A reissue I like more than I expected
By Kenji Watanabe, Osaka ยท
I have a soft spot for the original Citizen Fugu, the chunky diver that collectors nicknamed after the pufferfish. The NY0098 brings it back without too much modern interference, and I mean that as praise.
It is a 42 mm steel case at 13.5 mm, with 200 m water resistance, day and date, and Citizen's in-house 8204 automatic. The 8204 is a workhorse. 42 hours of reserve is enough to survive a Saturday on the nightstand but not a whole weekend, and it hacks and hand-winds, which was not always true of Citizen's cheaper calibers.
What I like: the bezel grip, the proportions on the wrist, the fact that it looks like a tool and not a fashion piece. What I dislike: the mineral crystal on a watch costing up to 495 dollars, and a bracelet that rattles more than a Seiko Turtle's.
Compared with the Turtle, the Fugu feels a little lighter in spirit and slimmer in the case, though the Turtle has more character. I would buy the Fugu if I wanted a 1980s diver that most people at the office would not recognise.