Model: BU0020-62A Eco-Drive with Moon Phase and Triple Calendar
Year: April 2020
Features:
Brand. In Japan, the Campanola collection is seen as one of Citizen’s answers to the Grand Seiko. As Seiko’s higher-end offerings continue to find their footing on the international stage, Citizen has lagged behind. While the two brands compete closely in Japan, Citizen has not yet fully established its luxury brands, like Campanola, in Europe and America. Perhaps acknowledging Grand Seiko’s dominance with its Spring Drive movements, Citizen has chosen to focus its efforts on other renowned aspects of Grand Seiko: handcrafted dials and impressive finishing.
Value. Compared to European brands, Seiko offers some remarkably luxurious pieces at affordable prices - urushi lacquer, vitreous enamel, arita porcelain and maki-e gold are just a few of the dials and finishing techniques found on Seiko watches priced under $1,000. As Seiko’s global reputation grows, these bargains are slowly starting to disappear. The Campanola brand is even further behind that curve and can be considered better value for money than many of Seiko’s “deep value” offerings, which in turn are better value for money than many European brands!
Dial. A jet-black, hand-lacquered six o’clock subdial, speckled with crushed mother-of-pearl, designed to resemble view of a universe from the window of a spaceship. Painstakingly, every piece of mother-of-pearl is chosen and placed on the dial by hand, giving each watch a unique look. The 12 o’clock subdial features a guilloché pattern that is said to represent the “brilliance of the sun.”
Layered. Campanolas are renowned for their use of layering, often opting for a distinctly three-dimensional look, as I’ve tried to demonstrate with the photos and video of this watch. As much as I love their cosmological dials and features, the thing that continues to draw me into Campanolas is their stacked approach to design.
Eco-Drive. Very few watches offer the same level of convenience and reliability as Citizen’s Eco-Drive. The six-month power reserve that can be charged from only 19 hours of sunlight. However, there has always been one downside - the dials must have a translucent surface to allow light to reach the solar capacitor beneath. As a result, the design possibilities for Eco-Drives have always been somewhat limited - until Citizen began experimenting with translucent bezels. As solar charging technology improved, the size of the capacitors shrank, meaning Eco-Drives only required the outer edge of the watch face for the charging element. This innovation led to the creation of Campanola Eco-Drives. These solar-charging bezels look completely normal - you wouldn’t even know they are translucent - but their presence means Eco-Drives can now boast much fancier designs.
Specifications:
Condition: In great overall, but with hairline marks on the bezel, visible at 12 o'clock on close inspection. The sides of the case have several hairline marks that are also not noticeable under normal conditions.
Scope: Comes with the full kit. Original boxes and papers.
Movement: 8730 Eco-Drive “Solar Quartz”
Dimensions:
- Case Width: 43.2mm
- Case Thickness: 14.1mm
