DimensionsNot in source
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

Explore further

Sources & image rights

Record source: LiveAuctioneers auction archive (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Hill Auction Gallery / LiveAuctioneers — permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Citizen Bullhead Panda Automatic Chronograph Watch, c. 1970." LiveAuctioneers auction archive, Item 179691737. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/citizen-bullhead-panda-automatic-chronograph-watch-713b0d.