Customer Reviews

Citizen Men's BL5380-58E Eco-Drive Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Watch

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I could not be more pleased with this watch. It's great looking, large but not too large and has a decent weight to it. The Eco Drive feature gives me a peace of mind and with normal wear, I have never had the watch stop due to lack of light. Citizen makes a very nice watch that looks good but without having to spend a grand or more.

Ever since I bought my first Eco-Drive watch about 8 yrs ago I always wanted another. I have no problems with the Eco-Drive and Perpetual Calendar and it has been keeping great time ever since. I hate to be taking watches to have batteries installed and/or changing the date when the month has 30dys or worse yet 28dys.
I began looking for a sports watch after my Timex Iron-man began to give trouble and I had to send it for repairs several times and it is currently back for more.
I knew I wanted an Eco-Drive with Perpetual Calendar. The problem I had was which one. I had over 10 models in my wish list and then came the elimination process. I even went to Citizen's website but their leading sports watches was the Skyhawk and I don't care too much for those; loaded with features which I will never use. So I came back to Amazon. It all came down to two models: My first choice being the Citizen Men's BL5400-52A Eco-Drive Stainless Steel Sport Watch and the second the BL5380-58E; this one. So off I went to my local mall and found both watches. The BL5400-52A was awesome but too large for my wrist. I have a small wrist. The BL5380-58E was just right. The pics on Amazon don't do it much justice but when I saw it live and close-up I knew I wanted it. It is classy looking and can be worn both formally and recreational. A "bit" on the heavy side but you can get use to it, I have. The chronograph is neither here nor there with me but being a sportsman and sometimes need to time a race it will come in handy.
NOTE: When setting these watches, sit down in a quiet spot and take your time. Read all the instructions carefully from the beginning and the procedure will be over in about 10mins. This watch comes with instructions for two models, make sure you choose the correct one or you will begin to think something is wrong with the watch. It is the second set of instructions in the booklet. I didn't use the CD that came with the watch so I can't comment on that.
Hope the above helps. Buy it, you won't regret it. I haven't.

I love Eco-Drive because you never had to worry about changing the battery. I like how it's easy to change modes with the "menu" dial. Some other people have commented on similar models where the crown would turn by rubbing on your wrist and cause the mode to change on its own. Well, the crown on this watch has some resistance built in so it takes some force to actually turn it. I tried to make the crown turn by rubbing it around on my wrist, but I couldn't make it happen, so there's no need to worry about this issue. It's a great dress watch but has a slight sport element to it. The crystal is flat and not domed so sometimes it does cause some glare. Also the hands are mostly metallic and reflective so sometimes it can be a little hard to read with a quick glance. The bracelet is very solid, but I do think it would have been nicer it is was a bit wider to match the width of the case. Nevertheless, these are very minor issues, and I'm still really happy with this watch.

I have searched for many months to find just the right watch. Trying to achieve that perfect balance between features and price is not as easy as it may seem. Some watches I looked at had every feature I wanted plus great styling... but I didn't want to take out a second mortgage on my house to buy them. Others were in my price range, but they were either incredibly ugly or didn't do all the things I wanted a watch to do. If you've been shopping for a quality timepiece, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Along came the Citizen Eco-Drive BL5380-58E. It caught my eye in the display case the very first time I saw it. Truly an unusually beautiful watch. (The photo here on Amazon does NOT do this watch justice. Trust me! Do a Google image search for this watch model # and you'll see just how spectacular this watch really looks. I have no idea why Amazon would put such a horribly grayed-out photo on here!)

Anyway, the minute I saw this watch at a local jewelry store, I knew this could be the one I had been looking for. After trying it on, I was even more convinced because, unlike the Citizen Skyhawk models (which I love very much,) this watch didn't feel like I was carrying the clock from the front of the county courthouse around on my arm! The Skyhawks are beautiful, but seriously, you have to be a lumberjack to feel comfortable wearing a watch that big! I'm 6' 3", 220lbs... so I'm not a small guy... but I just couldn't handle the size of those larger watches. But I couldn't stand wearing a tiny little wimpy watch either. That's why the BL5380 totally hit the sweet spot for me... it is definitely a "hefty" watch with enough weight and size to look and feel like a serious watch... but it's not overly big. A perfect fit for me.

Looks wise, this watch is a knockout! It seems to strike just the right balance between a rugged sports/diving/racing watch and a classy dress-up elegant timepiece. I've gotten more comments and questions while wearing this baby than any watch I've ever owned before. It is most certainly an eye-catcher. Very pleasing to look at... very comfortable to wear. Couldn't ask for more.

i won't go into all the technical details of what this watch is capable of since others have done a fine job of that already. But it is packed with enough muscle to do everything I need a watch to do, and then some. It runs perfectly, keeps perfect time, and is a pleasure to own.

However, there are a few things that really irked me about this watch. I say "this watch," but the truth is, these issues exist on most models I considered buying. They aren't show-stoppers, but I do think a watch this expensive should have found a way to overcome these issues:

1. A watch that looks great in daylight, but is (almost) useless in the dark is... well... just pointless. Like most watches of this design and caliber, there is no backlight to illuminate the watch face at night. Yes I know the hands glow in the dark, but seriously, so do the hands on my son's $40 Timex! Trying to read glowing hands after they have lost most of their glowing power at night is really annoying. I'm sorry, but any watch that costs over $300 should come with a freakin' light!

2. I love that this watch has an alarm built in, and I use it quite often. However, I was absolutely stunned to see just how long it takes to go from Time Mode to Alarm Mode and back again. (I didn't test this in the store... only discovered it after ordering it from Amazon.) When you pull the crown out and switch over to Alarm Setting Mode, the hands on the watch have to rotate around and around and around until they reach the time of the previously set alarm. If the current time happens to be 11 or 12 hours away from the time the alarm is set for, you will sit there for about 45 seconds waiting for the hands to rotate from the current time all the way around to the alarm time. Then, after you set the alarm (or just turn it On or Off,) you have to then return to Time Mode, which, you guessed it, means the hands have to rotate around and around and around again in order to return to the current time. Sheesh! Seriously?! This may not seem like a big deal, but it frustrates the living daylights out of me, because it means there is no such thing as "quickly" setting an alarm while you rush off to something important. You have to take some time out of your day (okay, a bit of an exaggeration) just to set the alarm or turn it off. Citizen should make the hands literally FLY around to the next preset time in just a few seconds rather than taking this long! Again, I expected this to be a much faster process on a watch of this caliber.

3. I wanted a watch with a perpetual calendar that showed the current date (7th, 8th, etc.) This watch does just that, but the actual date display is sunk down so low beneath the little cutout window on the watch face that it is almost always partially hidden by a shadow down there. Again, this is typical on most watches... I'm just letting you know in case that's a big deal for you.

All in all, I'd buy this watch again in a split second, (watch humor!) The pros far outweigh the cons. It is a delight to wear. If you can live with these relatively minor issues I've mentioned, then buy this watch. I promise you won't be disappointed! You might just get a little tired of having people ask you about it when you're at the office, at a game, in a restaurant, at the mall... but that's a small price to pay for owning such a fine timepiece!

A beautiful watch! The real thing looks better than the pictures. The black looks great against the stainless steel (the actual watch isn't the platinum color as in the pictures). It feels solid. It looks very masculine, young & sporty but still classy & elegant. It's not the lightest watch, but it's not any heavier than other stainless steel band watches. If you want something light, go for one with titanium band. I also love the fact that I don't have to worry about the battery dying.

I have long been a fan of Citizen's quality and craftsmanship. After my previous Eco-Drive was scratched up, beat up, and for all intents and purposes.. worn out.. Yet, still working.. I began to look for a newer model with a few bells and whistles.. Mere words cannot describe how happy I am with this new watch. Granted, there was a learning curve getting everything set, but actually if I had set my male ego aside and actually READ the instructions.. I would have nailed all settings within 10 minutes.. If you can't read, understand, and implement instructions for an advanced timepiece.. By all means.. Buy a Timex.. LOL

I Love This Watch!! It is one of the best investments I have made for "ME" in quite some time.. I HIGHLY recommend it!!

Trust me, you will NOT regret buying this watch!!

Great Watch

-Nice features and easy to setup
-Beautiful Timepiece
-Perpetual Calendar (If you have problem to setup perpetual calendar, then follow instruction from CD)
-The watch not too big compare to skyhawk model.

Drawback:
-To set alarm is a bit slow compare to digital watch.
-It is difficult to see at night.

This is an excellent and beautiful watch. Nice looking, it puts a touch of distinction in your wrist. Packed with features. Just the perpetual calendar, dual time and Eco Drive makes it worth the purchase. No need to bother about replacing batteries, ever...
Some functions are a little difficult to master at first and require some dedication. But then, it is such a pleasure to wear it.
Citizen has always made fine timepieces. Eco-Drives are an evolution in timekeeping.

I love this watch. I had a glass back Seiko Kinetic for a long time until it stopped charging, that was a really nice watch but it had a design flaw in the capacitor that accepts the charge. I've been wanting a decent watch since that stopped working a couple years ago.

I chose this Citizen based on looks and not having to change any batteries and I couldn't be happier with it. It's a bit heftier and thicker than my Kinetic but it looks great on me and I get a lot of compliments on it.

My only gripe is it IS a little overcomplicated to set and use some of the functions. You can figure it all out but you really need to sit down and learn your way around this watch. It's not very intuitive so you really need to read the manual or at least use the included CD to set it and learn the basics.

Highly recommended if you have patience and can follow a lot of instructions from the manual to set it up.

The is a beautiful watch that can be worn for almost all occassions. I own several watches and have gotten tired of changing the batteries on them everyfew years, or some of the automatic watches need to be worn more often to keep them working. I keep coming back to Citizen Eco Drive watches, this is now my third my first perpetual calendar watch. With the power reserve I can keep this watch in a drawer and it will still be powered up months later. This watch is sporty with an upscale look. Setting the perpetual calendar on the watch was easy and the watch even came with a dvd showing you how to do it. I've had this watch for about a month now and several times people have noticed it or asked me about it. I would highly recommend this watch.