How good is a Citizen Eco Drive watch?
The Eco Drive watches from Citizen, the prodigy among Japanese watches?
A quartz watch that runs forever and without changing the battery.
Sounds almost too good to be true. What's behind the movement and are Citizen's Eco Drive watches really that good?
Yes, the Eco Drive movement from Citizen is truly exceptional! It keeps running, even in the dark. The battery lasts for several months and can be fully charged in just a few hours thanks to the integrated solar cell. The price-performance ratio is also very good. Eco Drive watches are available starting at 100 Euros, with most watches found between 200 and 400 Euros.
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The technology seems very good to us and the prices are very low. This raises the question of how good the quality of Citizen watches is, more on that later.
But first, let's go over what an Eco Drive movement even is and how it works.
How does an Eco Drive movement work?
"The Eco-Drive movement is a hybrid technology that combines a quartz movement with an integrated solar cell, which charges a battery that in turn powers the quartz movement. The solar cell is well hidden underneath the dial or is located at the edge of the dial in a circle."
As already mentioned, the Eco Drive watches are powered by a quartz movement, which reliably displays the time with an accuracy of about 1 second per month.
The solar cell circumvents a decisive disadvantage of the quartz watch. With a quartz watch, the battery must be changed every year, an additional expense that is eliminated with the Eco-Drive movements.
The relationship between the charging times and the battery life is exciting. Since the built-in quartz watch is very efficient from the ground up, these watches shine with a battery life of about 6 months (in the dark), yet the battery is fully charged in just a few hours in the sun.
So if you wear your watch at least once a month, your watch will never stop, if you also store it in the light, you won't have a problem with it anyway.
"Citizen Eco-Drive watches are therefore suitable for watch owners who rarely wear their watches"
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Advantages of Citizen Eco-Drive movement
- Accuracy of one second per month
- Power reserve of up to 6 months
- Automatic charging in light (also artificial light)
- no need to change the battery
- Solar cell is under the dial and does not affect the appearance.
Disadvantages of the Eco-Drive movement
- Increased complexity leads to increased price (The whole thing is to be seen relatively, since the watches are generally very cheap)
- A battery can also break and must then be replaced.
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How long is the service life of an Eco-drive?
According to Citizen, a fully charged movement should run up to 6 months even in the dark. On a nice day in the sun, it is fully charged again in only 11 hours.
But what about the lifespan of the entire watch? - How long a specific watch will last is generally a more difficult question, but to get a meaningful result, we can analyze the technologies used, such as the materials used.
The movement
Quartz movements are generally very simple in their construction. Essentially, a quartz movement consists of a stepper motor, associated gears for the translation of hours, minutes and seconds, a calculation board and a quartz crystal, which indicates the clock and thus the time.
So compared to a mechanical movement, a quartz movement has a vanishingly small number of parts.
"Quartz movements are generally very robust in this regard, even inexpensive movements usually last well over 10 years, so the life of the movement exceeds the life of the entire watch."
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The solar cell
In the case of the solar cell, the analysis is a bit more difficult; unlike the technology of the quartz watch, the use of a solar cell in a watch is a relatively new concept.
Since a solar cell has no moving parts from the ground up, there is hardly anything that could break, especially since it is very well protected from deformation in the housing of the watch. In addition, the technology of the solar cell / photovoltaic cell itself is nothing new and is already relatively mature.
Materials used for the housing, etc.
Since Citizen's watches are generally in the low price segment, the materials used are certainly not the most durable.
For the case and the bracelet, the low price is still well compatible with certain quality requirements. For example, bracelets and cases made of stainless steel are already relatively durable in themselves and yet inexpensive to produce.
However, you have to make concessions when it comes to the glass, or rather the crystal that covers the dial. Since a real sapphire crystal is out of the question in this price segment, you have to settle for a slightly less hard glass surface that scratches a bit faster.
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The battery
The capacity of the battery decreases over time. How fast this happens is difficult to say, since it depends on various factors. Citizen has done some extensive tests on this and says you have to change the battery about every 10-20 years.
Citizen's test results showed that the batteries still had an average capacity of 80% after 10 years, which is still 5 months power reserve after 10 years with an initial power reserve of 6 months.
If you still need to change the battery, it will only cost you a few euros.
All in all, a very proven system.
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How good is the quality of Citizen?
As mentioned, we are a bit skeptical about the quality.
Of course, you cannot expect the same quality from a watch for 150 Euros as from a watch for 10,000 Euros, but there are still some features that you can pay attention to. In direct comparison with the competition in the same price segment, Seiko and Casio, Citizen scores less well in one small point in particular.
We have often seen that not everything on the dial is perfectly aligned. A small thing that many will not notice, but as a watch fan it will bother you if the hands do not meet the hour markers exactly or the dial is crooked.
But here's a tip: buy your watch in a store, then you can choose a watch that is nicely aligned.
Aside from that, the finish is appropriately good for the price. The watch also feels high-quality in hand, which is more of a drawback for the competition, especially the digital watches from Casio.
What do you think you can expect in terms of quality for such an inexpensive watch?
Do you think my assessment is too harsh? Let me know in the comments!
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Conclusion
There's no question that the technology works, even if the watch stays in the closet for several months. - Thanks to the power-saving measures.
The quality of Citizen watches is adequate, if we take into account the low price, it is even good.
All in all, I can recommend the Eco Drive watches. Especially as an entry into the world of watches, the Eco Drive models from Citizen are suitable. They are inexpensive, available in different styles and do not require any maintenance or the like.
According to the motto, put on and forget.
Scource cover image: Pexels
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Q&A
How much do Citizen Eco-Drive watches cost?
Basically, Citizen watches are very inexpensive. Cheap models start at 100 euros. However, they also have some high-quality watches in the line-up that cost well over 1000 euros. So there is something for everyone.
How fast is the battery charged?
In the sun, the battery charges enough for a whole day in 2 minutes. So with normal use, you don't have to worry about the battery level, your watch will keep running almost forever. If the battery is completely empty, just put the watch in the sun for a day or about 11 hours and your battery will be full.
How should I store an Eco Drive watch?
How you should store the watch depends on how often you wear it. If you wear it for more than 2 minutes a day on average, which is most likely the case, you don't have to worry about it. You can also keep the watch in the dark closet. However, if you really wear the watch extremely rarely and don't want to reset it every time, just put it in a bright place and you're done.
Although setting the time is one of the most enjoyable aspects. If you also own a mechanical watch, you know what I mean...
About the author
Maio Rosatzin
My passion began with a Breitling Premier B01. Since then, I've been sharing my fascination for watchmaking here on my blog. Let's dive into this fascinating world together!
