Review of Citizen Eco-Drive Men's Skyhawk Chronograph Watch #JR3090-58L

Home	Products	Reviews	Directory	About	Contact

Citizen Eco-Drive Men's Skyhawk Chronograph Watch #JR3090-58L
By: Citizen Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 52
More Information

Great watch

On: 2008-05-30

Keeps great time. I love the fact that I can switch time zones so easily. I flew to Ethiopia via Rome. I just had to set the time on a city, push the buttons & everything was good. Its not scratch proof but it is sturdy. I use the chronograp fairly regularly. I wish it was a bit easier to set but I also know it isnt going to accidently be stopped or started.

My one disappointment is theres no backlight. I was surprised at how well the glow in the dark hands & hour markers lit up, though.

Citizen Titanium Eco-Drive Skyhawk

On: 2008-04-21

This is my second Citizen aviation watch. Ive worn it for two years now. As a pilot, I find it to be highly functional. For its size, I would highly recommend the titanium model over the stainless steel. The difference in weight is definitley noticeable. The bracelet design and its heavier weight made the pins in earlier models vulnerable to failure. I do miss the function that allows the hands to reposition to 12 oclock for access to some of the other functions.

The Best Watch I have ever owned

On: 2008-04-15

After a lot of research, I finally decided to purchase this watch. I was concerned with all of the negative reviews that I had seen, but I went ahead and purchased it. After wearing it for two weeks, I could not be happier with it. Much of the information contained in the other reviews is valid. The alarm is almost inaudible and the watch can be a bit complicated to operate, but these negatives do not outweigh the positives. This is an absolutely beautiful watch. The titanium version does not feel any heavier on my wrist than other watches that I have worn over the years. The Eco-Drive feature is amazing. I noticed one night when I had fallen asleep with it next to me that the hands had stopped moving, but as soon as I turned on the light, they moved to the correct time instantly. If I had it to do all over again, I would have bought this watch months ago.Citizen Eco-Drive Mens Skyhawk Chronograph Watch #JR3090-58L

Excelent watch

On: 2008-04-13

This is the best watch I have ever owned. Looks beautiful and never needs batteries (solar charging) and even has power saving modes.

But its a little hard to see the time at night, because there isnt light.

Great Deisign, Excellent buying experience

On: 2008-04-06

An excellent modern design intergrating the latest watch technology. We purchased two of these watches and have no regrets.

PMV65-2242 is the Skyhawk only for Japan

On: 2008-03-05

I recently bought a PMV65-2242 and would like to share my impressions and opinions with you. Where to start?

*) Weight. The thing weighs a ton. And I bought the titanium version; I can only imagine what the stainless one is like. One arms got to hang a couple of inches lower than the other. Good thing I wanted a heavy watch, cause this one fits the bill to a T. (My titanium Navihawk is so light I thought the seller had ripped me off and that the casing was hollow...)

*) Size. Its exactly the size indicated in all the propaganda, but it just doesnt look as large to me as I thought it would. For me, the larger the better, so I was unpleasantly surprised.

*) The anti-glare glass is quite nice. Its a pain with my Navihawks to wiggle my wrist around in strong lighting just to see what time it is. Its not perfect, but it is much better.

*) It glows in the dark just great! I can really see what time it is when the lights been out for hours, something thats a weak point with my Navitimers (I own three). But I am a pilot and must assess this watch to be great for my pre-flight work - at home at the table. In a cockpit the vibrations and lack of light make this unit in my opinion worthless. My Aristo Aviat E6-B flight computer - a circular slide rule of 13 cm (5½ inch) diameter - doesnt fit on my wrist, but is 100 times better, even in a cramped cockpit.

*) The LCD display is illuminated. This works very well and should have been on the Navitimer.

*) The minute hand doesnt click every 20 seconds like on the Navihawk (and on my Breitling); it is constantly in motion. (I think thats even neater that way, but some other users may not.)

*) The Navihawks were first issued in approx. 1994. That means their technology is not exactly fresh and up-to-date, but on the other hand it certainly does not mean it is not good. Let me list a few really neat features from the Navihawk that Citizen decided to go downhill on and not to build into their series "PMV65-2242" (just where DOES Citizen get these ridiculous IDs from? - it reminds me of the Monty Python bit: "...after 6 p.m. RST22-5578..."):

*) Are the big hands in the way of the LCD window when youre trying to read it or do some setting or other? No problem: it is soooo sexy with the Navihawks to press a button and have these two hands swing up to 12 and stay there until youre done. Then each goes its own way back where it belongs when you press the button again. Of course it keeps the correct time internally. This new model cant do that. Why not? Not only is it not sexy, the hands really *are* in the way if youre trying to do any work with the LCD window between 2 and 4 oclock real time, because the hour hand covers up the window. And if its between x:10 and x:20 real time, the minute hand completely blocks your view.

*) You cant make the UTC timezone in the LCD display go away. With the Navitimer you could make it disappear just like any other timezone you didnt want to have cluttering up your display, but with the new model it is always there, whether you want it or not. A step backward.

*) And then there is the LCD window itself. On the Navihawk it was quite well-sized (and easy to read!), but on the PMV65-2242 its roughly *half* the size, although the face of the watch itself is almost 30% larger. They decided that having an extra-big knobbie at 3:00 oclock (I guess its for those customers who dont know that that position means 3:00 oclock...) was better than a large LCD window, so they made the LCD window half as big. The only thing thats noticeably bigger on the new model is the font of the brandname "Citizen." Thats almost twice as big. I dont think they asked a customer what he or she felt was more important.

*) The *background* color of the LCD display is noticeably darker than on the Navihawks, so discerning the black numbers and letters on it is even more difficult. Why, why, why???

*) The smaller analogue dials are larger on the Navihawk than on the PMV65-2242, although the latter has almost 30% more surface area to work with. Any idea why Citizen did that? I dont have a clue.

*) Can anybody tell me why the PMV65-2242 has a second hand, when one centimeter away there is a permanent LCD display telling you exactly what second youre at? I suppose its for when you have the display mode set to calendar or if you want to see how close you are to the time-correcting radio sender (like you dont know this anyway...), but I think a watch without a second hand (like the Navihawks) is great. (With my Breitling you can press a button and it either goes around and around once a minute like a good second hand should, or it jumps to 12 and just sits there. Thats the way it can - and should - be done: let the customer decide.)

*) A criticism of the Navihawk as well is simply this: why is there a 24-hour analogue dial with just an hour hand telling you whether its a.m. or p.m.? Anybody ever think about looking out the window? I really do know if its 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning; I dont need a complete dial to tell me that. In my opinion this dial is a total waste. What they could have done is allow us to set that dial to a different time zone, allowing us to see three time zones at once, without even pressing a button. Or to a half-hour time zone like India or Nova Scotia. But there it is, permanently fixed to the large analogue hour-hand. In case youre in a windowless room, I guess, and cant remember when you slept last.

*) Heres a secret for those of you whove read this far: You *can* set both of these watches to indicate 3 (three!) different 24-hour timezones - all at the same time. No pushing buttons, no twisting knobs, no computations in your head. How? Simple: set the zero setting of the analogue UTC dial not to 24, but rather to the timezone you want, measured *from* UTC. San Diego for example is eight hours behind UTC in the winter, so you set the UTC analogue dial to 16 oclock. Set your big hands to Frankfurt and your digital to Sydney and youre done. All three 24-hour timezones at the same time. Granted, you have to re-set the zero-setting of your UTC dial when SD goes to daylight savings and again when it goes back to winter time, but resetting it twice a year is a small price. The point is: it can be done without visiting a watchmaker. (I live in Frankfurt and my relatives are in San Diego and Sydney - this is why I looked for and bought this watch.)

*) And heres the last nit I want to pick: Every 24-hour analogue watch/clock I have ever seen is wrong by 180°. They all start with 24 at the top when it should be at the bottom of the face! Lets get philosophical for just a moment: what does the hour hand on a 24-hour face really do? It points to the sun as it travels through the sky. And where is the sun at 12 oclock noon? Right: straight up. Not straight down. So in my example above, I set my UTC analogue zero-position for San Diego not to 16 oclock, but rather to 4 oclock and simply ignore the printed numbers on the dial - theyre off by 180° anyway...

All in all? I am really not sure, if I had it to do again, if I would lay out this kind of money for a watch with this amount of things wrong with it. Why did Citizen discontinue some really good features and make some really obvious errors in this watch? It looks to me like they are setting their customers up for the next new model in a few years, with these obvious failings repaired and maybe some new ones built in, but one that well all want to buy again. I dont know about you, but that thought doesnt sit too well with me.

GruÃŸ,
Erich

No thanks!

On: 2008-02-06

Oooh, Blue Angels, yellow markers. Wouldnt it be cool to get a Blue Angels watch? NO! I actually did purchase it (and returned it.) I will admit that the watch did look really cool on line and even when I received it. So what is the problem? This watch is waaaay too complicated. the slide rule feature sounds better than it is practical. The manual explains how to use it by teaching you how to calculate flight related data. Sorry, my bad, Im not a pilot. The calculations are not something I worry about when shooting down enemy flyers in Ace Combat. Alright, lets say that next years version of Ace Combat will require me to make important flight calculations before I take off, the problem is that the numbers of the slide rule are miniscule and I can barely read them.

Also, do I really need to know the time in Sidney, or Rio or Tokyo or the dozen or so other Cities that are pre-programmed into the watch. If I could afford to travel to all of them, would I be wearing a Citizen? The dial to let you know which function you are in, i.e.; time, chrono, date etc. is too small to read as well. There is no perpetual calendar, I need to fiddle with the stem every month. you cant set the hands, you set the time digitally and the hands will follow (this isnt a big complaint, but its hard to see the time digitally because the window for it is so small.)

the eco-drive feature of no batteries is great and the navy blue face of the watch is nice, but really, the watch is a mess. if you really wanted all the features this watch has, a calculator watch by Casio would probably be better at one tenth of the cost, although no one would mistake you for a pilot wearing a geeky casio calculator watch.

Love it, but to crowded

On: 2008-01-31

A little to heavy,and hard to see at night, and some times day light, for Me; with good eyes??... Wonderful, It will last long time, its a" tank "

Best Men's Chronograph Made

On: 2008-01-13

This watch is a steal for the features and durability. Better than any of the higher priced watches if you study what they all will do (then check how much you are paying for the name on the other watches). They would take this watch to the moon now. Great flying and adventure watch with titanium case and band! Tribute to the best pilots out there....the Blue Angels.

Great product, great present!

On: 2008-01-04

Bought this watch as a present to my husband and he is absolutely in love with it! It looks beautiful and has all the cool features that gadget men would appreciate!

Great looking watch

On: 2007-12-19

at first i thought is was kinda big -compared to myTag2000,but it has grown on me and like its apperience. Very sporty,as i dont get dressed up and most often can be found in some sweats or cargo pants this watch goes perfect with my nonshalant attire. I like the light weight of the titanium and also like the 5yr warranty,to the guy above having problems with the display after a yrs time,try using your warranty buddy. Love the watch!

Skyhawk Blue Angels Review

On: 2007-10-21

Not being able to get this model in Australia, I was happy to receive an email from Amazon saying they now ship watches internationally.

Promptly ordered the watch from them and recieved it 10 days later in time for my birthday. Thanks Amazon great service.

The watch has a five year warranty in the USA however it still has a 1 year international warranty which I can use in Australia. Which should be plenty if anything goes wrong.

Things I dont like: The hands are difficult to tell apart at night the small bit of luminous material at the end of each minute and hour hand is about the same size and impossible to pick which is which in the dark. No half hour time zone setting, but I knew this before I purchased the watch. The crystal is very prominent and although I havent scratched it yet, no doubt it will. The crystal is also very reflective making it annoying to read the UTC dial. I knew the watch body would be thick and at 13mm is twice the height of my previous watch making it difficult to wear business shirts with tight cuffs. The bracelet style band is very stiff and does not conform to the shape of my wrist. No one noticed I had a new watch.

Things I like: The UTC dial is great, most people I deal with are now quoting meeetings in UTC time. The count down timer allows me to be out of the kitchen doing other things and still be reminded to take the roast out of the oven. Solar power, no more battery changes. Water resistance for swimming and diving. Titanium makes the watch very light for its size.

My ideal watch would be a world time Tissot T-touch in titanium with gold plate, UTC dial, tritium luminous hands, gold LCD, Champagne face and citizen eco-drive solar power, water resist to 100m.

Until they make one of these I hope the solar cell in my skyhawk doesnt expire.

It's a crap! Got burnt display!

On: 2007-07-10

Im really disappointed with this watch. Less than a year after buy it, got a display malfunction and shows a blank space instead the first carachter of the cities box. So, now I got " EN" instead "DEN" (Denver), " HI" instead "CHI" (Chicago), " ON" instead "LON" (London), and so on.
Frustrating. Citizen should change its name to Itizen... Never more!

It's a crap! Got burnt display!

On: 2007-07-09

Im really disappointed with this watch. Less than a year after buy it, got a display malfunction and shows a blank space instead the first carachter of the cities box. So, now I got " EN" instead "DEN" (Denver), " HI" instead "CHI" (Chicago), " ON" instead "LON" (London), and so on.
Frustrating. Citizen should change its name to Itizen... Never more!

Nice watch with a 5 year manufacturer guarantee

On: 2007-06-16

Having run the gammut with many plated watches in my life, whose plating soon gets eroded from my wrist sweat, causing the bare pot metal case (and plated crowns) to turn my wrist black, I decided this time to either get a stainless steel or titanium watch, which will never have that sort of problem again. I have had my watch for about two months thus far.

I chose this watch because I liked the contrasty color combinations of the blue face, the hour/minute hands, and the very easy to see second hand, which I believe is the bright yellow color "chrome yellow" (as is the trim on the outer slide rule). Also, nobody has seemed to mention the 5 year manufacturer guarantee in other reviews that come standard with this watch...

The eco-drive is worth fully understanding in the purchase decision; the face of the watch picks up light from all available light sources (room light, sunlight, etc.), and automatically recharges the battery, which has a much longer lifespan than the standard watch battery.

I agree that a light would be a nice addition to the digital portion of the watch, this has been my only "nice-to-have" addition.

The watch takes a little trial-and-error training to use all of its features, which includes the ability to have 3 separate alarms across any of the available time zones, I still havent mastered all of its functionality, and am learning the functionality on an as-needed basis. The user manual that comes with the watch is very good for this purpose.

I like the fact that the year is a part of the date/time setup, something that is a new watch feature for me, as opposed to a month/day setup only, which always required adjusting the day at the beginning of a new month, for prior months that had less than 31 days.

The watch appears to be a rugged, quality watch, not gaudy as in diamond-studded, but a stylish watch that can be worn in many situations. The OEM band is also titanium, and has a double-locking clasp, with one portion of the clasp folding over the other portion, then locking a second time.

If you hold the stainless steel version in your hand, and then hold the titanium version before buying, as I did, the titanium version is very noticably lighter, and for me, was worth the difference in price (about $60 more for the titanium model in my purchase).

So far, I am very pleased with my purchase, a light would be a nice addition in the LCD . The 5 year guarantee added some additional value "clout" to the purchase, which was an important factor for me.

Great upgrade from the original...

On: 2007-06-06

I had the Navihawk for the past ten years and decided to move to the eco drive Skyhawk.

For previous owners of the Navihawk, this is a great upgrade because they improved how the buttons work, and how you change from time to calendar to chrono, etc... You wont accidentially change the watch function by getting it caught on your sleeve.

Also the clasp is much better as it locks in...the Navihawk had a standard clasp on it.

Been a pilot for 10 years now, and I notice its kinda a signature for pilots...pull the trigger and treat yourself! Ive had my new one for 3 months now and Im glad I did!

NOT BAD, BUT SERIOUS PROBLEM

On: 2007-05-24

I ordered this watch because it was classy looking, solar powered, had lots of cool electronic features, and (unlike many Navihawk models) had an analog second hand (which is a significant feature for my profession). Compared to my old Navihawk, however, the digital displays on this watch were much too small. Between the fact that they are black characters on a grey background, have no backlight, and are situated so that the rim of the watch casts a shadow on them -- theyre just way too hard to read. As for the slide-rule bezel, you just about need a magnifying glass to read those characters. And the titanium construction made this watch not appreciably lighter than my stainless steel Navihawk. If you need a cool looking analog watch with a second hand, this watch will do it. I decided to return mine, however. If you want to actually read the electronic characters, have an equally cool looking watch, and pay less money, look for one of the Navihawks of similar Citizens with the digital display on the right-hand part of the face.

NOT BAD, BUT SERIOUS PROBLEM

On: 2007-05-23

I ordered this watch because it was classy looking, solar powered, had lots of cool electronic features, and (unlike many Navihawk models) had an analog second hand (which is a significant feature for my profession). Compared to my old Navihawk, however, the digital displays on this watch were much too small. Between the fact that they are black characters on a grey background, have no backlight, and are situated so that the rim of the watch casts a shadow on them -- theyre just way too hard to read. As for the slide-rule bezel, you just about need a magnifying glass to read those characters. And the titanium construction made this watch not appreciably lighter than my stainless steel Navihawk. If you need a cool looking analog watch with a second hand, this watch will do it. I decided to return mine, however. If you want to actually read the electronic characters, have an equally cool looking watch, and pay less money, look for one of the Navihawks of similar Citizens with the digital display on the right-hand part of the face.

Does what I need it to do

On: 2007-03-22

Love having to not worry about batteries. Love the multiple time zone capability: it is easy to use. The watch is accurate, light weight, and comfortable to wear. Youll need bifocals to use the E6B-style slide rule ;-) if you have eyesight like mine. Only one thing that could be an improvement would be to add a light to the digital component. Other than that, this is a great watch.

skyhawk review

On: 2007-02-14

I bought this watch to replace an older version from 1997. I like some of the upgrades like scrolling through the features with the dial. My old watch would change to the next feature (alarm, chronograph etc.) if I bumped it into a wall. I also hope to like the eco drive, well have to wait and see if it charges the watch through the years. I still love the 24 hour time and world time zones. I travel extensively around the world and this feature alone is worth it.

As for what I dont care for, the watch STILL doesnt have a light so its impossible to read at night. The luminus dials are all the same, they work for about 30 minutes if you put a flashlight to them.

If you have a large wrist, you might not be comfortable in the watch. The band is fixed for the first three links so it is snug and takes some hair from your wrist.

I bought the titanium hoping for an incredibly light watch but it weighs about the same as a coworkers stainless and my old watch. Im a little dissapointed that its not light.

Citizen Titanium Blue Angels Skyhawk

On: 2007-02-08

The question is whether this watch is a better choice than the Seiko, which costs less? It is lighter, because it is Titanium, but is that important? The Seiko is stainless steel, weighs more, and that means your arm will become stronger! Seiko has a better reputation as a higher quality watch, in my opinion and experience. The numbers on the bezel of the Citizen wear out, I have read! -- is that cool for a watch that costs as much as the Citizen? NOT! But, at least you will not have a battery that will wear out when you are on a flight and need the watch to function, so I guess it makes sense afterall -- emphasis on the word "guess."

[...].

Bad experience with Citizen watch

On: 2007-01-26

I bought a Citizen Navihawk watch from a jewlery store paid over $400.00 for it. Well about 2 months after I bought the watch it started malfunctioning, the jewlry store sent it off to be repaired, I had to wait nearly six months to get it back, when it came back it still was not fixed. So I told them to send it again, once again waited another six months, watch came back, and still was not fix, instead the new module for the watch, was in the bag with the watch, less the hands, I had to take the watch apart my self and remove the hands from the old module and install them on the new one, because I didnt want to wait another 6 months? The analog part of the watch is notorious for jumping time. I wont wear it any more because I dont trust it to keep time. If you want a watch that looks pretty buy it otherwise, it is a useless overpriced piece of junk that wound up in my junk drawer. Its sure not work the big price, I bought a cheap $5 watch that keeps better time.

Bad experience with Citizen watch

On: 2007-01-25

I bought a Citizen Navihawk watch from a jewlery store paid over $400.00 for it. Well about 2 months after I bought the watch it started malfunctioning, the jewlry store sent it off to be repaired, I had to wait nearly six months to get it back, when it came back it still was not fixed. So I told them to send it again, once again waited another six months, watch came back, and still was not fix, instead the new module for the watch, was in the bag with the watch, less the hands, I had to take the watch apart my self and remove the hands from the old module and install them on the new one, because I didnt want to wait another 6 months? The analog part of the watch is notorious for jumping time. I wont wear it any more because I dont trust it to keep time. If you want a watch that looks pretty buy it otherwise, it is a useless overpriced piece of junk that wound up in my junk drawer. Its sure not work the big price, I bought a cheap $5 watch that keeps better time.

Another great watch from Citizen

On: 2007-01-13

I spent a while deciding whether to get this watch or another Eco-drive. I love the world-time & 3 alarms as well as the fact that it looks great. My original hesitation was with the possibility that it may look too bulky for my rather thin wrist, but after adjusting the band at a local jeweller, thats not at all an issue. At the end of the day, the titanium alternative was the kicker - its amazingly light compared to any steel watch of this size and capability.

Technology showcase

On: 2007-01-09

Excelent watch, has never required that I recharge besides being on my wrist! I dont use it more than I do out of guilt for my Tissot T-Touch and my TAG Chronotimer. Very light wait in spite of size. The only ting I miss is an iluminated digital display. Again, the echodrive power is a wonder and I will look for more models to add to my "collection"

Great watch, small inconveniences

On: 2006-11-30

The other reviews pretty much sum up the positives of this watch. The eco drive works flawlessly, the watch is big, but not too big. I also really love the slide ruler on the bezel - surprisingly easy to use and accurate. I found the alarm sound to be adequately loud - it can wake me up from a sleep.

The only thing that is somewhat annoying is the lack of a backlight or strong luminescence on the hands. The digital displays are pretty hard to use in low light.

Watch was a hit, packaging made it looked used.

On: 2006-11-09

My husband was thrilled with this watch! I got him this titanium version; its stronger than stainless and a bit lighter in weight.
He has a large wrist and it fit him perfectly. Hes had it for two months, and there have been no problems. It came with a mini cd that teaches you how to use it.
My only complaint is, I had to explain that I bought it directly from Amazon and it was not used, because the packaging looked like it had been kicking around for 10 years or more. If it were not for the lack of presentation Id have given it 5 stars.

outstanding value

On: 2006-11-04

Product was as advertised and arrived ahead of schedule. The price was the best I could find anywhere.

Great watch, everything as promised and more

On: 2006-10-31

I already had a Citizen perpetual calendar, eco-drive watch and loved it. But when I stared flying (private pilot) found the need to know UTC overwhelming. Just as I was trying to figure out how to accomplish, I got this watch as a gift and absolutely love it.

The Pros
- Perpetual calendar, eco-drive. never needs batteries and comes in handy every Feb when you dont have to remember to advance the date to March 1st :)
- The ability to keep 3 time zones. When Im not flying, the big hands show the local time, digital time shows my home time (New York currently) and UTC shows, well, UTC.
- When Im flying, I set the digital display to UTC (easlily done by pressing the wonderfully large buttons above the crown) before I get in the plane. As soon as I turn the master ON, I press the buttons above and below the crown simultaneously and the watch switches to the big hands showing UTC and digital showing local.
- Back on the ground, its the 2 buttons again and UTC is back in Digital. Very easy to use.
- Ability to do simple calculations and simple E6B calculations on the bezel. Dont have to take big flight computer out of my bag anymore.
- Ability to set 3 alarms.
- Chronograph

Cons-
- I think the 24 hour dial is useless. Thought the same in my old eco-drive too.
- Citizen could have removed the 24-hour dial and made the UTC dial bigger.
- Alarm sound can be made louder.
- Maybe the watch could have been made to switch DST on and off by itself?
- Inability to support half hour time zones. This one is a biggie for me since my watch will always be 30 minutes behind (or ahead) when I visit my parents in India.

Personally, I think the luminousity is OK. Could have been more but OK where it is.

The cons lower the rating to 4. Otherwise, a great watch.

Top Notch Chronograph Watch

On: 2006-08-03

This is the best watch I have ever owned. First, the look and face of this watch is an eye-attracter. Pretty much everybody around me noticed it in the first few days I got it and were asking questions about it. The numbered bezel ring, the sub-dials, the digital sub-displays, all of this makes it look as a very sophisticated and serious watch (and it is indeed).

Second, its tough and rugged, while being still lightweight considering its size. However, I have a skinny wrist and I had to bring it to a jeweler so that 3 links were removed from the strap. Dont try to do this yourself, you might regret it.

The titanium, while being more scratch resistant than stainless steel, do get scratched with time, but since titanium does not have that glossy finish that stainless has, scratches are much less obvious. The mineral crystal is strong too, but it gets scratched if you hit it or brush it against a rough surface (the minor scratches can be buffed however with a regular car paint compound - it works well and is safe for the glass, just dont spread it over the bezel ring at the same time).

The light-powered cell and battery works perfectly OK. I never got the watch to be completely depleted, just wearing the watch during the day in a typical office is enough to keep a good level of charge continuously. If you are often outside, it will be even better since outdoor natural light is stronger than any office light.

The bezel ring is amazing, you can do multiplications, divisions, proportions, etc. with it. If youre slow in mental calculus and dont have a calculator at hand, it will help you.

I found out only 2 weakenesses: the first one is that the alarm sound is not that strong. If you are known as a deep sleeper that does not awaken easily, you might sometimes miss the alarm sound, especially when your arm is under the covers and the sound becomes muffled. Also, I found out the fluorescent paint on the hands and numbers is not bright enough for me, so reading the watch in the dark may take a bit more time because you need to concentrate to clearly identify what time is it.

But those are very minor gripes for me. Overall, I give this watch a 4.5 stars out of 5. You cant really go wrong with it if you are looking for a quality and magnificent looking chronograph.

Citizen Men's Skyhaw Eco-drive chronograph

On: 2006-07-21

easy to setup with included CD, If you have a small wrist get the pin remover to size the Band, the watch is accurate and the titanium band and case is light enough. Very satisfied with the watch.

Best watch I've ever bought...

On: 2006-06-08

Design

The titanium band is so lightweight that I barely know that Im wearing such a large watch, which is a major plus to me. Theres nothing worse than dragging your left hand behind you because your watch weighs more than a mid-size sedan. It is sharp looking and easy to read, except for when it is moderately dark. The phosphor coating on the hour markers and dials is relatively weak, and unless youre in pitch black conditions, it takes a few seconds to recognize the glow. The bezel is stylish, giving the watch the added flair that is expected with a pilots watch.

Ive read a lot of complaints as to the lack of use for the sub-dials and I laughed heartily at each one. For your information, this watch was designed to commemorate the Navys elite Blue Angels flying squadron, and the Navy happens to have a great use for universal time as well as 24-hour time. I suppose an egg timer would be more useful, so I suggest purchasing a Timex with that feature. This is a pilots watch. I dont suppose many people who own it know how to use the bezel for converting fuel lbs. and such, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt buy it. The sub-dials give the watch an added depth in its styling, and it would look rather bare bones without them.

I also like the duplicity of having digital and analog time as part of the design. When I travel, I can switch to the digital time to the appropriate time zone while leaving the analog set to my home time zone so I know when its safe to call the kids or if theyre already tucked in. This watch isnt overly easy to use, but once you meander through the cd-rom, you should be able to figure it out. You can even program a time zone that it is missing if necessary, which is a great feature for the world traveler.

Scratching

The bezel and crystal can tend to get scratched because of the way they are shaped (domed, convex, curved... take your pick). The band also shows scratches, though I see little difference in the level of scratching between a steel watch and a titanium watch. To replace the bezel is about $30, the crystal at $15, and the band at a whopping $107.10 (plus shipping and handling cost and labor). My feeling is if you dont want to scratch your watch, leave it in the box. Life happens, and scratching a watch is part of that life. If it gets to a point of distraction, then by all means replace parts as necessary.

Eco-Drive

The Eco-Drive power system is phenomenal on this watch. I love knowing I could store this watch in a drawer for four years and it would still be able to tell the time without a problem. In one word, snazzy.

What I Would Change

My only issue with this watch is that it still has a crown, for what I do not know. It could have been easily replaced by a third mode button, but I dont design watches so I cant claim to be an expert. I also would have made the phosphor coating better by using tritium instead, so it could produce a glow independent of lighting conditions. Other than that, I am perfectly satisfied with this watch and plan to purchase more titanium Eco-Drive watches in the future.

Super Watch ABSOLUTELY Great Service

On: 2006-05-06

I ordered this watch on Sat May 30, it showed up at home on Tues June 2. Considering that home is in Switzerland, Europe, this is really FAST. Great value for money.

Good watch, but beware it does NOT cover all time zones!!!!

On: 2006-04-15

This is a real good watch for the bucks you pay. But, be aware that it does not cover all the time zones in the world. And, that is the only reason why I returned this watch as it does not cover time zone in countries like India, srilanka, central australia and few other. Which means, if you travel to these countries, you can never set your local time. So, the very purpose of your watch is gone!!. Of course, it is understandable that CITIZEN never intend to sell this watch to customers reside in the above said countries. But, it also prevents customers from buying this watch due to reasons like they may vacation to those countries. For a watch of this quality and cost, CITIZEN should really think of upgrading it so it covers all time zones. This will surely shoot up the sales as many of my friends have turned down this watch because of the above stated time zone problem. 2 stars because of this issue. Otherwise, it is a wonderful watch and has killer looks.
Hopefully, CITIZEN upgrades to all time zones and many of us are waiting to buy :-))

Curt's Review

On: 2006-03-23

I fly international flight and love the time zones. Also since it is titanium it is lighter than comparible watches. Looks great too.

Great design!

On: 2006-03-22

I am impressed with the precision that the watch has. I enjoy to wear it and be able to easily switch to different times where I have to be aware of.

My only critic is about the instruction manual. It is not very specific and there are some gaps in it.

World Time/Date Features Standout

On: 2006-03-19

This watch is a pit bull. Not the prettiest of faces perhaps, but its tough and densely weighted with features. It shows attitude. A continual solar charge stokes a battery that will run for years. Need to know the time or date in 30 separately named locations - Dubai or Denver, Moscow or Mexico City? No problem. Just push and scroll with the button above the crown. The cities appear on a digital display in the lower left between the 7 and 8 hour positions and the time for each on a corresponding panel display on the lower right. If Karachi or Bejing is your second city of choice it will always be there to see. Switching the two time displays - the smaller, digital time to the larger, primary, analog display - is effortless, accomplished with the push of two buttons simultaneously. If your location of choice is not designated you can customize that one location (For example, I was easily able to program "SXM" and the time for St. Martin F.W.I.).

The digital window display between the 4 and 5 hour time positions is also where you will find the chronograph (viz. stop watch) and weekday, month, and date information. An alarm and count down timer add to the watchs main usable features. Navigational and "general calculation" functions are accessible through a rotating bezel and internal reference, "register ring". These are what I call its Mac Gyver features. Basically it is a tachometer and the manual provides serviceable explanations with examples.

You can get the band in different materials. I prefer the shinier, heavier, water defiant stainless steel over the leather or even the lighter, scratch resistant, gray titanium bracelet. The weight and glint of steel adds bark to this beast!

Good Deal

On: 2006-03-19

I had this watch about a month ago, and i am very pleased with it, it really is a good show by citizen, though the lack of half hour time difference is aggravating, for a costly watch this should have been taken care of. The titanium gets scratches easily and in my case it is no difference, within a week some scratches magically appeared on the dial, the chronograph is also good, people will say why you need all the airplane calculations at the bezel but thats the way it is, and it in fact syncs with the blue angel concept. all in all its a good buy.

Great Watch

On: 2006-03-12

The watch was great. It was an excellent price and dealing with Amazon is wonderful. The watch came in its factory box with all paperwork in order. The watch itself is a great choice. Very lightweight and it looks good on my husbands wrist.

Love this watch

On: 2006-03-09

I love this watch. Not sure how to use the slide rule, but sure it wont be hard to learn. No light and no glow in the dark hands suck.

Tons of options make this watch great, but it is not easy to operate. You need to read the owns manual prior to operating anything. I have the titanium band. This band lessens the weight some, but it does pull hair. Wrist will be bald in a week.

Perfect

On: 2006-02-17

My father wanted this watch for his birthday. I priced it around and found this to be the cheapest with shipping. The shipping was quick and everything turned out wonderful. My father loves his new watch! Great product and service.

Great watch

On: 2006-02-09

I got this watch for Xmas and it is amazing what it can do. It is nice and big, but light on the weight. Only problem Ive had is that the external dial sometimes gets stuck and it is hard to move, but if you put some preassure to it, it will move again easily. I love the function that you dont have the change the hour when changing time zones, you change the time zone and the watch will "know" the correct time. Awesome watch, truly.

Supreme Citizen Echo drive watch

On: 2006-02-01

I had an echo drive that I bought 8 years ago and have been using it. My only problem was that in Winter it stops working when we wear long sleeves and after a while the charge would run out. As a result I had to put it under a light for a few hours at night every once in a while. I bought the new Skyhawk Echodirve and noticed that they have improved the technology so much that I dont see that problem anymore. I am impressed and I really like the watch functionally.

You CAN set custom city names!

On: 2006-01-07

I just got this watch, so I havent had too much time to evaluate it other than that it looks great. My main reason for commenting so soon is to correct an error in Merlins comment: you CAN in fact enter any 3 symbols for a city (letters, numbers, or dashes). The instructions can be found at: http://www.citizenwatch.com/COA/English/settingsresults.asp?caliber=C651

Search the "full printable" PDF at that link for "Registration of Arbitrary City and Time Difference" and youll find the steps to enter your custom city and set the time difference from GMT. Im in the Bay Area and didnt want to have to use "LAX" so I was able to make mine say "SFO."

Citizen Skyhawk

On: 2005-12-26

I have been reading reviews on this watch for several weeks and decided to purchase it. All comments, positive and negative, were very helpful in helping me making my decision. The watch is everything I had hoped for, and more...great looks, more functions that I will ever use in my life time, and no batteries to replace. The only thing I wish I could change is the pre-determined cities programmed into the watch...there is not a specific setting for any city in Germany or the part of the US where I live. Although the time zone is represented by a city, I wish the watch had the capability to change a city within any give time zone. For example, I live in Texas, and would rather see DAL(DALLAS) for time zone vs. CHI (Chicago). Same for Europe...hard to know where Germany falls in the European time zones, and it would be nice to be able to over-write, or add to the time zone with GER vs. other listed cities which are in the same time zone. The book of instructions that accompanies the watch is thorough, as is the CD, but unless I missed it, the ability to edit caties would be nice. Otherwise, the watch is excellent and I am very happy with it.

Great watch at a good price!!

On: 2005-12-08

I really like my titanium Blue Angles Citizen watch.

Pros - light weight feel, features, Style and never needs battery

Cons - crown is a little small for my fingers, bracelet doesnt flex enough at the watch body joint.

Overall, I really like this watch. Now...the test of time.

Skyhawk Eco-Drive Chronograph Watch #JR3090-58L

On: 2005-09-14

Outstanding quality, finish and performance.
A great extra was the interactive CD that came with the watch to help set the watch time, date and time zone functions as well as a how too on the other features of the watch.

Citizen's Skyhawk

On: 2005-09-13

Nice watch. I love the styling and the options available. The thing I like the best is that it never needs a battery.

Wasted Opportunities

On: 2005-06-23

My review closely follows "toughcrowd" who wrote an excellent and detailed review.

(...)

Remember that the bezel is bi-directional in keeping with the concept of the watch. Theres no ratchet/spring device to keep it from moving around which for me was aggravating.

The background UTC and 24 hour subdials are ok with me but should have been designed better to allow for larger time markers. Given the choice Id rather have larger markers than the two subdials which are not a necessity.

The digital clock/date window is too small and has black LCD figures on a gray background. It needs to be larger and the background color more contrasting with the digits for better visibility. Its hard to read the digital time or date even in daylight. The digital clock and date are useless at night due to no background light.

The time markers and hands do have illuminous coatings. But the hands and markers are so small that they are too dim at night. My experience was that the coatings only held light for a short time-certainly not overnight.

The lack of half-hour time adjustment is unfortunate but will only affect those in Newfoundland, Suriname, Iran, India, Sri Lanka, and Central Australia. Suriname, Iran and Sri Lanka are not on my travel list so this is almost inconsequential.

The alarm volume is way too low and not adjustable.

If you have a skinny wrist and have to take a few links out the watch may become uncomfortable as it did for me.

This indeed is a nice looking watch with many functions but you have to consider its limitations as well. The numerous features and functions of the Eco-Drive are still quite impressive. Except for the Arabic numeral bit, this timepiece is loaded with amenities. Its difficult to find a quality solar-powered watch with so many functions.
I cannot find anyone or any study that shows titanium is more prone to surface damage than stainless steel. In fact it is twice as strong, a third lighter, and is extremely corrosion resistant compared to stainless. Unless you like the polished look of stainless, which is less expensive, go with titanium. Ive also researched analog/digital watches solar watches and Citizen is the way to go. The 5-year warranty and the Amazon price are outstanding as well-the retail price is $575.00.

Having said all of that, I ended up returning the watch. The clincher was the uncomfortable feel when I took the links out to fit my relatively skinny wrist. I give the 51L a marginal recommendation but look forward to continued evolution in design from Citizen and others in the solar/chronograph category. The Skyhawk should rely less on the Blue Angels motif and more on functionality.

Opportunities Wasted

On: 2005-06-22

My review closely follows "toughcrowd" who wrote an excellent and detailed review.

(...)

Remember that the bezel is bi-directional in keeping with the concept of the watch. Theres no ratchet/spring device to keep it from moving around which for me was aggravating.

The background UTC and 24 hour subdials are ok with me but should have been designed better to allow for larger time markers. Given the choice Id rather have larger markers than the two subdials which are not a necessity.

The digital clock/date window is too small and has black LCD figures on a gray background. It needs to be larger and the background color more contrasting with the digits for better visibility. Its hard to read the digital time or date even in daylight. The digital clock and date are useless at night due to no background light.

The time markers and hands do have illuminous coatings. But the hands and markers are so small that they are too dim at night. My experience was that the coatings only held light for a short time-certainly not overnight.

The lack of half-hour time adjustment is unfortunate but will only affect those in Newfoundland, Suriname, Iran, India, Sri Lanka, and Central Australia. Suriname, Iran and Sri Lanka are not on my travel list so this is almost inconsequential.

The alarm volume is way too low and not adjustable.

If you have a skinny wrist and have to take a few links out the watch may become uncomfortable as it did for me.

This indeed is a nice looking watch with many functions but you have to consider its limitations as well. The numerous features and functions of the Eco-Drive are still quite impressive. Except for the Arabic numeral bit, this timepiece is loaded with amenities. Its difficult to find a quality solar-powered watch with so many functions.
I cannot find anyone or any study that shows titanium is more prone to surface damage than stainless steel. In fact it is twice as strong, a third lighter, and is extremely corrosion resistant compared to stainless. Unless you like the polished look of stainless, which is less expensive, go with titanium. Ive also researched analog/digital watches solar watches and Citizen is the way to go. The 5-year warranty and the Amazon price are outstanding as well-the retail price is $575.00.

Having said all of that, I ended up returning the watch. The clincher was the uncomfortable feel when I took the links out to fit my relatively skinny wrist. I give the 51L a marginal recommendation but look forward to continued evolution in design from Citizen and others in the solar/chronograph category. The Skyhawk should rely less on the Blue Angels motif and more on functionality.

Citizen Eco-Drive

On: 2005-03-17

These are excellent watches. They are very handsome, and will generate lots of complements and questions from intelligent people. Amazon is a great place to buy this item as the price was almost 1/2 what I could find it elsewhere. The only beef I have is the shipping! I sent it useing the "free" option - and man is it SLOOOooooowww! Ive done this before and just cant seem to learn that that extra few bucks saved isnt worth an additional 3 days wait while the goods bounce their way accross the country.

For geeks with style

by: enam49 On: 2005-03-04

This review is for the Citizen Skyhawk BlueAngel edition titanium watch, however, most of the comments are relevant to the entire Skyhawk series. I received this watch (Mar 2) days ago. So far I am very happy with it. I had a hard time deciding between the Blue Angel and the "regular" Skyhawk; I had an even harder time deciding between titanium and non-titanium. Below is a list of pros and cons of the watch(es) roughly in order of decreasing importance to me. However, I do want to make clear that I do love the watch, the pros WAY outweigh the cons.

Pro:
- Watch looks beautiful, though some may find it "too busy".
- Watch never needs batteries (solar charging) and even has power saving modes, which is fascinating for a techno-enviro-energy saving guy like me.
- Ive always been a sucker for dual display (analog/digital) watches. As such, this watch has MANY useful functions: stopwatch (split/stop), countdown timer (1-99 minutes), many time zones (analog aligns with any time zone you want at the press of button), 3 Alarms (in any time zone), calendar (with day of week, month, and year - never need to correct for leap year, month, or daylight savings), and slide rule calculator on the outer dial, of which I have more to say in the next bullet.
- I was born after the slide rule generation, so this is my first exposure to the concept. It is intriguing! This particular configuration (or two proportional dials) allows for multiplication and division to 2 significant figures (e.g. 120/43, or 0.18*1.4). This is plenty sufficient for calculating sale price, tax, tip, unit price in stores, car/air fuel economy, etc. And it sure beats wearing around what I call a "geek watch" - a calculator watch. I used to love the functionality of a calculator watch, but people were just embarrassed to be seen with me in them! :-) This watch is for geeks with style!
- Watchband is bracelet that does not open fully so its easier to take on an off, and wont fall off onto the street if accidentally unlatched.
- Titanium is wonderfully lightweight in comparison to the steel!
- I slightly prefer the yellow and blue pattern on the slide rule, as opposed to the gray of the Skyhawk.
- I like the hour notches on the Blue Angel, as opposed to the large while numbers on the regular Skyhawk, which is somewhat awkward due to the non standard numerical sequence: 1,3,6,9,&11 as opposed to the more standard 12,3,6,9.

Con:
- Watchband replacement: The first link is part of the main watch (circle), therefore, only very specifically sized watchbands will fit if it needs to be replaced. If the line is discontinued, this may pose a problem.
- The hands and hour dots are not coated with a phosphor film, so the watch does not glow in the dark. I understand not having a light for the digital display (uses too much power?), but the watch should at least glow in the dark.
- To access a lot of the watch functions, the crown must be turned (and pulled out) a lot. I imagine that this part will be one of the first to fail after many uses (just my guess).
- Crystal curves out (convex) so it is more likely to make contact with other surfaces and thus be more easily scratched.
- Scratches show up more easily on blue dial (blue angel) rather than silver dial (skyhawk).
- Two of the 3 internal dials serve very little function, and seem to be more for form over function. Most people will not need a UTC dial or a 24 hour dial - when the digital display could show both of these times more accurately. It would have been better to have one of the dials be power level, and/or perhaps light level(?)
- The second link of the watchband does not lay flat, therefore the watch cannot be stored flat, but must always sit on its side.

A note on Titanium and scratching.
- Other users have commented that the scratches show up more on the finish on the titanium, rather than the steel. Here the Blue Angel is different from the Skyhwak. The titanium Skyhawk has the gray finish, wheras the Blue Angel titanium band looks quite similar to the steel (somewhat less shiny). If you do not abuse the watch, I think that the weight savings is worth it. Ill reserve final judgment on this after a year or so of normal wear.

Sophisticated and Stylish Timepiece

On: 2004-12-17

Great watch to use and (to be) look(ed) at -definitely NOT in the range of your typical K-Mart "special". Wonderful after-sales service too (the metal band broke once and Sears replaced the watch with no questions asked). Speaking of the metal watch band: consider the option of the (blue) leather wrist band (then you dont have to worry about all those wrist hairs pulled out one by one!). The only "down" side is that the watch is somewhat thick (bulky) but that may not be an issue for those who want to show off their exclusive Blue Angels Timepiece!

Great watch from a great seller

On: 2004-10-14

OK, I am a watch tramp. I love watches and the Citizen Eco-Drive is a wonderful design. The Blue Angels watch is very lightweight, easy to use and looks great. For less than $300 you have a dressy sport watch or a sporty dress watch or just a way cool timekeeper.

Amazing watch

On: 2004-09-18

Nobody doubts the technology of the cronographs anyways. So, there is no point in pondering over the super perfect time that this watch consistently maintains. But what is important to note is that in reality this watch looks and feels even better than what it does on the picture. To top it all, the weight of the JR3090 (Sea Hawks - Blue Angels) will amaze you all. You dont even feel to be wearing it on your wrist.