Citizen Multi Alarm 40-1013

I thought I'd go back to the vintage watches again today with a 1970s LCD model.

This watch is the Multi Alarm by Citizen. The model was released in 1978 and this particular watch was manufactured in 1977. Most of the models at the time were branded under the Crystron name, but this model doesn't have that marking (just having a small CQ - Citizen Quartz mark below the LCD).

Inside is a 9100 module (calibre) which was one of the last modules from Citizen which used a ceramic printed circuit board (PCB). It was the second module from Citizen watches with an alarm (after the 9021), but the watch was superceded by the Multi Alarm II (quite quickly if what I've read is correct).

It has a chunky stainless steel case with a rectangular LCD panel in the middle. Most of the buttons are arranged on the right side of the watch, with only the mode button in the left. The back is a screw-on design which also has small holes for the alarm sound to escape (-a feature normally only seen on the vintage alarm watches). The strap is also stainless steel, and this example only has the Citizen stamp on the back of the clip, either shunning the common CQ mark, or having had some replacement parts.

The LCD is split into sections by the insert behind the glass. The top shows the time with 5 1/2 digits plus an am/pm marker. The bottom part is coloured green and has several small windows for the different mode indicators. The modes covered are for the two alarms, chime, timer, and stopwatch (which counts whole seconds only).

The model number is 40-1013, and the other identifying number is 4-096614.