These Upcoming, Exclusive Citizen Watches Have Delicate Paper Dials

To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Japanese watchmakers Citizen are rolling out two new limited-edition additions to their Iconic Nature Collection. Created with delicate Tosa Washi paper on the dial to help evoke the fleeting moments of beauty found in the natural world, the watches celebrate both time and our transient relationship to it.

As the more persnickety may have noted in the introductory paragraph, one typically should avoid using both “it” and “their” to discuss the same entity, and Citizen, being non-human, does fall into the “it” category. However, the ephemerality of mother nature itself and “it” being non-human, yet us being very much part of nature and made of “it” leads us to wonder what really is proper usage and it’s this relationship between beauty, breathing, and time that Citizen so intimately explores with its/their two new limited editions, the AQ4106-00A and the AQ4100-22L (which possess names about as natural as an Elon Musk and Grimes’ child).

Both watches also explore the concept of “okashi” and speak to the spirit of Japanese aesthetics, which appears throughout classical Japanese literature and is used to describe fleeting moments of beauty and joy in everyday life and can be inspired by many things, including beautiful landscapes and the changing seasons. Both watches’ washi paper dials sit at the center of this idea as they relate to concepts of “nijimi” (allowing ink to bleed into paper) and “kasure” (light, dry brush-strokes) as they reflect the natural artistic effects of ink on paper.

The AQ4106-00A model, with its soft pinks and luminous whites, is inspired by images of the early morning in spring, and has long fibers that create unique swirling patterns that are meant to evoke fluffy white clouds found near the break of dawn. The AQ4100-22L, meanwhile, imagines a summer night as it looks to showcase the beauty of the moonlight reflected on the surface of a river.

Both models are equipped with an Eco-Drive movement with annual accuracy of ±5 seconds and the cases are made of lightweight, scratch resistant Super Titanium. The straps are made from crocodile leather.

The pink and white “spring” version is priced at $3,000, while the navy “summer” edition costs $2,900 and are limited to 400 pieces. For more information, head over to the brand’s official website.

Related: Best Movado Watches of 2025 That Are Modern and Minimalist