3 weeks after I uploaded this review, I dropped it on a wooden floor by accident from about belly height but it fell precisely flat on its face making an ear piercing crack sound though the glass was fine. The fall knocked the day dial off its gear. Sent it in for repairs for about 30 dollars US and they also adjusted the second hand. It's still off by a hair but better than before. Keep in mind, I've dropped my watch at least half a dozen times on my ceramic tiled bathroom floor without any problems except slightly denting the steel bezel in a few places. It just fell so perfectly flat on its face when I dropped it on the wooden floor. I've also added a Casio Protrek PRW 2500 to my collection since Nov of 2019.
Tell me, have you changed the battery, or do you know how much it is now? do you charge chs every day? My watch has been with me since 2013, and every day when I'm not wearing it, I put it on the window in the sunlight.
I have the same watch, exactly the same model since 2006, no problems, works perfectly, very simple, elegant, very comfortable to use , you can always say what time it is, even in the night, I was diving with them - no problem, I was in the desert, in snow with them, perfect watch and very accurate, I could only recommend them :)
I've had this watch for 10 years as well. I've gotten a couple smart watches and have continued to lay them down for this one. Swim, work, shower, sleep . You name it it's been with me. I paid maybe $90 for it than and money well spent.
I just bought one on amazon for $117, may 2022. It looks great and im tired of putting batteries in my digital pulsar every 3 yrs. Well 2 yrs if i leave the screen on. Ty. Great review
I've had one of these 14 years now (2006) with plenty of use. They are very very very reliable. Keeps about 1 sec per week still. Have dropped mine several times and didn't have the date problem. I have about 30 watches and this ranks in my top 3. Recommend the nato but use the single pass method - much more comfy and snags less under sleeves, which is important when biking etc.
I just bought this watch used to replace a new, very similar looking Seiko that was losing about one minute per day. Looking forward to a nice looking watch that can actually keep time. Thanks for the thoroughness, much appreciated!
I have two of this model, I think it is really practical and good looking. You don't need to throw it away when it can't be charged with light anymore. Just fit a new capacitor (there is no battery) and stick it on a sunny window sill for a day or so to charge the capacitor and good to go for another 15 years or so!
@Moon Shine It's just like changing a battery, the capacitor looks just the same. Remove the back cover, identify the capacitor and order a new one. I used 'The Small Battery Company'. Make sure you get the right one, as sometimes it is tricky to identify. Talk to the supplier. Once changed the capacitor needs to charge up with light as it is supplied with no charge. Hope this helps!
The key with these solar power watches is to never let them run all the way down. Do not store them in a dark place. They will charge from normal room lighting, and charge faster in full sunlight. If you keep the capacitor maintained in this way, it will last from 10-20 years. The only downside is that these capacitors are difficult to source.
@@ivermec-tin666 I got mine from 'The Small Battery Company' in the UK. You have to be very careful to get the right capacitor! I would talk to the online shop first!
Probably a bit late to the party but I thought I'd add my 2 cents. So, I aquired a similar Citizen watch to this a few years back (maybe 5?) on an airline promotion when I was on my way home from vacation. It was listed as a special offer at £90 (I'm from the UK). The airline also offered an additional 20% off so I bought one. In any case it turned out to be a wise move since the watch I have regularly retails for £130~£170. Not bad. Mine is a PVD coated field watch BM8476-23EE. I just love the simplicity of the design. Looks great on a NATO too!
Great review. Definitely a nice field watch. I think Eco-Drive is amazing. I have another Citizen model, with perpetual calendar and Eco-Drive. It's also radio controlled, so in theory I will never have to adjust the time, date or replace the battery as long as I own this watch.
I’ve had mine for several years and wear it every day except when I’m wearing my other eco drive. I went with the two piece NATO style band and find it very comfortable. The only thing I don’t like about the watch is the crystal scratches fairly easily, but in this price bracket it’s as good as you can expect. I wear an old Casio when I expect very hard use. Otherwise these are great watches and I recommend them. Nice job on the vid.
@@BlueGearReviews I've dropped it several times by accident from about belly height onto a ceramic tiled floor without it breaking. I did however manage to dislodge the day dial when I dropped it flat on the face which required me to take it in for repairs. Funny enough, that time it was on a relatively soft wooden floor and it happened within a couple weeks after posting this review. But that was a very unusual case. It fell so perfectly flat on the face that it made an ear piercing crack sound when it hit floor although the glass was perfectly intact. In short, yes, it should survive an accidental drop with the caveat that it doesn't fall perfectly flat on the face which should be a rare occurence.
I upgraded my Citizen like yours to a sapphire crystal and brushed my bezel. Now I am totally happy with mine. My seconds hand isn't perfect either, but it's close.
Wow. I had this watch in a box in a closet for about 7 years. I forgot I had it. Hopefully it is still in good condition. We will see. Been a long time since you made a video. This is perfect for me. 👍🏻
Awesome review! Thanks for sharing your experience with this watch. I am thinking about to buy this watch, so it was very helpful. I like it, but I my ideal watch they must be little bigger, 40-42mm, and with more simpler and straight minute and hour hands.
Great review, Mr2. I have a different Eco Drive, which keeps rock steady time. Might see if your model is still available. Also, I love the knuckle aide-memoire for months of the year. Thanks for that too!
Useful commentary around battery life on solar watches. Good review. I have this watch. I immediately changed the strap for a NATO strap. I have never had to bother with washing the bands much, but then I have several different striped NATO straps anyway. I would also prefer solid hands but the existing hands are sound, unlike some G Shock skeleton hands which can be very difficult to read at times. I would not bother with a Seiko5. You will have the hassle of maintenance and dubious accuracy.
I second that. Was wearing my seiko snzg with -10sec/day for months then out of nowhere it started gaining 1 hour a day! I didn't know there were solar powered watches out there when i bought it, otherwise i would have chosen it over the Seiko.
@@MateusViccari You need to demagnetise your Seiko. You probably were somewhere near strong magnetic field which magnetised your watch, or its balance wheel spring, to be precise. When magnetised, its coils stick to each other which causes this wheel run faster as its motions are shorter. Any watch repairer can do it for you, although I'd suggest you buy a demagnetiser, I paid £10 for mine and used it a fair few times on my mechanical watches which are my favourite. You can't keep on spending your money on watchmakers doing something so simple that you can do yourself. Just watch a few instructional videos on RU-vid on how to use your demagnetiser, and you're set.
@@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040 thanks for the advice. I sent it to a watchmaker and now it's running almost like a quartz watch. It has been more than a month since the last adjustment. But I'll be definitely getting a demagnetizer if this ever happens again.
i have been wearing that exact model for about 10 years with a black nylon band. actually i am on my second one as the first one needs a new battery. mine is more accurate than 15 seconds/month. i wear it swimming, washing up and no worries. the only problem is setting the day/date is quite fiddley.
I knew I wanted to replace the strap even before receiving this watch, as the reviews for it were consistently negative. I had to literally cut the strap off the watch because it was too tightly wedged against the spring bars and I didn't want to bend them. I purchased a crimson BluShark Nato for $18 and the effect is stunning with the black dial and red second hand.
Great review! I just got this watch a few months ago myself. I guess I'm slightly autistic or something because I started looking for a watch over a year ago, but I never could find something that suited me, and I was starting to go a little crazy.. Until I stumbled onto this model. It pleases me to know that it will still be going strong in 10 years. Thanks!
I purchased this watch brand new in 2003 for £30. Lume is as good as it ever was easy to read through the night. Movement is E100. Great watch still today. I use it with a G10 strap
EXCELLENT review! Thank you so much for all of the extra info and detail. Really helps with the process of deciding what to buy. I think I'm sold on the Citizen. Thank you!
How about your soul. Have you repented and confessed Jesus as Lord. If you think that you will enter the Kingdom of God by some other way except Jesus then you will be cast into hell. You can can humble yourself now before the Lord Jesus Christ and cry out to Him and choose to obey Him and not man and there doctrine of demons and know if you were to die tonight that you would have eternal life. If you don't you are going to still bow before Him and will still have to confess that He alone is God. If you wait till then you are still going to be cast into hell
I have the exact watch with a synthetic rubber band. I never take it off. Its light and I never think about the watch, it just does what it is supposed to do.
I wear mine on a dark brown textured leather bund strap. It raised it off my wrist and made it look as something more expensive (not that the price matters) and somewhat bigger. Finally can enjoy its looks to the fullest. ⌚ 🤔
Excellent review ❤ l haven’t worn a watch for twenty years. I recently tried ditching my phone for two weeks, which was good. Other than felt a watch might now be a good idea, l have eco drive from years back, sadly l don’t have access to right now and it’s more of a dress style watch and I’ve been looking at field watches and these are available at Argos for sub £100. Also great comments 🎉
I got this watch from my wife’s uncle after he passed and it was in a little baggy stuffed in a bag for at least a year. After I got it it sat in a drawer for over two years. Just sat it in the window yesterday and it’s ticking again! I thought I was going to have to replace the battery to get anything out of it.
I like mine very much. It is not quite as legible as my old pulsar work watch. When the hands are over the day/date window it can be hard to read, and I wish the minute and hour hands had different shapes. I quit wearing a watch when I retired and then realized how irritating it was when people kept pulling out their phones, supposedly to check the time. So now I wear a watch again. My outdoors watch is a G Shock DW 5600 e. I put a leather nato on my citizen.
i prefer analog watches but i can see that digitals might be a good option too . my dad used to wear casios but i didnt find their plastic bands to be ver comfy
Bought a Pulsar PX 3219 for around 100 dollars. Great fieldwatch working on solar energy like the Citizen and Seiko. Want another field watch. Probably gonna be the Seiko SNE095P1.
Heads up, the Citizen Chronomaster A660 that you mention is actually a high accuracy quartz watch, not an automatic watch. Amazing pieces nonetheless. I’ve always wanted to get my hands on one.
I've had this watch for a little over 4 years now. My band has never smelled, but it has turned color, an almost pinkish-green. And the band is just starting to separate at the place I bend the band to get the cladp into the wrist-size hole...so time to get a new watch band. Also, on the backside, it reads "Japanmov't" for the movement
I sure like my watch I just would prefer a little larger face. The white day/date box makes it so much easier to see. I have a Seiko dive watch. And it came with black on black. I asked a jeweler about changing it. And he did. Sure made a big difference. I also have the Seiko in green again no real problems but the size. I think 37-40 mm.
Great review man. I love this watch but I feel it would be a bit too small for my wrist. If it was 40mm I'd buy one for sure. Thanks for your great review!
Have the Watch for ... probably 6-7 years... It is an almost EDC (few days wearing fancy dress watches for christmas etc.). It got nicked and dinged, but it never once stopped. It is small, slim, lightweight, durable, tough and legible. It is a fantastic EDC beater. I'd say the only "downside" is "only" 100m waterproofness, and as a non-digital watch it would probably react worse to shock than a digital piece. 10/10 would buy again.
Only 100 metres? When was the last time you went at least 50 metres underwater? We've been sold a feature we will never use, so I genuinely don't understand what those hundreds of metres of water resistance are for. If you're a professional diver who goes this deep you'll be using a specialist diver's watch, not the ordinary Joe's one like this Citizen. 🤔
@@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040 The rating is not actually depth under water but athmospheric pressure in air. 100m is NOT suitable to dive 100m under water, but withstands 10 atmospheres worth of air. "100m" (10ATM) is ok for light swimming, 200m (usually with screw-down crown) is ok for light diving to... 10-20m? Anything below "100m" is ok for rain basically.
@@marcusott5054 Eh? Someone didn't do his homework. WR means water resistance, not atmospheric pressure, and corresponding number next to WR (50, 100, 200, 300 etc.) indicates hypothetical depth if pressure and temperature are constant, and watch is not moving. But since such conditions are impossible as pressure constantly changes whilst moving arms etc. it is not advisable to use the watch at the depth shown.
@@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040 Prett sure "100m" corresponds to "10ATM" with ATM being short for atmosphere (referncing atmospheric pressure of our...well atmosphee of air at sea level). Note that only "50" or "100" has no indication of a unit (ether ATM, meters or feet), and is rather useless. Anyway > For me, I consider 10ATM/100m/330ft a "good enough to swim".
Very thorough review that answered all questions, however; you are very fast, suggest that you slow down a little bit to allow people to grasp what you say. Many Thanks.
I have this watch. I think you talked up the lume a bit, but I'm also spoiled by the citizen promaster diver which won a Lume wars on 'just one more watch'.
Had a look at the manual online and it did say that the battery is non replaceable and should last for the duration of the lifespan of the watch( typically up to 15 years or more!), assuming that to mean the lifespan of the solar cells or the capacitor.It also state that the battery is a clean cell type specifically made for the watch and there is no replacement alternative that would keep the charge as long and that any attempt to replace it with an ordinary battery lithium or otherwise would result in damage to the mechanism of the watch itself!
Eyeofthetiger, The capacitor has a form factor similar to a button battery. It is replaceable, though it may be difficult to source. If you keep the watch in a well lit area the original battery should last 15 years at a minimum. Just don't stick an eco-drive watch in a drawer or a cigar box. The capacitor does not like to be fully discharged.
Great in-depth review. I've been debating between this and a Seiko SARB017 for a while now and thing I will go with the Citizen. Have you really had it for 10 years? It looks to be in really great shape! What type of accuracy have you been getting each month?
To be honest, my Amazon order history doesn't go back that far (stops at 2012) but I've been shopping from them since the early 2000s. I'm pretty sure that's where I got it from. I might have had it for like 8 or 9 years or maybe more than 10 years but I don't remember exactly.. As far as accuracy, I couldn't bother to remember the seconds but it would always be within a minute from my Casio which I would use as the bar. Thanks for the compliment and comment! Hope you love the watch as much as I do. I don't ever intend to replace it unless it breaks.
@@jaym0517 Purchased the watch, wore it for a year or so, then it ended up in a drawer for a bit. A little while after that my grandmother needed a watch because hers broke. She wore the Citizen for a few months before her normal watch got back to her. When I got the Citizen back, unfortunately, I sold it like a fool. Actually, now looking to get another one. Wish I had never sold that original one.
I got this watch for Christmas. My second hand lines up perfectly. I wonder if yours can be re-indexed by a repair shop by pulling it off and putting it back on. I can't imagine that it is anything in the gearing in the watch mechanism or they would all be the same. Probably not worth the trouble though unless you are having it repaired for some other reason. Great review by the way. I also bought some NATO straps to go with mine.
Actually, 3 weeks after I uploaded this review, i dropped it on the floor by accident from about belly height precisely flat on its face and knocked the day dial off its gear. Took it for repair for about 30 dollars US and they also adjusted the second hand. It's still off by a hair but much better than before. Thanks for the comment!
@@Mr2Reviews Little things like that are quite annoying once you notice them. I've only had mine a short while but I think I am going to like it. It's my first analog in a long time so, that will take a little getting used to.
I'm from south Pomona, last Citizen i bought fogged over and quit on me. each to their own, i won't get another Citizen. I'll stick with my Hamilton field watch, think's for the video.
I recently bought one of these on the strength of these reveiws and I like it with one exception. The lume on mine is garbage.. I can leave it in the sun all day and the hands/dials will be dim again in less than an hour after dark. Has the quality gone downhill on these, or am I just unlucky? As a pilot I am really looking for something that just works in low light with the minimum of fuss...
I'm not sure but I think you'd have similar results with any lume/glow-in-the-dark material unless it's tritium. I recently bought a Seiko automatic (SNZG11) and noticed the hour and minute hands don't have polished metallic edges like the Citizen does (I mention that in the video and kinda show it) so it's even harder to read in low light. At least the Citizen has that going for it. The only thing on the Seiko that has that mirror like polish is the 5 Shield logo but it's a useless function.
I own both and I can confess I have only worn the Citizen a handful of times since the 1.5 yrs I've owned the Hamilton. If you're really looking at buying the Hamilton, I'd say go for it!
So on a 140$ watch you want the second hand to line up exactly with the second hash marks?? Maybe next time spend a little more and you may get that perfect line up 👌 but good review anyway
75th Teaster, Unfortunately, Citizen does not make any of their higher end eco-drive field watches in a 38mm diameter size. Their titanium JDM field watch is stunning, but it is 41mm. I have baby size wrists, so there are tradeoffs. The size of this watch is spot on for me. I will live with the alignment. You are absolutely correct that no quartz watch in this price range is going to have the alignment of a higher end watch.
For me, no. Watches fit on everyone a little bit different but in my experience, the watch with a nato strap is so light that it's easy to forget it's on your wrist at all. If you like a loose fit, it could hang low on your wrist, but I'm a relatively skinny guy so there isn't much meat on the back of my hand for the crown to dig into even if I bend my hand back. Thanks for commenting!
@@silvanigra Actually, it sort of does, if you know what day of the week it is, and you are below the arctic circle. The traditional American general service field watch calls out 24 hours on an inner ring on the dial; as in the Hamilton Field Mechanical.
If you are looking for that traditional American general service field watch dial in a quartz watch, you might want to check out Marathon. They aren't solar, but they do make watches for military issue.
Hello! how are the hours now? I have had such a watch since 2013, and there is no problem with it, I changed the strap to a NATO strap, and during that time there were several scratches on the glass, I have an idea to replace the glass with sapphire, but I don’t know what diameter and thickness need sapphire to replace.
Love the dial on this one, and I'm a big fan of ecodrive/solar powered watches, but the shiny case finish is a dealbreaker for me. Still, great piece otherwise.
There’s no way I believe that about the longevity, I bought my dad a very similar citizen eco drive in 2002, same colour bezel silver black face day and date very simple, The first battery lasted about 10 years, and since then it has needed two more capacitive batteries installed because it would not hold a charge anymore. The second battery died rapidly because he kept it in a dark drawer when he was supposed to keep it on the table near sunlight according to the jeweler. So the batteries lasted about seven years each on average and in Canada they are $90 to replace a capacitor of battery so when you work it out it works out to about the same as paying a jeweller 15 or $20 a battery for a normal quartz watch like I just had to with my Alpina quartz chronograph. They are cool watches but yes but you will have to change that battery a lot sooner than 40 years LOL
@@RJtoon1 I added an update to the video description. The watch died for the first time a couple months ago so I took it off and placed it on the window sill. Since the weather warmed up, I started wearing it again a few days ago.
@@Mr2Reviews Yeah that makes sense you see my dad destroyed his second battery probably in a few short years because he left it in a dark drawer too long and that’s hard on the battery apparently when it drains that much and then it has that much farther to charge so the jeweller told him leave it on the windowsill to get some light. In fact when we got this third battery installed a year ago it wasn’t working, so the jeweller did some research and he said pull out the crown all the way so that the hands don’t use any electricity and put it in direct sunlight for a full day or two and that did the trick I will actually make a very short video of his eco drive so you can see it because I’m visiting my parents right now in my hometown
