CitizenMen's Eco-Drive® Sport Watch

I received the Men’s Citizen EcoDrive Black Ion-Plated Watch as a Christmas gift. The watch is part of Citizen’s EcoDrive line, which use both natural and artificial light to charge the watch, eliminating the need for a battery or winding mechanism. The EcoDrive is designed for men who want a stylish, inexpensive watch that can be worn daily. When evaluating a watch there are three things I consider; durability, style and comfort.First and foremost, the watch is extremely durable. The nylon band is tough and resists fraying and fading. The face of the watch is encased with a strong, scratch resistant glass crystal that has taken a few good knocks on door frames without leaving even the smallest mark. The clasp and buckle are the only possible limitations on the watch’s durability. Although they seem to be to lightweight compared to the rest of the watch, neither the buckle nor the clasp have yet to break.Not only is the watch durable but it has a simple design perfect for everyday wear. The Black Canvas strap has a very utilitarian design without feeling like army surplus wear. The all black case, lug and dial combination create a very modern, minimalist look. In addition to the case and dial, the hands and crown are also black. The crown is also textured with an almost studded design to it. Although I appreciate the usability of the larger crown, from a style standpoint it distracts from the simplicity of the watch’s design. Likewise, the eyelets and buckle are an area of questionable design. The buckle and eyelets are steel instead of black to match the rest of the watch, however since both are positioned on the underside of the wrist they are mostly unseen.Even if a watch is durable and stylish, if it’s uncomfortable to wear then it won’t be suitable as a daily wear watch. Citizen EcoDrive however, is durable, stylish and comfortable. The nylon band is thick and padded. It is textured enough that it doesn’t slide around on your wrist without having to keep the band overly tight. The buckle is smooth and goes almost unnoticed once the watch is on your wrist. The band is large enough to accommodate larger wrist sizes without feeling awkward or small.Overall the watch is a great buy. It is durable, comfortable and features an all-black, minimalist style great for everyday wear.

I would definitely buy it again, great quality for the price! Highly recommend it

Eco drive power is really nice. The watch hands could use some reflective / light absorbant segments. That would allow this watch to be useful in very low light. In normal light, this watch is a very cool grey-black all around. It's a subtle style. If there's some light then you can see the watch face—except if you have a glare angle. Really, if you are in for an analog watch then this piece is top notch. If you're looking for high tech with high visibility in all situations then this is not the watch for you.Re the strap: it's not good. The feel is passable. The look is vastly inadequate compared to the central timepiece. You will almost certainly want a different strap. If you get a nato (minimalist) or a zulu (kinda chunky) you will probably be happy.

I love this watch. It is extremely durable and I use it every day in an aluminum foundry. The glass has held up to extreme abuse (metal die grinding, ceramic/brick die grinding, welding, hockey, hiking, freezing, snorkeling, etc.). I have had this watch for nearly 1 year and I have not needed to replace anything on it. The hands still light up for about 4 hours and can be seen in very low light conditions. The time has stayed within a second for an entire year (checked with the US government atomic clock online). The band is very comfortable and dries quickly. I have had to wash it a few times but it has had no problems cleaning up. The watch looks nearly as good as when I bought it with the exception of 2 marks where molten aluminum landed on it took of some of the black paint on the case. The ladies also love the watch. I get complements on it more often then I was expecting.My one down side of the watch is it can be hard to read at times. In bars and low light conditions where it is not quite dark enough to see the hands glowing the hands can be hard to pick up on. It will take a little getting used to but there are some tricks to making it easier to see. Circle your other hand around it to block out more light so you can see the hands glow, tilt the watch till you find the perfect angle, get your eye closer to the dial, or just pull out our cell phone for this very rare case where it is too hard to see.Citizen makes an extremely good quality watch. This is not my first watch from them and it will not be my last.

The watch looks amazing. I have the nighthawk so im used to the black on black. My only issue is how stiff and uncomfortable the band is. For a $100+ watch or at the retail of $300 it's not worth buying to then have to buy a Watchband. TimeX has a solar watch that looks super similar and for $100 has a comfortable watchband

Real pretty but I sent it back. The watch is completely black, a statement piece, but hard to tell time on. There must be adequate lighting or forget about reading it! The description says luminous hands, they’re not. If they were I would have kept this gorgeous time-piece. It’s really a cool watch just to have, but just not practical for daily wear.