Mixed Feelings...a Meandering Watch Review
I don't usually feel I have anything to say about a watch that hasn't already been said by 94 Youtubers, so I don't write reviews. Obviously, something's different in this case. As this watch is fairly new there aren't too many reviews out there yet, and maybe some of you are considering this watch. I have thoughts.
First off, if you're thinking about this watch at all, and this model, in particular, you've probably zeroed in on the dial. I don't tend to be a flashy person, but something about that yellow dial really did it for me. Like 90% of the reason I bought the watch was the dial. Interestingly, I didn't know if it was sunburst or shiny, or matte. I'd seen some listings saying sunburst, while others said it wasn't. Some pictures looked like sunburst and some didn't. The truth is, it's sunburst. Sometimes. Look, I don't have any other sunburst dial watches, so maybe they're all like this, but this one changes a ton depending on the conditions. It ranges from light yellow sunburst in the sunlight, to yellow bordering on orange in other lighting.
Not sure those pictures do it justice, but you get the idea. And it's got a cyclops, so if you hate those, too bad. I don't mind it, but I can see how they bother people. Anyway, no disappointment with the dial.
The case is nice, sort of PRX-ish with all the associations involved there. Decent mix of brushed/polished surfaces, but not much to really say here.
Ok, so the second thing that drew me to this watch was the bracelet. It looks really good to me. You know what? It looks good to you too. It's not a style I have on my other watches, and I like the combination of brushed and polished links, so I was really looking forward to checking it out. And it looks just as good in person as in pictures, except...
Well ok, this is a $300 watch, and since they'd spent at least $250 on the dial and case, you can imagine how the bracelet actually feels. It's like it's made of aluminum or something. It's just too light and it makes the wrong sort of noises when you move it around. It just feels cheap, presumably because it is. The clasp works fine but definitely feels like its job is to secure a cheap bracelet. It doesn't help that I just got a Cartier with a really nice bracelet, but I'm trying not to hold that against this watch. In the end, this thing is mostly on my wrist or in the box, so I can live with it feeling cheap when I hold it in my hand. So I think this will rarely bother me, and you'll see that statement applies to some other things.
Like the crown. I just don't know what they were thinking here. I guess "let's try to hide the crown"? Whatever, I can still see it so they failed. They also failed if they meant to create a crown that wasn't a complete pain in the ass to use. It's impossible to get my fingers on the thing to wind, so I just press my index finger to the bottom edge and move back and forth. This gets the winding done, but there's no satisfaction in it. This isn't winding up your Speedy for the day. Hell, it's not even shaking your SKX around so it can run. It's kind of a bummer. Setting the time isn't terrible, but again, you end up slightly less happy than when you started. But like the bracelet, most of the time this doesn't matter.
On to the movement! Actually, I don't even know what movement is in it and I can't be bothered to look. Plus, you nerds love sh*t like that, so you probably already know. There's an open caseback, which is cool in that this is probably a lot of people's first mechanical watch and even a boring movement is cool when you haven't seen one before, so no complaints there. That said, I could have done without it, and I imagine most of you will agree. I wish they'd skipped it and made the crown or bracelet slightly better. Actually, the only reason I even mention the movement is that sometimes when you shake the watch it keeps moving when you stop. Like the whole watch shakes back and forth as the rotor turns. My theory is that the rotor is solid gold and its weight rocks the watch back and forth. And it makes a lot of noise.
As you may have gathered, I've got some mixed feelings here. I guess if I wanted to surprise you with that news I shouldn't have put it in the title. Next time. Overall, I'm pleased. The watch looks good, especially for the price, and that's what I was after. But I would be even more interested in a $500 version of this watch with a usable crown and a bracelet half as good as the PRX. In the end, I think this is a form-over-function sort of watch, and I don't completely hate that.
Mixed Feelings...a Meandering Watch Review
Yes
No
- Looks damn fine
- It's a good looking watch
- I like looking at this watch
- Are you starting to get the idea?
- Cheap bracelet
- Barely usable crown
- Weird movement
Regular guy with an irregular love of watches.
Great review. Unfortunately, I have to report you for failing to be 100% positive.
i was hoping better for this model😃, been looking at this one for a few weeks. few things that bothered me is the sharp edge on the case doesnt go well with bracelet style for me, and of course i like those cyclop to be removed. congratulations on the new watch
Oh man! Thanks for the review you saved me $300 bucks 😉
Nice write up!
Oh man! Thanks for the review you saved me $300 bucks 😉
I live to serve.
I‘d get one because it has a beautiful dial, but its case, markers and handset is very similar to my Seiko I got in 1985…so that would be redundant.
i was hoping better for this model😃, been looking at this one for a few weeks. few things that bothered me is the sharp edge on the case doesnt go well with bracelet style for me, and of course i like those cyclop to be removed. congratulations on the new watch
I was hoping for better too. I can't fault it too much for the price, but I've gotten used to watches providing a bit more.
I‘d get one because it has a beautiful dial, but its case, markers and handset is very similar to my Seiko I got in 1985…so that would be redundant.
That's a great looking watch, I'd definitely stick with that.
So, I have some comments/questions.
Miyota movement - the rotors are known for being noisy, and I have a couple of 8xxx series that just seem to spin and spin. Then again, I have an old Seiko from the 60s and an old Orient from the 80s that do the same. You will get used to it.
In reference to the crown position, it is common, and some of the old Eagle 7s to find them tucked away at 4:30 with very little purchase. What they offer in comfort they lose in practicality. If it’s a daily, you should only need to change the date every now and then.
The strap sounds disappointing, but is it something that you could get used to?
How easy is the strap to change - it’s integrated is it not? Could something a bit more substantial be adopted?
So the final question - will you keep it? You have also saved me about £250, but I’m still eyeing one of these up despite your review.
So, I have some comments/questions.
Miyota movement - the rotors are known for being noisy, and I have a couple of 8xxx series that just seem to spin and spin. Then again, I have an old Seiko from the 60s and an old Orient from the 80s that do the same. You will get used to it.
In reference to the crown position, it is common, and some of the old Eagle 7s to find them tucked away at 4:30 with very little purchase. What they offer in comfort they lose in practicality. If it’s a daily, you should only need to change the date every now and then.
The strap sounds disappointing, but is it something that you could get used to?
How easy is the strap to change - it’s integrated is it not? Could something a bit more substantial be adopted?
So the final question - will you keep it? You have also saved me about £250, but I’m still eyeing one of these up despite your review.
The movement isn't really an issue, just something I noticed. As for the crown, that's also not a deal breaker, just annoying. I get it's supposed to be unobtrusive, I just think they overdid it. Again, not a deal breaker.
As for the strap, yes it's integrated and not easy to remove. When I have time I plan to try a little harder to remove it. If I can, I think I can modify another strap to fit. I think the question will be if a strap attached at such a small point will be stable or not. Comparing it to the PRX (which has other straps you can use), the link where it attaches is smaller.
I'm keeping the watch as it looks good which was my main goal. I just thought it worth mentioning that the watch has issues. Hopefully if others buy it they understand what they are and are not getting.
”The rotor is solid gold…”
"You nerds..." 🤨?
Thanks for the review. It is increasingly clear to me that Seiko rules this price range with the Seiko 5 (or I guess micro brands or something if you're a hipster) because they have the design elements down pretty well. Movement is strictly okay, the crown is boring but functional, alignment is a crap shoot, but the dimensions are near perfect and the dial is always great for the price.
I think Citizen made a big mistake with the integrated lug design. Half the reason why I keep buying Seiko 5s is because if there's something you don't like about it, you can just replace it with a reasonably cheap but well made part. A 30-50 USD bracelet goes a very long way to resolving most of the gripes about a $150 watch.
With this, you're kinda stuck with the design, good and bad.
Nicely done!
Ah, the old Miyota shake. I experienced the same thing when I purchased my Oceanographer. I watched a dozen reviews, and no one mentioned how you could hear (and sometimes feel if it’s REALLY spinning) the rotor in action.
It happens with the 9000 series too, so it’s not even a cost cutting measure with 8000’s. Just a “feature“.
Great review!
That’s where I’m at. The bracket is comfortable enough and looks good, I can live with that.
Thanks for the review. It is increasingly clear to me that Seiko rules this price range with the Seiko 5 (or I guess micro brands or something if you're a hipster) because they have the design elements down pretty well. Movement is strictly okay, the crown is boring but functional, alignment is a crap shoot, but the dimensions are near perfect and the dial is always great for the price.
I think Citizen made a big mistake with the integrated lug design. Half the reason why I keep buying Seiko 5s is because if there's something you don't like about it, you can just replace it with a reasonably cheap but well made part. A 30-50 USD bracelet goes a very long way to resolving most of the gripes about a $150 watch.
With this, you're kinda stuck with the design, good and bad.
Yeah, I like the look but if I could get an aftermarket bracelet for this watch, it would be great. To me this is a bargain at $500 with a good bracelet.
Nice review, I agree bracelets are NOT Citizen’s strength. I have a number of EcoDrives and have replaced the bracelet on most, greatly improving them. Hope you find a way to easily upgrade yours. The case and dial are good looking.
i was hoping better for this model😃, been looking at this one for a few weeks. few things that bothered me is the sharp edge on the case doesnt go well with bracelet style for me, and of course i like those cyclop to be removed. congratulations on the new watch
How do you make lugs like that and not just go into a flat link bracelet?
That's a great looking watch, I'd definitely stick with that.
Thanks so much!
Solid write up! I’ve been eyeing this for a while. Sounds like the bracelet is as terrible as my Seiko that I swapped out. I’ll have to take a look and see if this an integrated bracelet or not, otherwise it’s a total no-go. Appreciate the honesty write up.
Solid write up! I’ve been eyeing this for a while. Sounds like the bracelet is as terrible as my Seiko that I swapped out. I’ll have to take a look and see if this an integrated bracelet or not, otherwise it’s a total no-go. Appreciate the honesty write up.
Unfortunately the bracelet is integrated. The bracelet isn’t a dealbreaker for me, but it’s very disappointing.
Thanks for posting, I like the watch.
Thanks for the review, glad you mentioned it in my poll! Really helps me further decide wether to buy this watch or not. I think due to the fact that I already own the PRX Quartz, the NJ0150 might feel a bit underwhelming in comparison.
Thanks for the review, glad you mentioned it in my poll! Really helps me further decide wether to buy this watch or not. I think due to the fact that I already own the PRX Quartz, the NJ0150 might feel a bit underwhelming in comparison.
I also have a PRX and wouldn’t have bought such a similar watch, especially on that’s not as good, had I not loved the dial.
First time I’ve saw this watch and I was interested right away, the review was very helpful. Now I will spend hours watching videos and searching the internet for the best price and in the end may not even end up buying one.
best review i have read yet 💯
Great review, I like how you write too. Thanks! 🤝
You are right that reviews are few and far between. Thanks for sharing yours. I just bought the white dial one for $200 on Jomashop.com. I will add my my review when it comes in.