The NB6092-01E, a limited edition of Citizen's 880 GMT, has a Damascus steel mid-case and a forged carbon dial, with the same traveller's GMT calibre as the other versions.
Citizen launched the Series 8, a collection of mechanical watches, in 2021 and added the 880 GMT in 2023, with a 41 mm case, an integrated H-link bracelet and the automatic calibre 9054, made by Miyota, the movement company within the Citizen group. The brand has since released several limited editions of the model on the same case and movement. The latest is the NB6092-01E, which reached stores in October with a gold-tone plated case and a black leather strap, in a run of 1,300 pieces.
Citizen's official Canadian site sells it for CAD 2,495. For the United States, Monochrome published a price of USD 2,200.
Technical Specs
| Reference | NB6092-01E |
| Case | Gold-tone plated stainless steel with Damascus steel mid-case; 41 mm diameter, 13.5 mm thick |
| Bezel | Bidirectional rotating, 24-hour scale in black and brown |
| Crystal and back | Sapphire with anti-reflective coating; see-through caseback |
| Water resistance | 100 m (10 bar) |
| Dial | Forged carbon, applied indices and gold-tone hands; luminous indices and hands |
| Caliber | Citizen 9054, automatic; 24 jewels, 28,800 vph (4 Hz), 50-hour power reserve, accuracy -10/+20 seconds per day; magnetic resistance to 16,000 A/m |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, hacking seconds; traveller's GMT with independently set hour hand and 24-hour hand; date at 3 o'clock |
| Strap | Black leather, gold-tone folding clasp |
| Price and production | USD 2,200 (announced price); CAD 2,495; 1,300 pieces |
Two forged materials
Modern Damascus steel is forged from several layers of stainless steel bonded together, which leave a wave pattern on the surface. According to Citizen, that pattern changes from one watch to the next. The forged carbon dial does not repeat its pattern either: it is made from short carbon fibres mixed at random and pressed, which gives a light, strong material with an irregular grain. Against the black dial, the gold-tone indices and hands match the colour of the case.
The calibre 9054
Every version of the 880 GMT uses the calibre 9054, a traveller's GMT. On arrival in a new time zone, the hour hand moves forwards or backwards in one-hour steps with the crown, without touching the minute hand and with the watch still running, while the 24-hour hand keeps home time; the rotating bezel can track a third zone. For frequent travellers this is the most practical kind of GMT, and not every Japanese watch at a similar price has it: the Prospex Alpinist GMT HBC007, which Seiko has just released outside Japan at USD 1,150, has an office GMT, in which the independently adjustable hand is the 24-hour hand.
Against the other 880 GMT versions
In the United States, the steel 880 GMT with a blue dial (NB6030-59L), from the regular collection, costs USD 1,525; the limited two-tone edition in rose and yellow gold tones (NB6032-53P), USD 1,795; and the blue mother-of-pearl version (NB6036-52N), USD 2,045. Like the NB6092-01E, all three have the 41 mm case, the calibre 9054 and 100 metres of water resistance, and they differ in materials, colours and production numbers.
The NB6092-01E is the only one of the four sold on a leather strap, without the integrated H-link bracelet that tapers away from the case. That bracelet is one of the features that define the 880 GMT's design, and in an edition that costs more than the others, its absence is the main objection.
In Canada there is no price difference between the NB6032-53P and the NB6092-01E: Citizen's site sells both for CAD 2,495, while in the United States they are USD 405 apart.
Other traveller's GMTs for less
The most direct alternative is in the same family. For USD 1,525, the NB6030-59L has the same calibre, the same 41 mm case and the integrated bracelet, with a textured blue dial, and belongs to the permanent collection.
Beyond Citizen, the Traska Venturer GMT, which ORELO reviewed in August, is listed at USD 950 on the American brand's website, where it was sold out in early November. It uses the Miyota 9075, another traveller's GMT calibre from the Citizen group, with a steel case, a domed sapphire crystal, 150 metres of water resistance and a fully articulated link bracelet.
Prices and availability in Mexico and Spain
Citizen sells the Series 8 in Mexico through its online store, where the 880 GMT NB6034-58L, in steel with a navy dial, is priced at MXN 38,445 and listed as sold out; El Palacio de Hierro, the Mexican department store, sells an 880 GMT at the same price. The NB6092-01E was not in the brand's Mexican catalogue in early November. Citizen's European site lists it among its limited editions without a published price, and buyers in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina or Spain can ask the brand about purchase options.
Its place in the 880 GMT series
Compared with the USD 1,525 steel version, the NB6092-01E keeps the same traveller's GMT and costs USD 675 more in the United States. For those who mainly want a practical travel GMT, the regular version offers the same calibre along with the integrated bracelet that defines the 880.
For collectors drawn to materials, the edition has an appeal that has nothing to do with the calibre: the Damascus steel mid-case and the forged carbon dial mean that no two NB6092-01E watches are alike.
