Post by dasher on Jul 7, 2015 9:08:51 GMT -8
Having recently lost out on a great purchase, I sought solace the only way a WIS knows how - making another purchase! As I've been trying to shy away from quartz movements I found myself looking in the Bay at Citizen Eco-Drive (pronounced "echo-drive") watches.
The subject of this review is the Citizen BJ8050-08E. The popular nickname for this watch is the Eco-Zilla for quite obvious reasons once the watch is in hand (twss):
This thing is a Hulk! (twss)
According to the Amazon.com sales page, this watch measures a whopping 18 mm thick and 48 mm in case diameter:
Add the distance from the curved lugs and this big boy stands 19 mm tall! (twss) From lug to lug it measures approximately 57 mm! (twss)
The bezel is unidirectional and the only rotating part is the numbered part - not the entire upper part of the case. Those big curved craters are for your fingers to rotate the bezel.
The screw-down crown turns nice and smooth, with the exception being that you have to take the watch off in order to change the time or date - remembering to unscrew to the left. One click out sets the date, another click out sets the time (and hacks).
While the watch certainly has a formidable case design, the dial and hands are actually quite visually manageable: (twss)
The minute hand is outlined in a florescent orange that stands out well from the imposing case. The seconds hand tics along like a quartz watch seconds hand, and when setting the time the seconds hand hacks (stops for accurate time setting to the second).
The power source for all these Eco-Drive watches is a lithium-ion cell that gets its power from light. Artificial and natural light power the lithium-ion cell to such a capacity that it is claimed the watch can sit for six months without needing a charge and still keep accurate time:
The watch has some very noticeable heft - the sales page pegs the scale at 15.84 ounces - nearly a pound on the wrist!
All that said, I've only had the watch a few days now but I do have some observations:
This is a BIG watch!
You WILL ding and bump it the first few days you wear it - be ready!!
Being right handed does not make the crown in a weird place - it's actually fine on the left side of the case.
There are quite a few variations of these, and the ones that seem to be readily available are the 300m stainless steel cased ones.
The prices seem to fluctuate between a low of $150 from the uninformed seller to a high of $275. I managed to purchase mine with two extra bands, the original and a stainless steel band, while it sits now with a Hirsch Extreme band on it.
I say if you have any reservations at all about buying one, do go to a department store/retail outlet and handle it there at the sales counter. You'll be impressed by its size - and YES! THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!!!
Thanks for reading!
Dan
The subject of this review is the Citizen BJ8050-08E. The popular nickname for this watch is the Eco-Zilla for quite obvious reasons once the watch is in hand (twss):
This thing is a Hulk! (twss)
According to the Amazon.com sales page, this watch measures a whopping 18 mm thick and 48 mm in case diameter:
Add the distance from the curved lugs and this big boy stands 19 mm tall! (twss) From lug to lug it measures approximately 57 mm! (twss)
The bezel is unidirectional and the only rotating part is the numbered part - not the entire upper part of the case. Those big curved craters are for your fingers to rotate the bezel.
The screw-down crown turns nice and smooth, with the exception being that you have to take the watch off in order to change the time or date - remembering to unscrew to the left. One click out sets the date, another click out sets the time (and hacks).
While the watch certainly has a formidable case design, the dial and hands are actually quite visually manageable: (twss)
The minute hand is outlined in a florescent orange that stands out well from the imposing case. The seconds hand tics along like a quartz watch seconds hand, and when setting the time the seconds hand hacks (stops for accurate time setting to the second).
The power source for all these Eco-Drive watches is a lithium-ion cell that gets its power from light. Artificial and natural light power the lithium-ion cell to such a capacity that it is claimed the watch can sit for six months without needing a charge and still keep accurate time:
The watch has some very noticeable heft - the sales page pegs the scale at 15.84 ounces - nearly a pound on the wrist!
All that said, I've only had the watch a few days now but I do have some observations:
This is a BIG watch!
You WILL ding and bump it the first few days you wear it - be ready!!
Being right handed does not make the crown in a weird place - it's actually fine on the left side of the case.
There are quite a few variations of these, and the ones that seem to be readily available are the 300m stainless steel cased ones.
The prices seem to fluctuate between a low of $150 from the uninformed seller to a high of $275. I managed to purchase mine with two extra bands, the original and a stainless steel band, while it sits now with a Hirsch Extreme band on it.
I say if you have any reservations at all about buying one, do go to a department store/retail outlet and handle it there at the sales counter. You'll be impressed by its size - and YES! THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!!!
Thanks for reading!
Dan
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