Sunday, February 17, 2013

Citizen Eco Drive Nighthawk Review




It is easy to understand why Citizen is the number one watch company in the world after wearing the Nighthawk for the last few weeks. Citizen's unique combination of quartz accuracy, solar charging, water resistance and overall solid build make it just about the most convenient daily wearer I've ever owned.
The Nighthawk model seen here is an all stainless steel (including an all solid link bracelet thankfully) aviator/military/navigator style watch that features an independently settable 24 hour secondary hand. The watch measures 42mm in width. Water resistance is rated at 200 meters (which is plenty deep) and the crown screws down. An internal chapter ring can be moved via the second crown to allow for world timer capability. The lume is of excellent quality, a cool blue color that is very long lasting. (It isn't quite in a Seiko Monster's league but it's close) Additionally, the Nighthawk's second hand can be hacked if that feature is of importance. The crystal on this watch is made of hardened mineral glass. The choice of that material, as opposed to synthetic sapphire is the only disappointment I could find with this watch. Mineral glass is reasonably scratch resistant but nowhere near as good as sapphire.
The Nighthawk's most impressive feature to me, one shared by many other Citizen models, is the Eco Drive system. Most folks are familiar with the periodic chore of changing our watch batteries when they poop out. It is an acceptable compromise in exchange for the superior accuracy that battery driven quartz watches provide over their mechanical counterparts. Citizen, however, found a way around this problem by building a solar cell into the watch face that continuously charges the battery. Once fully charged, the watch will run in darkness for up to six months. The result is a watch that, in theory, should never need servicing. 


If you want to own only one watch that will faithfully get the job done with a minimum of fuss, an Eco Drive like this Nighthawk is a great choice. As long as it is stored in a reasonably well lit place so the battery remains charged, it should never need any other consideration. With its excellent water resistance, sturdy construction and good looks, the Nighthawk would be equally at home in the office or at the beach. It is really very well done.

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The internal chapter ring is not for worldtime. It's a E6B flightcomputer. You can calculate a lot of different things with it. Check it up at Wikipedia.
Otherwise, I totally agree with your conclusion. This is an amazing watch.
Regards Peter.

9:07 AM  
Blogger Ed said...

Thanks for the tip!

10:37 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi again.
Found this on youtube.
http://youtu.be/F-XxsXp5TEQ
Thanks for a nice blog!
Peter

4:08 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Citizen watches have stylish shade and a lot of functions, which makes it worth your money.Citizen Eco Drive watches is a good choice to buy.

2:43 AM  
Blogger Gregory said...

i love Citizen watches. they all are with high quality. but my favorite watch brand is dkny. my favorite model is ny4984.

4:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey to everyone, it’s my first visit of the blog site; this blog includes awesome and actually best info for the visitors.site here

2:06 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

free web counters
Drugstore.com