Citizen 49-9315 Calculator

Citizen's first calculator watch

Description:

The pace of digital technology advancements in the 1970s was truly astounding. From the very digital wristwatch in 1972 which displayed only the time, it was just 5 years until multi-function digital calculator watches were released. Released in 1977, model 9315 was Citizen's very first calculator watch. To this day, it remains one of the most unique and stylish calculator watches (if such a thing can be said to exist).

The Seiko C153 has an 8 digit calculator display which is located below the main time display. The time display and the calculator display function completely separately and independently. To enter calculator mode, press the "SW" button on the top let side. The calculator features addition, subtraction, multiplication and division using floating point arithmetic along with a square root function and memory recall. It also contains a light, though it's not very bright.

The Citizen calculator watch is one of the few calculator watches with a round face and buttons arranged around the perimeter. The only other watch that used this arrangement was the ultra rare and expensive Uranus LED caluclator watch.

Calculator watches were the hot new item for a short period in history from early 1976 to about 1978. The very first calculator watch was the Pulsar model 901, which was released right before Christmas 1975 for the astounding price of $3950. It had an 18 kt gold case and it was rumoured that President Ford wanted one but that Betty vetoed the idea. A year later, Pulsar introduced a more affordable stainless steel version for "only" $550. A few other models were released around the same time:

• Hewlett-Packard's HP-01 scientific calculator watch
• Hughes' chunky calculator watch which was later used as a prop in the TV series "Battlestar Galactica"
• Citizen's round calculator watch with buttons around the perimeter of the watch face
• Uranus' super rare calculator watch, of which almost none are still working today.

In addition to the 9315 Calculator, Citizen also made a scientific model with the buttons arranged around the perimeter, but this was an extremely rare (and expensive) watch.

The 9315 Calculator watch was, in many ways, Citizen's best calculator watch and remains an excellent watch by today's standards. It has a very readable display, easy to press buttons, and a stylish design.

Condition:

Case: Excellent.
The case is in excellent condition with a mirror bright finish on the bezel, nice original brushing around the buttons, and a nice even, shiny bevel around the perimeter of the bezel. The case back is almost perfect with the original brushing. The only obvious flaw is noticeable wear marks on the rear battery hatch from changing the batteries.

Face / Hands: Excellent.
The face is in excellent condition. All of the markings around the bezel are clear and perfect.

Crystal: Very good.
The crystal has a few small scratches which can be seen in bright light but are small enough that they are difficult to photograph.

Band / Bracelet: Excellent.
This watch has the original Citizen bracelet and signed clasp. It contains all of its original links and will fit an 8" wrist.

Function / Accuracy: Good.
Keeps perfect quartz quality time. The calculator and all of the buttons function correctly. However, the seconds display does not display quite correctly. The first digit of the seconds display is missing a segment whenever the seconds display starts with a "1", a "4" or a "5" as shown in the photographs above.