{"product_id":"vintage-watch-citizen-chrono-master-special","title":"Vintage Watch | Citizen Chrono Master Special","description":"\u003ch2 dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 128, 0);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVintage Citizen Chrono Master Special H005 2801-Y: Gold Phoenix, Close to NOS (Serviced)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eCitizen built the Chrono Master in 1967 as its answer to Grand Seiko and King Seiko: a high-grade Japanese dress watch with chronometer ambition, a gold crest on the case back, and finishing that still surprises people who only know Citizen from later quartz. This is not a standard Chrono Master. It is the Chrono Master Special, reference H005 2801-Y — the hand-wound, no-date grade reserved for watches that were regulated to a higher standard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat “Special” Actually Means\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eOn the Chrono Master ladder, the name on the dial is the grade. A regular Chrono Master is already a serious watch. “Special” marks the next step: a movement adjusted to chronometer-level performance. Above that sits the rare Superior Chronometer Special. This H005 2801-Y carries the Special designation and the gold phoenix on the dial — a crest Citizen reserved for its highest mechanical pieces, not the silver emblem used on ordinary Chrono Masters. Flip the watch and the same gold phoenix medallion sits in the case back. One gold bird on the dial, one on the back: that pairing is how you read a Special.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe 0930 Hand-Wound Heart\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eInside is Citizen Caliber 0930, the 1968 evolution of the hand-wound Chrono Master family. Twenty-two jewels, 18,000 bph, manual wind, time-only. No date wheel means a perfectly balanced dial and a simpler, more robust train. The 0930 added a fine adjuster on the balance that earlier 0920 pieces lacked — the tool that let Citizen claim Special-grade accuracy. It is the same philosophy Seiko used on King Seiko Superior and Grand Seiko: take a proven caliber and spend the extra hours on regulation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Smaller, Sharper Dress Watch\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe 2801-Y case is the compact Chrono Master Special silhouette: about 34 mm across, roughly 43 mm lug-to-lug, 18 mm lugs, around 10.5 mm thick. Faceted steel, a proud mineral crystal, and a cuff-friendly profile. The crsytal have no usage mark at all which is extremely rare for watches with 50 years of history. The silver sunburst dial stays clean because there is no calendar window to break the symmetry. Applied Citizen logo at 12, gold phoenix at 6, “Special” printed as the grade mark — that is the whole argument of the watch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClose-to-NOS Condition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eVintage Chrono Masters in this state are scarce. Most have worn medallions, tired dials, or softened case lines. This example is the best we have handled: close to NOS, original finishes still sharp, gold phoenix on dial and case back intact, sunburst still even. It is the kind of survivor that shows what Citizen was actually selling in the late 1960s, not what fifty years of wear usually leaves behind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecification\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaker:\u003c\/strong\u003e Citizen\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eModel:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eCitizen Chrono Master Special H005 2801-Y\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEra:\u003c\/strong\u003e Late 1960s (c. 1969)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCase Diameter:\u003c\/strong\u003e 35 mm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLug to Lug:\u003c\/strong\u003e approx. 43 mm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLug Width:\u003c\/strong\u003e 18 mm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCase:\u003c\/strong\u003e Stainless steel with gold phoenix medallion case back\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDial:\u003c\/strong\u003e Silver sunburst, applied Citizen logo, gold phoenix at 6, Special designation\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCrystal:\u003c\/strong\u003e Original mineral crystal, no scratch on the crystal at all\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMovement:\u003c\/strong\u003e Manual-wind Caliber 0930, 22 jewels, 18,000 bph, chronometer-grade Special adjustment. Justed serviced by our watch maker in Japan\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOverall Condition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Close to NOS — the strongest Chrono Master we have seen\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eA vintage Citizen Chrono Master Special is still one of the least crowded ways into Japan’s late-1960s precision race. This H005 2801-Y is the example you keep when you finally find one that looks like it left the factory yesterday.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Samurai Vintage Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51654572081398,"sku":null,"price":739.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0299\/7639\/5913\/files\/CitizenChronoMaster_72342.jpg?v=1789564790","url":"https:\/\/thesamuraivintage.com\/products\/vintage-watch-citizen-chrono-master-special","provider":"Samurai Vintage Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}