What's so special about the watch?
Away from the Crickets and Memovoxes, there is a family of mechanical alarm watches that present very good value for money while retaining a loud and crisp quality in make. The early manual wound Citizen models are a class act with their impeccable dress appeal and modern sizes.
 
For something that comes in a little over $500, this manual wind alarm presents a whole lot of value for the vintage watch collector. The small details on the watch are very much worth gawking at, and you can only fall deeper in admiration for the Japanese watchmakers for putting these watches out.
 
The 37mm case sits very well on a modern wrist, with a sleek finishing to boot. Sharp polished hands sweep the silver-grey sunburst dial, raised hour indices matching their shine. The alarm is sharp and loud, something you don't see in the Seiko Bell-Matic bretheren from the same country. 
 
This watch will be a prize catch for the collector of watches that are seldom seen in the market, and with alarm watches not really in the spotlight at the moment, at a good price too.
 
What are the functions of the watch?
This is a mechanical alarm watch, with time and date function. There is no quickset for the date.
 
Let me tell you about the case...
The modestly large case is of very good condition, free from large prominent dings and scratches. The edges are sharp, which tells me that the watch has been worn really carefully since it left the factory. 
 
Coming in with 18mm lugs can be a problem when you're dealing with a case size almost 10mm wider. Often times the lugs will appear to be too narrow and inwards, giving the watch a sort of pocket watch conversion look. Citizen does it well here by having the lugs taper inwards. This gives a very nice silhouette to the watch and brings more emphasis to the dial.
 
On the caseback we see very clean markings, all the factory stamps very well in place. With my very limited knowledge I date the watch at 1967, during the Parawatch age that ended about 1972/3. The caseback is pry, and is very tight so I did not attempt to open it. 
 
And now the dial...
Sunburst grey is very nice color to have on a watch dial when you have nice and shiny hands. The contrast between a cool gloom and a stinging light is a sight for sore eyes. The dial is clean, free from any signs of aging and patina for now - the markings are clear and crisp, and the expertly applied lume dots remain intact. 
 
I note the chamfered hour indices with a raised black centre, a hint that the watchmakers were thinking of a functional timepiece that would make wearing both useful and attention grabbing. At 12'O the watch name is printed in the typical Citizen dress watch font, its nice and thin lines looking very good under a loupe. 
 
There are two rings of time telling markings on the dial - the outer one for minutes and the thicker inside one to set the alarm. At 3'O the date window is cut into the dial with a slight bevel, a thick black border framing the sans serif date wheel inside.
 
Let's not forget the hands...
The highlight of this watch has to be the hands. Slender sharp hands are bevelled and polished to perfection, catching light very well and letting you know what sort of a watch you've got on. The shine can also be seen on the sweeping centre seconds and the thin alarm hand with a great looking arrow head at the end. That arrow head has got to be the best looking alarm hand in the market. Hands down.