Eco Drive

What are your opinions on the Citizen eco drive movements?

I have a titanium perpetual calendar version that is about a year old, and I love it. I haven't had any problems so far...

I bought an ECO-DRIVE GMT about 2 years ago and it died about a year ago. It's been running at the "needs charge" pace for about 10 months, (the 2 second jump) I've been too lazy to send it in for repair, but they give a 5 year warranty so it shouldn't be a problem. I mostly just stick to Auto an Manual watches for that very reason.
Regards SonnyD

Hi Guys,


Own a Citizen BJ2000-09E eco-drive aqualand chrono dive watch. Had this watch for about a year and a half. Have had no problems with it. It seems to stay charged for about a month when exposed to extreme darkness. Under normal use, it has no problem staying charged.

cheers,
kev

I have had a Titanium Solar Tech for about 5 years. It is sitting on my work bench now and works great still. I stopped using it last year when I got a Luminox Ti that I can read the calander on. The Eco Drive saw some good abuse and never skipped a beat.

- Don

Thanks for your opinons guys! I just wanted to see how they stand up over time. My watch has also seen some good abuse over the year that I have had it, and so far it has been perfect.

I also have the eco chrono dive watch and like it very much. Best time keeper I've ever owned at two seconds or less accuracy per month. Only wish it had a month indicator.

Mike-

I got the Ti chrono eco drive. Kick myself for not getting one with date.
Is this watch under appreciated or ? Solid case like a Rolex, perpetual charging, luminous hands still good at 4 in the morning, light weight, stopwatch, alarm, and not too expensive (check Princeton - tons cheaper than Zales.)
Of course, I bought a Timex chrono for the rougher days . . .

Thats wierd, what i heard from watch shops i visited they didnt recommend the Ecos coz they have a high failure rate espically the new ones....

and it was so troublesome to send them back to japan for repair that they didnt think it was worth the profit margin to sell the watch at all....

IMHO I think the citizen eco-drive dive watches are extremely well built. The craftsmanship of the case is impecable. The performance is as expected and the look is great. Love this watch.

I don't know if all Eco-drives have the same case feature as mine but I was real impressed with the fact that on the Ti unit I have, there is no access to the watch from the back side. The case is milled from the front side in and there is no gasket to fail on the back side. If I could still read the calender, I never would have considered another watch. Of course after becoming more of a photon nut thanks to you guys, having the tritium vials on the Luminox I now wear was a real bonus! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

- Don

Which Luminox Titanium did you get Don? Is the bezel very large?

Ray,

Yeah, it's a good size dive bezel; all Ti. I think it was a "Seal" model?? Good to 200 meters.

It's been a good watch so far but I haven't had it a year yet.

- Don

McGizmo--Same question as nascar. Do you have the Luminox #3602 dive watch or is it one of the "stealth" ti models.

I've been saving up for one of the titanium dive watches and I finally have enough, but none of the stores locally have one for me to try on. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif I'm gonna have to mail order it and hope for the best.

-Jason


*Edit--see what happens when I type slow*

Jason,

It is definitely a "Dive" model with a big ratcheting numbered bezel. It has a tritium "dot" at the zero on the bezel. The bezel is about the same size as the Eco-drive. The rotating bezel OD is just over 1.5" in diameter.

- Don

I have a small wrist, so those larger bezels always look stupid on me. I put one of those Casio G-Shock on and looked really goofy, not to mention how uncomfortable it was.

Luminox watches look a tad wierd for me...the face is so small and the rotating dial around the face is so big....

Ray,

Funny you should mention you have a small wrist. I had included that comment about myself in my post and then pulled it. The Luminox with Ti bracelet conforms to my wrist very well and better than other full size dive watches I have had.

- Don

I too look kinda wierd with a huge "manly" watch. I usually prefer a Timex, but I feel like branching out.

Now that I have the official go ahead (wife actually mailed her okay) and now a recomendation on apperance/operation, I'm gonna place an order. I'm gonna get the ti dive model for my birthday/I deserve it present.

SWEET /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif

-Jason

Hi Guys,

Chech out these new luminox models:

http://www.infinitycatalog.com/model_titaniumII.htm

I have worn a Citizen Field watch almost everyday for 4 years with no problems. Very solid shock resistant case (given it a few knocks over the years), strong bracelet and a nice anti-reflection coated scratch resistant saphire glass. Don't ever worry about charging it. It just works every day and I only ever need to reset for the change to summer time and back. The hands and dial are luminous but they are not tritium, you need to use light to really get them glowing but they do glow brightly for quite a while after.

http://www.creativewatch.co.uk/3large.jpg