Is Citizen a good brand for watches?

[amdhunter]

Citizen Eco-drive is a good watch for everyday use. I wouldn't pay more than 200-350$ though, but that's just me. I have one that has lasted over 12 years without any service.

I've since moved on to a different watch, but that is because I started becoming more interested in the handwork and craftsmanship aspects of high-end automatic watches (and not really for a more accurate timepiece).

Right now I'm going for looks. I'm slightly recovering my social life back, and I am in the mood to get just slightly flashy (in a tame way.)

 

[bononos]

Ah. So that stereotype is true then. It pops with me too. I guess I'll stay away from Citizen. Any good place to research watches?

Do you also drive a camry or an Accord?

 

[Tiamat]

Right now I'm going for looks. I'm slightly recovering my social life back, and I am in the mood to get just slightly flashy (in a tame way.)

Obviously, "Rolex" is for the people going for looks/recognition. What do you think of Movado? Overstock.com sometimes has good deals, but you are in the 500-1000$ range. They can be "dressy" and their "appeal" is their simplicity (some people think they are too simple looking with the blank dial with single stone at the 12 oclock position).

If you want something that "Works" and looks "nicer" than a Timex or G-shock, then Citizen would be my first choice since it is a blend of features I like (no batteries, many different models to choose from) and they do not break the wallet (<$500).

Honestly, my progression of watches was:
1. Timex Indiglo (elementary school)
2. Timex Combination Indiglo (analog and digital) (Junior high through high school)
3. Citizen Eco-drive titanium with chronograph (12th grade, College, grad school, and 2 years of work thereafter)
4. Omega DeVille Annual Calendar (my wife's gift to me)

I wear the Omega everyday and my Citizen doesn't get worn at all anymore. My Citizen got me through a lot though and it was and still is a trusty watch. It didn't have a date function, and I realized that I wanted that. Also, I don't want to have to change the date every other month, so, the Annual Calendar suits me now.

Sounds to me like you want a tier higher than Timex, but a couple tiers lower than Rolex/Omega/Panerai/Gran Seiko/etc. That puts you in the 200$-1000$ range. Citizen, Seiko, Movado are the first brands that come to mind. They all have their own unique "design" traits so you can see very quickly which direction you want to go.

You need to go to a store and try them on btw. There were several models of watches that I liked in catalogs and on the internet, but they looked terrible in person on my wrist. The DeVille that I have was ho-hum in the pictures and even 3' away in the display case. However, when on my wrist, it just presented well to my eyes and my wife's. Oh, and never pay MSRP retail. You should be able to get a discount as these things are marked up at least 50% from "Dealer pricing".

 

[The Boston Dangler]

i received a gold eco-drive as a gift and i love it. since the battery died (again) in my former favorite (titanium skagen, $100) i've decided to get another eco-drive to replace it if citizen offers a similar model.

thread hijack:
can anyone match this with an eco-drive? super clean, super lightweight

 

[BlackTigers]

ive had a citizen for about ten months, my first decent watch.

i work in a machine shop, and wear the watch on occasion, and it's holding up great. (i got one of the titanium ones). no scratches, and i abuse the hell out of it.

my next watch will also be a citizen, something a little nicer though.

 

[MBentz]

http://www.hamiltonwatch.com/

 

[amdhunter]

i received a gold eco-drive as a gift and i love it. since the battery died (again) in my former favorite (titanium skagen, $100) i've decided to get another eco-drive to replace it if citizen offers a similar model.

thread hijack:
can anyone match this with an eco-drive? super clean, super lightweight

That's gorgeous. That's exactly the look I am looking for.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

That's gorgeous. That's exactly the look I am looking for.

that model is LTX105. wow, down to $65 new with free shipping!
http://www.amazon.com/Skagen-Mens-10.../dp/B0000643Q8

 

[deejayshakur]

Thanks, I'll look into it.

http://yeomanseiko.com/2011/02/20/orient-ej02003w-international-model-with-hack-and-handwind/

Just ordered this in black after 2 weeks of researching frenzy on watchuseek.com.

It's my first automatic watch; it has a sapphire crystal, 22 crystal mechanism, hacks, self-winds, and the Orient Power Reserve Indicator. Apparently Orient is one of the best buys in automatic watches, compares favorably with some of the higher end Swiss brands. Orient also makes their mechanisms in-house (most Swiss watches use a mechanism made by ETA.)

PM me if you want the site I ordered from. I imported it from Singapore via the "gray market" but with these watches, it's a pretty safe bet. They also sell Citizen, Seiko, etc at steep discounts.

I like the black-on-black, but was worried about the finish eventually scratching off.

 

[timosyy]

Citizen is okay. As they're all quartz (as far as I know), they won't really impress watch nerds unless you go for their flashier "complications" (Specifically, I'm thinking of the Campanola line).

For your budget, here are two automatics I'd recommend:

Orient Mako (blue): Classy, dive-watch. People rave about the dial and the way the blue changes as it hits the light (Dial appears almost black in dim-lighting). In-house automatic movement. Would run you about $100-120.

Picture: http://i.imgur.com/G15aC.jpg

Tissot Visodate: Retro-inspired Tissot automatic. Clean, dressy, nice display-back. ~$500

Front: http://i.imgur.com/GaX43.jpg
Back: http://i.imgur.com/ERlLA.jpg

In your price range are also a host of vintage watches if you decide that's your thing. For example, this recently sold Omega Seamaster: http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=tree&goto=6255692&rid=0

For reference, my daily wear is a Nomos Tangente: http://i.imgur.com/ISJhi.jpg

Edit: Oh, and as far as Movado goes, ugh. They're good for impressing anyone who knows nothing about watches, I guess. Status symbol more than a watch. Used to be a serious watch company, hit it off big with their "museum watch" (a pirated design: http://idsa.org/museum-watch-1958 ), and then just made those with cheap mass-produced quartz movements at a ridiculous markup ever since.

2nd Edit: None of this is meant to disparage Quartz watches. They have their place as well - cheap, accurate, runs on battery so you never have to set the time again until battery runs out. No need to spend hundreds on a quartz though. You can pick up a setup like this for ~$20 at the local Target that I think looks great: http://i.imgur.com/ZeGje.jpg

 

[Crono]

Citizen is okay. As they're all quartz (as far as I know), they won't really impress watch nerds unless you go for their flashier "complications" (Specifically, I'm thinking of the Campanola line).

For your budget, here are two automatics I'd recommend:

Orient Mako (blue): Classy, dive-watch. People rave about the dial and the way the blue changes as it hits the light (Dial appears almost black in dim-lighting). In-house automatic movement. Would run you about $100-120.

Picture: http://i.imgur.com/G15aC.jpg

Tissot Visodate: Retro-inspired Tissot automatic. Clean, dressy, nice display-back. ~$500

Front: http://i.imgur.com/GaX43.jpg
Back: http://i.imgur.com/ERlLA.jpg

In your price range are also a host of vintage watches if you decide that's your thing. For example, this recently sold Omega Seamaster: http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=tree&goto=6255692&rid=0

Oh, and my daily wear is a Nomos Tangente: http://i.imgur.com/ISJhi.jpg

I'm not a big watch person, but I like your style. :thumbsup:

 

[jlee]

I have one of these and almost never wear it. The auto-set time doesn't seem to be working so I have to set it manually...and when I forget to put it in the sun every few months it loses time and I have to set it again.

I wear this almost all the time. I'm not much for fashion - I wear a watch that I can leave on while I'm working on a car and not care.

 

[Soundmanred]

Never heard of it.

 

[rayfieldclement]

I prefer watches with white faces.

 

[halik]

watchuseek.com

it can get very expensive very quickly though if you are looking for something better

This. I'd rather get a used Tag or Omega and refurb it than a new citizen:

http://www.watchrecon.com/

 

[olds]

To each his own but that is an ugly watch.

 

[mcurphy]

i have one, i got one in japan like 4 years ago (before they started selling it in the states)

They were available in the US before 4 years ago. I bought my Citizen Eco-Drive ~7 years ago, and I know they were around long before that.

 

[Tiamat]

They were available in the US before 4 years ago. I bought my Citizen Eco-Drive ~7 years ago, and I know they were around long before that.

yup, mine is over 10 years old

 

[basslover1]

They were available in the US before 4 years ago. I bought my Citizen Eco-Drive ~7 years ago, and I know they were around long before that.

I was going to say the same thing. I got my first Citizen watch as a gift before my senior year in H.S. ~9 years ago.

I received this one: http://www.citizenwatch.com/COA/Eng...anguage=English&ModelNumber=BL8097-52E&page=7 as a gift, and I really like it. But because I can't wear it at work it dies pretty often, and this thread reminded me to go put it on my window sill to charge it back up again.

 

[Red Storm]

I have one of these and almost never wear it. The auto-set time doesn't seem to be working so I have to set it manually...and when I forget to put it in the sun every few months it loses time and I have to set it again.

What are you, a vampire?

I find it odd that people have "daily" watches in addition to ones they rarely wear. But I guess anything can be a luxury item.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Costco sells the Eco Drive watches, I wanna say they have one for $289, but I might be wrong on the price. They have a few Citizen that vary in prices.

 

[brainhulk]

I have seiko automatics and citizen eco drives. They are ok for casual wear. But when need somthing nice, I sport my submariner.

 

[Gillbot]

I prefer Seiko Kinetic over Citizen Eco-Drive and a have about half a dozen of each. Seiko's work better, but over the long haul the kinetics need maintenance. Google will tell you why, otherwise it's personal preference.

 

[96Firebird]

I have a Citizen Eco-Drive watch. I wanted something simple and easy to wear with anything, got this one... http://www.amazon.com/Citizen-BM6670...ords=eco+drive

 

[esquared]

Citizen Eco-Drive watches are good. Just expose it to light/sun and it'll run for months.

I have an Citizen eco-drive. They can be had for 100- 600 on Amazon, with most choices below 200.00. And a 5 year warranty. I think Seikos have a three year warranty on their equivalent watches, which is another reason I went with Citizen.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1?...qid=1345916919