I’ll be honest, I’m not the guy memorizing Honda chassis codes or debating which generation of Prelude peaked. Cars, for me, are transportation and the occasional design crush. That said, I’ve always had a soft spot for 1980s tech aesthetics, especially when they spill over into watches. And the Citizen Ana-Digi Temp has always been pure 1980s tech.
This new Citizen x Honda Ana-Digi Temp “2026 New Prelude” Limited Edition is built on the same platform Citizen has been using since it reintroduced the Ana-Digi Temp in 2020. That means we’re still looking at the compact 32.5mm wide, 40.6mm long rectangular stainless steel case, only 8mm thick, paired to a single-row tapering bracelet. It runs on the Citizen Caliber 8989 quartz movement and offers 50 meters of water resistance. Mechanically, this isn’t a reinvention. It’s a cosmetic and thematic remix.
The Ana-Digi Temp (we reviewed a vintage example) has always been about layout and personality. The upper half of the dial carries two analog displays labeled A1 and A2. A1 is your straightforward hour and minute display. A2 is styled like a speedometer and shows running seconds in standard timekeeping mode, then shifts depending on the function selected. I don’t need to be a car enthusiast to appreciate how clean that visual reference is.
The lower half of the dial is where the Ana-Digi Temp earns its cult status. There’s the mode selector on the bottom left, cycling through time, date, alarm, dual time, and stopwatch. The calendar is perpetual and displays the day, which still feels like a charmingly overengineered feature for a watch that leans this hard into retro design. To the right, two stacked LCD displays handle everything from seconds to dual time to stopwatch, with the bottom screen showing temperature in Celsius. Yes, the thermometer is still here. That odd little speaker-like grille is the sensor, and for this edition it’s been given a honeycomb pattern inspired by the new Prelude’s front grille.
Branding is handled with relative restraint. Not like those dang Star Wars versions. The Honda “H” logo sits at 12 o’clock, and the wordmark appears on the lower right side of the dial. The solid caseback features the resurrected Prelude logo. It comes packaged in a red box with Prelude branding and an image of the new hybrid coupe, which feels more like a collector’s nod than a heavy-handed marketing push.
There are two versions: a stainless steel model with a white panda dial and blue accents, and a fully blacked-out variant with the same blue highlights. Both are limited to 200 pieces and both are exclusive to Japan.
At retail in Japan, the price sits at 45,000 yen, which converts to roughly $290. That’s in line with other themed Ana-Digi Temp releases in the U.S., like the Star Wars editions. So in its home market, this is still an accessible, design-forward quartz piece. The issue, as usual, is geography. Once you factor in resellers, import fees, and opportunistic markups, the value proposition gets murkier outside Japan.
Still, what I appreciate here isn’t the exclusivity or the automotive tie-in. It’s that Citizen continues to treat the Ana-Digi Temp as a design object with room for cultural crossovers. I don’t need to care deeply about the new Prelude to enjoy how the watch channels that 1980s dashboard energy. The design language already lives comfortably in that world. I’ll pass, but these still look awesome.
Co-Founder & Senior Editor
Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.