Look, we?re not intentionally focusing on integrated bracelet sports watches recently. We promise. While we like this style of watch quite a bit, it?s of course obvious to anyone who has a passing interest in watches that there is a lot of great stuff out there if you can break free of this frankly somewhat limiting, and currently ultra-trendy, watch style. It just so happens that we?ve reached a point, after a period of high end (mostly) Swiss watchmakers jumping on the integrated bandwagon, that affordable alternatives are beginning to emerge. Remember, it takes years for these products to take shape, so if you think about where the integrated bracelet sports watch market was a few years ago, it makes perfect sense that entries from Tissot, Bell & Ross, Maurice Lacroix, and others are showing up right about now. And here at Worn & Wound, we endeavor to cover it all, particularly when these types of trends take shape. So it was both surprising on the one hand and not surprising at all to see news of Citizen?s big spring announcement this week, a new mechanical watch simply dubbed The Citizen. But there?s more under the surface of this one, and it represents some fascinating corporate synergy for anyone willing to look. 
As a watchmaker, Citizen has a long history, but is often overshadowed by Seiko when it comes to Japanese watchmaking. As a brand, though, Citizen has an answer for Seiko in almost every category. Their catalog consists of watches with ex...