Monday, July 21, 2008

EG2550-59D Citizen Silhouette Eco-Drive Watch

EG2550-59D Citizen Eco-Drive diamond watches for ladies, Stainless Steel case and band, 30m water resistant and Eco-Drive Technology.


Product Details
Brand : Citizen
Model number : EG2550-59D
Designed For : Ladie
Dial window material type : Scratch resistant mineral crystal
Movement : Precise Eco-Drive movement ( 240 Day power reserve when fully charged)
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Dial Color : Pearl dial
Band material : Stainless Steel
Band length : Womens-standard
Water Resistance : 30 M
Warranty : 5 Years Manufacturer

BJ8040-01E Citizen Professional Diver's 300 M Titanium Rubber Watch

BJ8040-01E Citizen's Professional Diver collection water resistant to 300 meters and ruggedly constructed, Titanium case, rubber band and Eco-Drive Technology.


Product Details
Brand : Citizen
Series : Dive Watches
Model number : BJ8040-01E
Designed For : Men
Dial window material type : Curved 6mm Scratch resistant mineral crystal
Movement : Precise Eco-Drive movement
Calendar Type : Date
Case Material : Titanium
Case diameter : 48 millimeters
Case Thickness : 18 millimeters
Dial Color Black
Band material : Black rubber strap
Band length : mens-standard
Water Resistance : 300 M
Warranty : 5 Years Manufacturer

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Review BL5250-02L Citizen Eco-drive Watch

BL5250-02L Citizen Eco-Drive Watch

Product Description
The Eco-Drive Perpetual Calendar features a titanium case and deep blue dial. The timepiece features a 1/20 second chronograph that measures up to 60 minutes, 12/24 time, dual time, alarm, date indicator, and power saver function. Additional features include an inner calendar, which automatically adjusts to the proper date as well as leap years through the year 2100. Independent hour hand adjustment makes changing time zones simple and precise. The genuine leather strap features attractive white contrast stitching and buckle closure.

Product Details
- Brand: Citizen
- Model: BL5250-02L
- Band material: Leather
- Bezel material: Titanium
- Case material: Titanium
- Clasp type: Buckle
- Dial color: blue-grey
- Dial window material: Mineral
- Movement type: Citizen Eco-Drive
- Water-resistant to 660 feet

Features
- Movement - Eco-Drive 270
- Water Resistant - 200 Meters(660ft) Water Resistant
- Crystal - Anti-glare Scratch Resistant Mineral Crystal

Customer Reviews

Fantastic Watch!
I am what many would call a watch nut and own over 30 ranging from Timex to Rolex. For me to buy a watch there has to be "something there" for me to get excited about. At $240, this is one of the very best buys on a fantastic watch that you can find! I was so impressed with this watch I purchased a second one as a gift for my father in law who by the way, was very impressed with the watch himself.

Before getting into all the things I like about this watch I want to point out one of the other reviewers posted a problem with the buckle on his watch having some "points" on it that dug into his wrist and made the watch uncomfortable to wear. This must be a factory defect as this is not the case with either of the two that I purchased. While the watch strap is not usually covered by warranty I know from 1st hand experience that Citizen has a dedicated and friendly customer service department and I believe if he contacts them he will find a new strap coming to him rather quickly. Also as to the strap, I have been disappointed somewhat in the past when purchasing a watch and the strap that comes with it is not substantial in length. I have a 7.25 inch wrist and this has not caused me a problem but I would readily notice if someone had a larger wrist they would have to go out and purchase a new and larger strap to be able to wear their new watch. The strap that comes with this citizen will allow someone with a larger wrist than mine to be able to wear this watch with the strap that comes on it. This is very good as I believe the supplied strap is very handsome on this watch.

The BL5250-02L is a marvelous little piece of technology at a very good price! At a suggested retail of $400 I have routinely found the watch at local authorized dealers at around $300. My watch was purchased on line for $240 with free shipping and for an additional $5 you could have "next day" shipping.

This watch comes to you very user friendly right out of the box. Along with the user manual also comes a mini disk that when played will have you understanding all the features, time settings and adjustments. You will have your watch set and on your wrist in about 10 minutes. Also, if you lose this information you may go to Citizen's web page and pull up the same info on an interactive video.

The Echo Drive models have a power cell in them that is charged by available light so there is no battery change ever! The perpetual calendar allows you to set the watch once and then it recognizes short months along with leap years so there is no further adjustment for that. Also, there is a duel time zone feature. I use this for setting the second time zone to address the yearly time change of one hour. Doing this with the simple turn of the dial my watch snaps into Daylight savings time mode and then back with another turn when the time comes to go back. It just does not get easier than that.

The rotating bezel certainly may be used for more than just looks. One of the ways I use mine is when I plug a parking meter. I just rotate the bezel so my minute hand moving toward the marker allows me to quickly see when I need to be back at my car. The alarm function works but it is not very noticeable. I have two Seiko's that have a very audible and piercing sound. In this area I have to say Citizen could improve the watch. However, I do notice it if I am awake. I just don't know if it would wake me from a deep sleep.

The finish of the watch is very nice and the strap is very comfortable to wear. The watch while feeling very solid is not as heavy as you may would expect and it wears very nicely on the wrist. The watch is advertised as a "deep blue" face and that is an understatement. For all purposes except in direct sunlight it is black. This does not bother me at all because it looks great and again, in direct sunlight it does have a blue hew that looks good also. Besides great function and price another strong point on this watch is the luminosity of the hands and markers. With over 30 watches my Seiko's seem to have a lock on that area but this citizen comes in a very, very close second. After being outside all day I can read my watch all night long from my darkened bedroom.

Last but not least, this watch comes with a five year warranty and as I stated before, Citizen has great customer service.

I have just touched on the many features of this finely made watch and for you that do not like straps and would prefer a bracelet, Citizen offers the same watch on a bracelet as model number, BL5250-53L. It retails for $500, local price around $400, web price $300.

I rate this watch a solid 4 out of a possible 5 stars. I would have given it 4.5 if the alarm were more noticeable. I am very picky and I did not even rate my Rolex 5 stars. I highly recommend this watch and would but purchase it again. In fact, I did when I purchased one for my father in law. If this watch appeals to your eye buy it! Price, functions, ease of use, warranty, and customer service is just icing on the cake!

BJ7005-59E Citizen Nighthawk Black Watch

Citizen Nighthawk Black

Product Description
Large and in charge, the Citizen Nighthawk men's stainless steel pilot watch will add a soaring accent to business and casual wear. It includes a standard slide rule as well as a pilot's slide rule, which can be used for flying distance and other navigation calculations. The round black watch case has a brushed finished with a thin-edged bezel framing the black dial background, and it measures 42mm (1.65 inches) wide and 12mm (0.47 inches) deep. It's accented by large luminous white hands, thin white baton markers, and Arabic numerals at 6 and 12 o'clock. This watch is completed by a stainless steel link bracelet band with a black finish, which is joined by a push-button fold-over clasp with safety. Other features includes a dual-time function for tracking a second time zone, large date display at 3 o'clock, scratch resistant mineral crystal with anti-reflective coating, and water resistance to 200 meters (660 feet).

This watch is powered by Citizen's unique Eco-Drive, which absorbs sunlight and any artificial light through the crystal and dial to recharge the watch continuously. With regular exposure to light, the Eco-Drive continuously recharges itself for a lifetime of use. This watch's Eco-Drive provides a 180-day power reserve, and it can be recharged with just 1.5 hours of exposure to light.

Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1550 in Watches
- Brand: Citizen
- Model: BJ7005-59E
- Band material: stainless-steel
- Bezel material: stainless-steel
- Case material: stainless-steel
- Clasp type: fold-over-push-button-with-safety-clasp
- Dial color: black
- Dial window material: Mineral
- Movement type: Citizen Eco-Drive
- Water-resistant to 330 feet

Features
- Movement - Solar Powered No Battery Required Quartz Movement
- Water Resistant - 200Meters(666Feet) Water Resistant
- Crystal - Mineral Crystal

Friday, July 4, 2008

Review : Citizen Skyhawk Eco-Drive Watch JR3060-59F Men's Chronograph


Citizen Skyhawk JR3060-59F Men's Chronograph

The Citizen JR3060-59F titanium flight chronograph digital/analog watch is made for the man who never knows what time zone he'll be in from one hour to the next. It's also powered by Citizen's unique Eco-Drive, which absorbs sunlight and any artificial light through the crystal and dial to recharge the watch continuously. The fast-forward timekeeping features include time and calendar in twenty-two time zones, thirty cities, three world time alarms, a 99-minute countdown timer, one-touch interchangeable analog/digital time, and 1/100-second chronograph that measures up to 24 hours. The large round watch case features sleek, modern lines and a bi-directional rotating slide rule bezel. The black dial background features large silver-tone hands and Arabic numerals. It also features a durable, lightweight satin-finished titanium bracelet, water resistance to 100 meters (330 feet), and a scratch-resistant, non-reflective mineral crystal.

Titanium is nearly 50 percent lighter than steel, but 30 percent stronger. It's also particularly resistant to salt water corrosion.

Watch Information
Brand Name: Citizen
Model number: JR3060-59F
Part Number: JR306059F
Dial window material type: Mineral
Clasp: push-button-fold-over-clasp
Case material: Titanium
Case diameter: 46 millimeters
Case Thickness: 14 millimeters
Band material: Titanium
Band length: mens-standard
Band width: 24 millimeters
Dial color: black
Bezel material: Titanium
Bezel Function: Slide-rule
Calendar: Date
Movement: Citizen Eco-Drive
Water resistant depth: 330 Feet
Warranty Type: 5-yr manufacturer warranty

Customer Reviews
Great watch but not perfect
PROS -
- definitely recommend the titanium version. this is a big watch and steel could be heavy. worth the 40$ price diff.
- nice clean look (steel grey) goes with business and casual attire.
- the solar powered battery is great and charging works very well.
- Switching analog dial between time zones is real easy.
- Two alarms, timer, stop watch etc.

CONS:
- An annoying quirk is that you cannot set time zones that are in 1/2 hr intervals. eg: places in south asia, canada etc.
- the UTC dial is pretty much useless. and takes up space on the watch face.
- the time zones are coordinated together. eg: in Italy they have daylight savings a week earlier than the US. but if i set the italian time forward, the US time also sets forward.
- The analog dial CANNOT be set independently. It only follows the digital time set in one of the time zones.

In summary, the waqtch is nice, but some small changes could really make it perfect.

Review Citizen Eco-Drive Watch AT0100-51A Men Titanium



Product By : Citizen Watch Company

Watch Information

Brand Name: Citizen
Model number: AT0100-51A
Part Number: AT0100-51A
Dial window material type: Mineral
Clasp: safety-fold-over-clasp-with-push-button
Case material: Titanium
Case diameter: 45 millimeters
Case Thickness: 12 millimeters
Band material: Titanium
Band length: mens-standard
Band width: 20 millimeters
Dial color: grey
Bezel material: Titanium
Bezel Function: unidirectional
Calendar: day-and-date
Movement: Citizen Eco-Drive
Water resistant depth: 660 Feet
Warranty Type: 5-yr manufacturer warranty

Customer Reviews

nice solar powered watch for the price
By Herman

I just bought this watch last week from a different store after having reveiewed many different watch styles and brands. The key things I was looking for were: stainless steel or titanium, self winding or solar, water resistance to beyond 50m, durability, reliability and a strap that can adjust to fit my boney wrists.

I've checked out the Seiko kinetic watches, which I really liked the idea of. My father has also had one of these kinetic (aka self winding) watches for over 30 years without problems. But the only problem was that I could not find a Kinetic watch that, first of all, could be adjusted to my wrist, and secondly one that was also aesthetically pleasing for both the face and band.

I also looked at the Swiss Army brand, which look nice, are thin and handmade to "ensure" precision. But the kinetic one costs over $1k and the battery powered ones are already in the $400-500 range.

As a last resort, I also considered the Casio G-shock watch with the stainless steel band. The one thing that turned me away was that the sheer thickness of a G-Shock watch prevents it from being worn under a sleeve.

More about the Citizen:

The pictures don't do the watch any justice. First off, the titanium color portrayed in the picture is inaccurate. The actual color is a little darker and has a slightly dulled finish than stainless steel and is two-tone, but not in a bad way, such as a two-tone silver and gold watch. The narrow pieces of titanium that run parallel to each other on the band are of an unbrushed stainless steel color. The face is also noticibly lighter than the band, but matches well.

PROS:
* movement is made in Japan
* titanium is stronger and lighter than steel so the watch doesn't weigh nearly as much as a similar stainless steel watch
* titanium is hypoallergenic so people with allergic reactions to the nickel in stainless steel should be able to wear this without problems.
* the unit uses a lithium ion battery that is stated by the manufaturer to last a "lifetime"
* band is pretty easy to adjust, you can do it yourself if you have a small screwdriver or even a fine finishing nail if nothing else.
* the watch comes with a 3-year warranty if you buy it from an authorized retailer (some retailers through amazon are not authorized also known as grey market, and do not come with a manufacturer's warranty).
* the hands and the hour positions glow bright in the dark and also glow visibly in the light, though they are of a luminescent material and need to be charged (exposed to light) before glowing
* titanium does not corrode and does well in salt water
* release buttons for band make it very difficult for the watch to accidentally unhook and slide
* titanium supposedly does not retain heat well, so if you leave your arm out in the sun then accidentally roll over on it, you won't get scorched like with a stainless steel watch.


CONS:

* titanium scratches easily. I remember my stainless steel watch would also inccur scratches, but because it was brushed steel, it would hide them better. I already have a few very small scratches where different parts of the band have rubbed against each other creating a shinier spot amongs the dullness of the band.
* band is made in China
* glass is made of Mineral Crystal, not Sapphire Crystal, which is much stronger and more resilient to scratches.

WISHLIST:
* I wish the watch used Tritium which would illiminate the hands and the hours permanently (day or night) instead of the light charged luminescent material. Tritium is a radioactive material, however, it is naturally prevalent in the air and water and is not harmful to humans.