18 Best Citizen Watches for Men in 2023, According to a Fashion Director

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Citizen timepieces are worth their weight in gold.

The wonderful thing about Citizen watches: They have something for everyone. From a performance perspective, the Japanese watchmaker stands toe to toe with Swiss luxury watch brands while keeping prices much more affordable. Some of the tech exclusive to Citizen even outperforms its pricier competitors. Where Citizen really shines however, is in its variety and affordability. You can pick up a stylish, heirloom-quality watch for just $30, while its highest performing watches—including precision automatic movements and titanium cases—barely break the $1,000 mark.

We love that Citizen balances between being a well-oiled corporation that sells more than 200 million watches yearly, and upholding quality standards with in-house watchmakers. And given its robust selection of styles and price points, we recommend Citizen as a go-to brand for timepiece newbies, and for guys who want to expand their watch collections. To find the best citizen watches for men, we enlisted our fashion director, Ted Stafford, to field test a boatload of tickers to find our 18 favorites.

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Japanese culture is deeply tied to the sea, which is why the Promaster Dive watches are Citizen's flagship line. This titanium option is not only Citizen's best timepiece, it's a dive watch with performance features that rival its more expensive competitors.

We love the black and charcoal color combination that plays nice with our suits and tuxedos. It's truly a watch that does it all at the highest level. "It's lightweight, tough, and built for extreme adventure," says Stafford.

Read more: Best Black Watches for Men

This hulking dive watch—with a 44 mm case size—is a true professional. Not only is it built to live in water, the color scheme is inspired by the greens and blues of the ocean. It's also powered by Citizen's Eco-Drive quartz movement, which recharges from any kind of light source so you don't need to change the battery. "It's extremely unique, with special colors to reflect the seven seas," says Stafford.

Read more: Best Waterproof Watches

Citizen dug into the archive for this one. The angular case edges, magnified date bubble, President steel link bracelet, narrow hands, and dashed indices are all absolute classic features. Meanwhile the green face stands out without being flashy.

Read more: Best Watches Under $500

The 36.5 mm case size version of the Promaster Dive is better suited for men with smaller wrists or if you're looking for a monochrome sport watch. The details on the face and the hands are simpler as well, giving the overall look of a vintage ticker watch from the 1960s or 1970s. This is a perfect vacation watch or everyday watch for anyone who lives on the water. "The colorful style is a standout and well-suited for diver enthusiasts," Stafford says.

Citizen's formal tickers can dress up with the best of them. The all-gold Rolan with a brown leather faux crocodile band looks amazing with a navy jacket or any lightweight summer suit. "It's a classic vintage style dress watch," Stafford says. "It's an excellent choice for formal occasions, as well as for everyday sharp style."

Read more: Best Dress Watches for Men

If you want an even dressier option, Rolan offers this dark green dial with a black leather strap that plays nice with tuxedos and practically any formal attire. "It's an idea go-to elegant dress option," Stafford says.

The Sailhawk is jam-packed with horological tech—a yacht racing timer, solar-powered moment, 200 meter-dive resistance—because it is meant for actual sailing. Even if you're land locked, half the fun of owning this watch is learning how to use all the built-in timers. The 44 mm case is big enough to house all these features without overtaking your wrist. "It's a top choice for the most avid water sport enthusiasts," says Stafford.

For the Garrison, Citizen drew inspiration from military watches. Bold numbers and hands on a 42 mm face make for great visibility while the earth tone color scheme works as a casual every day watch. "It has a unique titanium case paired with a durable leather strap that makes this watch a winning choice for the most adventurous wearers," says Stafford.

One of the newest Citizen watches for men is the CZ Smart Hybrid, which has high-tech features like bio measurements, heart rate monitoring, and an 18-day battery life. And we find that this looks much more stylish than those other smart watches on the market.

We love this tool watch's stealth style that's packed with practical features like luminous hands, over 600 feet of water resistance, and dual time zone tracking. "It's built tough and strong for the most adventurous guys," says Stafford.

Whats not to like about a sub $400 dress watch that works for absolutely any occasion? The Arezzo plays just as well with black tie as it does with jeans and a plain white t-shirt.

Everything about this watch comes from the golden age of chronographs in the 1970s—think Paul Newman and Steve McQueen—and is updated with a solar-powered movement. It is a great weekend watch or an alternative to your every-day watch.

No second hand? No problem. This black-on-black dress watch has a streamlined design that's sleek as hell, and can be worn to work or more formal functions.

Chronographs have become so popular in the past decade or so that they're now acceptable to use as dress watches. Take the Attesa, which has a navy blue face with yellow detailing that makes a stylish contract. Its titanium case and bracelet makes it look extra refined.

Citizen's Satellite GPS system tell time accurately across all 40 time zones, and has a worldwide reception so you'll never lose signal. Plus, this solar watch has a Blade Runner-esque design that you can dress up or down.

This style flex of a watch is made of carbon composites (you know the ones typically to make planes), and has an all-black design that classes up any fit. We love its see-through back, which gives you a peak into the Series 8's elegant automatic movement.

Go green with Citizen’s Eco-Drive, powered entirely by light (and not just solar), which means you’ll never need to replace a battery—ever. The strap’s patterned stitching and olive color add casual safari flair.

Read more: Best Solar Watches

For this story, we consulted with our fashion director Ted Stafford, a seasoned watch expert with more than 20 years experience styling and testing Citizen timepieces. He's called in countless Citizen watches to style for our photoshoots, and he's visited Citizen's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, so he can absolutely speak to the brand's storied heritage and watchmaking process.

As Men's Health's Deputy Editor, Commerce, Christian Gollayan oversees all shopping content on menshealth.com. He relocated back to New York by way of Portland, where he was the Associate Managing Editor at TheManual.com. Christian's work has also been featured in InStyle, Food & Wine, the New York Post, and Tatler Asia.

Brad is a contributing style commerce editor. After a decade working for menswear brands including J.Crew and Ralph Lauren, Brad switched from selling fashion to writing about it. His words have appeared in Huckberry, Heddels, and The Manual.

Ted Stafford is the Fashion Director of Men’s Health. He oversees all style and fashion content for the brand, and also styles their fashion stories. His active lifestyle informs his passion for translating great designs into real-life style, a favorite part of his job. Prior to joining Men’s Health he worked at GQ magazine and Calvin Klein

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