CitizenEco-Drive Men's Strap Watch BM8242-08A

I was put off by some of the negative reviews, so did not order for a long while. But my existing quartz, twelve years old, although it keeps excellent time, often runs out, always just when I am far away from any possibility of a replacement. I was so taken with the concept of no battery to change - ever - that I recently went ahead and spoiled myself for my birthday.This is a fine watch - elegant appearance, apparently well made, keeps perfect time and is excellent value for money. The most serious negative reviews appear to be due to either not reading, or not understanding, the instructions, which are not very good. Surely Citizen could get a watchmaker, an artist and an English graduate to sit down for an hour together and prepare a clearly understandable, accurate description of how to set the watch. Or put a video on youtube (oh, I may be an old fart, but I'm with it !!)He who complained about the days being in "Spanish" apparently did not notice that as the crown wheel is rotated to set the days, as instructed, they appear in English, German and French, in fixed sequence. Therefore if you first set it in English, subsequent automatic changes are always in English. (I managed to get it wrong however - I set it on Mon, assuming Monday, but in fact it was Montag! Somewhat puzzled when days in German subsequently appeared, but soon figured out and reset correctly).He who complained of a fiddly crown wheel would also have been better served by clear instructions. Holding the watch between thumb and forefinger of both hands, face up, with the crown wheel on the right, the crown wheel can be easily pulled out to first or second "click", under full control, by slipping the side of the nail of the index finger just between the crown wheel and the case. I don't think using teeth on it is a good idea, neither for the watch nor for one's teeth!The strap is certainly not cheap. It is thick real leather, the parts very solidly put together, but it is rather stiff. Frankly, not to my taste - I prefer a smooth leather - but that is only personal preference and I shall soon be changing minefor a soft black suede strap.I'm well pleased with the watch. It looks fine, works perfectly, keeps time to the second over more than a week and I am looking forward to many years of batteryless, non-winding, accurate timekeeping. I have an idea it will see me out.P.S. Nearly a year later and everything is still working as it should. There are some better instructions on the internet - I would recommend you observe the instructions about when to set or re-set the time/date. I get compliments on how well it looks. The only negative experience is that the time/date is difficult to read in sunshine - the top of the aperture casts a deep shadow over the letters/digits which are deep set under the dial. I doubt I will ever buy another watch!

This is a great watch. I needed a new watch and was looking for something that wasn't a sports watch and that didn't need a battery. I was recommended a Citizen Eco Drive by a watch repairer who sang their praises.I opted for a watch with a leather strap because I am a bit of a traditionalist. I found it quite intuitive to set the day/date/time and didn't need to refer to the instructions (I am 76 years old). Since setting the watch, which I have had for a few weeks, I have never needed to touch it - it keeps accurate time and looks smart on the wrist. Very happy with my purchase.

exactly as described. very easy to set both time and day/date. I have 2 other citizen ecodrives which are crammed with functions but this is a nice simple elegant watch ideal for a more formal setting 👌

I like the accuracy and the fact that battery won't run out. The leather strap is stiff and will take a bit of use before it eases. The face is good but more contrast is needed on the hands to make it more readable (black perhaps). This watch is easy to adjust for date and day despite some who think otherwise.

Took a punt on this and I'm glad I did, has a very old money style about it I really liked and not a massive face.Very light on the wrist can hardly tell that you're even wearing it.Strap is very solid however over time and wear I'm sure this will get more flimsy and easier to bend around the wrist.also a bit of info on the eco drive tech directly from Citizens website:Battery replacement?Simply not necessaryOnce upon a time, everyone just accepted that quartz watches needed regular battery replacement. At least, that was the case until light-powered technology came along to overthrow the conventional wisdom. Eco-Drive makes regular battery replacement unnecessary. There's no need to worry about your battery running out when you can charge your watch simply by pointing it at the light.Any kind of light will doEco-Drive is designed to run on any kind of light, including overhead lighting or desk lamps. You can go about your life confident that your watch is not going to suddenly stop in the course of your day.*For best results, we recommend exposing the watch to five or six hours of direct sunlight per month.Keeps Running forover six monthsDoes my Eco-Drive watch need light to keep running? No, it does not—because Eco-Drive can run for more than six months on a single full charge.* The technology continues to advance. There are now several Eco-Drive models with power save function that have a running time of seven years. Another model capable of running 365 days off a single charge came out in 2023.* Some models run for less than six months.

The watch looks very attractive. Charging it is straightforward. It also keeps excellent time. But the day of the week and the date do not work as they should. I tried resetting the day and the date several times after my purchase, without success. So I returned the watch to Amazon, if reluctantly.