While costs for the watches in Citizen’s Eco-Drive range vary widely, you can easily get a Watches elegant watch for between $100 and $200. These watches have been constructed using the best materials. You will need to spend extra money if you want a watch with many features. Their watches are priced at about $1500, fitting most budgets.
The most expensive models include light level indications, power-saving settings, alarms, clocks, and warnings for low battery levels. In addition, they have a lot more stylish appearance than the middle-priced variants.
Describe Eco-Drive.
Citizen watches feature Eco-Drive, a mechanism that captures energy from any light source. Using either artificial or natural light will not affect the technology. The energy is kept in a lithium-ion rechargeable cell. The battery has an infinite runtime and may be continuously charged. Eco-Drive watches are watches that, with proper maintenance, might last a lifetime.
According to Citizen, the Eco-Drive watch line has saved over 10 million batteries from being disposed of in only North America. It is excellent news for the environment and a brave move toward lowering pollution.
An Overview of Eco-Drive Watches’ History
These watches, which were first made available to the public in 1996, represented significant technological advancements over other solar-powered watches. By using sleek, elegant designs instead of bulky, obvious power cells, this cutting-edge technology eliminated the need for them.
The Eco-Drive caliber 7878 movements served as the inspiration for these watches. The first of its type, it was. This made it possible to place solar cells beneath the dial. Light can travel through the dial’s translucence, power the movement, and recharge the battery. The battery can operate for up to 180 days on secondary (stored) energy before needing to be recharged by exposure to light.
Some versions may hibernate for a predetermined time, and the watch hands will cease moving if exposed to darkness for an extended period. The internal quartz movement will still reliably monitor the time, though. The hands will ultimately adjust to the proper position when light exposure and resume keeping time as usual. Due to this feature, Eco-Drive watches require very little maintenance. If you pull your watch out of the drawer after it has been hidden for three months and expose it to light, it will immediately display the right time.
How Do Citizens Eco-Drive Watches Operate?
Although they operate on a separate mechanism, eco-drive or solar watches are similar to automatic watches. The movement of the arm winds the mainspring in mechanical watches. The storage capacitor powers the watch in an Eco-Drive device. Regular quartz watch batteries cannot be refilled once they are entirely depleted. But with the Eco-Drive, the capacitor is composed of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
The Eco-Drive watches produce energy from any type of light source, including artificial and natural light, and store it in a capacitor. An Eco-Drive watches can often be fully charged in four hours. When you wear the watch outside in the sun, it automatically charges.
Features of Eco-drive Citizen watches
The beauty of traditional designs is combined with cutting-edge technology in Citizen watches’ solar-driven movements. There is no need to worry about the accuracy of the time because these are battery-powered. Additionally, the models are reasonably priced. However, the solar-energy version lets you wear your watch without changing the battery. It gives the impression that you are using an automated watch. The solar-powered quartz movement and the brand are practically interchangeable. The following are some additional benefits of this watch design:
The material’s quality
The reasonably priced watches do not skimp on materials to reduce the price. The robust stainless-steel casings and scratch-resistant glass are standard on all eco-drive wristwatches. However, you might not find the genuine leather band in some low-cost models. In any case, it is not a big deal. Genuine material is always an option if you are willing to spend more, depending on your preferences and taste.
The watch’s appearance
Almost every Citizen watch has a unique design that sets it apart from the competition. Their exquisite classical appearance radiates individuality, which is rare these days. Whether you favor a diver, dress, aviator, or some other design, you may rely on it to complement your style and attitude.
A show of craftsmanship
All of the watches in this line have distinctive features. Regardless, each piece is a masterpiece made with excellent craftsmanship. These watches have more weight since everything is in a perfect balance. They are flawlessly manufactured items due to their durability, water resistance, and general weight. You can use chronographs once as an experience. They have enough pushbuttons to communicate everything.
Worth the money
Brand-conscious consumers have no cause to question the capability of eco-drive watches. Citizen is a reputable brand, and the eco-drive line justifies all the buzz surrounding it. The quality you receive for the money with this is unmatched by other top brands.
The battery’s capacity to last for a long time
Your watch will function properly if it is exposed to bright light continuously. Because the Citizen watches use so little energy, their batteries can be recharged considerably more quickly. The watch will survive between 45 and 5 years, depending on the model, if you keep your phone in the dark, fully charged location. A power reserve that can last 180 days is a common feature of many watches.
Expected lifetime
The solar cells and backup battery used in Eco-Drive watches will last up to 10 years, according to reports from Citizen Watches. They continued by saying that the lubricants used to create these watches are intended to increase their longevity because the oil would not harden or evaporate, even after 20 years.
Even though it happens infrequently, there have been cases where harm from too much heat during recharge has been recorded. The device’s temperature must not go above 140 degrees Fahrenheit as a safety measure. For example, if the watches are held too close to light bulbs, they may overheat.
How much is a citizen eco-drive watch worth?
The middle range of the Citizens Eco-Drive starts at about $845. If you can afford to spend roughly $1,000 on a watch, you’ll receive all the extra features that improve performance. This pricing range includes a perpetual calendar, time adjustments for around 40 time zones, and better waterproofing up to 333 feet. Additionally, a Power Reserve Indicator lets the wearer know how much battery is left.
The highest costly Eco-Drive watch goes for $1495, but the cost is justified if you use the features. For this amount, you may have a watch with the fastest signal speed in the industry, a bezel covered in diamond-like coating (DLC), an alarm, two clocks, and doubled water-resistant up to 667 feet.
Although the watches at the lower end of this price range may not be the most fashionable, there is no denying that they are decent and would look well on any wearer’s wrist. The lowest end of this category starts at just $109. These 36 mm solar-powered watches often have leather straps with conventional buckles and stainless-steel cases that are gold- or silver-toned. You might not want a leather strap if fashion is important to you. The stainless-steel bracelets become available as soon as the price reaches $149.
In terms of style, there is also a substantial variation. The shell is normally around 44mm for the midrange to more expensive models, which give more in terms of aesthetics. The dials can be a little intimidating with all of those features, but if you understand what each one does, the clock face is much easier to read.
The more premium models will use sapphire crystal in place of the less expensive mineral crystal. Sapphire crystals are far more sought-after since they are resistant to scratches and will only break under extremely strong impact.
The movements and straps are other obvious changes. With their Japanese movements and stainless-steel bracelets with double locking clasps rather than a normal buckle, the Eco-Drive series, which costs more, offers more possibilities.
Conclusion
By including some additional information that you should be aware of if you intend to purchase a Citizen Eco-Drive watch, I have attempted to address all of these concerns in this article.
After reading the entire article, you should now have a general notion of How much a citizen eco drive watch is worth.
FAQs
What makes a citizen watch so unique?
Yes, Citizen watches provide a great balance between price and quality. The watches are made with high-grade materials and have excellent quality control. Few watch companies have complete vertical integration as Citizen does. Thus they are in complete control of the entire watch-making process.
Eco-Drive is it automatic?
The Citizen Premaster Eco-Drive is a quartz-powered automatic watch made by Citizen. This watch was innovative in using both mechanical energy and a solar cell to charge the backup energy cell and power the electronic movement.
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