Customer Reviews

Citizen Men's BJ7000-52E Eco-Drive Nighthawk Stainless Steel Watch

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Sweet watch, I've been wearing mine for 4 months.

I'm an Environmental Engineering Student and I also currently own an Omega Speedmaster ($2100 graduation gift long ago) and a Titanium Pro-Trek Casio Triple Sensor Watch (Compass, Altimeter & Temperature $295.00) that I used for my previous job as an outdoors wilderness instructor.

Both those watches are extreme (the Casio being too rugged, big and bulky the Omega being very freaking expensive) for everyday use and wanted something that suited my keen personality, short budget and modern taste.

I never liked anything in terms of jewelry or watches from department stores or malls, but when I walked into MACY's during Christmas shopping last december at the local mall I saw these Eco-Drive watches for the first time.

It has always been my opinion that Citizen makes very old fashioned timepieces, yet the Nighthawk Eco-Drive is very different and far more classy than any other Citizen watch on the shelf. Some of the other newer Eco-Drive watches also look edgy and fresher. But the nighthawk captures a boldness with it's appearancethat is very timeless. Needless to say, I tried it on and was sold.

The features are amazing, apart from all the other "timekeeping-based and solar powered-based features you can read about everywhere else on the internet, the Nighthawk also has a multi-functional Slide Rule. This is not really praised or mentioned anywhere else so I will tell you what it is, what it does and why it makes owning this watch very cool!

With the slide rule you can calculate your car's fuel consumption, average speed/velocity and the time you will arrive at your destination, you can also multiply and divide numbers, calculate ratio's into percentages, integers and decimals, covert liters to gallons, pounds to kilograms as well as other metric conversions. The slide rule also performs a few more complicated calculations that involve airplanes and nautical vessels that are beyond my understanding.

At any rate, these calculations can be done by simply rotating the NightHawk's bezel and matching specific arrows at certain points along the dial. (If you don't believe me, you can download the Nighhawk's PDF manual and read up on it for yourself.)

In fact, it is easier than using a calculator and clears up the big mystery of what people used before computers and electronic calculators were invented; they used the "Slide Rule".

Being a grad student, I've read about the slide rules in a variety of classes but I never thought that I would own one on my next watch. I also would have never guessed that the slide rule is so efficient and easier to use than the graphics calculators we use in school.

The only negatives cocerning the Slide Rule feature on the NightHawk are the numbers on the slide rule dial are small and angled inwards so that they are tricky to read without tilting the watch around to get a good view of the numbers. Also the slide rule only approximates and produces whole numbers for some of the more advanced calculations.


Overall, I found that the useful geek-features, outdoorsman durability, everyday comfort and eco-friendliness to be well synthesized in the classy steel body of the Nighthawk Eco-Drive.

Great watch:

looks great--I get a lot of comments
doesn't need a battery
fantastic layout--a lot of info at a glance: date, local & zulu times
luminous hands
slide rule easy to use and numbers won't rub out (like on external bezel ring slide rules)

However, for serious aviators:

no stopwatch! You will want a stopwatch to go with the slide rule for basic dead reckoning
you'll need another light source to read the slide rule if you're flying at night

also, the crown has an occasional tendency to work itself loose and you can lose your time hack if you don't tighten it every couple days

The closest I've seen to the elusive "perfect aviator's watch"

This is the first Citizen brand watch I've ever bought, and so far, it's as good or better quality than more expensive TAGs I've owned. About the only thing missing (aside from a stopwatch, as noted earlier - but that's debatable if you're not a serious aviator) is a sapphire crystal, which would probably prevent scratches a little better than the standard mineral crystal. For this price, though, I'm not complaining.

I like the layout, the overall appearance and something else nobody mentioned - the band clasp is a very smart design. Not only does it have something similar to the Rolex "Flip-Lock" clasp, but the main clasp has what can best be described as a squeeze lock, which must be pressed together from the sides of the band to release it from the wrist. This thing isn't coming off accidentally.

I got the stainless version, but there is a titanium one available as well as an all-black version. The all black version looked kinda cheap and the titanium was more money, so stainless was the one I chose. Even though I'm not a pilot, the slide rule is functional (perhaps even useful, in some situations) and the instructions for it are easily understood. All that and a five year warranty. And I always equated Citizen with cheaper-made watches - I stand corrected. No regrets.

I first heard about the Eco-Drive watch from Citizen in a magazine ad, and then when I was at the Shore, I saw a display in a jewelry store. That prompted me to research it online. I was fascinated with it, and decided that it was the watch for me. My 2 previous watches had been Seiko, but I was impressed with the fact that the watch is light-powered and never needs a battery. Knowing this sort of gives you a sense of independence, and I liked wearing something that symbolized a work ethic of always being ready for whatever's gonna come. When I received it, I immediately liked that it was a heavier, substantial watch than I was used to. It looks good, and stands out as a unique timepiece. I have the Nighthawk model. I've had it a few weeks, and it is keeping great time. I especially like that the numbers and hands glow in the dark all night, unlike my Seiko which only glowed a couple hours. This is the best watch I have ever owned, and you will surely be impressed with it.

It get's 4 stars because, well what would you expect, the slide rule is accurate to 2 decimal places. And it could have given you 3. Oh well. If you are using your watch to calculate your arrival time you probably don't really care if you are off by a few minutes.

Ok, why is a circular slide rule cool? First, lots of common calculations are really just ratios. Kilometers to miles or statue miles to nautical miles, pounds to Kilograms's. This watch has the markers in the slide rule, so you just align one mark with the number you want to convert and look at the number that the other unit of measure is over and there you are. You do have to keep track of the magnitude of the answer but that's not hard. You can do sq roots but it's a pain. Basic multiplication and division is easy. Doing the approximation for a tip at restraunt, just set the percentage over the "10" mark, and look for you bill at the inside ring, read the tip on the outside ring. No need to even adjust the watch. You can easily set it up before dinner. Note: if you stare at your watch while trying to read the tip value, you may get called "rude" by your date! Better to just overestimate...

Downside, if you do not have perfect vision, you'll have a hard time reading the sliderule. Don't even think about doing this while you are driving. My eyes are fine with it in good light.

On the other hand, the time hands and numerals are plenty large enough and easy to read. The luminescent marks seem to stay bright for about an hour, which is good enough for us casual night hawks. Otherwise you need a watch that has tritium and who knows whether that will pass airport security these days.

One other thing is that the 24 hr inner hand can be easily obscured by the main watch hands. So this feature not very handy as a second timezone clock. It will help you remember the military time, but at say 11:00 you can't see the underlying hand. Not a big thing, and I suppose if you set to say 8 or 9 hours difference it might be more visible.

All in all, a cool watch, even if the slide rule control is built for a lefty.

This is my second Eco-Drive, among many other watches, and I am extremely pleased with the brand and this watch in particular. The workmanship is outstanding and the weight is balanced for everyday wear: not too heavy so it feels like a brick, but not too light either. The main winning point for me is the cleanliness of the display. Time is easy to read and the luminous markers function great at night. Although there are many markings on the scale bezels, they do not affect the overall cleanliness of the face of the watch. The scales can be quite useful, but as many people have pointed out, the markings are small and difficult to read even for people with perfect vision. I do not consider this a flaw, since it would have been impossible to include this functionality and keep the size of the watch to manageable proportions.

One very useful feature for frequent travelers is that the hour hand can be individually adjusted without having to change the minutes. Another feature useful for people doing business in dual time-zones (or expatriates wishing to know the time in their native country) is the fact that the watch keeps dual time. However, the watch will only allow time difference in one hour increments, so dual time in half-hour increment time-zones (i.e. India) can't be kept.

The size of the watch is bold, without being cumbersome, and sits well on smaller wrists like mine. The Nighthawk withstands sporting activities without any problems: I've surfed, skied and mountain biked with it.

In conclusion, my overall impressions are extremely positive for day-to-day wear, and even for some more informal occasions. Great watch, highly recommended.

The Citizen Nighthawk has many useful features, such as the ability to do pilot calculations (since it is a pilot's watch), slide rule calculations, division, tip calculations, dual-time capability, date, operates by a solar cell thus excluding the need for a battery, large luminous hands and markers for readability and low-light visibility, and so on. However, my main reasons for buying this watch are because it looks great on the wrist for both casual and evening wear, it is very comfortable to wear despite its large size and it is very durable and reliable. You can be sure that once you start wearing the Citizen Nighthawk you'll have people coming up to you to compliment on your eye-catching watch.

This is my fourth (a fifth, limited-edition is on order) Eco-Drive. I collect a lot of watches but these are some of my favs to actually wear and use. They are the most accurate watches I've ever owned, bar-none. The Nighthawk is solid, well made, and a delight to wear. There are few watches on which I'd change nothing, but this is one. I also got an excellent price and great service. Many thanks!

The Citizen Ec-Drive Nighthawk is a great watch that looks, feels and performs at a much greater level than its price suggests! Much like an Omega at a price of hundreds less- add that to its eco friendly design and forward styling and you got a hit- big, but not too big- I definitely suggest it

Citizen Eco-drive Nighthawk is a great watch to have. Its craftsmanship is wonderful. Looks awfully nice. I wanted to have the titanium version but was a bit pricy - so ended up with stainless steel one.
Keeps perfect time. Eco-drive means no change of battery. One of the big reasons I bought it was the slide rule. Not that I use the slide rule often. However, if you are a fan of slide rule - you will love it. As some other reviewers mentioned it will be good to have stop watch, day, month etc functionalities. But even without all that it is a awfully nice watch to wear.
The dial is a bit big and it's a bit heavy. I don't know whether pilots find this useful or not - but if you are a watch lover, it is a great watch to own and wear.