Customer Reviews

Citizen Men's AT0100-51A Eco-Drive Titanium Watch

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I just bought this watch last week from a different store after having reveiewed many different watch styles and brands. The key things I was looking for were: stainless steel or titanium, self winding or solar, water resistance to beyond 50m, durability, reliability and a strap that can adjust to fit my boney wrists.

I've checked out the Seiko kinetic watches, which I really liked the idea of. My father has also had one of these kinetic (aka self winding) watches for over 30 years without problems. But the only problem was that I could not find a Kinetic watch that, first of all, could be adjusted to my wrist, and secondly one that was also aesthetically pleasing for both the face and band.

I also looked at the Swiss Army brand, which look nice, are thin and handmade to "ensure" precision. But the kinetic one costs over $1k and the battery powered ones are already in the $400-500 range.

As a last resort, I also considered the Casio G-shock watch with the stainless steel band. The one thing that turned me away was that the sheer thickness of a G-Shock watch prevents it from being worn under a sleeve.

More about the Citizen:

The pictures don't do the watch any justice. First off, the titanium color portrayed in the picture is inaccurate. The actual color is a little darker and has a slightly dulled finish than stainless steel and is two-tone, but not in a bad way, such as a two-tone silver and gold watch. The narrow pieces of titanium that run parallel to each other on the band are of an unbrushed stainless steel color. The face is also noticibly lighter than the band, but matches well.

PROS:
* movement is made in Japan
* titanium is stronger and lighter than steel so the watch doesn't weigh nearly as much as a similar stainless steel watch
* titanium is hypoallergenic so people with allergic reactions to the nickel in stainless steel should be able to wear this without problems.
* the unit uses a lithium ion battery that is stated by the manufaturer to last a "lifetime"
* band is pretty easy to adjust, you can do it yourself if you have a small screwdriver or even a fine finishing nail if nothing else.
* the watch comes with a 3-year warranty if you buy it from an authorized retailer (some retailers through amazon are not authorized also known as grey market, and do not come with a manufacturer's warranty).
* the hands and the hour positions glow bright in the dark and also glow visibly in the light, though they are of a luminescent material and need to be charged (exposed to light) before glowing
* titanium does not corrode and does well in salt water
* release buttons for band make it very difficult for the watch to accidentally unhook and slide
* titanium supposedly does not retain heat well, so if you leave your arm out in the sun then accidentally roll over on it, you won't get scorched like with a stainless steel watch.


CONS:

* titanium scratches easily. I remember my stainless steel watch would also inccur scratches, but because it was brushed steel, it would hide them better. I already have a few very small scratches where different parts of the band have rubbed against each other creating a shinier spot amongs the dullness of the band.
* band is made in China
* glass is made of Mineral Crystal, not Sapphire Crystal, which is much stronger and more resilient to scratches.

WISHLIST:
* I wish the watch used Tritium which would illiminate the hands and the hours permanently (day or night) instead of the light charged luminescent material. Tritium is a radioactive material, however, it is naturally prevalent in the air and water and is not harmful to humans.

The picture really doesn't do the watch justice. The band has thick links of titanium, which are stiff at first, but eventually loosen to an extremely comfortable fit. The chrono buttons do not stick out too far which is nice, it prevents accidental pressing. All together, its a durable, lightweight, classy looking watch.

I love everything about this watch except for the band. It's not a bad band by any means. However, I have an older Citizen titanium watch (probably about 12 or 13 years old) and the titanium band on that watch is much softer and much more flexible. I was a little disappointed with the band on this one. Other than that it's a fantastic watch. If you like Citizen and you like titanium, I'd definitely recommend this watch.

The crown will not stay screwed down on my watch after only a year of use. This renders the watch worthless for diving. The warranty only covers movement so if you have a problem with the crown or water resistance you are out of luck. After being told that only the movement was covered by the service center I sent an email directly to Citizen and never received a reply. So to sum it up I spent $289.00 for one year of service. I'll never buy anything from Citizen again.

First, I want to comment on how perfect this watch is! It's classy and casual with a beautiful finish that isn't overly shiny like some watches (tacky!). And it's got just enough gadgets and dials to make it functional and a little bit sporty without being too busy and complicated. Perfect for my guy! It's also light as a feather (they really should have said more about this) and of good size. Not too big, not too small... just enough to be casual and masculine and not cumbersome and clunky. Perfect! One other plus is that it's a steal at $189 dollars. I checked it out at a store before I made my final decision and it was still marked as $400.

Secondly, I would like to comment on the speed at which I received this watch. I ordered it 3 weeks in advance just to make sure that it got here on time (late anniversary presents are not a good thing). I ordered it on Monday and chose the free shipping option (5-7 business days). I reveived it this afternoon and it's Wednesday now(of the same week)! Thanks Amazon!

I have owned an eco-drive for over a year and love it. I bought this one as a gift because the titanium watches are light and very durable. Then design is classic and attractive.

I bought this watch a year ago (March '07). I have another Eco-drive titanium (one of the original "Solar-Tech's") and had lofty expectations for this watch. To this date I haven't been let down. I really enjoy the lightweight aspects of this watch. It has become my favorite watch for daily use.

This watch was such a deal and a perfect gift. My boyfriend is very particular about items like watches and technology and he was so impressed with my purchase. It has so many features that even I didn't know about until I bought it. He still looks at it and just loves the way it looks. It was a great buy.

The picture definately doesn't do the watch justice. Very clean, easy to read face. Extremely lightweight. I had it pressure tested after I bought it, it cleared 280m no sweat. Also keeps excellant time. I've yet to lose or gain a second in two months.

this is my second eco-drive in 10 years. the first one had a one piece case that was not servicable. This model looks nice, futureistic but tasteful and the grey face/titanium case is easier to read than I thought it would be.

The only downside to the watch is that I have found a stainless steel version of the watch from a much cheaper watch company, exact same case design but different movement. I guess the case AND band are made in China, so the only part of the watch that's Japanese is the eco-drive movement.

The quality is very good, the band is a little stiff and is not as comfortable as my first eco-drive from 1999.

The crystal is not sapphire but it is strong and protected slightly by being recessed.