Watch Review: Citizen Eco-Drive Black Ion-Plated Axiom Watch

This summer, I received an interesting watch for my birthday.  It's a beautiful watch that sits right on the border between fashion and practicality.  It's a Citizen Eco-Drive Black Ion-Plated Axiom Watch.

Photo from Amazon

If you like black, this Citizen Axiom watch is your watch.  It's a black watch with a black bracelet, a black case, a black  dial, and black hands.  As the recipient of this watch, my main question was:

Can I read black hands against a black dial?

The answer is a definite sometimes.  First you have to acknowledge that this watch is totally useless at night.  If it's dark, you won't be able to read this watch.  However, if you are in the sunshine or indoors in a room with artificial light, you should be able to read the hands.

Citizen Eco-Drive Axiom Watch Dimensions

This watch has comfortable dress watch dimensions with a 40mm diameter case.  The band is a masculine 23mm wide and the case is 8mm thick.

Citizen Eco-Drive Axiom Watch Construction

The Citizen Eco-Drive Black Ion-Plated Axiom Watch is ruggedly constructed for a dress watch.  It has a stainless steel fold-over clasp, a stainless steel bracelet, and a stainless steel case.  The dial is protected by a mineral crystal.

Citizen Eco-Drive Power

The watch uses a quartz movement powered by the Citizen's venerable Eco-Drive system.  With a full charge, this solar watch will run for six months in total darkness.  This makes it a very long lasting solar watch.  You can leave it in your sock drawer for a long time.  I suspect that Eco-Drive watches will eventually take over my watch collection.  I simply love the idea of never having to change a watch battery.

Overall Review

I really like this watch as a dress watch for work and social function.  Since this Axiom watch is not as easily readable as some of my military-style watches, I generally reserve this one for bright days, work at the office, or for special occasions.  It's an interesting watch to add to your collection.  You won't find a blacker watch around!

[Update:  In fact, I no longer see a complete black-on-black Citizen Axiom watch on Amazon.  As of 1/6/2024, Amazon does list a Citizen Axiom Watch with white hands.]

Wristwatch Review: Citizen's Stainless Steel Eco-Drive Dress Watch

For Christmas in 2015, my wife got me a very nice Citizen Eco-Drive dress watch.  It goes by the catchy name - Model BM7193-07B.  It's a great addition to my watch collection and will never need batteries.

Citizen Eco-Drive Dress watch

Style.  This men's Citizen Eco-Drive is a beautiful watch with classic retro-styling.  If you search vintage men's watch or vintage Citizen watch and look for images, it won't be long before you come across watches that look much like this one.  Vintage Citizen dress watches typically had the double baton at 12 o'clock and regular batons to denote the hours.  The cursive script on the classics was typically centered below the hands at 6 o'clock and described the number of jewels in the mechanical movement.  A vintage Citizen typically has a date window surrounded by a gold tone box and this Eco-Drive as well.  This watch even has a domed crystal.  The dial is white, but I'd almost call it an off-white or parchment white.  It's not a bright white.  At a contemporary 40 millimeters, the case diameter is probably a little larger than the classics.  It is dress watch thin at 10 millimeters thick.  I find the size just right for a dress watch.  Even though this watch is thoroughly futuristic on the inside, it is still connected to a long line of great Citizen watches.  For that, I give extra style points.

The strap is crocodile-embossed leather and long enough to fit my wrists comfortably.  At first, it was a little stiff, but it is comfortable and looks pretty good.  I like the Citizen label on the buckle to help differentiate this watch from lesser brands.  In this price category, these little touches are expected.  If I was the designer of this watch, I think I would also put some sort of inscription (perhaps a 'C') on the crown.

Construction.  This watch has a gold-tone stainless steel case, stainless caseback, and a scratch-resistant mineral crystal.  The watch is water resistant to 99 feet if you stumble into a pool or water feature while texting about important business matters.  Overall, this watch seems pretty well constructed.

Movement.  This watch has a Japanese quartz movement and is powered by Citizen Eco-Drive technology.  After a day of charging, it can keep time for a very, very, long time.  (See my post The Citizen Eco-Drive and the Sock Drawer). After a full day of charging, this watch should keep time for six months.  Despite the high tech power, this watch does not have any design features that appear to be a solar cell at all.  It is perhaps the most subtle of sun-powered watches.

Overall, I really like this Citizen Eco-Drive dress watch.  It is perfect for the office and other events.  The brown band and rose gold-tone are the perfect style for such settings.  It's not a big watch that beats you over the head with pizazz.  Instead, it's a refined, cultured, design that fits into a long line of great Citizen watches.  Perhaps, this business-like watch is a solid Citizen.

Wristwatch Review: Drive by Citizen Men's Black Ion Plated Eco-Drive Strap Watch

Reviewing a Solar Powered Watch 

Are you looking for a watch that incorporates interesting and ecologically sound technology? You might check out the Eco-Drive line of watches by Citizen.
(I originally published this article via the now defunct Yahoo Contributors Network.)

Drive From Citizen Eco-Drive CTO 2.0 Black Ion Plated Watch

The special thing about an Eco-Drive watch is that it is powered by light. It harnesses the power of sunlight or artificial light and combines this solar energy with quartz watch accuracy. The result is a watch that can theoretically run forever and always keep accurate time. Fully charged, an Eco-Drive watch can run for six months in light or dark. I was excited to receive a "Drive by Citizen" Eco-Drive watch for my fifteenth wedding anniversary. The name of this watch seems to vary by merchant, but it is model AW1135-01E. Amazon calls it this catchy little moniker: Citizen Men's Drive from Citizen Eco-Drive CTO 2.0 Black Ion Plated Watch. I have also seen it called CTO 2.0 and simply Drive by Citizen. No matter what the retailers call it, this Eco-Drive model is a sporty watch with understated but technically sophisticated styling.

Watch Style. The Drive watch has basic black style. It has a black ion plated stainless steel case, a black leather strap with black stitching, and a couple of orange accent stitches near the lugs. The dial is black underlying a silver mesh or honeycomb design. The dial is a subtle feature as it can appear silver or black depending on the light and angle of the watch to the future. This Drive also has a date window that shows 5 dates with today's date being outlined. Hours are marked by white batons around the perimeter of the dial and are further highlighted by an orange dot just inboard of the batons. At 12 o'clock, Citizen Eco-Drive is spelled out. At 6 o'clock, the water resistance is noted. The style of this watch is confidently masculine. The Drive CTO 2.0 has a refined muscular look without a bulky case or unnecessary gadgetry. There is nothing that screams "Solar" when it comes to this watch.

A "Drive by Citizen" watch that makes solar energy unobtrusive and routine!

Movement. The Eco-Drive has a solar powered Japanese quartz movement. When you first get it, you need to charge it up. However, ambient lighting seems to be enough to keep it going. Citizen basically recommends that you expose the Eco-Drive watch to sunlight or strong lamp light for one day per month. Unlike less expensive solar watches, the solar panel is built directly into the dial surface and you cannot explicitly see a traditional "solar cell."

Citizen Eco-Drive Watch

Watch Size. The size of this watch is an understated 41 millimeters. It is 11 millimeters thick and has a strap that tapers from 24 millimeters at the lugs down to 19 millimeters at the buckle. The watch is perfectly proportioned to wear under a long-sleeved shirt cuff.

Watch Construction. This watch has an ion-coated black stainless steel metal case and shiny stainless steel back. The Drive is built with 100 meters (330 feet) of water resistance. The strap is genuine leather with a "soft touch" finish. The leather is soft inside and out. It is truly a very comfortable watch to wear.

Price. This watch retails for $250 but smart shoppers can use sales to knock the price down considerably. However, Citizen is not one of those brands that claims a high retail price but is routinely 80% off.

Overall. In a world where tech gadgets grab headlines every day, the Citizen Eco-Drive line of watches delivers on the promise of solar technology in a low-key manner. There is no Richard Branson promising a space voyage. There is no Elon Musk crusading for an electric car in every garage. There is no goofy product shape to let the world know that that the wearer is ecologically correct. Instead, there are Citizen timepieces that simply work well, wear well, and happen to be solar powered. This Drive by Citizen watch is a very cool addition to any collection.

Sources:
Belk.com
Amazon.com

Drive By Citizen - Reviewing my New Citizen Eco-Drive Watch

I recently posted about my new Citizen Eco-Drive watch.  Now, the official review has been published.  I've always been fascinated by Citizen's seamless integration of solar technology and a quartz watch movement.  When you look at a Citizen Eco-Drive watch, you really don't see an obvious solar cell.  Instead, you see an accurate watch that never needs batteries.  I was fortunate to receive this Drive by Citizen watch for my fifteenth wedding anniversary.

Citizen Eco Drive Watch

The dial of this watch is cool because it can appear black or silver--like a mirror. 

Drive by Citizen

 If you charge it up for a day, a Citizen Eco-Drive watch should be good for 6 months of continuous operation even in the dark.  But, the manual recommends letting it charge in lamplight or sunlight about once a month.

Drive by Citizen

I really like the technology, the understated masculine style of this watch, and the comfortable leather strap.

You can read a complete review of my new Citizen Eco-Drive Watch here:

Wristwatch Review:  Drive by Citizen Men's Black Ion Plated Eco-Drive Strap Watch

Citizen Watches for Christmas

C has a new meaning in my watch collection.  I recently received my first Citizen watch as an anniversary present.  This Citizen Eco-Drive watch is a great looking timepiece with high tech wizardly within the case.  But, it's even nicer as a gift from my wife to commemorate our 15th wedding anniversary.  This watch is also called "Drive by Citizen."

Here is a picture of my new Citizen Eco Drive watch that I took way down yonder on the Chattahoochie river.

The watch is solar powered and never needs batteries.  It also has a black ion plated case, a comfortable leather band, a date window, and a high degree of water resistance (100 meters).

The dial is black and silver.  It's interesting because at some angles it will appear black and at others it can appear silver.  I like this watch because it uses various shades of black to create a very masculine design that is not necessarily military.  The watch is also understated and refined enough for office wear.  It has a sensible 44 millimeter diameter case and it doesn't exude an attitude of excess and bling.  Instead, the design of this watch sends a message of strength and no nonsense technical competence.  I like it a lot. You can read my complete review here -

Wristwatch Review:  Drive by Citizen Men's Black Ion Plated Eco-Drive Strap Watch

If you'd like one just like it, they are available on Amazon.com at pretty good prices.