Skip to content
Dial&Lug
A steel bracelet and case photographed close up

Is the Tsuyosa worth it?

Is the Citizen Tsuyosa worth it?

The Tsuyosa put sapphire and an in-house automatic on an integrated bracelet at a price that surprised everybody. The question is whether you can live with the bracelet.

By Sawyer V. · Published

The short answer

Yes, if you are happy to keep the bracelet it comes on: sapphire, an in-house hacking 8210 and Citizen's five-year warranty in our under-$500 tier. The catch is structural — Citizen lists a 9.1mm lug width, so no standard strap fits — plus 42 hours of reserve and 50m. The Tissot PRX is the step up.

The Tsuyosa's case is simple to state: sapphire and a named in-house automatic, with five years of warranty, in our under-$500 tier. No other automatic on this site offers all three.

The case against it is the bracelet. Citizen lists a 9.1mm lug width, which means the integrated bracelet is the watch: when it wears, no strap shop can help. Add 42 hours and 50m, and it is a watch to buy knowing exactly what you are accepting.

On prices: we publish no figure we have not verified today, so every buy button reads "Check price on Amazon". Service prices quoted here are the manufacturers' own published figures.

How we picked

We have not worn these watches. What follows is what we checked instead, on documents you can open yourself — the same criteria, in the same order, on every roundup on this site. The full method is on the methodology page.

  1. 01Crystal

    Sapphire.

  2. 02Movement

    Citizen 8210: in-house, hacking, 42 hours.

  3. 03Warranty

    Five years — the longest on any automatic on this site.

  4. 04Water resistance

    50m.

  5. 05The bracelet

    A 9.1mm lug width: the bracelet is the watch.

Disclosure · Some links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not decide what goes on this page or in what order — here is exactly how that works.

Quick picks

Ranked on the Keep Score below — six published specifications, weighted identically on every page. The last row is the one we would not buy.

#WatchBest forKeep ScorePrice
1

Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B

Sapphire, 200m, in-house automatic, 22mm lugs.

If you want sapphire and a standard strap9.0/10
Check price
2

Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 40mm T137.407.11.041.00

80 hours, 100m, 10.93mm, $210 service.

The step up8.0/10
Check price
3

Citizen Garrison BM8560-53E

Sapphire, Super Titanium, solar, 22mm lugs.

If you want Citizen on a strap7.9/10
Check price
4

Citizen Tsuyosa NJ0150-56E

In-house 8210, sapphire, five years.

Worth it — if you keep the bracelet7.7/10
Check price
—

Citizen Corso AW1236-03A

A slim dress watch rated splash resistant.

Skip this one

Not the Citizen dress alternative4.9/10
Check price

Keep Score is arithmetic, not opinion — six published specifications, weighted the same way on every page. The formula is on our methodology page, so you can re-run it yourself.

01

Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B

Best for: If you want sapphire and a standard strap

9.0/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.5/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

Sapphire and an in-house hacking automatic at the same tier, with 200m, a standard 22mm lug width and three years of warranty.

A diver rather than an integrated-bracelet dress watch.

On paper this is the best value in the category and it is not close: sapphire and a hacking, hand-windable in-house caliber at a price where Seiko still fits Hardlex. Orient's three-year warranty is longer than Hamilton's or Tissot's.

Manufacturer specifications for the Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B
MovementOrient F6922 in-house automatic, hand-winding, hacking
Power reserve40 hours
Case41.8mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug46.8mm
Thickness12.8mm
Lug width22mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance200m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Orient Watch USA product page, RA-AA0004E39B.

02

Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 40mm T137.407.11.041.00

Best for: The step up

8.0/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.1/1.5
Warranty
0.7/1.5
Strap standard
0.2/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
1/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

The watch the Tsuyosa is usually compared with: 80 hours, 100m, sapphire and a published $210 service, one tier up.

Its 12mm bracelet fitting has the same limitation. [PRX vs Tsuyosa](/styles/dress-watches/tissot-prx-vs-citizen-tsuyosa) compares them in full.

Tissot publishes a US complete-service price of $210 for a mechanical two-or-three-hand watch, which makes this the most predictable Swiss automatic here to own. The 12mm lug width is not a strap size — the bracelet is part of the case.

Manufacturer specifications for the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 40mm T137.407.11.041.00
MovementSwiss automatic, Powermatic 80
Power reserve80 hours
Case40mm 316l stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
Thickness10.93mm
Lug width12mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance100m
Warranty2 years

Specifications read from Tissot product page, T137.407.11.041.00.

03

Citizen Garrison BM8560-53E

Best for: If you want Citizen on a strap

7.9/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
1.4/2.5
Water resistance
1.1/1.5
Warranty
1.5/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

Citizen's sapphire and five-year warranty in a Super Titanium field watch on a standard 22mm lug width, powered by light.

42mm, and Citizen does not publish the thickness.

Sapphire is the upgrade the 37mm Chandler never got, on a Super Titanium case with Citizen's five years of cover. Citizen publishes neither the thickness nor the lug-to-lug, so try it on before you commit to 42mm.

Manufacturer specifications for the Citizen Garrison BM8560-53E
MovementCitizen E101 Eco-Drive, light-powered
Power reserveNot published
Case42mm super titanium
Lug-to-lugNot published
ThicknessNot published
Lug width22mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance100m
Warranty5 years

Citizen's five-year limited warranty excludes the power cell, case, bracelet and strap.

Specifications read from Citizen Watch product page, BM8560-53E.

04

Citizen Tsuyosa NJ0150-56E

Best for: Worth it — if you keep the bracelet

7.7/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
0.6/1.5
Warranty
1.5/1.5
Strap standard
0.2/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

Sapphire, a named in-house 8210 that hacks, and five years of warranty — no other automatic on this site offers all three.

42 hours, 50m and a 9.1mm lug width: the bracelet is the watch.

Sapphire and an in-house automatic for the money is genuinely rare. The catch is structural: Citizen lists the lug width as 9.1mm, which means the bracelet is the watch. When it wears out, no strap shop can help you.

Manufacturer specifications for the Citizen Tsuyosa NJ0150-56E
MovementCitizen 8210 automatic, hacking, 42-hour power reserve
Power reserve42 hours
Case40mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
ThicknessNot published
Lug width9.1mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance50m
Warranty5 years

Citizen's five-year limited warranty excludes the power cell, case, bracelet and strap.

Specifications read from Citizen Watch product page, NJ0150-56E.

Skip this one

Citizen Corso AW1236-03A

Best for: Not the Citizen dress alternative

4.9/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1/2.5
Serviceability
1.4/2.5
Water resistance
0/1.5
Warranty
1.5/1.5
Strap standard
0.6/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

The Corso is the other slim Citizen people look at beside the Tsuyosa, with light power and five years of warranty.

Citizen publishes no meter rating for it — its own page reads "Splash Resistant" — and it has a mineral crystal. The Tsuyosa's sapphire and 50m are the better trade.

Citizen publishes no meter rating for this one — the field on its own product page reads “Splash Resistant”. For a watch you intend to keep and wear daily, that is a hard stop, not a footnote.

Manufacturer specifications for the Citizen Corso AW1236-03A
MovementCitizen J810 Eco-Drive, light-powered
Power reserveNot published
Case40mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
ThicknessNot published
Lug width21mm
Crystalmineral
Water resistanceSplash resistant only — no meter rating published
Warranty5 years

Citizen lists this model's water resistance as splash resistant, with no meter rating.

Specifications read from Citizen Watch product page, AW1236-03A.

Who should buy something else

  • If you want to change straps: the Kamasu, or the Citizen Garrison.
  • If you want a longer reserve and 100m: the Tissot PRX.
  • If you want a published service price: the PRX, at $210 — Citizen publishes none.

Every Citizen on this site is on Citizen, and the Tsuyosa's place among good-looking value watches on cheap watches that look expensive.

Questions people actually ask

Is the Citizen Tsuyosa worth it?

Yes, if you will keep the bracelet: sapphire, an in-house hacking automatic and five years of warranty. It has 42 hours of reserve, 50m and a 9.1mm lug width.

Can you put a strap on a Citizen Tsuyosa?

Not a standard one. Citizen lists a 9.1mm lug width; the integrated bracelet is the watch.

Does the Tsuyosa hack?

Yes. Citizen states hacking for the 8210.

Tsuyosa or Tissot PRX?

The PRX for 80 hours, 100m and a published service price; the Tsuyosa for five years of warranty, one tier down.

Sources

Every specification and figure on this page came from one of these documents. Where a manufacturer does not publish something, the page says so rather than filling the gap.

Read next

A steel bracelet and case photographed close up

Tissot PRX vs Citizen Tsuyosa

Tissot's integrated-bracelet automatic against Citizen's, specification by specification.

A diver's wristwatch resting on a wet dark surface

Citizen

Five-year warranty, Eco-Drive economics, and five Citizen watches ranked.

An inexpensive wristwatch resting on a concrete surface

Best cheap watches that look expensive

Four inexpensive watches that read as expensive, and why most of the category does not.