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 Citizen Eco-Drive Men's Titanium Perpetual Calendar Watch #BL5250-53L By: Citizen Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 32 More Information One of the best watches I've encountered  On: 2008-03-29I have had this watch for about a week, and so far I am very happy with it. I have had a number of Swiss and Japanese watches before, so I have some basis for comparison. In terms of functions, this watch has something for everyone: light weight, good water resistance, diver-style rotating bezel, tachymeter, chronometer, dual time zone, perpetual calendar (never change the date again!) and even alarm. At each of these functions, there are other watches that are better in some respect, but this one is a great combo. For example, some complain about the quiet alarm (which I do not use). Another example: compared to quality diver watches, the bezel does not rotate very smoothly on this Citizen. Still, not bad. In terms of looks, it is more handsome than the photos can show you. The dial is practically black. It is overloaded with nicely designed little white marks, writings, etc details, very much like a Breitling watch would be. Also, the numbers and the hour and minute hands are very cleanly designed like in an aviator style watch such as Bell & Ross. Basically, in terms of looks this watch compares with the big guns that cost thousands of dollars. Are there any downsides? I wish it had a scratch proof sapphire crystal and the bezel rotated a little smoother. At this price point, this is to be expected, so no stars taken off. I just hope it holds up in the long run, since I have never before had a solar powered watch. Highly recommended overall. If you like big chronometer style watches, go for it. Not that lightweight and issues with the Crown.  On: 2008-03-20I have two other Titanium Eco-Drive watches. I bought this one because I like the weight of the other Titanium watches I own and the asthetics were appealing. The fact it has a Perpetual Calendar feature was also the final selling point. BUT...be careful, this has a stainless steel case which detracts from the lightweight aspects of the watch. Like some of the other reviews, I also have had issues with the crown mode reseting. When I check my watch for the time, I have to check the mode first to make sure it is displaying the time and not the alarm or the secondary time zone. As a caveat, I must admit I wear my watch on my left wrist so the crown comes into contact with my wrist w/more pressure than someone who might wear it on the right wrist (just an observation). Finally, dont even consider the alarm function. I tested it the first day I had it and on the first two occasions I set the alarm for just a few minutes ahead of the current time. On both occasions I couldnt hear the alarm. On the third try I watched the time and held the watch up to my ear. Only then could I hear the alarm. Only Superman (or a Mother, you know the ones that can hear through walls) would find the alarm usefull. Long-term review  On: 2008-03-07Ive owned this for over a year now, and I still give it a 4-star rating. I love the design, look and functions of this watch, only wish the chrono was for longer than 60 minutes. The crystal has sustained some minor scratching, because I have clunked it against door frames and other things accidently a few times. The scratches are not horrible though and it stills looks good. It is true as some reviewers say, that the watch can accidently change modes on you, going into LTM, or Chrono without your knowing it. I attribute this to the fact that the crown is easy to turn, and the crown guard does not extend very far on the bottom side of the watch, so perhaps its too easy to change. Once, the date was accidently changed, so I had to go through the process of re-setting the perpetual date. Nothing a 5th grader couldnt handle though. The titanium band and case does tend to get a light brownish patina, with some fingerprints, that cannot be easily wiped off, slightly detracting from its look. But, the band is very strong, I think that it will last a lifetime. Overall, I am very pleased with the watch, it is a treasured posession, and something you can own for a decade or more with no problems in my opinion. Im of the mind that you shouldnt spend a small fortune on something that easily lost or stolen that performs a simple function like telling time. Maybe $250 is a lot for some, but much better than $2,500 you could spend on a Swiss automatic timepiece. Very Pleased On: 2008-02-15My wife surprised me with this watch for valentines day. Outstanding!! I have been looking at this watch for quite some time, but was waiting for the old Timex to quit. Well she bought it for me anyway. I think that the look of it is even better in person than what you see on Amazon or Ebay. The good- Crystal clear face, writing is very small but very crisp and clean. Movement is nice. So far it is pretty easy to set, I havent got into all of the functions as of yet. It wears well. Very lightweight for a watch of this size and type. There are many functions and adjustments that can be made.(many more than a cheap watch you usually have to throw them away). Fit and finish is very nice, and theres no rattles or jingles. All in all a nice piece of machinery. Bad- manual takes some getting used to. There are a lot of fuctions and adjustments that you can do with this watch it would be nice to have a bit more to work with. Definitely not a major thing. I love it and hope that I will have it for a very long time. If you are a gadget man this is a great watch. Loses time in chunks! - being replaced by Amazon...  On: 2008-01-29Edit: updated to a 3/5 due to Amazon excellent service. They are replacing the watch completely, and sending me a new one cross shipped 2 day shipping so I can have it for an upcoming trip. The trip is to see my Mom who gave me the watch, so Id like her to see it working rather than have to explain that its broken. They were very helpful. If the replacement works as advertised, Ill update again. Go Amazon. You guys stand behind your products! Original Review Follows: I really like this watch, and if I get it fixed and it works right from then on, Ill give it higher stars and review the features. But right now, its a 2 because it doesnt keep time. Sure, it seems to keep perfect time and performs as advertised, and can do so for days, but then, all of a sudden, Ill look at my watch and sometime within the last 2 hours it will have decided to lose 20-30 minutes. The watch is only 30 days old (at least 30 days since I received it, who knows how long it was in a warehouse), but its consistently kept perfect time, then lost a chunk. It would be one thing if I had to set it each morning and it kept decent time all day. But to just lose time all of a sudden makes it flawed. Its barely been worn, and never been under water or wet. One night while it slept it lost 3.5 hours but then must have decided to start working again, because when I woke up, it was chugging away. No, its not out of power. According to Citizens guidelines, the amount of light Ive provided should make it work for 6 months. And when this first began, I made sure to give it even more. Hours in direct sunlight. Still happens. My guess is that with all the various ways the watch hands can move, mine gets a "hitch in its gettalong" and just stops moving for a while until it gets jostled enough to work freely. I cant know whether this is a problem others will see or just something wrong with my movement. Ill see how their warranty service goes (and if they tell me they "cant find anything wrong") Until then, a 4-5 star watch gets a 2, because a watch that doesnt keep time is nothing more than jewelry. Loses time in chunks! On: 2008-01-29I really like this watch, and if I get it fixed and it works right from then on, Ill give it higher stars and review the features. But right now, its a 2 because it doesnt keep time. Sure, it seems to keep perfect time and performs as advertised, and can do so for days, but then, all of a sudden, Ill look at my watch and sometime within the last 2 hours it will have decided to lose 20-30 minutes. The watch is only 30 days old (at least 30 days since I received it, who knows how long it was in a warehouse), but its consistently kept perfect time, then lost a chunk. It would be one thing if I had to set it each morning and it kept decent time all day. But to just lose time all of a sudden makes it flawed. Its barely been worn, and never been under water or wet. One night while it slept it lost 3.5 hours but then must have decided to start working again, because when I woke up, it was chugging away. No, its not out of power. According to Citizens guidelines, the amount of light Ive provided should make it work for 6 months. And when this first began, I made sure to give it even more. Hours in direct sunlight. Still happens. My guess is that with all the various ways the watch hands can move, mine gets a "hitch in its gettalong" and just stops moving for a while until it gets jostled enough to work freely. I cant know whether this is a problem others will see or just something wrong with my movement. Ill see how their warranty service goes (and if they tell me they "cant find anything wrong") Until then, a 4-5 star watch gets a 2, because a watch that doesnt keep time is nothing more than jewelry. A quality watch, once you get one that keeps time... On: 2008-01-29Second Edit: updated to 4/5 because replacement watch is working fine and Amazon was great about the whole thing. Id give it a 5 but there are some minor things. The face chipped (it shouldnt, I didnt bump into anything really hard). The alarm is too quiet to be useful, so why even bother having it? Save the cost to the customer, or put in 2 local time features instead. Also, the design of the band pins is bizarre. There are tiny clamps that hold it tight (they call them lock pin tubes), but they fall out when you adjust the links. When i had it adjusted, the jeweler didnt pay attention to this unique design "feature" and lost them all as they are so tiny and loose, you wouldnt even know they fell out! Now I have one pin that slips out all the time, and I have to get replacements from Citizen, which they are going to charge me for and I have to spend my time calling them to get it resolved (rather than solve it via email). They are about 0.1 cent worth of metal. Good customer service would be to drop a few in the mail for the price of postage. Cost under $1 to them. Other companies have done this for tiny lost parts in the past even without me asking... First Edit: updated to a 3/5 due to Amazon excellent service. They are replacing the watch completely, and sending me a new one cross shipped 2 day shipping so I can have it for an upcoming trip. The trip is to see my Mom who gave me the watch, so Id like her to see it working rather than have to explain that its broken. They were very helpful. If the replacement works as advertised, Ill update again. Go Amazon. You guys stand behind your products! Original Review Follows: I really like this watch, and if I get it fixed and it works right from then on, Ill give it higher stars and review the features. But right now, its a 2 because it doesnt keep time. Sure, it seems to keep perfect time and performs as advertised, and can do so for days, but then, all of a sudden, Ill look at my watch and sometime within the last 2 hours it will have decided to lose 20-30 minutes. The watch is only 30 days old (at least 30 days since I received it, who knows how long it was in a warehouse), but its consistently kept perfect time, then lost a chunk. It would be one thing if I had to set it each morning and it kept decent time all day. But to just lose time all of a sudden makes it flawed. Its barely been worn, and never been under water or wet. One night while it slept it lost 3.5 hours but then must have decided to start working again, because when I woke up, it was chugging away. No, its not out of power. According to Citizens guidelines, the amount of light Ive provided should make it work for 6 months. And when this first began, I made sure to give it even more. Hours in direct sunlight. Still happens. My guess is that with all the various ways the watch hands can move, mine gets a "hitch in its gettalong" and just stops moving for a while until it gets jostled enough to work freely. I cant know whether this is a problem others will see or just something wrong with my movement. Ill see how their warranty service goes (and if they tell me they "cant find anything wrong") Until then, a 4-5 star watch gets a 2, because a watch that doesnt keep time is nothing more than jewelry. opinion On: 2008-01-16I read reviews for this product. The alarm is not strong enough to wake me. Other than that I like the display by day and night and like the idea of charging by external light. regards Nice Watch On: 2007-12-25Ive just recieved this watch(5250-53L) and here are my first impressions. First, the watch was received with the Time and Day/Date already set for my time zone which seems a little suspect as a Returned Item since it also had no Protective film on the dial. However, it was well packaged and seems "Brand New", so I could be wrong. Im not sure if Im sold on the "Titanium bracelet" look, seems a little boring as I do like the look of Stainless.I agree with the reviews that didnt like how easy the "Mode" knob spins and changes the function. At 300$, I feel like I paid too much for this watch. If you like the look of this watch, you may want to consider the Seiko SN411. I own one of those and it has been a fantastic watch, and less expensive. Gadget-lover's timepiece - Looks better than the pictures On: 2007-12-22OK, Im reviewing in my first week of ownership. So, theres a bit of infatuation here. (Ill update review after Ive owned a while) The style is sporty, versatile and satisfies the gadget-lover with its perpetual calendar feature, elapsed time bezel, glowing hands, dual-time, 24-hr clock, date window, chrono function, recharge indicator, solar power, titanium. The watch looks strong, functional, and not too "showy." Im not a diver, but I wanted a feature-packed watch that wasnt too busy (like an aviators). To me, the BL5250-53L doesnt look too much like a divers watch that Id be another "poser." The rest of my review is going to echo or refute some of the other reviews: - This watch does indeed look better than the pictures here. The other reviewers are correct: the face is the darkest midnight blue, darker than a gun-metal blue. But, to me that adds to the intrigue and versatility with your wardrobe. - The manual has small print, but it is written plainly. The CD is helpful. But, remember, youre buying the watch, not the manual. Bezel is not shiny "bling" in my opinion; rather, it is a brushed titanium that matches nicely with the bracelet and watch body. - Hands glow sufficiently visible in total darkness. - It is NOT a "true" dive watch, thus there is no wetsuit clasp. Its rating is to 200m, and manual states that it is not for scuba diving. The watch is good for wearing while snorkeling, swimming, doing dishes (for those manly enough to do the task). - Adjustment is easy, but hands move a little slow in my opinion. - Keeps accurate time. - Alarm is quiet. - Date is a bit sunken because of the solar layering, making it a little difficult to read. Magnification on crystal would have been nice. The angle of the date makes it more parallel with the wearers eyes in the arms naturally, usually angled position from the eyes. (Think Nike Triax here) - I wish the chrono feature would be in 1/10s and not 1/20s of seconds. Not a big deal. - Elapsed time bezel turns with firm grip, which is good, you dont want it to spin easily and cause you to lose track of the events start. - Titanium band is light and doesnt pinch. It does come rather large for all but offensive linemen. I have a very small wrist for a man, so the rub from the crown and clasp release is not a problem for me. - Watch body does have some heft to it. - Good value and looks smart. (compare to Tag, Victorinox, Omega) Bottom line: I am pleased with this purchase for its versatility and "gadget-rich" features. You will be pleased if you get this watch. No Flaws Great Watch! On: 2007-12-04This watch was easy to setup right out of the box. With the simple instructions not from the manual but the quick instructions I got this watch up and running within 10 minutes! I kept hearing the alarm wasnt loud but big deal I didnt buy this watch for that purpose if I wanted an alarm I wouldve gotten some cheap G shock from Casio. Nice watch and look. Some complained that it is heavy??? (got me) I would recommend this watch as its awesome. BTW I have had this watch for over 4 months now with no issues. None of the mode changes that I have read on here. Best of all no more battery changes. For the price I cant complain. Its not like its worth the price of an Omega. If that was the case then maybe just maybe I would be mad. Overall Highly Recommended! Minor Flaws Over Time = Major Pain! On: 2007-11-19Out of the box this watch looks and feels great. However, the zero setting, too often required, is painfully methodical, the mode change easily switches as the protruding bezel often touches my wrist and, as a result, the perpetual calendar, alarm, and chronograph are accidentally altered! After having reset the perpetual calendar for the fifth time for some reason, the date is perpetually crooked! I would not recommend this watch and am surprised by the great reviews. My assumption is that many of these reviews were written during the first week or two. Great watch - accurate time but useless alarm. On: 2007-09-07Great watch that looks even better than the pictures. Keeps accurate time and the perpetual calendar works great. The luminous hands are very bright and easily seen at night, even in complete darkness. Ive worn this watch in the ocean while surfing and so far it has been immune to the salt water. Curious that theres no wetsuit clasp considering this is supposed to be a dive watch. The alarm is practically silent. I can hardly hear it even with it touching my ear. I returned the watch to Citizen for repair thinking that it was defective. When I got the watch back I was told that there was nothing they could do to increase the alarm volume. Apparently they are aware that the alarm volume is inaudible on these watches, but they do not have any way to make it louder. Why would Citizen include an alarm function that they know is useless? Go figure. I would have given this watch a 5 star review if it werent for the silent alarm. Still a great price for a stylish watch that keeps accurate time, with hi-viz luminous hands, perpetual calendar, and is 200M water resistant. Defnitely Pleased On: 2007-09-05Got the watch through WatchSpot. Delivery was fast (received 4 days after ordering) and receieved in good order. Bought the watch sight-unseen, but read the informative reviews. As others have pointed out, the watch is rather thick and relatively heavy for a titanium watch, but I like the look. Big watch, small price On: 2007-08-28I ordered this watch as a possible everyday watch that could also be used for scuba diving. It is a very good watch for the price, but I returned it because it was too big for my wrists (and I am 6 feet, 195 pounds!) As a dive and/or exercise watch, I would have appreciated a digital elapsed time indicator (as some other watches have), and not have to consult several internal dials to determine the hours, minutes and seconds that have gone by. The whole "chronometer" thing makes a watch look good, but is less practical than a digital timer feature. The same can be said of any number of watches out there, is not meant as a criticism of Citizen watches. nice watch! On: 2007-08-05After lots of research I bought this watch. Well, actually I have the same watch but with the leather band. Lets face it, a Timex will provide accurate time but its the look & style that really matter and this watch has what I wanted; a Brietling appearence. Its a masculine and classy watch all the way. I have no need for the alarm or stop watch functions so that doesnt matter to me. likes: looks distinguished, well made, great value, easy to read (day or night), nice functions, and best of all- you dont have to let some moron man-handle your timepiece when changing the battery on a regular basis! dislikes: be aware that the bezel is highly polished which means that it looks a bit like "chrome" or cheap "bling". It doesnt look like a Brietling or Tag, you know? Im looking into having the finish buffed but I might be asking for trouble. The other issue for me is that the date window is very small and I usually cant read it. nice watch! On: 2007-08-04After lots of research I bought this watch. Well, actually I have the same watch but with the leather band. Lets face it, a Timex will provide accurate time but its the look & style that really matter and this watch has what I wanted; a Brietling appearence. Its a masculine and classy watch all the way. I have no need for the alarm or stop watch functions so that doesnt matter to me. likes: looks distinguished, well made, great value, easy to read (day or night), nice functions, and best of all- you dont have to let some moron man-handle your timepiece when changing the battery on a regular basis! dislikes: be aware that the bezel is highly polished which means that it looks a bit like "chrome" or cheap "bling". It doesnt look like a Brietling or Tag, you know? Im looking into having the finish buffed but I might be asking for trouble. The other issue for me is that the date window is very small and I usually cant read it. Pleasantly surprised... On: 2007-07-17Really took a chance purchasing this watch - first Citizen watch I ever owned and Eco-Drive at that! But, I have been very happy with this purchase. Very good value for the functions you get. Titanium is the way to go with large watches (noticeably lighter). Only gripe I have is the manual is pretty sparse. But, the controls are logical enough to figure out on your own. My favorite feature is the perpetual calander - no more adjusting for day of month manually! Great Watch On: 2007-07-08I have 5 solar watches, three from Citizen. They run and run, no batteries, accurate and the perpetual calendar keeps them on track no matter how often they might sit. This watch is very good looking, light and keeps great time. What more can you say. Great Value For The Money On: 2007-07-06This watch surprised me in what it does and what it doesnt do so well. The first thing I noticed was the size of the band. For those of you out there that have smaller wrists youll certainly have to take it in and get some links taken out. Theres very little self adjustment. I like the glow in the dark feature. I used a digital watch before this one simply because I want to be able to see it if I wake up in the middle of the night and want to know what time it is. You guessed it, I dont have a digital alarm clock in my bedroom. The good news is that I found that it glows all night long. The hands are big enough that you can see them clearly even in complete darkness. Id like to have seen Citizen do a better job with the switching between Time 1, Chronometer, Time 2, and Alarm. Ive looked down at my watch several times to see that the hands are frozen. Glancing at the little circle at the bottom I see that the Crown had turned while I was working and didnt notice it. Its not really that annoying because you only have to click it forward to the Time 1 position again and youre good. As you can tell, it does have a second time zone option that Ive found comes in very handy if youre doing business around the world and dont want to do the math in your head. I like this watch and the ruggedness of it. The one primary drawback I see in this watch is that the alarm is far too quiet to wake you up. I used my G-Shock watch as an alarm clock for many years and it never let me down. This watch just isnt loud enough to wake me up. This feature might not be important to all of you so if you dont need an alarm in your watch, consider this rating a 5. Until recently, analog watches didnt come with alarms so I cant complain too much about this feature. Overall, I think youll like this watch. No more batteries and no more changing the date! On: 2007-06-07I love this watch! This is my 2nd eco-drive, the other being the Black Leather Strap BM8240 which I also like! BL5250 keeps great time, and I really like all the features, especially the chronograph. And no more grabbing a watch after a while to find the battery dead! - Just have to remember to leave it where theres SOME light so it wont go completely dead. I also really like the color of the titanium. Ive seen a friends Eco-Drive not recover well after being completely depleted, but the watch was also 6-7 years old... I disagree with a couple of other reviewers: 1) Chronograph is not useless. Ive used to to time my sump pump and clock 0-60 mph time of my car! :) 2) Alarm is audible even to me whose hearing is not so keen after years of loud guitar playing. I would agree that it wouldnt be a good wake up alarm, tho. 3) Bezel turned fine right out of the box. So maybe Citizen has addressed couple of these issues? I do agree with a couple of other reviewers: 1) It is pretty BIG and still fairly heavy. But big watches are in fashion these days, so its really not a big deal. 2) I DONT have "chubby wrist" (just the opposite!) as someone else put it, but the knob does get turned and the watch goes into the wrong mode. A "day of the week" indicator feature would have been a nice addition... Neither of these issues keeps me from wearing this watch everyday. excellent watch On: 2007-05-17This was a present, researched by me, for my 30th from my parents. This watch has everything I wanted: eco-drive, bezel, 200m, perpetual calander, alarm, and titanium. Ive always liked both black and blue faced watches, and couldnt decide which colour I wanted on my new watch. Its not that apparent from the photos, but this watches face is a very dark blue, that in low light nearly appears black, but in strong light shimmers a deep metallic blue-prefect! The numbers are large so easy to see at a glance, and glow pale blue/green. The alarm is quite quiet and wont wake me from sleep unless it is right by my ear. There is a small amount of play in the bezel (maybe 1/2mm), but this doesnt affect its function. In all this watch is just what I wanted as a definitive watch, and Im very happy with it. Citizen Ecodrive - Absolutely On: 2007-05-12This is the second Ecodrive watch that I have purchased but not the last. Set it and forget it, the first watch is still running(at least 4 years straight) and I expect no less from the new one. Cirtizen's Eco-Drive BL5250-53L On: 2007-03-21I recently purchased this watch. It keeps excellent time, and is easy to see in low light. The dual time zone feature is very neat to have for me as I travel back and forth between two time zones. The alarm is worthless, you can barely hear it if you place right next to your ear. I wrote the Company to inquire about a potential volume increase, and in three weeks they have not even seen fit to reply to me. So much for their customer service. Lastly the rotating bezel wont budge until you lube it with silicone. It lools like this could have been done at manufacturing. Cirtizen's Eco-Drive BL5250-53L On: 2007-03-20I recently purchased this watch. It keeps excellent time, and is easy to see in low light. The dual time zone feature is very neat to have for me as I travel back and forth between two time zones. The alarm is worthless, you can barely hear it if you place right next to your ear. I wrote the Company to inquire about a potential volume increase, and in three weeks they have not even seen fit to reply to me. So much for their customer service. Lastly the rotating bezel wont budge until you lube it with silicone. It lools like this could have been done at manufacturing. A Favorite! On: 2007-03-08I bought three Citizen watches, and found myself wearing this one more than the other two. The case and bracelet are totally Titanium, which is great for me because when I sweat, it doesnt itch. The watch is very accurate; the alarm is useful,as is the chronograph. Once set, I never had to adjust it. The date in the window is very readable. Its taken a few knocks, and it still works like nothing happened. Keep it charged, but follow instructions! Any more is throwing money away On: 2007-03-05I like the clean, functional look of this timepiece. This watch is made of Titanium which makes it light for its size and gives it a nice color, the perpetual calendar is nice (the date NEVER needs to be changed), solar power means youll never need to change the battery or open it up for service. Why spend thousands on a Tag Heuer, Rolex, Omega, Movado or other such overpriced mechanicals are 10 times less accurate than a quartz watch, and need expensive maintenance every five years or so, (meanwhile youre out a watch for 6-8 weeks or MORE!) Great timepiece.. On: 2007-03-04This is my second eco-drive watch; I liked my titanium Skyhawk so much that I wanted the perpetual calendar. Its 99% what I thought it would be.. The good: the dial face is very dark blue (near black) and the subdials are gray; the face is much better looking than the picture. Its a massive watch, but very lightweight. The bad: the manual is unreadable; the print is way too small. Go to [...] and download the Adobe Acrobat version. Also, I expected a perpetual calendar watch to have a good alarm; this watch (and my Skyhawk) does not. I would literally have to tape the watch to my ear to hear the alarm. I cant hear the alarm six inches from my ear (my hearing is perfect). It is not a divers watch, even though Citizen states that it is water resistant to 200 meters. I use my Casio for diving. Since I do not depend on the alarm, and dont intend to dive with this watch, it does what I need it to do. I wanted a watch which I dont have to set every other month, and will recharge itself. Great timepiece.. On: 2007-03-03This is my second eco-drive watch; I liked my titanium Skyhawk so much that I wanted the perpetual calendar. Its 99% what I thought it would be.. The good: the dial face is very dark blue (near black) and the subdials are gray; the face is much better looking than the picture. Its a massive watch, but very lightweight. The bad: the manual is unreadable; the print is way too small. Go to [...] and download the Adobe Acrobat version. Also, I expected a perpetual calendar watch to have a good alarm; this watch (and my Skyhawk) does not. I would literally have to tape the watch to my ear to hear the alarm. I cant hear the alarm six inches from my ear (my hearing is perfect). It is not a divers watch, even though Citizen states that it is water resistant to 200 meters. I use my Casio for diving. Since I do not depend on the alarm, and dont intend to dive with this watch, it does what I need it to do. I wanted a watch which I dont have to set every other month, and will recharge itself. VERY nice watch On: 2007-01-30Beautiful watch. Keeps very good time. Wish it had some sort of back lighting. Its still a little big for my wrist, but smaller (and a heck af a lot cheaper) than the Rolex and Breitling I was looking at. Nice and light too due to titanium. Couldnt ask for more for an under $300 watch. Amazon mistake  On: 2007-01-17this item was sent to me without my ordering it, so I returned it!!! I had put it in my shopping cart, but I intentionally didnt complete the order. Amazon mistake On: 2007-01-16this item was sent to me without my ordering it, so I returned it!!! I had put it in my shopping cart, but I intentionally didnt complete the order. As Advertised - On: 2007-01-11This product does exactly what it is designed to do; extracts electricity from light and keeps exact time. Eco-Drive watches are masterpieces of design and function. This is my second Eco-Drive, purchased only because my other watch was damaged while moving. Watches are not jewelry for me, but essential tools. Function defines form and this is a superb example of such form. Buy one, wear it. The titanium is light, eye pleasing. But most of all the watch is accurate and always has power. Nice Watch - minor flaws, but worth the price On: 2007-01-05I paid $250, and for that price, Im satisfied. The watch would be ideal if not for a couple of minor issues. First, the thickness. I love the diameter of the watch. In that regard, the size is perfect. But its a little more clunky than I would like and I notice that Amazon doesnt divulge the thickness it the listing. My guess is they realize that this information may sway some buyers. Also, unless Im doing something wrong, the alarm is only functional when the watch is in "Alarm" mode, which makes it unusable as a watch (pretty bizarre). Lastly, the on-line pictures make this watch appear silver but it is not. The titanium gives it a slightly different color. But the bottom line is that the watch looks great, is EXTREMELY lightweight, keeps great time, has a perpetual calendar, and never needs a battery. So if you can look beyond what I mentioned in the first paragraph, I think youll like this watch. Great watch On: 2006-12-23The watch was delivered the 18th so only had it a few days. If you want to put on this watch and wear it look for another time piece. you must read the directions to set all the functions. I have been tracking the time since it was set and it keeps excellent time. The only problem is the band it was made for a giant. Overall for $200 very satisfied with this purchase. Great watch On: 2006-10-31Great watch. I am really happy with this purchase, for $250 i think you will be hard pressed to find a watch with the same features/quality. The watch has 3 modes, time, chrono, dual time(local time) & alarm. You switch between the features by turning the stem to the desired function in the bottom sub-dial. To keep this review short and sweet.. The good... - Never need to replace the battery!! - This is a huge when you think about the cost of replacing the batteries in some watches that need to be sent to a service center. - Titanium composition makes the watch & bracelet lightweight but strong compared to a stainless steel equivalent. - Perpetual calendar - never need to adjust the date when its a 30 day month once you have set the calendar. - 5 year Citizen warranty should anything ever go wrong. - Instructional CD comes with watch - easier than reading the manual The bad... -No wetsuit expansion clasp on the bracelet. -Rotating bezel isnt that easy to turn (compared to previously owned watches with a bezel) -Switching between time & dual time takes a while for the hour dial to change time zones which is annoying if you just want to quickly flick to see what the dual time is (the top left sub dial is for telling the currently displayed time in 24 hour format not the dual time). Great watch On: 2006-10-30Great watch. I am really happy with this purchase, for $250 i think you will be hard pressed to find a watch with the same features/quality. The watch has 3 modes, time, chrono, dual time(local time) & alarm. You switch between the features by turning the stem to the desired function in the bottom sub-dial. To keep this review short and sweet.. The good... - Never need to replace the battery!! - This is a huge when you think about the cost of replacing the batteries in some watches that need to be sent to a service center. - Titanium composition makes the watch & bracelet lightweight but strong compared to a stainless steel equivalent. - Perpetual calendar - never need to adjust the date when its a 30 day month once you have set the calendar. - 5 year Citizen warranty should anything ever go wrong. - Instructional CD comes with watch - easier than reading the manual The bad... -No wetsuit expansion clasp on the bracelet. -Rotating bezel isnt that easy to turn (compared to previously owned watches with a bezel) -Switching between time & dual time takes a while for the hour dial to change time zones which is annoying if you just want to quickly flick to see what the dual time is (the top left sub dial is for telling the currently displayed time in 24 hour format not the dual time). Echo the other reviews by: lipomaman On: 2006-09-30 As a prior owner of a tag-heuer( bezel broke; paid to have it fixed; broke again, then fell off...watch worked great but looked silly without the bezel) and a luciene picard( couldnt see the silver hands against the silver background and I work in the dark), I needed something that looked stylish, worked and THAT I COULD SEE! I picked up a watch band pin remover tool considering the other review on the size of the watch band. Have been extremely happy with how the watch has lived up to expectations so far. If it fails to hold up to lifes abuse(I tend to be hard on everything I own), Ill put in an addendum. Addendum: Ive now had this watch for about a year now and it has lived up to my expectations 100%. I have no criticisms and will buy another one if I end up breaking(or losing) it in the future. Perpetual Calendar & Titanium On: 2006-08-13Calibre 2100 is a very advanced watch, but it is too big. The most disadvantage is that Calibre 2100 doesnt have perpetual calendar, so you need to remember ajusting the date at every non-31 dates month. 8700 is beautiful, but it doesnt have titanium band which is lighter and stronger and allergy free. Also, the stem will be loose after using a while and the luminous material only keep shining for less than one hour at night. This watch has both perpetual calendar and titanium, it is lighter than 8700 and much lighter than 2100, and it has perpetual calendar. It has the same luminous design as nighthawk. Its water resistance is 200 meters which is the same as 2100 (8700 only 100 Meters.) This is the watch I need. Best Watch I've ever owned On: 2006-03-31Every thing was "as advertised". Keeps great time and the features work quite well. It takes awhile to wade through the instructions but its time well spent. The only complaint was that the unit comes with a band that would be too large for Andre the Giant. I had to take it out to get sized. Ive taken the time to come back and edit.....still a great watch. Had it a month or so. Only problem Ive had is that my chubby wrist turns the stem during normal wear and puts the watch into another mode. A little irritating. |