Another watch that has sparked much joy up for sale: Citizen Homer watches are beautifully designed watches that were issued to Japan National Railway workers in the 1960s and 1970s. They have a hacking movement and are engraved with the year of issue and the train line they were issued for. The national railway went through myriad changes and upheavals before finally being privatized, mostly morphing into different divisions of the Japan Rail behemoth that moves millions and millions of us every day all around the country. This means that Citizen Homer watches usually sport the names of bygone circuits of the old national system, making them a lot of fun to look up and find out where on the map the watch put in its service.

My watch was issued in 1968 (Shōwa Era 43) to the Tokyo Railway division, which was split up into northern, western, and southern divisions the following year and is currently JR East. The stamp on the back reads:

昭 43 (shō 43, abbreviation for Year 43 of the Shōwa Era)
腕 270 (ude 270, “arm 270,” presumably the 270th udedokei [wristwatch] issued that year)
東鉄 (tōtetsu, abbreviation for 東京鉄道管理局, tōkyō tetsudō kanrikyoku, Tokyo Railway Management Bureau)

I believe Homer watches were issued to station employees and technicians rather than engineers. Train drivers, even today, tend to carry massive pocketwatches that slot into a burnished wooden holder on the control panel. The name “Homer” seems to be a Japanese coinage based on hōmu, “[station] platform” + the English “-er” which is broadly applied to English loanwords like hōmu regardless of whether they make sense in English (e.g., a guy who drinks a lot is dorankā, a “drunker”). So, the model name seems to evoke the watch’s intended use by “platformists” rather than train personnel. This is purely armchair speculation; I haven’t researched these watches as much as I’d like.

My particular watch runs well but has probably never seen a service. The 36mm case is nice and sharp with abundant evidence of loving use and a small area of pitting on one side that I never noticed until I took these photos. The crystal is scratched but, again, in a way I don’t see unless I photograph it. The numbers and script on the dial are crisp and executed better than many examples I see for sale at exorbitant prices.

The bottom line here is that you get a lot of watch for your money with these Citizen Homers. My price for this one is $259, including shipping and insurance from Japan. Please check the photos carefully; no returns unless grossly misrepresented.

My feedback from this forum and Yahoo! Japan Auctions is below. Please your consideration.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/krogerfoot-is-a-wonderful-seller.162509/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/excellent-purchase-from-krogerfoot.151603/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/great-seller-krogerfoot.152343/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/krogerfoot-is-a-great-seller.149917/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/krogerfoot-is-a-standup-guy.157198/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/great-transaction-with-krogerfoot.145970/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/welldeservedrest-is-an-excellent-buyer.144761/#post-1974479
https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/show/rating?userID=grace_5330