Citizen Super Highness: the curved crystal is the bit I keep looking at

The curved crystal is the bit I keep looking at on this Citizen. The watch itself is very small and restrained, and then that sapphire gives the dial a different shape as the light hits it. I like that much more than adding a row of crystals around a case just to make it look dressed up.

Citizen is reviving the Super Highness within Kii:, with steel EX1560-00A and light-gold-plated EX1562-04B. The original was a women's watch from the 1960s. This version keeps that small vintage-watch feeling, although the movement is now Eco-Drive rather than the old hand-wound mechanism. I don't need a revival to reproduce every inconvenient part of the original to find it interesting.

A real little wristwatch

The case is 24.5 mm wide and 8.1 mm thick. Citizen lists an approximate weight of 18 grams, with a black embossed cowhide strap and a 12 mm fitting. That is a very different proposition from the 38–40 mm watches I usually look at for myself. It also gives the design a reason to exist rather than simply shrinking a much larger modern sports case.

I prefer the steel version. The light gold and black strap make the other one look more explicitly antique, which could be exactly what someone wants. I tend to be cautious about plated finishes when thinking about decades of ownership, so I'd want to understand the coating and how it might wear before choosing that version. I haven't handled either one, and the photographs don't establish long-term durability.

The sapphire is curved on both surfaces and has cuts on its inner face. Citizen describes those cuts as a way of throwing light across the dial. You can see why the relatively plain markers suit that approach: a lot more printing would compete with the crystal. I'd want to check the time from several angles, because interesting reflections and easy reading don't always come together.

Solar makes sense here

The B023 is light-powered Eco-Drive, with a stated full-charge running time of about a year and accuracy of plus or minus 15 seconds a month. Water resistance is 50 meters. Those are useful everyday specifications for a small dress watch. I'd rather have that convenience than pretend a hand-wound revival automatically deserves a higher score.

The Japanese manufacturer pages list ¥35,200 including tax for steel and ¥38,500 for light gold, checked November 4, 2026. November 12 is the planned Japanese release date. Current specialist coverage brought these executions to attention, but the original announcement date remains unresolved, and I haven't verified a US price or US availability.

I'm giving this family 74 out of 120 bezel clicks. I like the crystal and the controlled little case, but it doesn't have the same personal pull as the dress watches I'd actually picture wearing. I'd want a closer look at how that sapphire affects the dial before recommending one.