Citizen Men's Eco-Drive Weekender Garrison Field Watch

A year or two ago I bought a watch from Amazon when it was on sale for 1/2 price. It was a dandy watch, worked perfect, but it was *huge*, and pretty heavy. It was also pretty flashy, and I'm not. So I wound up only wearing it for "dressy" times, e.g., like church. Finally, the battery died, and I decided I didn't like the watch well enough to go to the expense of buying a new battery and the hassle of putting it in. So I decided I would buy a new watch that (1) wasn't as big, heavy, and flashy as this one, and (2) didn't have a battery - I hate messing with batteries. So I started researching watches, and when the next Amazon watch sale came along, I found a lovely *automatic* (we called it "self-winding" in the "old days") Seiko in the "military-inspired" minimalist style was that I was looking for. I *almost* bought it, but the rating was a flat 4.0/5, and there were enough negative reviews about stopping working and other problems that it gave me pause. In addition, I doubted that a self-winding watch would work reliably for someone like me who doesn't wear a watch all the time. So I did some more research, and discovered that there was a 3rd class of watches - solar-powered!! And the "solar" supposedly means any kind of light. I found this Citizen watch that looked almost exactly like the Seiko that I liked and almost bought. It was about 85 bucks, which seemed reasonable, esp. for a watch that didn't require me to buy a battery or even to walk around...lol I've had this watch for about 32 days now. I love the look, and it is keeping perfect time. I still only wear it when I go out (i.e., not around the house), and I've been leaving it in the kitchen where there is usually natural light during the day, plus bright artificial light on and off. So far it has worked fine. I did have to charge it under bright light for something like 12-15 hours initially, so I just left the kitchen light on overnight. I suppose some would say that cost me maybe a quarter, but I can live with that. The strap is of decent quality, albeit a bit stiff (I'm sure that would have loosened up with wear), but I just didn't like having to futz with securing the strap ever time I put it on (yes, I'm old and set in my ways). This was solved by one of the major life lessons I got from my dad. Along with teaching me how to determine the model year for 50s and 60s Fords and Chevys (back when they *didn't* all look alike, and when unveiling the new model Chevy was an actual event in my small town), and warning me to "never buy a used car, you're just buying somebody else's problems", my dad introduced me to the Spiedel Twist-O-Flex watch band. When he bought me my first watch when I was around 12, the first thing we did was take off the band that came with it and replace it with a brand-new Twist-O-Flex (yes, we had to take out several links to get it to fit my thin young wrist). Heck, I didn't even know you could take the band off a watch, much less change its size !!! This watch has an 18mm aperture (or w/e you call it where the band attaches), and an 18mm Twist-O-Flex fits it perfectly. The only negative would be the dearth of documentation. Other than a little folder with a few lines in about 30 languages, I was referred to a web site for info on charging and setting, etc. This is standard in the 21st century, but it still chaps me a bit. I won't apologize for the length of this review. This is the kind of review I like to find when I am considering buying an item, so this is just "do unto others" for me. Keep it up, Jeff B., you are doing a great job !!! P.S. I added a couple of pics with the new band, mainly to practice with my new Kindle Fire...:)

Regardless of price range, there will always be a seemingly endless amount of watches to choose from. Sometimes it can be daunting, but always fun! This was my very first watch i purchased. I went inexpensive initially in the event watches weren't really my thing. After a good time researching, I pulled the trigger on this little guy after reading the rave reviews. After three years of wearing this watch on and off, hiking in mountains, forests, rocky terrain, water activities, etc., I decided I would give an accurate assessment about this particular little time piece. Brand - I truly believe Citizen is the very best value when it comes to watches under $500.00. One can argue Seiko and Orient. I own all three brands, and feel like my three Citizens are made a bit better. Citizen is well respected among watch enthusiasts, and is a FANTASTIC brand for someone looking to purchase their first timepiece Movement - As you probably know by now, this watch is powered by Citizen's own Eco-Drive Quartz Movement. Needing no battery or servicing, this watch will stay maintenance-free for years on end. And it just charges by light? Amazing cutting edge. Accuracy - No shock here. Being quartz, this watch is supremely accurate. Mine tested out about 1.5 seconds fast a week. No arguments there! Looks - I love the way this watch looks. Everything just works. At 90 dollars, it's important not to try and look like a cheap, ugly homage of another watch. Citizen did a bang up job here with a field inspired look. The dial is a matte black with white font. The indices are not applied, but one cannot expect that at this price point. Fantastically, the dial has day/date windows, and even has the days in Spanish (pretty cool). The second hand is somewhat of a red/orange, but adds a really nice splash on an otherwise black and white dial. And guess what? This watch has pretty darn good lume! Quite impressive at this price point. Many watches don't have any lume at all. The hands and all of the numbers glow with a very pretty turquoise blue. Again, do not expect Seiko divers brightness here. Size - I love it. Now, it won't be for everyone at around 37mm or so, but there is so much dial squeezed into it, that it is always very easy to read the time. The watch is quite thin and light, almost disappearing on your wrist. Guys with really large wrists, may want to avoid. Enclosing, this is a spectacular little watch for the price. For less than $100 dollars you are getting a highly respected watch brand, an eco-drive battery/maintenance free movement, extremely accurate time, minimalist and attractive design, legible night lume, and a traditional sized watch. What a package! Sure, the mineral crystal will take light surface scratches, but that just adds to the character anyway, right? My only real complaint is the lugs are a bit sharp. They need to round them out a bit, but fortunately they do not interfere in anyway while wearing the watch. Watches like this make you contemplate while you are shelling out 100x more money on watches. This could serve you as your everyday companion for the rest of your life. Sure, there will likely come a time where your taste grows and you want higher end pieces, but this BM8180 is all you will ever NEED. Truly exceptional.

This is my 7th Citizen watch; it's the 6th one that I own with the Eco-Drive technology which is what has been keeping me coming back to Citizen. Mind you, I just got this watch, so I'm still in the honeymoon phase and my rating might change. However, my expectation is that it will keep just about perfect time, as do all of my Citizen watches. The first thing that I notice is that it does feel a little bit small - not too small mind you, but I do own some other watches that are bigger and so this one feels like it's down a size. If you are looking for a watch that feels 'BIG', this is not the watch for you. However, being a bit more compact, I'm also pretty certain that I won't be bumping it on every door jam that I pass, like I do with the bigger ones. I'm hoping that I can keep the crystal scratch-free because this one is not a sapphire crystal, and it's one reason why I almost didn't buy it. I've read some reviews where folks complain that the second hand on their watch doesn't line up *just so* with the markers on the watch - this watch seems to hit all of the markers about as close to perfect as one could reasonably expect from a watch at this price point. In fact better than some other watches I own at much higher price points. I do not think that this should not be one of your concerns if you are considering this watch. Why did I buy it, you might ask? It's just a classic looking watch, with the time, the day and the date. A watch that is super easy to read with numerals at every position except 12. What more do you need? With the advent of smartphones, I don't need a stopwatch, or a timer, or mutli-time zones, I just need a watch that I KNOW won't have the battery die when I'm on a trip. Or one that if I forget to pick up from the desk in my hotel won't be dead when I get back because the power reserve is now gone. I'm also a fan of watches that are rated at 100M for water resistance; I don't dive or scuba, however I don't want to be afraid of getting my watch wet, washing my hands, or jumping into a pool (or the ocean). This watch will do all of this, and probably flawlessly, if my other Citizen's are good benchmarks. If I have any reservations about the watch right now, it's the band. It seems durable and comfortable enough, I'm just not sure that I'm going to like it long-term. That's OK, I'll put a NATO band on it if I want to in the future. For now, I'm just getting the band broken-in and so far, so good. If you a fan of Citizen watches, and this one appeals to you and your taste, or as a gift for a special someone in your life, you could do much much worse that this watch I think. It's a good looking piece that seems to be built well and should last for years and years.

I spent quite a while looking at military style watches under $200. I was looking for a watch that had a simple but stylish look and didn't look cheap. So far I am satisfied with this watch and in this review I will address some of the common themes in the other reviews. Size: This is not a large watch. I am not a person who believes a watch has to be large for it to look good. This watch is just about as small as I would go. In fact, the first few days I was filled with buyers remorse because my previous watch was much larger and I wasn't used to the drop in size. I felt like I had bought a women's watch. After asking many friends, and after a few days of it being on my wrist, it occurred to me that I was overreacting. I like the size very much actually, because when I'm dressed formally its size is classier looking than those expensive over-sized multi-function gizmos that an eight year old with cash would pick out. However, for my wrist size and my height, I would not go smaller than this. Make sure to consider your body and wrist size when buying a watch. There are guides for this online. The Canvas Strap: That being said, there are many complaints about the size, look, and feel of the watchband. Since its a smaller watch, its a smaller band and at first I did think it looked tiny. It's canvas on the outside and leather on the inner side and it is well made. The eyelets give it a good look, but the complaints are true and I can imagine that for some wrists the eyelets would cause the band to be too loose or too tight. Aside from that its a quality band and most importantly the watchband can be easily replaced with one that suits you more. I have a variety of watchbands and I recommend that people shop for one that they think looks best. I use the canvas strap usually, but I have a Maratac Zulu Bond 18mm strap for dress occasions (looks great with this watch! Don't settle for the cheaper versions they sell on Amazon). The great thing about military-style watches is their character. Eco-Drive: I find that the watch keeps spot on time. Whenever I get a watch I double check its accuracy every day for the first two weeks and then once a month. The watch hasn't been acting irregularly and I would say I'm outside as much as any average person. I fully charged it when I received it. After that, I left it face down on a desk for a weekend and it still kept time. One review was upset that the second (as in seconds in a minute) jumped two second markers instead of one. This is not an error in manufacturing! According to the manual, the second hand jumps this way when the battery is low on charge. I cannot verify as this has not happened to me. I very much like that I will never have to replace the battery. Second Hand: The second hand does not line up exactly with the second lines. This is one reason I gave it four stars. It isn't too obvious. I think the red color of the hand is a good look for the watch. Luminous numbers and hands: Seems to be evenly applied and bright enough for my liking. Calendar: I like the calendar. This is my second reason for giving the watch four stars however. PLEASE NOTE! that if you try to set the calendar between 9PM and 4AM this will probably permanently break the date feature on the watch! This did not happen to me because I read the description on this page and several reviews included it. The date works fine for me and it won't be hard to remember that. I just feel like no one should be able to break a good watch that easily and that makes it a flawed design. I would have preferred no fay of the week showing to being able to break my watch. Follow the instructions exactly! Metal-Stamp: Another reason for a forth star. Rather than the product info being stamped on the watch back, there is a sticker. Is this preferred? No not really...however see my last point. Price: This is a good watch for 80 bucks. I haven't had it for too long but a friend of mine has the same model and its lasted him many years. I would recommend this one over the Citizen AT0200-05E Eco-Drive Chronograph because the Chronograph on that watch is not very good, it lacks the beautifully simple look of this watch, and you pay much more for it. The actual watch looks better than the Amazon photo in my opinion.

I ordered this watch from Amazon and it arrived before the estimated delivery date. I love the watch, and it looks much better in person than in pictures on the web. Quality is very good and the hands line up perfectly. The luminova is evenly applied and lasts longer, actually all the way through the night, which I didn't think would be the case. The only feature I don't like is the canvas band, which I found uncomfortable. I'm sure it's fine for others, but still a black leather band for less than (...)(any jewelry store or online store) compliments the watch very well, and it no longer looks like a 'weekend watch'. One small point about the Eco-drive that some other reviews I've read overlooked: Citizen Eco-drive models DO have a battery. The solar cell stores energy in a rechargeable mangenese-titanium battery. The battery should last a very long time according to Citizen engineers who project that even after 20 years the battery should retain 80% of recharge capacity (on their website), but only time will tell... no pun intended. Speaking of time, the watch is pretty accurate. I've had the watch for one month and during that time it has lost less than one second when compared to the US national time ([...] In sum: this is a very well constructed watch that I feel is worth the money. 10 Year UPDATE: Just realized that I missed the 10 year mark several months ago. At 10 years the watch still works perfectly. The solar cell is maintaining the state of charge on the rechargeable manganese titanium lithium battery. I haven’t been wearing the watch much the past year, so I put it on my dresser where it gets about 10 minutes of sunlight through the window each morning. I haven't yet seen the low charge indicator (the second hand jumps in 2 second increments to indicate low state of charge). At that point the battery is supposed to have enough capacity to run the watch for only 4 days, which I think represents a 2% state of charge - based on full charge running the watch for 6 months - just a guess. Note: the low charge indicator just means that you need to put the watch under a lamp or in sunlight to recharge. After 10 years, the conclusion is that this watch and its solar charging mechanism is durable and very well constructed. In the attached photo you can see my 10 year old watch getting it's daily dose of morning sunshine. UPDATE: After 11.5 years, still going strong. And for those who are interested, the solar cell stores energy in a rechargeable battery, not a capacitor. Visit Citizen's website for more details on the Eco-Drive.

I was looking for a nice but not too expensive watch with a military look. After some research I had two candidates: this one and the SNK809 Seiko 5. Both are nice looking watches, and have a similar price (the Seiko is cheaper). I ordered both from Amazon with the intention of returning the loser. I returned the Seiko. The Seiko is a really nice watch, with a great auto mechanical movement, and cheaper. I preferred the Citizen because: 1. The face was a lot easier to read the time. The Seiko face has the seconds in large type on the outer edge, with the hours and minutes in an inner ring in smaller type. The Citizen has the seconds on the far outer edge with a very small font AND the hour markings are still on the outer edge in a big font. I want to tell the time not the seconds! 2. I preferred the shiny metal finish of the Citizen to the brushed/mat finish of the Seiko. 3. The Citizen has a better water rating, enough for swimming (10ATM). The Seiko is rated only for a quick swim (3ATM). The Citizen is a really nice, sturdy looking watch. It is not large. I have a 6.5 inch wrist and its a perfect fit (I'm not Flavor Flav!). The strap is fine. I noticed a lot of complaints about the strap, but I like it. I would have preferred black. I did remove the strap and I am using NATO bands. The solar feature is great. You only notice the panel on the watch face if you look really hard in sunlight at just the right angle. The lumination is a bit "hit and miss". I've had the watch face illuminate all night, and then on other occasions not at all. I do not know if this is typical. The instructions for setting the day, date and time are poor. It instructs you not to set the day and date when the time is between 9pm and 4am, but it does not tell you how to know if the watch is between 9pm and 4am OR 9am and 4pm??? I searched youtube to find a video. I think this is typical for most watch instructions. Overall its a great watch and I highly recommend it. UPDATE 8/8/2013: I actually like this watch more than when I bought it. Not big, Clean dial, Good looks, Solar, 100m WR all for around 85 bucks! Its a great value. I like it so much I bought another. I wear one with ss solid link, breitling-style bracelet and the other with nato straps. This watch looks great with ss bracelets, natos straps and leather straps.

The title says a lot...I collect watches and have sold Panerai ($20-30k) homage ones. Quartz movements are $10 cheap, and cheapen a good watch, IMO. And this is a good watch, and not cheap...so why? The solar function convinced me, for a daily wear watch. I tend to do extreme things, like spend the winter in the desert, and would not take kindly to a battery crapping out. Plus my whole camp is solar. Plus mechanical watches are tyrannical, demanding to be worn or else quit. This solar motor seems like a good compromise. The watch itself is nicely finished, and looks fine on my 8-1/2" wrist. It replaces a Seiko 5 of the same size. Not ostentatious, but rather a poor man's Hamilton Khaki military...chosen for quality and function rather than bling. Good enough for D-day, good enough for me. I'm concerned about water resistance...note, the crown DOES NOT screw down as advertised on Amazon, but a screw down crown is not advertised on Citizen's website. I sent a message asking for an explanation. As long as they tell me that it will perform to 100' water proof, I'm good. Now let's have a conversation about the strap. Any good watch, any watch, is always enhanced by a good strap. What you get from a manufacturer is a courtesy strap that might as well be cardboard, and just about is. Throw it away, folks, and make your expenditure really shine with something as decent as the watch, at least. I've spent in excess of $100 for several straps, and they were all well worth it, but for $10-25, you can get something really good.... and very comfortable, wet or dry. Start with a Nato strap, if you're wondering...available in all colors and even James Bond stripes...good enough for a Rolex....$10. For this watch, I went with a French paratrooper elastic adjustable strap, tan with a white pinstripe.... but a silicone diver strap would work well too, and a 20mm silicone strap can be squeezed into the 18mm lugs to give a little more oomph of a look. Even if a diver clasp opens, it's still a complete circle on your wrist. A thousand reviews, and 70% complain about the strap. See above. EXTRA, EXTRA...crystal scratches eliminated! You heard me right...they now make glass crystal protectors, and there's one on Amazon specifically for this watch. I was amazed to find it. You're most welcome. I'm happy...didn't want to shell out $.4k for a wind-up Hamilton when this is likely better and runs forever. Just get into the light now and then....good for the spirit, too.

Citizen Eco-Drive Stainless Steel and Canvas Sport Watch - OD Green (+) A sharp looking time-piece. The watch frequently gets compliments and questions about what brand/make it is. The black analogue face is sets off the high contrast white hands and numbering, and the stainless watch body and OD-green band gives it a sharp tactical look. (+) Exquisite looks / style and form. (fairly thin watch body). (+) Quality functionality and time keeping. (+) Watch face seems very scratch resistant. (+) Holding up well to low level water exposure - showers and swimming with no apparent moisture build-up internally. (+) Watch band conforms to wrist shape after wearing for a while. The double fixed-loop and free-loop firmly secures the end of the band. (-) It's just chance, but frequently one hand or another of the watch is covering the day of the week and day of the month read-out when I need to see those. "Murphy's Law" in effect! (-) Normal (wrist-worn) exposure to ambient light does not illuminate the hands sufficiently to give "older" eyes enough after-glow to see the hands when darkness comes. It's not an active "tritium" isotope coating on the hands (like a military compass has), so unless the face is intentionally charged, they just aren't very distinguishable in the dark - and it's hard to tell the hour hand from the minute hand- they both appear as just dim dots of equal size and brightness - unfortunately I need an external light to see the time on this watch in the dark-where I end up spending a lot of my time during an average day. (-) I am still figuring out the two-stop crown functionality. When you pull out the crown to the first stop, you can "dial-in"/change the Day of the Week and Day of the Month, depending on which way you turn the dial. Continuing to pull out the crown to the second stop allows you to adjusts the watch's hands, to set the time. (Note: The days of the week window include the French three-letter abbreviation for each day [along with the English tri-letter abreviations], so their are 14 day settings to scroll through). Overall: A "looker" but lacking the more extensive functionality of lesser, digital watches.