# How Old Is My Citizen?



## Thomasr

Fellow watch peoples

I saw this watch on the Tuesday market. Its is a 21 jewel Citizen automatic with bi-lingual day wheel. I don't think there's much age to it but i was wondering whether there was a simple way of working out there production date. All i know so far is it is post 1970 as it says water 'resist' rather than resistant

The back reads as follows

4-039181 HST

860348 (i think this is the case number so probably not useful)

GN-4-s

here are some pics


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## martinzx

March 1984 I believe


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## woody77

hi i think june 88 or june 78 .all the best woody77.


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## martinzx

4-039181 HST

if this is the serial it would be March 1984

860348 (i think this is the case number so probably not useful)

If this is the serial it would be June 1986

Hope this resolves any confusion


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## Morris Minor

Thomasr said:


> Fellow watch peoples
> 
> I saw this watch on the Tuesday market. Its is a 21 jewel Citizen automatic with bi-lingual day wheel. I don't think there's much age to it but i was wondering whether there was a simple way of working out there production date. All i know so far is it is post 1970 as it says water 'resist' rather than resistant
> 
> The back reads as follows
> 
> 4-039181 HST
> 
> 860348 (i think this is the case number so probably not useful)
> 
> GN-4-s


Hi,

*4-039181* is the case number

*GN-4-s* is the case type

and *860348* is the serial number. You need to know which decade the watch was made to get the production date right. Best guess for me given style of the watch is June 1988 (from first two numbers in the serial, year first). The 'Eagle 7' models using the excellent 8200 movement became Citizen's main auto watch from the late 1970's, a bit like the 7s26 in the Seiko 5.

Stephen


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## Roger the Dodger

So is this the same as the Seiko system?............where the first number is the year, and the second number is the month (you have to know the decade for the year)....the last four digits being the production run number. For months, Seiko use 1-9 for Jan to Sept., then O for October, N for Nov and D for Dec.......


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## martinzx

Roger the Dodger said:


> So is this the same as the Seiko system?............where the first number is the year, and the second number is the month (you have to know the decade for the year)....the last four digits being the production run number. For months, Seiko use 1-9 for Jan to Sept., then O for October, N for Nov and D for Dec.......


I think it is similar Rodger, I have heard mixed reports, see link

(I think it depends on the length of the serial)

http://www.thewatchforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=45241&hl=%2Bdating+%2Bcitizen&fromsearch=1


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## Roger the Dodger

martinzx said:


> Roger the Dodger said:
> 
> 
> 
> So is this the same as the Seiko system?............where the first number is the year, and the second number is the month (you have to know the decade for the year)....the last four digits being the production run number. For months, Seiko use 1-9 for Jan to Sept., then O for October, N for Nov and D for Dec.......
> 
> 
> 
> I think it is similar Rodger, I have heard mixed reports, see link
> 
> (I think it depends on the length of the serial)
> 
> http://www.thewatchforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=45241&hl=%2Bdating+%2Bcitizen&fromsearch=1
Click to expand...

Nice one, Martin...interesting link. :thumbsup:


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## Justin28

I would guess at between 1978 and 1985. It looks like it is from that era.


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