A Classic 1970s Chronograph Gets a Thoroughly Modern Makeover

As one of the world’s largest and most significant watch brands, Citizen has released a plethora of notable models over the course of its first century in business.

One of my favorite Citizens ever, and one of the most sought-after on the vintage market, is the “Bullhead” Challenge Timer Chronograph. Debuting in the early 1970s and produced throughout the decade, the watch was powered by an in-house automatic flyback chronograph movement and featured a distinct layout with its crown at 12 o’clock and two chronograph pushers on either side resembling horns, hence the moniker “Bullhead.”

The watch was long a niche favorite among vintage enthusiasts but reached greater fame on the wrist of Brad Pitt in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 blockbuster Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. (The film takes place prior to the watch’s release in 1969, but I’m willing to overlook this fact for how cool it looks on screen.)

Back in 2018, Citizen resurrected the Bullhead with its Tsuno line — a far more contemporary, larger, Eco-Drive quartz-powered chronograph with the familiar horned layout. Now, the brand has released a new version that may be its most dynamic modern Bullhead yet, thanks to a unique blend of details.

The Super Tsuno

The latest Tsuno Chrono Racer uses the same movement we’ve seen in previous modern versions, which is Citizen’s Cal. E210. It’s a unique movement in that the main timekeeping functions run on Citizen’s light-powered Eco-Drive quartz technology, while the chronograph is a mechanical module that functions just like a mechanical chronograph.

This makes the movement an exceedingly rare solar-powered meca-quartz chronograph, and it also features an alarm complication, a date window and a power reserve indicator to round out its complications.