Citizen rarity "The Memory of Reversion – Okinawa 1972" - 920 silver commemorative watch for the return of Okinawa to Japan (Ref. 6700-673310 YO) - February 1972

This exceptional Citizen hand-wound watch is far more than just a vintage timepiece: it is a historical artifact made of .920 silver, bearing direct witness to one of the most significant events in post-war Japanese history – the reversion of Okinawa to Japan on May 15, 1972. An example of this reference is pictured and described in the standard Japanese collector's work "国産時計博物館 / Museum of Japanese-made Watches" (edited by Masaaki Hasegawa, World Photo Press, July 1994, Volume 27 of the renowned "Sekai no Udedokei / Wristwatches of the World" mook series) – clear evidence of the independent collector's value of this model in Japanese watch literature. The example documented in the book comes from the well-known "Antique Bunmeido" (アンティーク文明洞所蔵) collection.

For historical context: After World War II, Okinawa – the former Ryūkyū Kingdom – was under direct US administration for 27 years from 1945, while mainland Japan had regained full sovereignty in 1952 with the Treaty of San Francisco. Only the "Okinawa Reversion Agreement", signed simultaneously in Washington, D.C. and Tokyo on June 17, 1971 (by US Secretary of State William P. Rogers for President Richard Nixon and Foreign Minister Kiichi Aichi for Prime Minister Eisaku Satō) and ratified by the Japanese Parliament on November 24, 1971, ended this special situation. Effective May 15, 1972, sovereignty over the Ryūkyū Islands and Daitō Islands reverted to Japan. For the Japanese nation, this was a moment of comparable symbolic power to the reunification of Germany for Europe – and Citizen, along with Seiko, Japan's most important watch manufacturer, honored the event with an elaborately designed commemorative watch made of .920 silver in a strictly limited edition.

The iconographic centerpiece of the dial is the Shureimon (守礼門) depicted in embossed silver relief – the famous gate to Shuri Castle (Shuri-jō) in Naha, the historic residence of the kings of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. First built between 1527 and 1555 under King Shō Sei, completely destroyed in World War II in April 1945, and reconstructed in 1958, the Shureimon remains the most important landmark of independent Okinawan culture and has even been depicted on the front of the Japanese 2,000-yen banknote since 2000. The carved inscription above the archway "守礼之邦" ("Shurei no kuni" – "Land of Propriety / Courtesy") has always been the island kingdom's self-perception. The dial features the inscription "THE MEMORY OF REVERSION ★ OKINAWA" in the upper arc and the year "1972" in the lower section; round dot indexes mark the hour positions, slender black-lacquered stick hands indicate the time – a seconds hand was deliberately omitted so as not to visually disturb the relief scene. According to the aforementioned collector's standard work, two variants of this model exist: the embossed silver variant presented here and a significantly more common white variant with pure text design. The silver relief variant is visually more impressive and considerably more sought after by collectors.

The case is made entirely of .920 silver, a common standard in Japanese precious metal norming of the 1960s and 1970s, offering very good workability with a robust precious metal character. The oval, cushion-shaped case contour (31.2 × 33.1 mm) is noteworthy – the Japanese collector's standard work explicitly highlights that the oval-case version of this reference is "a rarity" ("珍品" / chinpin). With a mere 8 mm height, the watch is exceptionally flat, making it still eminently wearable today – even under a shirt cuff. The case back features the typical engravings: the Citizen logo, the star stamp, and the inscriptions "920 SILVER", "CITIZEN", "6700-673310 YO", and the serial number 202xxxxx.

Inside, the Citizen Caliber 6700 operates – a hand-wound mechanical movement that Citizen frequently used for commemorative and special models at the time, as it was considered very robust and durable despite its compact design. In fact, the 6700 family was originally a very small movement size ("Type 6") developed for ladies' watches – a choice Citizen deliberately made to enable the slim case height and elegant proportioning. This "crossover" use of a technically sophisticated ladies' caliber in a unisex-sized commemorative watch gives the construction its characteristic flatness and fine running.

A brief brand history: Citizen was founded in 1918 in Tokyo as "Shōkōsha Watch Research Institute" by Kamekichi Yamazaki. The company was given its now world-famous name "Citizen" in 1924 by the then-mayor of Tokyo, Gotō Shinpei – coupled with the explicit wish that "this watch be loved by all citizens." With this civil-egalitarian self-definition, Citizen has always competed as an equal to Seiko and significantly shaped Japanese industry – especially during the heyday of mechanical watchmaking in the 1960s and 1970s. The company always understood commemorative models like the Okinawa commemorative watch presented here as part of its cultural contribution to Japanese identity.

Condition: The example presented here shows authentic traces of patina appropriate to its age and precious metal character on the case and bezel – this is to be expected with .920 silver, which is naturally soft and susceptible to oxidation, after over five decades, and is by no means a defect, but an authentic testament to the piece's lived history. The relief engraving of the Shureimon is clear, even, and completely preserved; all inscriptions are sharply legible; the hands are original; the crown functions perfectly. The mechanical 6700 movement is running. The watch wears a like-new, high-quality gray-olive-green premium leather strap from the European manufacturer Pebro (strap width 18 mm) – the original leather strap is no longer present. The originally supplied .920 silver clasp is also no longer present; the current strap features a simple stainless steel pin buckle.

Overall, an impressive, historically significant, and in this relief dial configuration, extremely rare collector's item – ideal for lovers of Japanese history, collectors of commemorative editions, or as a deliberately chosen "statement piece" with narrative depth.

Warranty (used)

This is a used item. The statute of limitations for claims for defects (statutory warranty) is 12 months from delivery.

Note

As this is a used watch, no water resistance can be guaranteed. To protect the movement, the watch should not come into contact with water or moisture.

Technical Data

• Brand: Citizen
• Model: The Memory of Reversion – Okinawa 1972 (Commemorative Edition)
• Occasion: Reversion of Okinawa to Japan on May 15, 1972
• Reference: 6700-673310 YO
• Serial Number: 202xxxxx
• Year of Production: February 1972 (limited special edition)
• Market Availability: exclusively Japanese domestic market (JDM); practically unavailable on the European market
• Variant: Embossed silver dial variant with Shureimon engraving (rarer and more sought after than the white text variant)
• Literature Documentation: Model depicted in the standard collector's work "国産時計博物館 / Museum of Japanese-made Watches" (ed. Masaaki Hasegawa, World Photo Press, July 1994, Volume 27 of the "Sekai no Udedokei" Mook series)
• Caliber: Citizen 6700 (Type 6)
• Movement Type: Hand-wound, mechanical
• Functions: Hours, minutes (deliberately no seconds hand to avoid obscuring the relief)
• Case Material: .920 silver (confirmed by case back stamp)
• Case Shape: Oval/cushion-shaped (highlighted as "珍品" / "rarity" by the Japanese collector's standard work)
• Case Dimensions: 31.2 × 33.1 mm (without crown)
• Lug-to-Lug: 37.7 mm
• Height: 8.0 mm (very flat)
• Lug Width: 18 mm
• Weight (with current leather strap): 29 g
• Crystal: Flat acrylic crystal (Hesalite)
• Dial: .920 silver with embossed relief of the Shureimon Gate ("Land of Propriety"), inscriptions "THE MEMORY OF REVERSION ★ OKINAWA" and "1972"; round dot indexes
• Hands: Slender, black-lacquered stick hour and minute hands
• Crown: Fluted original crown at 3 o'clock
• Water Resistance: No guarantee (Vintage; see note above)
• Strap: Like-new gray-olive-green premium leather strap from the manufacturer Pebro (strap width 18 mm; RRP € 50)
• Clasp: Simple stainless steel pin buckle
• Condition: Vintage original condition with age-appropriate silver patina, relief and inscriptions fully preserved, movement running