How do you feel about Citizen?

It's a great brand with some awesome models. It's historic in its own way and offers true competition to Seiko. There are a lot of ones I don't like but just like Seiko there are a number of incredible models in their storied history.

Personally, I’m not a fan but that doesn’t mean they don’t make decent watches.

I think for me it seems odd that they have so many different models. It seems like they're just churning out watches. It makes them seem careless.

One of the most accessible brands out there, and I find myself recommending them as a brand very frequently. Huge range of options to fit most preferences, and the common Eco Drive movement is super robust and reliable.

Personally I'd place them above Seiko in the lower-end range

Citizen is, bar none, the most common brand I see in the wild. That says a lot. Their total domination of the department store market is impressive... but of course that excellent distribution makes collectors feel like it's a brand with no cachet.

I think they might be in a lot of trouble eventually, because industry leaders that specialize in the everyman are too easily displaced by technological change. The smartwatch has already replaced solar quartz as the preferred grab-and-go product of the masses. Like so many other brands, survival will probably involve finding more of a boutique audience.

I think the Orca is really underappreciated. One of the biggest things that makes me interested in a watch is the "nothing else like it" factor.

For god knows what reason, they make the best high-polish quartz dress watch on the market, but it's Japan-only...

Citizen watches are reliable and stylish timepieces loved by many. They offer a wide range of designs to suit different tastes, from classic to modern. With precise quartz movements, Citizen watches keep accurate time, and their durable materials ensure they can withstand everyday wear. formal occasions or casual outings, Citizen has got you covered with their affordable and high-quality options. Embrace elegance and functionality with a Citizen watch on your wrist! Let not forget there eco drive technology! I personally love Citizen watches and they have my stamp of approval!

This is hands down my favorite model of all time.

Awesome post! 🤩

Thank you for sharing this with us

Keep up the good work 🙌🏾

🍻

I think design wise they became a bit pedestrian over the last few decades. However, they seem to be upping their game lately and are well worth keeping an eye on.

I think there's a lot to love about the brand. Their value/dollar and quality control beats many rival companies. It's routine to find Citizens for <$300 that will have solid bracelets and milled clasps, hardening treatments, and signed crowns. Everything will line up, and that includes the seconds hand on quartz movements (almost always). Their main fault seems to be a general disinterest in marketing; they have designs that can hold their own, but they get lost in the noise.

Brilliantly put. Beautiful watch.

I've somewhat been put off by the ubiquity of Citizen watches, but really if the quality is good and the movements are reliable, they're still worthy of collecting.

Thanks for your input.

That's a lovely piece.

I think Citizens pioneering of solar quartz watches is what gives me a good appreciation of the brand.

Thanks for your input too!

I'll be keeping my eye out for sure. 👁

I love it! My boyfriend bought me an Eco-Drive years ago and it’s still going strong. The Eco-Drive technology is pretty cool, and they have some interesting designs.

I want to like Citizen because they have so many models with fantastic pricing and decent specs. However, they do tend to offer most models with mineral glass, and I'm a bit of a stickler for sapphire.

They have some really cool JDM models that don’t get much attention.

Great brand, nice solar technology, but more often than not, too big for my wrist

Reliable and original desig, since 1989.

I have a 1986 Promaster and it's brilliant. Had a few other in my time and all were great, they do make a few fugly things though. Have a QMax coming, bought on a whim.

JDM Citizens are ridiculous - I'm using this one...

so much because it's unusual and weighs next to nothing - you hardly know it's on your wrist. It's a world timer too, sapphire glass, perpetual calendar, radio controlled, titanium case and bracelet, the usual.

Citizen to me make the best radio controlled watches in the world, they also have Quartz that is 1spy accurate but will set you back about $3k or more

yep, FC has some interesting technicalities in a movements department, and I'm glad that brand is slowly putting itself on a map.

Citizen make nice watches but they are always big and a bit overpriced for what you get.

I own two Citizen Promaster watches (NY0040 & Ecodrive BN0150). They’re fantastic tool watches with a great diver/military history. I think the problem with Citizen is that there are too many models, and for an enthusiast, it requires digging through their catalog to find the watch you want. Personally I’d stick with their Promaster and Nighthawk lines.

I've developed such a respect for the night hawk I got four ish years ago. If I loved it I wouldn't need anything else.....

Cool watches but I don't know if I'll ever buy one myself

Like any watch conglomerate, they make a LOT of watches. And when trying to cast such a wide net, they aren’t all going to be winners for everyone.

However, the promaster is an icon in my opinion.

Eco-drive is a fantastic technology, if you don’t mind quartz.

They have been making some more ‘ethusiast’ watches like the tsuyosa.

I think citizen is often underrated because of its department store dominance.

At the end of the day, wear whatever you want to wear!

I think Citizen/Bulova are widespread because they either pay stores to promote them or just have massive profit margins.

Every jewelry store in every shopping mall in the USA displays their line, as do every department store that sells clothing and accessories. The stores carry very little else except fashion brands. I think that some stores would differentiate themselves by selling other brands, but few do.

My father wore an eco drive which failed after a few years and changing the power cell did nothing.

So I’m not a big fan of Citizen; I think they are just OK.

You're very correct my friend. Been a fan of both ever since I've been introduced to watches and I think Citizen wins of the two, Seiko just has always had a larger fan base because they've had actual iconic pieces and series.

If I could see them in the dealers, I might buy some.

The variety is insane, the quality equaly variable.

Entry level Quartz and Eco-Drives are a bit plain and boring, with no specs or material quality to male them worth it.

But, starting from around 250$, things start to get quite better: Titanium Eco-Drive, some with Chrono, Perpetual Calender or radiocontrolled; Very competent automatic Divers from the Promaster line, etc.

Citizen can and know how to make excellent watches but are a brand that concentrates in quantity/variety over quality.

I have a Chronomaster on the high end and a Nighthawk on the low end, both interesting and unique. Early on I also had a solar quartz chronograph which I gave away.

They make lots of interesting watches, but the most interesting were largely unknown in the United States. Until recently they seemed to limit the US market to budget and mall watches, and almost all quartz; everything else seemed to be JDM. But that seems to be changing. We hear more about their mechanical and higher end pieces, and watch world pundits have started to say more than just, "Hey, great affordable diver!" I reported earlier that they're opening a new "flagship" boutique on Manhattan 5th Ave. (after closing their shop in Times Square selling budget mall watches), joining all the other major ADs and brand boutiques, playing with the big boys. I took this as a sign that they're making moves.

Seiko has worked hard in the recent few years to push Grand Seiko past "just a Seiko," with great success, though it took lots of money and effort, and also pushed Prospex etc. upmarket. Citizen could do it too, but they have their work cut out for them to get their brand past budget quartz.

Seiko has done a great job selling the world on their history, their tech, etc. (even if it involves lots of purple prose). Anyone paying any attention knows they're over a 100 years old, that they beat the Swiss in chronometry trials, that they sold the first commercially available quartz watch, etc. And everyone knows about zaratsu polishing, the wonders of their high accuracy quartz, etc. etc. Citizen is just about 100 year old, but does anyone know their story? They also do zaratsu polishing (without using the word), their high accuracy quartz is at least as interesting as Seikos, their Duratect titanium goes far beyond anything Seiko has done on that front, but does anyone know anything about these things? Till now they haven't even tried to tell their story. If they do, they might get past "just a Citizen."

Well put.

I would love to see a world where all watch brands have a few models available at a few price points like guitar companies do.