Thanks for the trek, Mike.
Hey! The Mike Trek.
You noted that Citizen bought Frederique Constant, Arnold & Son, etc to gain knowledge of mechanical watchmaking.
Like all older watch brands, Citizen already has heritage in mechanical watchmaking. In fact, they are possibly they largest Japanese supplier of mechanical movements to 3rd parties as the Miyota brand.
I have an old Miyota-powered watch from 1999 commemorating the Millennium Dome in London, UK. I can't recall where it is right now but I'll look for it. The dial is silver coloured with an overhead plan of the Dome printed.
It may be that Citizen is trying to regain their skills in "fine" mechanical watchmaking but purchasing Frederique Constant seems not the ideal execution of that plan!
Regards,
MTF