Customer Reviews

Citizen Men's BM6400-00E Eco-Drive Canvas Watch

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am slowly converting my watch collection from a mix of self-winding automatic and a few quartz to all Citizen Eco-Drives. This is the latest addition and I am delighted with it. The watch is a "beater"...it will be perfect for weekends, travel and whenever you want a watch that can take anything. The stainless steel case and bezel have a satin finish and the screw-down crown is knurled. The dial is an oil black, not a flat black as you might expect in a "military" watch. The large numbers and markers have a ton of luminous material and glow like beacons in a dark environment -- perfect for night viewing. The second hand is precisely registered with the second markings on the chapter ring. The crystal is a flat, hardened mineral crystal with an anti-reflective coating (presumably on the interior of the crystal) so there is very little reflection. This is a large 42mm diameter watch -- not including the crown {which is guarded with shoulders]. It is not clear if the woven, fabric band is nylon or some other material; it is well made and the holes for the clasp are reinforced with stainless steel rivets. I really like this watch and ... at a mere $105 ... this is a great buy.

Louis

This watch is more impressive in person than in the photos I've seen. My first impression was that it is big or at least not too small. It has a certain heft to it that I like. It doesn't have a cheap feel.

The watch case is about 40mm in diameter (without the setting crown) and about 11mm in thickness. The lug width seemed to be about 21mm. The case has a brushed metal finish; although the screw on case back is bright and shiny. It could probably be used for signaling in an emergency. The only other shiny surface is a narrow ring around the base of the bezel; however, this is virtually unnoticeable. The edges of the case have been smoothed which helps with the day to day comfort of wearing the watch. The canvas strap is comfortable and has 7 metal eyelets (holes) for fastening to the wrist. My wrist is nearly 7.25" and I fasten it in the 5th hole (3rd from the end). The strap has two keepers and one of them is metal and the other is canvas. The metal keeper is strong with a bit more thickness than you might expect. I casually tried to bend it with some finger pressure, and it would not give. The buckle is also a little beefy and has the same level of smoothness as the case along with the same brushed metal finish. It nicely complements the rest of the watch and feels well made.

The large numerals provide a lot of surface area for the luminescence, and it's obvious this watch was designed to be easily read at night. I can still read the time throughout the night even after most of the glow intensity has gone. The dial is very black and contrasts well with the hands and numerals so it is also very easy to read in bright sunlight.

The 200m water resistance (WR) rating is a nice bonus. I'm not sure this is technically a dive watch since there is no rotating bezel so a 100m rating would have been sufficient, but 200m makes this watch even more versatile.

This watch is very basic but has a lot of practical appeal. I use it for a weekend or casual watch. Overall I strongly recommend it -- especially to an outdoor explorer or adventurer.

I was unable to decide between this model and the #BM8180-03E, which is a more utilitarian looking model. So I ordered both, but am keeping this. My impressions:

- The BM6400-00E is more substantial. I'm a medium-build guy, and I thought the BM8180-03E looked small for my wrist size.

- This is a better looking model than the BM8180-00E. I'm very picky when it comes to watch styles, and I really like the way this looks. This is more 'dressy' yet is not too fancy looking as an everyday watch. It will look much nicer with a suit than the BM8180, which is much cheaper looking

- I was worried about the date display being too small. I think it looks smaller than it is because of the oversize numbers on the dial, but it is still totally readable.

- The band on the BM6400 is longer than the band on the 8180, and the black looks much better than the green. I find the band to be comfortable, and am not in any rush to go swap it out for another.

- I prefer the 'screw-down' crown on the BM6400 - less worries about water getting into the case. The BM8180 has a two-notch crown that doesn't screw down.

All in all, this model is more than worth the extra $25 dollars between the two, and is a great deal at this price.

I bought the japanese version of this watch. The difference is the sapphire glass. It is really robust. The case is made of solid steel and the glass is thick. However, despite of its sturdiness, it is an elegant watch. Not a dress one, but not too sporty that you cannot wear it with a suit. I have changed the band for a silicon one with double clasp (very stylish), and now it looks awesome. What appealed to me when I decided to buy it was the black dial and big numbers. Not that I have a visual problem (I am a radiologist!), but I needed a watch that could provide accurate information in a glance. When I received it, I could notice that the black dial is actually made of some sort of darkened glass, and the cells are visible through it. I found it exquisite. If you look at it directly, it is black, but if you angle it, you can see the cells.
The watch has an appearance that matches much more expensive models and the finishing is flawless.
It is not heavy nor oversized. My wrist is thin and it doesn't look weird when I wear it.
The canvas strap is confortable and the buckle's steel matches the case's finishing.
Great buy!!!

This is my 2nd Citizen. The first was a promaster dive watch I beat up hauling steel as a truck driver (never had a problem with function). For cosmetic reasons, I let that one get away years ago. Have worn a variety of hodge podge battery powered disposable watches since, and have grown somewhat tired of looking for a new watch every couple of years.

Was intrigued by the eco-drive technology and never having to open the case and replace a battery. Which always risks the integrity of the watch without sending it back to the factory.

I'm a one watch kind of guy. That's why I chose this black model which will easily do double duty.

This is no puny watch. It's substantial. The build quality is excellent. The lined canvas (maybe cordura nylon) band is quite good and durably built, although uncommon and for some may take getting used too. But thanks to the lining it is quite comfortable. Nice thing, due to the build of the watch it is easily replaceable with any after market brand.

The date window is small but serves it's purpose quite well.

And no batteries to replace. It's a keeper, especially at this price. Kudos to Citizen.

After shopping for watches for months, I decided to buy this Eco-Drive and couldn't be happier. It's solid, it's stylish, it's bold, it's weighty. I worried the size and heft would be a problem for my small wrist but this was not the case. I love the watch and sturdy band, but you can add me to the LONG list of customers who would like Citizen to make the date more visible. It's too small and completely useless. All in all, if you're attracted to the watch you'll like it.

This watch is for those who are looking for a rugged analog watch and prefer a large but not enormous watch, without any extra features such as a chronograph. The dial features large, highly luminous markings and is easily readable. It is also rather lightweight, making it quite comfortable to wear despite its 42mm size. I also own a 46mm Invicta watch, which feels 10 times heavier than this watch. Another great feature is the eco-drive movement, which is highly accurate and hassle-free. You may or may not like the canvas strap, but that can always be replaced. My only complaint about this watch is that I could do without the metallic trim around the borders of the markings, but the trim really isn't noticeable unless except from a very close distance.

Would just like to give my basic thoughts on this watch. I just received today and overall, think it's a great watch. I traded down, I suppose, from the Citizen Skyhawk black eagle. Which has an unforgiving rubber wristband. But this is about the Citizen Eco-Drive Canvas Watch #BM6400-00E.

First off, I love the visibility. The contrast of white on black with the large numbers make this watch very easy to read. The numbers are just a bit too large for my liking, but I knew that going into it and it's something that doesn't bother me too much. The ease of reading the watch at first glance more than makes up for the large numbers. The case is very solid and seems durable. It just has that quality feel without being too heavy. Another plus is the flat crystal. Much better than a convex crystal which are prone to glare. Even though I'm no diver, I really like the fact this watch is 200 meter water resistant and I love the screw down crown. This watch is outstanding at night. The numbers are very bright and easy to read. The canvas band is not as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. I have ordered a leather band and will probably get one of those Martac straps I've seen in many Citizen watch pictures. And of course the eco-drive is a huge plus. I doubt I will never own another watch other than a Citizen eco-drive.

I'm not going to be as picky as to try measuring the movement of the second hand and how they line up with the minutes. That's just not a concern of mine and it seems to work great in that regard. I only have a couple of complaints that, had I known, I may have considered a different watch.

First the crystal is raised slightly above the bezel. I anticipate some dings and scratches on the crystal from bumping into things. Second, after wearing the watch for nearly a day now, the hands seem too small for the numbers. I would have preferred this watch to have slightly larger hands (hour, minute and second). I think it would complement the watch much better.

My only other complaint is the date. Unlike another review I read, I do not think the date is easier to read 'in person'. In fact, I struggle a bit to read the date. This is a huge problem indoors or in low light because the date is sunken down considerably and the face casts a shadow making it that much more difficult to read. Design-wise, I would have preferred the entire '3' spot being taken up by a slightly larger date. The date is the only reason I did not give this watch 5 stars.

For my tastes, I would like to see the BM8180-03E and this watch (BM6400-00E) merge into a style that has the case diameter and band width of the BM6400-00E and the face of the BM8180-03E. I did not purchase the BM8180-03E because I prefer a wider band and a slightly larger case diameter.

I really like the simple, uncluttered design of this watch. And the Eco-Drive never-needs-batteries aspect is great.

I am happy with the watch but I have two gripes...

1) the date window is so small that it's hard to read.
2) the watchband is terrible. The holes-with-rivets design makes the holes farther apart so getting the right fit is hit-or-miss. On my wrist, one hole makes the watch too tight while adjacent hole makes it loose enough that the watch face kept working its way to the side of my wrist. I bought a 20mm leather watchband to replace the factory canvas one. Problem solved... Plus I like the look of the leather band better.

I wore automatic watches for years before tiring of their tendency to lose or gain time--even the expensive ones are difficult to keep accurate within 10 seconds a day--and their need for regular (and expensive) maintenance to retain whatever accuracy they possess. When I switched to quartz watches, I appreciated the fact that they tended to be less expensive and were accurate, but disliked the idea of a battery quitting on me at an inopportune moment and found it difficult to find one with the features I desired. The Citizen eco-drive seems to be the best of both worlds, and the watch designs are much more "classic" than Seiko kinetics with their similar concept. This model has water resistance to 200 meters with its screw-down crown--a feature rare in less expensive watches--and markings that glow like a flashlight in the dark. Why do so few watch manufacturers appreciate that we like to be able to read the time at night as well as in the day? This is a large watch, easily the largest I have ever owned, but looks proportional on my medium wrist and the quality ballistic cloth strap fits the watch size. Its metal-rimmed holes should prevent fraying as well. It would be easy to upgrade to a leather band if a more formal look were desired, and the watch itself certainly looks formal enough to wear to work with this or a more formal band. Accuracy is excellent, as expected, and you can set the time to the second. This is a lot of watch for the money, and fills the role of two or three lesser watches that lack its combination of style and features.