Citizen have been making watches for quite some time now and during that time they have produced some very innovative designs and concepts. Without a doubt their most impressive product has to be their proprietary Eco -
Drive technology. I have to say that I have had a number of watches over the years which have been solar powered and I've found that Citizen's version is definitely better than Casio's for example.
I have owned this Titanium Skyhawk for nearly 20 years and I've yet to see it show less than full power through the LCD Power reserve indicator. That's a pretty impressive result in my opinion.
This is a large, thick watch. There's no
getting around that. At 16 mm thick the only watches I have that are thicker than the Skyhawk are my Casio G-Shocks. Thanks to the titanium construction though, the watch remains nice and light. This is definitely not a watch for people with small wrists though. The bracelet is an integrated design and, whilst this does limit your options when it comes to using alternative straps, is extremely comfortable. I've never had the clasp accidentally open on me either.
The domed crystal appears to offer a degree of magnification and
I can't help thinking that it would be interesting to see the watch with a flat crystal fitted. One glance at the watch face will tell you that this is a multifunction watch and boy does it feature a hell of a lot of bells and whistles.
Two very small LCD panels display the
various functions and the hands are electronically driven So that you can quickly switch between the analogue and digital displays. Whilst this looks aesthetically pleasing, I have to admit that I really struggle to read these displays now I'm getting older and my eyes aren't as good as they used to be. It also doesn't help that the displays are not backlit.
Modes are selected by turning the crown in either direction. Additional complications include stopwatch, countdown timer, 3 separate alarms, world time and date month action of the various buttons is fairly precise but there's no definite click like you would find on a mechanical chronograph.
Whilst I really do like watches which work this way, over time selecting the various functions has become somewhat vague and it sometimes takes a few hours to actually get the correct function selected. In truth, after 20 years, the watch would almost certainly benefit from a service. I'm not sure if Citizen would offer this service or what it would cost, but a watch with this amount of complications really does require servicing from the original manufacturer.
Very accurate autonomous movement - accurate to a couple of seconds per month.
Electronically driven hands - allows for minute hand adjustments should they become misaligned.
Very effective solar powered system - still showing full on the LCD power reserve.
Fairly accurate seconds hand alignment with markers.
Nice and light - thanks to the titanium case.
Mode selection has become very vague - it often takes several goes before you can select the right function.
Poor lume - only the hour and minute hands are lumed (although it does last a long time and can still be seen after many hours in a dark room).
No backlight.
Mineral crystal - sapphire is always a better choice.
Integrated bracelet limits any personalisation.
I have to say that this watch has served me well. This was a 40th birthday gift from my wife (I'm now 58) and the watch is still pretty much functioning as it would - with a few caveats listed above. The watch remains both visually striking and functional. This is one of my favourite watches in my collection and has a high sentimental value to me. If you get the chance to purchase one at the right price and it still shows full power on the LCD display, I would definitely recommend getting one.