Citizen Eco-Drives tend to stand in an odd place in the watch community.  They are affordable, reliable, and have great designs.  They have solar powered technology that makes them great grab-and-go watches.  By all measures, they should be some of the most desired watches in the affordable market.  However, the fact that they are quartz (solar) excludes them from the to-buy list of many in the watch community.  To me, there’s a time and place for mechanical and quartz watches; I am no mechanical watch elitist.  But that is a conversation to be had at a different time.

I found myself realizing I had only handled 2 or 3 Eco-Drives in my entire life.  This seemed a disservice to the brand because my experience with the Citizen Nighthawk has been nothing but positive for almost 10 years.  I decided to look into the Eco-Drive collection and see if anything caught my eye. Sure enough: the Citizen PRT immediately jumped at me.  I pulled the trigger, and to no one’s surprise, my immediate impression has been excellent.

The Watch:

Specifications:

·      Case: 42mm

·      Thickness: 11mm

·      Movement: Eco-Drive (Solar Powered)

·      Water Resistance: 100m

·      Lug Width: 22mm

·      Complications: Power Reserve/Date

The first thing that came to mind when handling this watch for the first time was how little it weighed.  For a steel case and steel bracelet, as described on the Citizen Website, this is extremely light on the wrist.  I initially thought it was titanium, or some other light material.  The second thing that came to mind was the finish of the bracelet and case that seems to be a sort of blasted finish.  In some stock photos, this seemed to be a polished finish. I’m much happier with the actual look of it.

The selling point for me was the Power Reserve complication.  Some may criticize this, as power reserves are usually reserved (pun intended) for mechanical watches, to show the change of power remaining throughout the day.  I’ve heard some critics say a power reserve complication on a quartz watch is silly and useless.  While there is some (only some) truth to this, I find it useful to know when a good solar charge is needed, as most of my watches remain indoors.  And of course, the aesthetic of the complication is just phenomenal, in my opinion.

The overall design of the watch is fun and quirky.  It is the first time I received a “racing” theme from a non-chronograph watch.  The steel bezel, high color contrast, and complications scream racing. 

I did find the date magnifier a bit silly, as it is oddly small compared to other designs.  This doesn’t bother me too much, as it plays well with the theme, and ultimately, it can be removed if I truly am bothered by it.

What tied everything together and made me purchase this impulsively was the price.  I bought this through a grey market dealer, brand new, for $99. Like mentioned in the beginning, it is amazing the value Citizen can give, if given the chance.

Ultimately, this watch is everything an affordable watch should be: Fun, reliable, and well made.  It’s amazing the price of this piece comes in below most fashion brand watches, and it blows them out of the water in terms of quality and design.  I’m excited to use this as a beater, and I’m excited to try more Citizen watches in the near future.

Below is a video showing what you get when you buy this watch, including lume shots, wrist shots, and more.