Customer Reviews

Citizen Men's JR3000-51F Eco-Drive Skyhawk Chronograph Watch

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For years I've worn a cheap digital watch because I couldn't find anything nicer looking that incorporated the same functions as my digital. Analog watches offer a more attractive timepiece, but you usually have to sacrifice the handy functions I had grown used to having. For me, the Eco-Drive Skyhawk combines the best of both the analog and digital worlds.

The Skyhawk has two small LCD's that give it all the same functions as my digital and even add a few more. You access those different functions by turning the winding crown (which actually doesn't even serve that function on the Skyhawk since the watch is powered by a solar cell beneath the faceplate). Turning the crown rotates the tiny mode hand on the bottom-most dial and points it at the abbreviated name of the function you've selected.

The functions displayed on the LCD's are: Time (hour, minutes and seconds on the right display with the time zone on the left); Calendar (day, month and day of the week on the right, time zone on the left); Alarm (there are three separate alarms-hour, minutes and `on' and `off' on the right, time zone on the left); Chronograph (up to 99' 99" on the right, the left indicates split time, etc.); Timer (counts down from 99' 99"); and Set, which is for setting up the time, date, etc. for the watch. You can program in customized names for the time zones, if you choose. For example, instead of LAX for Pacific Time, I have SEA (for Seattle) programmed for my time zone. Since the analog hands show my local time, I leave the LCD in Calendar mode, but you could also have a different time zone's time or date set to display.

The other two small dials show a 24-hour UTC clock (Universal Time Constant-same as London time) in the upper-right dial (with minute and hour hands) and a 24-hour clock (with just an hour hand) for your local time zone in the upper-left dial. My watch arrived with the proper date and time already programmed in. I just had to set the watch to my time zone.

There is a slide-rule bezel that rotates around the faceplate and apparently can be used to calculate fuel and oil consumption for an aircraft. I didn't notice anything in the instructions that explained how to use this, but I'm not a pilot or engineer and don't have a use for it anyway.

The Skyhawk ships with a CD-ROM that has narrator walk you through the steps for setting up your watch and using the various functions. These identical tutorials can be accessed from Citizen's web page here: http://www.citizenwatch.com/us/frame_noflash.html. There is also a printed manual that covers the same information.

Citizen claims this watch will never need a new battery in your lifetime. The Skyhawk recharges its internal battery by way of a solar panel beneath the faceplate. When you look closely, you can see that the faceplate is made of a dark but semi-transparent material like the lenses of sunglasses. With normal wear, it should keep itself charged with ambient light whether indoors or out. Even if denied a light source, Citizen claims a fully-charged watch can go four months before running out of power. The left LCD displays up to three horizontal bar to indicate how charged the watch is.

I only found two negatives with this watch. There is one function it does not have that my $10 digital watch does, and that's a light for reading time in the dark. Lights take up a lot of battery power, so I can understand why Citizen opted not to include one on a solar-powered watch, but I do miss it sometimes at night. The numbers on the faceplate and the analog hands do have a glow-in-the-dark material on them, but it's still not as easy to read the time in the dark as it is with my digital which has a blue backlight.

The other negative (for some people) may be the size. This is a fairly good-sized watch on your wrist. It's a little wider than most men's watches, and probably a little thicker, too. That said, I think the faceplate size and overall design of the watch is such that it doesn't look too big on my just-under-medium-sized wrists. But it's a personal call, and I can see how some might find this too big and bulky for their tastes. You may want to visit a local watch dealer to take a look before ordering.

You should know that there are three different versions of this watch with varying price tags (all metal, mixed metal/rubber wristband, and a Blue-Angels-commemorative version). Each version is available in either stainless steel or titanium. Mine is the all-metal stainless-steel version. I weighed the pros and cons of titanium and decided against it. Relative to stainless steel, titanium is more resistant to corrosion, has greater tensile strength and is lighter. But I can't imagine any scenario in which I'm going to need those advantages. The watch's weight is a non-issue to me. Once it's on my wrist, I hardly even notice it's there. The disadvantages of titanium are it costs significantly more and has a slightly darker hue and less luster than stainless steel. Titanium is also a softer metal, so it should be less resistant to abrasions.

All in all, I'm very pleased with this watch. It couples a handsome, understated elegance with all of the functions I want in a timepiece.

You'll have to size the watch's wristband when you get it (unless you have very large wrists). You can do it yourself if you have the proper tool. There are tiny pins holding the different links together. You need an equally small tool to push them through from one side to the other. Take note of the arrows on the inside of the wristband that show the direction you should push the pins. If you don't size it yourself, be sure to point those arrows out to the person that sizes it for you. I took my watch to a jewelry counter at a respected clothing store to seek help. Unfortunately, the woman who helped was lacking in hand strength and ended up scuffing up several of the metal links before I knew what she was doing (yes, brushed stainless steel will scratch). If you can find the tool to do it, I recommend sizing it yourself to avoid the aggravation I went through.

OK. For those who bought this watch because it looked neat, but had no clue what it is to own an aviator watch, here is an example of how to use the slide rule.

1. Lets say you are at a restaurant, and your bill comes out to $55. You wander what is 15% tip. Take the outer dial and align the number 15 on the outer dial to 10 on the inner dial. That will be your tip percentage. If you want to give 20% align 20 to the inner 10. Now, find 55 on inner dial. You should see about 82 for the corresponding outer dial. Divide 82 by 10. You get $8.20 which is your tip. Now, when you take some one out for a date, you could look like you actually use the bezel.

2. TAX can be calculated the same way. Just align the tax percentage on the outer dial to 10 on the inner dial.

3. You are on a road trip with rug rats. You have 200 miles to go and you are traveling at 70mph. The back seat monsters asks "are we there yet." You move 70 on the outer dial to the top arrow, where inner dial is 60. Find 20 on the outer dial. Corresponding inner dial is the amount of minutes to your destination. In this case 170. You are not done. Check the inside of the watch. on the outer edge of the face, you should see hour marks. 170 should correspond to 2:50 hours. Now tell the monsters that it is going to be another 2hours and 50 minutes so go to sleep.

I hope these will be useful for someone. As for negative reviews I have seen,

1. If you don't realize that almost all watches that are considered higher class than Casio Sports watches don't have lights, you don't deserve anything like this. Are you going to give negative reviews to Rolex because it does not have a light?

2. This is aviator watch guys! If you make them smaller, you will not be able to read or use the slide rule. If you can't realize that, buy different watch.

3. There is about a page explaining how to use the slide rule. But, since this is aviator watch, they probably expect you to know how to use E6B. Otherwise, hope my review helped.

PROS:
- It is a Citizen!
- 5 year warranty
- very nice looking
- eco-drive system: never needs batteries
- complete world time (DST per zone, etc).

CONS:
- no light (but that is due to the eco-drive)
- no hourly alarm
- for me, its is difficult to pull out the crown without loosening the bracelet
- very easy to scratch (and they say the titanium version is even more soft!)

For an average male wrist, it is not too big nor too heavy.

Before I reveal its critical flaw, let me say I love the way the watch looks.

That said, the watch has no backlight!!! I cannot see the analog time at night and the digital display is completely unreadable even in dim light (have you ever seen an LCD display on a watch that didn't have a backlight?). Not having a backlight is an inexcusable flaw on a watch this price. And the phosporescent watch hands fade in about an hour, so that doesn't help much. Of course, you could just carry a flashlight with you.

Because of this flaw, I rarely wear the watch. I wear a cheaper Casio with a backlight that I do not like anywhere near as much.

If considering this watch against any other, just make sure you also consider how important it is to you to be able to read the time in the dark and to be able to read the digital LCD display when you don't have optimal light. If it is important, find a different watch.

This is a superbly designed watch. The advanced features (e.g., chronograph, world time zone settings, alarms) are easy to use and understand. Due to the Eco-drive system, the battery lasts practically forever and it keeps accurate time. It really is waterproof. If you are a pilot the slide bezel works great for calculating fuel consumption, speed, etc. The safety clasp fastens securely and is easy to use. If weight is an issue, the titanium version is much lighter than the stainless though it shows wear (e.g., surface scratches) more visibly.

I purchased the Citizen Men's Eco-Drive Skyhawk Chronograph Watch #JR3000-51F because I've owned it's predecessor: the Navihawk Chronograph. My Navihawk died after about a dozen years of satisfactory service. As I discovered the hard way, breaking the case seal of the Navihawk to replace the battery (which was necessary three times over it's lifetime) created a pathway for humidity and skin oils to penetrate and corrode the interior. (This despite the fact that I never swam nor showered while wearing the Navihawk.) The cost to repair my Navihawk was almost as much as the purchase price of a new Skyhawk.

I compared the JR3000-51F with the titanium version... Citizen Men's Eco-Drive Titanium Skyhawk Chronograph Watch #JR3060-59F...as well as the model that synchronizes with an atomic clock signal...Citizen Men's Eco-Drive Skyhawk A-T Watch #JY0000-53E. Having been accustomed to the weight of a stainless case and bracelet, I didn't think that the titanium version offered me much added value for the price differential, particularly since some other reviewers had noted that the titanium model was susceptible to scratches. I came to a similar conclusion regarding the "AT" model. My experience with the very accurate time-keeping qualities of the Navihawk led me to believe that the JR3000-51F would satisfactorily meet my needs. The "Eco-Drive" feature clinched my decision to purchase the Skyhawk as opposed to competitors.

Upon receipt of my Skyhawk (which arrived earlier than the projected delivery date), it worked right out of the box. The time was off by a couple of minutes, but the interactive instructions (on the CD in the box) made it a snap to correct the time. My prior experience with the somewhat idiosyncratic process of adjusting the Navihawk probably helped me get off to smooth start with the Skyhawk. Count me as a happy camper.

The Citizen Skyhawk Flight Chronograph Eco-drive is one of my three favorite watches, next to a Casio Pathfinder Multi-Gauge Titanium and a Seiko Black Monster. Why? The common denominators of these three models, amindst my collection of other Japanese and Swiss makes, are durability and reliability. In the case of the Skyhawk, I can add - gadget appeal.

I did a lot of online research before deciding on this watch, and I am very pleased. Great looking watch with all the functions I could ever want or need. I'm a private pilot so it is nice to have the E-6B calulator on the Bezel, but because of it's size would be of little use in a cockpit environment. However, could be useful for pre flight planning in a pinch. I chose the Stainless model over the Titanium due to reviews that the latter was easily scratched/marred. Stainless is heavier (abou 4 oz) but haven't noticed the weight since I first put it on.
Overall, love the watch and would recommend.

This is the best watch I have ever owned. Period. I check it against the atomic clock on the internet and it is the most accurate watch in my collection. Not the cheapest watch I have ever owned, but certasinly the best.

My first problem with this watch: Citizen makes some gorgeous and innovative timepieces - see for instance the Caliber 2100. Unfortunately, the company has its models arrayed in such a way so as to emphasize that you need to spend more to get more. The face design, color palette, and band of this "base model" Skyhawk are all meant to remind the buyer that he (no women buying this thing I am guessing) is sitting in the cheap seats. The far more costlier atomic time models are MUCH nicer, and the slightly pricier "Blue Angels" models are also more attractive. (Problem there is that you are basically wearing a slightly more adult version of a Batman watch, an inherent problem with all "branded" timepieces. And do you really think the Blue Angels team wears this watch? I am sure the slide rule comes in handy as they are calculating fuel consumption while doing barrel rolls at 3 Gs...)

Anyway, besides the tin can silver color palette, and intensely busy bezel with oodles of small numbers on it, there are two relatively more serious crimes against aesthetics here. First, the band. Of the six watches I own, this was the second most expensive one, and the band looked the worst of all. There is no design to it, it felt light and cheap, and had no lustre. Next issue: the miserable lume! After hours of daylight exposure, the miserable afterthought application of lume on the face and hands looked pitiful and faded quickly in the dark. Again. of all my analog watches, this more costly model was at the bottom of the barrel in this relatively important test (for all you pilots out there who will be using this for dangerous midnight flights across the continent..._

So besides being dull, bland, and badly illuminated, we come to my Second Problem... This is not really an analog watch. Every significant function from time adjustment to chronograph use is DIGITAL and is displayed on some wee tiny screens. The sub-dials display UTC (Zulu) time and a second alternate time zone (in a 24 hr face with a single hand) and other than these rather useless functions (as one of the little digital windows is slaved to the alt time subdial so you always have duplicate info between the screen and the dial) the subdials are not used at all. I think I would have liked this watch better if at least the stopwatch was assigned to a subdial like an actual analog watch) but instead all the timekeeping functions are in a digital window the size of half of a pinky nail.

I should add the watch is fairly complex to use, and the directions are about 80 pages long. That said, you can probably figure it out easily enough, as many of the procedures in the instructions are rather arcane and useless (i.e. to delete cities from the standard list of available time zones ("I hate Auckland! Begone!") or to change the three letter abbreviation for these cities ("I think "AUK" is much better than "AKL"...). I would suggest though that you avoid buying this if reading manuals and following rather detailed instructions is not your favorite way to interact with your timepiece.

So upshot - if you like analog watches, or are buying this as a gift for someone who does, rethink. This watch has a analog veneer grafted onto a digital heart. Now this would not in itself be a problem if Casio did not exist... but of course they do. If you hunt carefully through the many Casio Waveceptors and G Shocks, you can find analog - digital hybrids that offer every feature that this Skyhawk does (including solar charging) at roughly one half to two thirds its price. Now if you are thinking all the Casios that are similar are tacky plastic watches with "G SHOCK RULEZ!!!" emblazoned on them in glaring red, (the normal Casio problem!) I can assure you that the brand has evolved to the point where they have relatively subtle designs and even metal bands available. All of these offer the same (or better) functionality of this Skyhawk (some of the Casios even offer atomic timekeeping) and some are more attractive, even by adult standards.

The usual reason to buy a Citizen over a Casio is that the purchaser wants to look more sophisticated. That reason falls flat here, as the blandness and mediocre design of this Citizen model will not look notably superior to a Casio of comparable feature set and lower price. If you really love this design for some reason, spend more and get a Blue Angels or atomic time model so the watch will at least look worth the price on your wrist. To buy this model would only mean paying an added premium for non-existent superiority in design and quality over a less expensive product from a competitor. And Citizen ain't Rolex - no need to pay any premium at all for this name!