Hands-On With The Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chrono And Day-Date
Among affordable watches, the offerings from Citizen are hard to ignore. “Hard to beat” would be an even better choice of words. The Japanese brand is almost invincible when it comes to offering great value for money. The latest series added to the brand’s lineup are the Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chrono and Day-Date lines. Both share a ’70s-inspired case design with an integrated bracelet. Add a series of colorful textured dials, a full-titanium construction, and Eco-Drive movements, and you have the full package. But the best thing is that the Day-Date and the Chrono versions are well under €500. Join me as we find out more about these new models.
Straight out of the box, the new Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chrono and Day-Date perfectly suit the “retro integrated-bracelet watch” genre. The funny thing is that Citizen also has the Tsuyosa Automatic and Small Second series that fit that bill. However, there are some rather important differences between them. From the design to the materials and the type of movement, these new models play a different game in the same category. But it’s a game that few competitors can play for the same money. It makes us wonder what could keep this series from becoming the next hit for Citizen. Let’s find out more.
The Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Day-Date
Let’s kick things off with the Super Titanium Eco-Drive Day-Date. Citizen unveiled three different dial versions of this new model. The watches all feature a 39.5mm Super Titanium case that is 9.8mm thick and water resistant to 10 bar. Without lugs, the case also measures 41.5mm long, while the bracelet is 23.5mm wide where it meets the case and 20mm wide at the clasp. Visually, the case design reminds me of the Tissot PRX and the Yema Urban Traveller. But you could say it fits the ’70s integrated-bracelet mold perfectly as there are more references that you could name. The cases feature a predominantly brushed finish with polished chamfers and a polished bezel.
Citizen sent us all three dial colors — blue (AW0130-85LE), green (AW0130-85XE), and orange (AW0130-85ZE). Honestly, it would be fair to call that last color “salmon” rather than “orange,” but Citizen uses the latter term, so for consistency’s sake, so will I. The dials feature a metallic scratch-like pattern that works best on the blue and the green dials. The texture looks slightly different on the “orange” dial. It almost looks like pressed cardboard from a distance, but the color plays a big part in that. If you look more closely, you will see that it is the same texture as used for the other two dials.
Slight differences in dial design
The dials are matched with applied indices with white lume. At 3 o’clock, you will find the day/date indication. The designers did a nice job of keeping smaller hour markers with lume on the right side of the aperture to ensure you can easily read the time in the dark. There are also slight differences between the three dials. The blue and green versions have a black solar-charging ring on the dial’s periphery that holds the white minute markings. The orange version, however, has a color-matching ring and has the minute track printed in black on the orange background. Overall, it opens up the dial a little more on the orange version, which is why I prefer that design layout.
But that is not where the differences end. The blue and green versions also have slightly different handsets. All three models have sword-style hour and minute hands executed in stainless steel and filled with lume. The blue and green versions, however, have a white seconds hand that contrasts nicely with the darker dial colors, while the orange version features a stainless steel seconds hand that offers enough contrast with the lighter background.
The Citizen Eco-Drive J800-00M caliber
Inside the titanium cases, Citizen equips these watches with its J800-00M caliber. This is a quartz Eco-Drive (light-powered) movement that can run for 240 days on a full charge. The movement features a battery-discharge indicator and an accuracy of ±15 seconds per month. Thanks to this movement, Citizen could keep the watches’ profile nice and slim. This is a pivotal feature of a modern sports watch with an integrated bracelet.
The movement is very easy to use. It has a rather small crown, but it’s a push/pull type, so it’s easy to operate. Pull it out to the first position and turn it clockwise to change the day. Turn it counterclockwise, and it will change the date. Pulling out the crown to the second position lets you easily set the time.
The Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Day-Date on the wrist
This watch’s bracelet design is reminiscent of the bracelets of the Tissot PRX and Yema Urban Traveller. The main difference is that this one is made of titanium and has a slightly different hue. The links feature a mix of brushed and polished parts to give it some visual shine. In terms of quality, the bracelets are decent. The deceptive quality is that they are lightweight and somewhat rattly due to the titanium material.
Additionally, the stamped clasp is not the best in quality. If you open it, you see raw sandblasted titanium that gives it an unfinished look. It’s quite a drastic difference from the bracelet. Once on the wrist, though, these Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Day-Date wear very nicely. They are extremely lightweight, and their proportions make for a comfortable watch. The size is nice, and the slim profile is a joy. One thing that could have been better, though, is the taper of the bracelet. At the clasp, it is still pretty wide. Especially considering the watch’s modest dimensions, it seems a bit strange.
Final thoughts on the Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Day-Date
Thankfully, the wide bracelet does not affect the comfort of the watch. All three versions have a great retro charm, making them nice to wear. Regarding a favorite, I prefer the blue-dial version as the color most appeals to me. However, in terms of the dial design, the orange version is more open and visually friendly. But that is a purely personal preference.
All three models are available for €349, which is very affordable. Especially considering what you get for the money, these new watches seem like a clever addition to the collection. They are different from the popular Tsuyosa Automatic in both design and practicality. Consequently, they offer a great alternative for people who are looking for the convenience of a light-powered movement and the slimmer profile that comes with it.
The Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chrono
This brings us to the Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chrono models. Essentially, they are the bigger chronograph brothers of the Day-Date versions. Citizen introduced four different versions. Two of them have the same dial color as the Day-Date models. The first is the blue version (CA4610-85L), and the second is the orange/salmon one (CA4610-85Z). The two other options are a classic panda-dial model (CA4610-85A) and a turquoise version that Citizen calls “green” (CA4610-85M). All four watches have three black sub-dials at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. The watches look attractive, but the first one that caught my eye was the black and silvery-white panda.
The Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chrono has a 100m-water-resistant Super Titanium case measuring 42.5mm wide and 11.6mm thick. This case is also 44.5mm long, and the bracelet is 25mm wide where they meet. These watches are substantially bigger than the Day-Date versions, making them not for people with smaller wrist sizes. Regarding the dials, all four models have a black light-charging ring on the dial’s periphery, even the orange version. The design choice behind that is easy, as it also has black sub-dials.
The dial has some remarkable details
The dial design feels balanced despite the sub-dial at 6 o’clock being slightly smaller than the other two. Placing the word “titanium” in the 6 o’clock sub-dial is a weird choice. It adds a visual element that feels rather unnecessary. Another debatable one is the placement of the date window. It’s located between 4 and 5 o’clock and placed rather far toward the inside of the dial. The date disc is also quite deep in the aperture.
Overall, though, the design and the finishing are pretty neat. From the applied indices filled with white lume to the sub-dials’ concentric graining and the dial’s texture, it looks really nice. The good thing about these chronographs is that the dial texture is less present than on the Day-Date dials. That creates an overall balance of elements that works well. I must compliment Citizen because all four colors look nice but are completely different in their presence. Like the Day-Date model, the central seconds hand (this time, for the chronograph) on the blue-dial version is white, while the other models have a stainless steel central chronograph hand.
The Citizen Eco-Drive B620-00M caliber
These four watches all house the Citizen B620-00M movement. This quartz Eco-Drive caliber offers a 60-minute chronograph with a 24-hour display and a date function. The light-powered movement is accurate to ±15 seconds per month. Operating the movement is easy, although I sometimes miss the clicks when using the chronograph pushers.
If you start the chronograph with the top-right pusher, you feel a nice click. But stopping the chronograph with the same pusher offers no definition. The lower pusher resets the chronograph with a reassuring click and moves the central seconds hand forward to its starting position.
Wearing the Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chrono
I thoroughly enjoyed wearing the Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chrono. Although the watches are bigger than the Day-Date models, I prefer them. There are a few reasons for tha. First, I can easily pull off a bigger watch as I am tall, so the 42.5mm diameter is no problem at all. Additionally, the 11.6mm thickness allows for a relatively slim profile that makes the watch very easy to wear.
Thanks to the dial colors, all four watches have a different feel. But all four timepieces proudly sport that ’70s style that was made famous by Gérald Genta. One thing that makes these watches not for people with smaller wrist sizes is the bracelets. As the watches are bigger, the titanium bracelet is also wider. While there is a taper from 25mm at the case to 20mm at the clasp, it still feels very substantial. The bracelet and clasp are the same style and quality as the ones used for the Day-Date models. If your wrist is large enough, it makes the watches easy to wear without offering exceptional quality or finishing.
Final thoughts on the Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chrono and Day-Date
The Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chronos are very nice offerings at €449. Thanks to the lightweight material and slim profile, they offer a great ’70s-inspired style and comfort. I prefer the chronographs over the Day-Date models as they have a better visual balance between the black sub-dials and the dial texture. On the Day-Date models, the texture is a lot more prominent.
Additionally, I like that the dial colors used for the Chrono models are slightly different. The panda-dial version is a nice variation, and the turquoise “green” version is much more lively than the green Day-Date model. Honestly, I was surprised to like the Chronos more than the Day-Date. Initially, the size and slim profile made me prefer the former. But as I got to spend more time with both, the chronographs quickly won me over.
All the Citizen Super Titanium Eco-Drive Chrono and Day-Date models are now available on the brand’s official website. Let us know what you think of these new watches in the comments below.
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