Customer Reviews

Citizen Men's JY0050-55L Eco-Drive Blue Angels Skyhawk A-T Chronograph Titanium Watch

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There already exist many reviews on Amazon for this watch. Most of the reviews can be found in the non-Titanium, non-Blue-Angels models. I just need to add a couple things. (I own this Blue Angels Titanium model).

TITANIUM-SPECIFIC PART: The Titanium version is much lighter! I compared it against a stainless steel model. The difference is huge. I know what most guys are thinking, "unlike this reviewer, I'm a real man who can handle an extra ounce on my wrist." FYI I consider myself pretty athletic. But I appreciate not feeling the watch on my wrist most of the time. Bottom-line: it's a personal choice. Titanium is lighter, stronger, and personally makes me feel better about this watch. Stainless steel is cheaper and gets the job done.


NON-TITANIUM-SPECIFIC PART - WATER RESISTANCE: The product description says "water resistant depth: 660 ft". I bought this watch thinking I could take it for scuba diving. The face of the watch says "WR 200" and the backplate says "WR 20BAR". But if you look up the owners manual, both these terms actually mean you can only skin-dive (I guess that means snorkeling.) Scuba-diving with air tank is NOT ok for this watch.

CALENDAR: HUGE pain in the a** to use. The date is only displayed for world time, not local time. This means at those hours when the world city is a day ahead of or behind your local time, you cannot get an accurate reading of your local date. The only fix is to set the world time city as your local city, which defeats the purpose of the "World Time" feature.

IN THE DARK: This watch is great in the dark! The luminescent dials are very bright in the dark. Additionally, there is a backlight. Because Apollo powers this watch, I don't need to worry about the backlight shortening battery life.

This is my first Citizen and I LOVE it. Still, I'll give it four stars, because the awkward calendar could have been very, very easily avoided by just a slight amount of foresight in design.
--------------------------------------
SUMMARY

PROS: Titanium = strong + lightweight; Atomic accuracy - never needs setting; Easy to read in dark; Never needs battery replacement; Very good looking; Japanese quality at a fractional of the cost of Swiss antiquity.

CONS: VERY CLUMSY calendar function; Water resistance not adequate for scuba-diving; Most of the features that look cool have no practical use for most; Endorsed by Eli Manning - OH PLEASE!

I started wearing Citizen watches some thirty years ago. After the realization my first lasted me 10 plus years of daily wear, I made a point of it. I'm almost 60 now. That first one was a water resistant chronograph model good to 330 feet under water, and it really saw rough treatment as I never took it off much for other than baths. I even once smashed the mineral glass crystal and had it replaced. I also had to have the metal bracelet segment pins replaced once as they had worn out. Still, no other watch I've ever owned has been able to stand up to such abuse for more than a year, such as the abuse I gave that first Citizen. I've owned all types, expensive Swiss jeweled movement and quartz, and not so expensive, and none of them has ever approached giving me the service I've gotten from my Citizen watches. Nor has any of them kept the correct time so well as my Citizen watches. Citizen watches actually keep better time in constant wear, and mine have always stayed within plus or minus two seconds accuracy per month. I've never needed to reset them beyond daylight savings time changes, or when traveling to another time zone.

My previous Citizen watch came from Amazon retailer associate, Princeton Watch. It was the 2003 America's Cup Titanium Sailhawk offered in 2002, rated for 330 feet of water (WR 100), and also known as the Stars&Stripes model (JR4000-55L). I purchased it directly due to the reliability of the first two Citizen watches I had, but I have enjoyed it much more as it is also an ECO model that never requires a battery. It also looks much like this newer Skyhawk model and has never needed any service. The mineral glass crystal and its sliding bezel are very scratched and worn now after almost nine years of constant wear, but it still looks great in spite of this. Sure, the titanium metal shows scratches easy if you rub it across something abrasive - but I learned early on how to take an abrasive pad and to lighty touch it up now and then for a return to its original great appearance. A few side benefits are titanium is extremely light and much stronger than stainless steel. It is also non-allergenic and won't cause a skin rash like other metals can. That lighter weight of titanium is also important in larger watches such as these, along with the strength. My Sailhawk also has time zones and many of the same functions of this Skyhawk. So, a Skyhawk model was the next logical choice for long service.

Since my Sailhawk is still giving great service, I intend to send it in to Citizen for standard cleaning and sealing service and a new crystal and bezel, now that I have this new Skyhawk Blue Angels ECO-radio controlled model. I'm sure Citizen will be able to return it to its original pristeen condition. That means it will be getting worn for many more years when I'm not wearing this new Skyhawk Blue Angels model.

I again purchased from Amazon retailer associate, Princeton Watch, but I purchased from them directly on their Online store - as I missed the Amazon link to their store when I returned here to purchase. The price was the same as here at Amazon's link to them and they gave me free one-day shipping. Had it not been for that, you would have seen the Amazon purchase confirmation on this review. You can find that Princeton Watch link here, but you have to look for it at times for some reason. At any rate, Princeton Watch is a great retailer on the Amazon list of dealers.

On to my use with this new Skyhawk JY0050-55L:

I've had this new JY0050-55L for about a week now. It looks so similar in size and configuration to my older Sailhawk, no one in my office has really noticed it. But, others always do notice it just as they have my Sailhawk. It's not uncommon for a stranger to just notice and comment, "Nice watch.".

This Skyhawk is larger than my Sailhawk by 4mm in case diameter and 1mm in case thickness (48mm x 16mm). That doesn't sound like much and it isn't. But, the size of this watch may be too much for smaller people. I'm 6'3" and 215, so it still fits and looks right on my wrist. The band actually accommodates larger wrists well, so I removed two bracelet links, just like I had done with my older Sailhawk, for a perfect fit. Had this watch been the cheaper stainless steel model, I'm sure I would have noticed the unfavorable added weight. As it is, I'm always aware it is there. The difference in weight from my titanium Sailhawk is not noticeable. From my use of stainless steel watches in the past, they are much heavier for their size and their metal bands wear out and break much easier. Titanium is almost indestructible. Hopefully, I'll never need it, but this new watch has the same great Citizen five-year warranty I had on my old Sailhawk - never needed to use that warranty.

Radio control:

This feature is the major difference from my older Sailhawk other than the bezel. This watch is most always showing a strong signal has been received, at my Alabama residence, at every update. This has also been so while I was wearing the watch during an update. First time set up was really easy as I used the Citizen Watch Company website with its interactive guide, but a small CD is also supplied. The provided samll paper book manual is also easily understood. My only complaint here is an inadvertent long press of the "radio update check" feature can trigger an automatic radio update. These updates can take up to 15 minutes. The only way to back out of that is to quickly pull the crown out one position and to then return it. At least an accidental long press is not something that should happen often.

Going for an extended stay in China or where there's no atomic clock radio signal?
This Skyhawk does the radio control act in the US, Europe, and Japan. Where the signal isn't available, it works just like a standard quality timepiece. If you want radio control where it's available in China - well, you'll need to up the ante considerably for a Promaster from Citizen.

The crown:

The crown is an improvement over my older Sailhawk as it has two positions. The first is for changing modes. On my Sailhawk, the mode was always getting inadvertently changed as this is done on it without moving the crown outward first - even though both crowns are well-protected by the case design. I find the crown easy to use when needed, as I only use it with my watch off of my wrist. That's no different from my Sailhawk or any other watch.

The settings buttons:

Again there is improvement over the older Sailhawk. The buttons are smaller but easier to snag and collect dirt on the Sailhawk, although I've never had any problem cleaning them with an old soft tooth brush and mild soap - per instructions for both of these watches. The new Skyhawk Blue Angels design of the buttons is unopen on the wrist side, and the machined and polished button angles will not allow anything to snag or pull at them.

The slide rule bezel:

Okay, I have 20/15 vision, but I've got to admit the numbers are small enough to make one look more closely to use it. Yeah, us older guys tend to lose that close up vision also. Really though, how many times will the slide rule bezel be used? It is novel and looks nice, but most of what it does I can do in my head. Again, there is another improvement in the bezel movement over the bezel on the Sailhawk. The bezel feels as if it has a fine "click" positioning to hold it in place, whereas the bezel on the Sailhawk slides almost too easily.

World time:

This dial at the 12 O'clock position is not available on my Sailhawk. It continuously displays 24-hour time in hours and minutes for the UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).

Military time:

This is always displayed on the 2 O'clock dial by hour. The display is about half the size of the one on my Sailhawk, but I find it to be no problem.

The lighted dial:

This works quite well at night for the LCD displays. It only stays on for a few seconds even if you continue holding the button for it down - evidently to conserve the solar charge. My only complaint here is it really doesn't light the full dial but rather the LCDs. In my use, I like to keep the mode in "CAL" instead of "TME", so the date is displayed in the LCD instead of the time. Fortunately, the hands and dial markings on this model are much easier to see at night than they are on the Sailhawk - another great improvement.

Water resistance:

This has never been a problem with any Citizen watch I've owned. The rating on this one is double what I had with the others - WR 200 (660 feet).

If you read the Citizen website PDF manual for this watch, I'm sure you'll be better apprised of what it will do and its operation. It is a great watch even for the rather large price - but then, we still aren't talking Rolex prices and you have to remember this model approaches the more costly Citizen Asian and European Promaster styles - without their higher cost. Other than not having a sapphire crystal, I'm not so sure the Skyhawk isn't better than the Promaster - and I know I like they style better. One more thing, I find this Blue Angels model very collectable for the ceramic inset on the case back (like my America's Cup Sailhawk has). Also, I'm expecting this Blue Angels Skyhawk Titanium, radio-controlled watch, will last just as long as my other Citizen watches have lasted. That's the true test of any great watch. So far, Citizen watches have lived up to that test with me.

Addendum: The DAY/DATE feature

This right-hand LCD feature window has always displayed the CORRECT day and date for the time zone city I set to display in the left LCD window.

Citizen Men's JY0050-55L Eco-Drive Blue Angels Skyhawk A-T Chronograph Titanium Watch

Wanted a new watch with multifunctions, radio-atomic controlled, titanium, stylish features for this Christmas. Have been using Casio Pathfinder triple sensor watch ABC titanium,so I knew how a titanium watch felt on wrist::Light weight as compared to other metals/alloys.
Citizen watches has a wonderful collections of watches- my choice was JY0050-55L.

This watch has a great look on RIGHT or LEFT wrist as it doesnot have huge sticking out clasps/crown/buttons.The color of the dial is blue with some yellow and white in it.-looks great. Crown and buttons are perfect size-easy to use.

Its a compact watch with a lot of funCtions. titanium makes a big difference. First Look gives an impression of being bulk/heavy- but once in hand-its a big difference-very light weight.
The product instruction manual is great and the CD also has interactive instructions with PDF manual to print or read.

Atomic Timekeeping with Radio-Controlled Accuracy and no battery required. 2 PICTURES ALSO ATTACHED
Very happy with this watch......
FIVE STARS

First off, spring for the titanium version. It is well worth the extra money. I was unsure until I put it on my wrist. Wow, what a difference! At the very last minute, I decided to order the titanium version (mostly because the SS version was not available from Amazon it came from another seller) and am I ever glad I did. I "thought" that I wanted my watches to be heavy and thus would be OK with the stainless version but I was most certainly wrong. The titanium version is so lighteweight it is like nothing else I own. It is a pleasure to wear.

Also, contrary to what has been posted by another reviewer, this watch is totally 100% fine for recreational (aka PADI) diving. I have had it down to 100 feet with no issue what-so-ever. It is rated to 200M (or 600 feet). Most recreational diving is limited to 120 feet so you are well within the boundries of the watch. Anyway, I plan to continue using mine for diving and I do not expect there to be any issue.

The neatest feature of this version (only on the 3rd generation of this model) is the radio self correction. In short, the watch "phones home" to the atomic clock in Boulder, Colorado every morning at 2AM and self corrects the time to the hundreth of a second. Anytime I have checked, it has never been off by more than 2 seconds, even 23 hours after correction. So the watch is accurate to 2 seconds per day but self adjust every 24 hours to maintain this accuracy.

This is my second Blue Angels Skyhawk, so I had some familiarity with setting it up. Everything worked fine. I stood next to a window so the radio control could kick in. It's apparently radio controlled and keeps perfect time. I have a Casio radio controlled watch which is also a nice watch, and they both keep the same time. When I go away, I'lkl see how it works away from my location - it has three zones, Japan, Europe, and the U.S. So, some things I'm still learning. Incidentally, I traded in my old Skyhawk which was malfunctioning, got in a trade-in allowance for this one. Citizen is a great company

All in all I am very happy with this elegant timepiece.! This really is a beautiful wathc. I'm hooked on atomic-solar and have owned several Casio G-Shock's and If you've had one of those, you know how complicated a multifunction watch can be to set and use.
PROS:
*It came with a mini-CD that walks you through the initial setup up - really easy, really cool!

*Titanium - quite light. I don't know how much the steel one weighs, but this is a big, thick watch, I think it's worth the extra $150.

*Easy to read Analog, back-light for digital displays in the dark

*Very easy to cycle through the time zones - there are 43 plus one custom. The really, really nice thing is that you can easily Hide the cities you don't use to make the list really short. unlike the Casio, hands move in both directions very quickly when changing time zones.

*Digital display for Two time zones plus UTC on the top dial. You can easily swap the digital time zones by pressing both the set buttons simultaneously - extremely useful for travel

*Very easy to cycle through the functions, from Time, Calendar, chronograph, countdown timer, world time and two alarms, plus the atomic receive mode by rotating the crown.

*Atomic-solar, of course.

*Many more custom features, for instance you can zero the analog hands - I hope they never get misaligned, but if they do, hey.

CONS:
* Digital displays are tiny, and I expect most buyers will be over 45 and have trouble focusing on them. I Have to use the back-light even in daylight, but I just use the calendar anyway, so it's fine, but if you want to refer to it a lot in the dark, may be a problem.

* The hands cover the digital displays as they turn. Real nuisance, because I can't see the displays at an angle, have to wait `til the hands move.

* It is big and you'll likely have to remove links - I wear Large size gloves and I still had to remove 3 links.

*It is a bit tough to pull out the crown to the first stop, not the second and you really have to take the watch off to do it. Not a problem if you don't set it much, which you shouldn't need to unless you are a pilot.

Amazon got it here 2 days early even with Supersaver Shipping.

I like watches but watches of all kinds don't break much. At least decent watches don't. I have had Seiko, Hamilton, Bulova. I own now a Cartier and a Rolex and a Hublot. All of those named cost 5 grand or more. I love this watch. It is light, it is a great looking watch and I don't have to screw with keeping it on a winder. Once I got the band sized at a watch store it is easier to fasten than my others. The band is smooth and the clasp holds it snug. The watch looks classier than my other watches and I have had several compliments on the looks of it. In fact, I got it for xmas and I have not had it off. The others are in my safe. It's a little difficult to set but the CD that came with it was pretty easy to follow with my laptop. I would buy it again or give it as a gift. I actually saw the watch advertised on TV. A ladies watch shown in the ad. I pulled up the Citizen mens watch on the internet and liked the idea of 'no battery' and no winder. Will I ever use all the gizmos on the dial face (probably not!) but I have them if I want to! The face of the watch is a snap to read in the dark. Not one of my other watches could I read at the movie. I love the brightness of the dial in the dark. (I had no luck using the band tool to adjust the links. I would not recommend the band sizer and although I'm not good at instructions on everything, this seemed pretty simple. If you buy the watch just spend 10 bucks at a watch store and let them adjust it for you. Other than that I would repurchase the watch)

This is my fifth Citizen Skyhawk, and it is the best yet. All four others are very much functional and still in use, but this version is so eye-catching I couldn't resist adding to the collection. Within the Citizen lineup one can buy the same functionality and quality for a few dollars less, but this Blue Angels version is--at least to my eyes--the classiest and most attractive of the bunch. It is a large watch, but the titanium case cuts weight to the point that it barely is noticeable on the wrist. The settings can be a bit confusing at first, but the instructions are clear and easily followed, resulting in easy operation after initial setup. If one wants to drive nails with a watch, buy a quality-built Casio. But if class--as well as quality and functionality--are the objectives, this is the one.

Excellent watch that is jammed packed with features. The features are not hard to use, but do require the careful following of instructions. The dual alarms, stopwatch, timer, and world city times work fantastic. I appreciate Citizen has made video instructions on how to use many of the features. The atomic time keeping is interesting. I live in a condo and the only time the watch has succesffuly automatically recalibrated the time was when I was walk in the city. It does not get good reception indoors but the watch keeps excellent time. The small detail I appreciate is the second had consistently hits every marker on the watch face. I hate watches that don't do that. The titanium makes the watch very light. At first glance, the watch face looks a bit cluttered but the time and features are quite easy to read. I would buy this watch again.

I've had all kinds of watches including luxury watches from Cartier, Tag Heuer and Rolex, also watches by Bulova, Seiko, etc. etc., yet this Citizen Blue Angels Skyhawk A-T in titanium is by far and away my favorite watch of all time. This watch is both a chronological and technological marvel and a bargain even at full retail. The precision and esthetics of this timepiece are magnificent.

In spite of the numerous features and seeming complexity of this watch it was fun and intuitive to set up and use its vast and useful feature set. Citizen did a great job in both writing the user's guide and providing an interactive CD to help get the new owner up and running quickly and easily.

Upon opening the package and holding the watch one cannot help but be impressed with the lightness of this watch when compared to a similarly sized watch made from stainless steel. It is a moderately large wristwatch, yet with the case and bracelet being made from titanium the watch is surprisingly light. Yet, the lightness is coupled with a fit, finish and solid feel that just feels right. It's a perfect balance of design, technology, materials and workmanship. The heft of the watch is ideal. I highly doubt that I will ever buy another watch that is not titanium. The watch feels great on the wrist and soon felt like I was born with this watch on my wrist. The knowledge that titanium is one of the toughest (yet lightest) metals known to man is reassuring. If it's good enough for the skin of the SR-71 it's good enough for me. :-)

I was a little concerned from the photos that the blue face with yellow accents might look on my wrist. After receiving the watch it turns out that the watch is a real beauty. The color combination not only fits with the Blue Angels theme but looks supremely classy and sporty. The appearance is magnificent in hand and still photos do not do the watch justice for the simple reason that as light is reflected off of the faceted hour markers, hands and the borders around the small dials on the watch face, the watch glistens (in a subtle way) without looking like excessive "bling." Understated sporty elegance, yet powerful and functional.

I think the other reviews and Amazon's product description adequately cover the feature set on the watch so I will not go into this area in my review except to say that so far, all are useful and easily accessible.

Citizen is known for their accurate timepieces but with the radio controlled feature I will never need to set this watch again. In the past, my desire for accuracy has cost me some time and effort. I have the number for atomic time programmed into my phones and had to set my watches on at least a monthly basis and more often with some watches. It is a relief to know this is a thing of the past with this watch. It has a perpetual calendar (it "knows" how many days in each month including leap years/months) and atomic timekeeping - set it once and that's it. Couple this with the Eco Drive and now there's no need to ever worry about replacing a battery again. I love it. Cartier wanted big bucks to change a battery on my quartz Tank Watch and over $450 every few years to maintain the automatic (self winder). Those watches while they are nice looking could never match the accuracy of this watch. And now I'm hooked on the sporty and functional look of the Blue Angels Skyhawk. The countdown timer and 2 alarms are sufficiently loud for my ears. I wouldn't use the watch for an alarm clock but for reminders these are fine.

I urge anyone who enjoys a truly fine watch to give one of these a try. And by all means get the titanium version - it is absolutely worth the small difference in price. This is a watch that will last a lifetime and you will not be disappointed.

Update: After 10 days of wearing the Skyhawk I am impressed with the radio controlled accuracy of the watch, the comfort and overall sense of quality. There aren't many purchases I've made where I have found the level of satisfaction of ownership that I derive from the Skyhawk.

Update 5/27/11: I am enjoying this Blue Angels watch so much that I bought another titanium Skyhawk A-T the JY0010-50E with black dial and bezel. The 55L remains my favorite but the 50E is a close runner up.

Update 1/14/12: This watch continues to impress me with its accuracy and usefulness. I have picked up a few light scratches (normal wear and tear) on the clasp which are easily eliminated with Scotch Brite. The bezel and crystal continue to look new.