Citizen watches already has something >like that. But it's the face
which is black (and or White) and it's a solar cell. Any light
hitting the watch powers it.
I kind of specialize in putting nice watches on silver cuffs, and
these Citizen Eco-Drive watches have become my new favorites. You
would never know that an amazing light-sensitive cell lurks behind
the varied faces. And the number of different styles is almost
boggling.
I can mount these on a cuff and never have to worry about someone
else down the line having to take the watch off to change the
batteries (Ouch! Sorry to all of you out there who make a pretty
penny doing it, but this sure feels like the wave of the future). It
becomes (probably) a permanent mounting. Better and cheaper for my
customers! Easier for me!
You could keep one of these babies in a drawer for 6 months and it
would still be keeping time when you took it out. With that kind of
power reserve, this format makes the battery/quartz model seem
archaic.
Would I like it better if this were a Swiss brand (at the same
price, of course!)? Absolutely. Is “Citizen” the most alluring brand
name? Probably not. I wonder why another maker hasn’t developed a
similar range with equivalent technology?
One kicker is that, as of Dec. 1, Citizen is apparently no longer
allowing it’s internet dealers to discount more than 25%. There will
probably be some way around this; but, just in case, I just ordered a
bunch. I’ve been dealing with www.bluedial.com, who have an addictive
and extensive selection of everything, and they seem to be straight
ahead.
I kind of specialize in putting nice watches on silver cuffs, and
these Citizen Eco-Drive watches have become my new favorites.
I have been looking for the right watch to put on a bracelet for
myself (and maybe later for customers) so I’m very pleased to see
your recommendation. I’ve mail ordered a few watches so far, only to
find that they really won’t do for one reason or another.
Do you buy the whole watch and jettison the bands?
and these Citizen Eco-Drive watches have become my new favorites
I wrote before about a lady shopping for a watch—I have had an
eco-drive for almost five years now. All I have done in those five
years is put it on in the morning. For all practical purposes it is
an eternal watch - it just runs all the time. I’m sure a service
wouldn’t hurt after 10 years - a good lube job. I’d say that if
there’s a perfect watch from a “mechanism” standpoint, this is it.
I can mount these on a cuff and never have to worry about someone
else down the line having to take the watch off to change the
batteries (Ouch! Sorry to all of you out there who make a pretty
penny doing it, but this sure feels like the wave of the future).
It becomes (probably) a permanent mounting. Better and cheaper for
my customers! Easier for me!
This is simply an observation based on personal experience in my
store, and as an experienced watch repairman. The Citizen Ecos and
the Seiko Kinetics both have a rechargable storage cell in them,
which does wear out, and currently they are on the expensive side to
replace, and also not as easily available as a normal watch battery.
I’ve seen some last as short as only 2 years, and some last as long
as 7-8 years, but eventually all of them go dead, requiring service.
Wholesale cost for an adequate selection of inventory is somewhat
prohibitve. Plus most stores do not have the personnel on hand
capable of changing the cell. Also I have a small device for
recharging Kinetics when they are left lay too long without motion.
The cell goes ‘flat’ and requires a 'booster" to restore its
capacity. But it doesn’t do Citizens Eco. But then Citizen Miyota
movements tend to be cheap enough that the entire insides can often
be replaced reasonably affordable. In addition to power supply
concerns, decent quality watches such as these need to have gaskets
around the back and stem replaced every couple years to retain their
water resistance. Chemical attack from everyday wear and
tear(chlorine, alcohol,etc…) cause the gaskets to become dry,
brittle, and no longer able to do their intended purpose. A ‘WATER
RESISTANT’ watch doesn’t stay that way forever, especially without a
some periodic maintenance. Just like keeping the oil changed in your
car regularly, a frequent gasket change will radically extend the
life of just about all watches. And what happens when someone damages
this watch, causing movement damage, or a broken crystal? Nearly
every type of repair performed on these watches requires the back to
be taken off to facilitate service.
The Citizen Ecos and the Seiko Kinetics both have a rechargable
storage cell in them, which does wear out, and currently they are
on the expensive side to replace, and also not as easily available
as a normal watch battery. I've seen some last as short as only 2
years, and some >l ast as long as 7-8 years, but >eventually all of
them go dead, requiring service.
Thanks to “Ed in Kokomo” for raising a question I should have asked
in the first place about these Eco-Drive movements. A little freaked
out by this, I called my dealer, bluedial.com, to check it out. They
also quoted 7-8 years. So my perfect eternal watch would only save my
customers a couple of battery changes before they’d have to do the
same thing.
I was on the verge of cancelling my order when the sales rep
suggested I talk directly to Citizen first. I talked to a very
helpful person who explained that they figure a minimum of 15 years
lifespan for the rechargeable cell, and possibly much longer (the
dealer should have known this!). They have watches with their
previous solar technology that are still running after 35 years! 80%
of the repair issues they deal with are the result of either someone
opening the watch or not making sure the cell is charged. The cell is
NOT replaceable by anyone other than Citizen, so the watch would
eventually have to be sent to them.
In the space of an hour I went from loving them to hating them and
back to loving. By the way, it is officially pronounced “ecco” rather
than “eeco”. I also asked about changing the gaskets and seals.
Unless the watch is used in harsh environments regularly, this is not
an issue, and nobody should be opening them up in the first place.
Do you buy the whole watch and jettison the bands?
Yep. I’ve tossed lots of watchbands. Nobody seemed to want them, but
I still felt a little guilty. Maybe I’ll save a bunch and try to sell
them on ebay someday.