1. I collect budget watches. 2. I wish I didn't need to settle for these watches. 3. Breitling, Rolex, Omega, Breguet, Tudor... all infinitely BETTER than citizen.
Rotflmao. Just because those are in your price range does not make them anything more than bottom entry low end watches. Enjoy and be Happy with what you can afford but don't make it anything more than it is
@@bdegrds This is a really stupid comment and shows how much naive you are thinking that the fact if you don't buy swiss high end watches you can't afford them? How about actually be a fan of G-Shocks and Pro-master series? Not everyone is swiss mechanical watch snob. I am one of them, I can afford to buy 10 Rolex watches in cash if I wanted to NOW and still have 10 times that amount in net worth, but I only have few swiss watches that I just like and it is my own choice. You probably can't afford any of the swiss watches you buy and buy them to brag and show off
I’m a navy seal master diver, I did 20 deployments with many of them in frigid ocean water, abrasive rocks and sand, and my watch choice was a citizen’s model 48 master diver class. I’ve had it for 25 years in excellent condition. I’ve see. Rolex go down on impact when landing in rough water or a rough dive. My “cheap” citizen did its thing. Respect
@@kenfury depends on utility, I used the rubber and would change out every few years. Now I have metal band for looks. Salt water can cause issues, I don’t care what metal they use it will rust. I also found the rubber to be more comfortable and easily adjustable with conditions. If you want to wear over long sleeve, the metal makes it very uncomfortable as it isn’t as easily adjustable. My issue with Rolex, that metal band would be so tight over the layers of long sleeve, once the retention rod goes, the links can fail. I’ve seen it. Leather is nice but I’ve seen people get rashes from salt water crystals forming on it.
@@joshjosh575 thank you that is good to know. I like the stainless for looks as well. I guess for anything more strenuous I’d change the strap to the rubber then. Good idea! Did you use NATO straps at all?
@@TeddyBaldassarreI love my late model Citizen Promaster NY0040-17L especially its history of being used by Italian naval frogmen. Which brings me to the point that Citizen still provide watches or until recently still provided diver’s watches to frogman units.
I think that makes him just a normal watch enthusiast, and a lot of RU-vidrs have a similar outlook if you are not in denial to the watches they actually own (ie. you only see the sub $500 ones). The problem when $ is mentioned is people hating on the Big Boys, not the other way around. Teddy is basically a Gent that does it better than everyone else, but watch enthusiasts love watches, not Dollar ; ) Hating on $5000/$15,000 (you know the brand I mean) watches means you are not a watch enthusiast, and guys that do that need to 'BE MORE TEDDY' 😉 Not saying Teddy is one, but people really need their BS detectors turned on when watching some RU-vidrs. One in the UK lies about so much to make it seem he is 'down with the little guys' (I chose those words to make a point, not because I feel there are little guys), but pretty sure he owns Rolex's etc. etc. that he pretends he doesn't!
I can 100% confirm the Citizen is the watch of choice by a lot of professionals. I’m a former Air Force aviator and I always flew with a Skyhawk Promaster on my wrist. I’m also a recreational diver and I always take a Promaster dive with me.
I have a citizen Skyhawk. I work with a guy who was an attack helicopter pilot in the Marines. He told me that the citizen Skyhawk watches were extremely popular among pilots. They used the slide rule capability to calculate the amount of flying time they had left based on fuel supply. That really sold me on buying one.
I'm a pilot, as is my son. We each have some form of Skyhawk. I have to admit that it's never crossed my mind to actually use the E6B function of the watch. My favorite features are the UTC dial and the ease of switching time zones. The atomic clock synching is nice as well. I'd say many new pilots are attracted to the Skyhawks, but their functionality in the cockpit has long been surpassed by technology in the same way that dive watches have been replaced by dive computers. I still wear mine at times though. Cheers!
@jaym8027 My friend was active duty about 10 years ago. So it's a little dated. But he told me that practically all the helo pilots wore citizens back then.
For sure: i still carry an aluminum whizwheel in my bag. The numbers on the circular slide rule on my Navihawk are way too small to be useful to me. My favorite flying is in a Cub with my thumb on a paper sectional.@@OscarOSullivan
I have 3 Citizens and a few Rolexes, Breitling and Omega. Love my “highend watches” but Citizen and Seiko will always have a special place in my collection. Adding that Tsuyosa soon
Citizen was my first slightly higher quality watch that I bought straight out of high school. It was a Marinaut eco-drive model, and came with a sapphire crystal for 130 Euros. It has been super reliable and now, 16 years later, is still running perfectly well when I give it a charge, without a battery change or service. I later bought a Skyhawk AT as well. Loved it at the time, but my style taste has changed a bit since then. These days, I have many more expensive watches (JLC, Omega etc), and I can now recognize some of the quality limitations of my 130 Euro citizen. But in terms of utility, reliability and value for money I couldn't praise it more!
If you really appreciate watches you have to have a Citizen. I have 5 Citizens, next to my Omegas, Breitlings, Heuers, Girard-perregaux, Meistersinger, and Longines. Love them all
I mean this with extremely friendly envy... did you have to use the plural for the brands? And such amazing brands? I have major collection envy now. 😭
Citizen's Eco-Drive is legendary. No brand comes close when you think of solar tech. Last year was a great year for Citizen with the Tsuyosa and HAQ models.
Love my Citizen Eco-Drive atomic watches. Exceptional quality, made in Japan. My favorite watch is the new moon phase of which I bought two- the blue and gray.
Bought my first watch yesterday, just wanted to say thank you. After getting bit by the bug a month ago and watching hours of your videos I got the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical. Looked at it and tried it on at a local dealer, customer service was sub par. Went home and bought it on your site. Happy to pass my business to you as another way to say thanks, looking forward to its arrival.
My first 'proper' watch was a citizen ecodrive. I wore it every day for almost a decade and it never missed a beat. It sits next to my black bay in my watch box and honestly for the money it's a fantastic watch. Ironically i set all my automatics off it because the eco drive never stops or fails.
I live in Japan. When I look around me, Citizen is by far the watch brand I see the most often. Probably more than every other brand combined. That's probably the casual market Citizen is targeting with those more casual watches. Japan also in general does more licensing-watches than the west, I regularly get ads for Seiko watches based on anime series etc.
I think another big factor in Citizen not having the respect they deserve, is that their best watches tend to be JDM only. The Nb1050 and 1060 series for example, would probably be gigantic hits if they were made by Seiko and freely available to an international audience.
The NB line is like Seiko's Sarx line. So seiko already makes something very similar. Seiko really needs to have a mid-tier high beat movement for the 500+ range instead of the 6r series, like the miyota 9k range.
Citizen is my favourite watch brand. *My "collection" is (wear-everyday) 1 Timex & 2 eco-drive Citizen's. I would call them indestructible, for regular use.
Theres only 3 watches o care about in life, seiko, citizen and casio. Im a casio fan myself. Mostly the protrek line. But some of those promasters do look nice
As teal blue tsuyosa owner I agree this one beautiful watch, but still not many citizen is popular in my country except some eco drive and tsuyosa, I wonder why but I can easily found someone use seiko or casio also on how content creator more often talk about them.
I love Citizen and currently own the yellow dial Tsuyosa - a superb watch that keeps time to within a few seconds per day! I've also owned their Pro-Master Diver's and some more affordable pieces too - all excellent watches as good as (or better than in many cases) their Seiko equivalents.
Teddy, thanks for breaking it down regarding Citizen. I've always liked their watches; my "beater" watch is an Eco Drive my wife bought for me 13 years ago that is still running great. Also, I've never been that much into Rolex, as I've always thought they are overhyped, regardless of their quality. If I were doing a "Luxury" watch, I'd rather go with Omega, Cartier, or Longines (even though I deplore Swatches).
I went by a couple jewelry shops around Christmas time & they said their Citizen Blue Angels watches sold really well. I've told several people those Eco-Drives are hard to beat if you want something that's durable, looks nice & don't want to spend alot of money.
The Promasters, both Eco Drive and Auto, are really good. In fact, these days I'll take a Citizen Promaster over a comparably priced Seiko dive watch. In fact, I'll even take a basic $300 Promaster over a Seiko that's close to twice that much. Not that Seikos are bad, but they don't do anything more or have obviously higher quality. And their autos have notoriously overstated reserves that don't translate to reality, imo.
My daily is a Chronomaster. To me ecodrive is the superior watch tech and I get 95% of the materials/finishing of high end watches for like $1,800. And I won't need to spend another $2k plus in maintenance costs.
Just wanted to say thanks to Teddy. My dad passed away in 2020 and i inherited a bit of money. I wanted something to remember him by and thanks to Teddy's videos I purchased an excellent BB 36 which I'm very happy with and makes me think of my dad whenever i look at it.
My dad gave me a black citizen skyhawk when i passed my final exams, before this, he owned it for 13 years. Its not only the watch that sparked my interest for watches in general, but also my favorite of them all. Citizen may needs to adjust their brand image a bit and cut some of their lower, badly produced watches out, but they have also always produced some really solid watches that scream quality and reliability.
Teddy. Your channel is about as good as it gets for the world of watches. There may be other channels with more subscribers but you deliver the best content. Without a doubt. Your videos which deep dive into companies which you visit are worthy of mainstream media content. Longines, JLC, Tissot, GO, Breguet, Blancpain, MB & F. To name but a few. Utterly incredible. You should be truly proud of these productions and everything else you do which is fun and interesting. You will get your million subs in 2024 without a doubt. Stay humble, work hard
Serious watch enthusiasts have tremendous respect for Citizen. First ever titanium watch, most accurate current watch, and many other achievments. Their high-end watches are superb, and the lower tier models are among the best values of any watch.
I was looking to get an automatic watch, I got a citizen from the 80s, bought new internals for 15 bucks. original msrp 600 dollar watch. Cost me less than 80 total. Feels like it cost 1000, nice and heavy
Great timing for this! I've always felt a bit put off by Citizen because they seemed kitschy - but I actually ordered one the other day which is arriving today. It's a ladies' moonphase (Calendrier 37mm in two tone) watch, powered by the eco-drive. Now that I'm more into watches, I appreciate that this watch from any other brand would be hundreds more than the price-point they offer it for. Very excited for it to arrive!
The Citizen Navihawk that I flew with in Afghanistan, is every bit the legitimate flying instrument. My only complaint is that the Skyhawk series got bigger and the dials got busier.
yeah you are such a hero , can you people fucking stop talking about wars and crimes , this is a hobby for normal people , we are trying to get away from this shitty narrative that makes humans sick , but always someone talking about as if this was neccessary .
I bought a Citizen AT8010-58E for an office watch over 10 years ago. Ended up wearing it all the time, working in the shop, on the car, hiking, everywhere. Broke off the crown and sent it to Citizen after 7 years, and for $60 they fixed the crown, replaced seal and re-certified and I had it back to me in less than 3 weeks. Never needed a bettery, eco drive and radio controlled update has never failed. amazing watch. I agree, the cheap stuff and all options are too much, but their higher end and customer service is outstanding. Appreciate what you do, keep up the great work. Also, their G-shock is amazing for durability, had one of them for 15 years, still going strong.
Teddy, I think you navigate the "algorithm" better than basically any other watch RU-vidr. You virtually never feel clickbaity. Now, i want to see you discuss rap history more!
My Citizens Blue Angels World time atomic time keeping watch is the most accurate watch I have had till date for last 7 years. This is irrespective of the other mechanical or quartz or Mechanical Quartz I own. Accurate to the second anytime, breeze to setup time any time zone you fly! All it needs is a bit of light.
I have the Citizen Avion with a dark grey dial. Its a flieger styler watch and not only is it stunning but built with quality materials for about $120. Very happy with it
Totally agree about Citizen and professionals. I've flown for almost 50yrs, and many, many pilots I know are willing to spend $$ on an accurate, nice looking watch that keeps GMT. If you can't afford a Breitling, a Citizen is likely going to end up on your wrist. Personally, that's why I avoided mechanical watches for decades. The accuracy just isn't there. Now that I don't fly anymore, accuracy isn't quite as important. Your channel has convinced me to buy my first automatic watch. I love it. But if I get in a cockpit, I'm going to be wearing one of my Citizens.
I am missing something with the Citizen take. Do other brands not have these “mall watches” Seiko, or even Tissot, MIDO etc? I could be wrong. With the themed superhero watches did Rolex not get praised for a bubble and emoji watch? I don’t own a Citizen but my very first mechanical watch was a Bulova 96a100. It was a big watch of the 2000s with an exhibition case back. I knew nothing about watches but I liked it so much I had to go back and get it after seeing it. It lived on my wrist for years and years. The sunburst dial, the sweep of the hand, seeing movement running. Still is in my watch box to this day and the Miyota movement still runs great after like 15 years. It is the reason I started an interest in watches and funny was a watch many people have noticed with a kind complement over all this time. I eventually back then wanted to get into learning more about watches and more about my watch and ran head first into rantings of watch enthusiasts against modern Bulova and I guess the “mall watch” thing. Really put me off the hobby for a while. I think if someone gets a Citizen watch with their favorite super hero on it and really enjoys it that is a fantastic thing and hopefully a start to an interest in this hobby.
correct spot on...I have 4 Citizen Eco-Drives...it was my first "real" watch before I caught the watch virus and started buying higher end brand automatics....but still have my Citizens in my box!
I've owned Citizens for over 30 years with zero problems. Currently own an ny0040 full lume and an Orca reissue which I picked up after watching Teddy's superb video of that watch.
Thanks Teddy! As far as UG, I think Breitling should build sleeker movements for UG because sticking a B01 in an “ELLIPSE” relaunch won’t work for sure😀
Vintage Citizen are great. I have a 69 Domino 7 Star. Newer Citizen are... meh. I tried the Tsuosa on last week and that clasp is awful. I'll stick with my PRX for integrated.
Funny....I was just talking with a friend of mine about this very subject recently. I think Citizen is an amazing watch manufacturer. I own a few Citizen watches. My favorite among them is the Tough, the Crystal 7 ( yellow dial) and my daily driver, my Promaster Solar Diver ( blue dial). That watch is ALWAYS running within 2 seconds of accuracy.
I just buy watches that i like and i dont look for reselling it later. For example three months ago i bought a TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional with green dial and i love that watch. I know that i lost maybe 1500€ or more in value. I can live with it because i will never sell that watch. My son get that watch someday. But for now he is three years old. We will see. Greetings from Germany ❤
Citizen also makes the machines that makes the parts for watches. They make CNC mills and lathes that are used to make small parts for watches and other products.
The question about Citizen is a watch exclusive to enthusiasts. Most of the world knows citizen watches are amazing, and they sell millions of them. It's just us enthusiasts who delude ourselves into thinking citizen isn't as good as it is.
I disagree about the first question. Citizen is an amazing brand and many youtubers talk about and praise citizen despite the ratively low price. This is remarkable considering that this hobby tends to lead towards high end brands. I own an ecodrive that belonged to my grand father and it works perfectly
I liked ❤Citizen Tsuyosa very much in terms of design, it has done wonders compared to Tissot PRX. It looks more gentle and stylish on the wrist. I think it is a long-lasting, solid watch with its sapphire glass and new mechanism.
Hey Teddy! Thanks for featuring my comment in the video! I think you hit the nail on the head, but here’s my thoughts as requested; For the standard “off-the-shelf” calibers, the manufacturer or an independent watchmaker who is trained and authorized by the brand is generally a safe bet. They see the product often, know how to address common issues, and have an abundance of spare parts. For vintage or more complicated pieces, it’s better to find someone who specializes in that type of work. As you mentioned, a good track record and solid reputation is important, and transparency is key. If the watchmaker isn’t willing to have an honest discussion about their history and experience, it’s probably best to find another. Also, I’ll add that a good watchmaker knows when to turn down a job they’re not properly equipped to perform. A bad watchmaker, on the other hand, never says no. The only note I have for you and for all the viewers is to try and push that needle a little bit further to the proactive side! I know it’s easier said than done, but the longer a watch runs after performance starts to dwindle, the worse the problem(s) will get and the higher your service bill is likely to become. Thanks again Teddy, you’re the man! If anyone reading this is curious to learn more about horology and my work as a watchmaker, follow my instagram ( @garrinthewatchmaker ) and/or check out the podcast I just launched! The first episode of “The Watchmaker’s Apprentice” is available now on my RU-vid channel or wherever you get your podcasts!
Rolex is a mall watch... DeVon Jewelers sells rolexes and they are a chain jewelry store they are not a high-end jewelry store at all..... Citizen has a 5-year warranty and they make super quality parts and they make a great customer service they make substantial watches that are quality the citizen ProMaster tough was the answer to the Rolex explorer.... I've owned two rolexes and I prefer my citizen and my Seiko over Rolex
I had not seen the G-Shock drop testing video before this. However, you speaking about the complexities and cost of making a video like that. . . It seems to me that you could greatly reduce the cost and complexity by not having a helicopter. The helicopter was very cool and dramatic, but not necessary. Just use a tall building and go up higher and higher. I prefer the manufacturer visit videos myself.
Citizen, in the US, to carry your music analogy, is not Eddie Vedder, or any other grunge or punk artist. Citizen is Muzak. Something you’d hear in a dentist’ office.
The first watch I ever bought myself at 17 after getting my first paycheck was a citizen nighthawk which sadly isn’t around anymore but it was a great watch and someday I’ll rebuy it
Took my wife’s wedding ring to the jewelers we bought it from. They had a huge Citizen display. Mostly gaudy , overpriced “mall watches “ you referred to. And alot of chronographs (big turn off for me as I have no need for one). But to each their own. My favorite watch is the Casio my wife bought me in 96 as a Christmas present. I’ve seen some similar new for around $25. I wear it in rotation with my Seikos and Timex.
the citizen tsuyosa series might be one of the best budgets watches ever. If you can get it on sale for under 200 its literaly the best brand watch out there. I cant believe people still wanna buy the alltime favorits like seiko SNX or these worthless clothwatches from idk lacoste or hugo boss or so, if you can get so much value and better watch for 200 bucks. And then when i see these people falling into the swatch trap with this moonswatch omega plasticshit or even better that new swatch blancpain corporation for 400 bucks i just shake my head and i think: Man, you could get so much more watch for lower price.
I actually was really taken by Citizen's Tsuki-yomi A-T and was looking into it the other day. What killed it for me is the huge size, 43mm. As I moved on from that watch and looked at other models, they're all huge. A bit disappointing, honestly.
I had a disappointing and unsatisfactory experience with the after-sales customer service of Citizen Group watches. Unfortunately, the service did not meet expectations, leading to an overall negative experience.
The tsuyosa watches are so nice getting one in every color. Great bracelet open case back auto with sapphire crystal lum hands and markers. Plus under 500. Can’t beat it.
For a long time I have had a big prejudice against Citizen, I don't even know why. I recently treated myself to a Citizen Promaster Navihawk AT, it was quite spur of the moment. Beautiful watch, totally changed my mind about Citizen. It's now my go to daily driver.
My daily go to watch is a citizen I bought in 1995. Still runs well. Even had it serviced, even though it cost more than it was worth. I even dove with it for years. Ands it’s my only quartz analog watch. Grab and go goodness! I even have a digital citizen I bought new in 1979! And yes still runs well. Small by modern standards or maybe I just got bigger.
I was a watchmaker in my early life. I have owned a gmt time and now have Titanium Promaster both Ecodrive giving a second a month accuracy. Fantastic quality.
Same here, my 'Ray Mears' (titanium ) set it a couple of seconds slow when the clocks change, leave it alone until the next change and it's 3/4 seconds fast indecently accurate on an every day wearer.
Agreed with Teddy…Citizen qua design wisely, they are still behind other brands, such as Seiko and even Casio…The Citizen’s design is sometimes too many elements…they should keep it elegant, simple because the movement great already
Good Q&A as always. Citizen really has a degraded reputation as you note. One wonders if they would be better served by creating a mid-market - non shopping mall brand.
Seiko did by creating Grand Seiko, Toyota and Lexus. Citizen would benefit I'm sure. I love my Promaster but they do have some cringe watches. Accutron I think is their attempt at this luxury brand but not sure that will do it. Saying this as someone who loves my DNA watch too.
@@66racer I think GS and Lexus to be more luxury than mid market. Maybe a they stay with citizen and create a down market brand and get the citizen name out of the malla
@@66racer totally agree. In the early/mid 80s I had many seiko quartz. The advertising was spectacular and that created the quartz crisis. So about 10 yrs ago i got a seiko 5 as a gift, and it tells decent time, but is rattly and the bracelet pulls my hair. When someone suggested I should get an alpinist I was not enthusiastic---remembering the quartz and the chintzy seiko 5 which only cost about 50$ and probably isn't much more today. Having said that, things have changed, and the cheap seiko 5 are now SSk or similar and are oustanding. You dont find them at JC penney or Walgreens, and (assuming you can find a jc penney)---my point is they got out of that market and now are more highly regarded. Grand Seiko is on par with rolex (quality) and there is no shame wearing a seiko. Citizen has the foundation to do a "seiko" , they just need to get out of the discount stores.
Why would I care about the low-end watches Citizen makes that I'm not interested in? That's like saying I have no interest in buying Sig MK25 because P320.
Teddy, Great content as always. Your interaction with us is sincere and something I attribute to you growing up as a Great Lakes kid. 😎 It would be interesting to see a story about American watches - Cincinnati Watch Co, Shinola, Jack Mason, Vaer, Sangin and even Fifty Five Fathoms come to mind. Some are simply assembly and some are working hard to truly bring back watch making to the US. An episode on the Bulova veterans’ watch making institute would be cool as well. Thanks for the content. JR
Imo Citizen is a very important pillar in the watch world. One has to appreciate that they can cater to customers of all levels (watch enthusiasts, non-watch folks, etc.). I have a citizen fugu and an endicott. Have given a few as gifts.
Bought a chronograph, perpetual calendar citizen eco drive when I was 18. It was my wedding/nice event watch, at the time it seemed so flashy😂. I would put it in a drawer for a year or 2. Take it out, put it in the window sill and it would charge up and I was off. I Decided to just wear it everyday 4 months ago, and set the garmin aside for a bit. I’m 31. Thru a southeast AK hunting/fishing season and construction work, it still runs awesome. It’s 2 seconds fast compared to my iPhone after 4 months. Just ordered a pro master diver as my new everyday beater🙌🏽
