# How "tough" are Citizen watches?



## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

My apologies in advance if this isn't posted properly as it's my first attempt at creating a post/thread. I've been looking for an all around, durable, and as much of a worry free watch as possible that has an analog display. After perusing the internet and the forums of various toughest watch and GADA watch threads; I've learned that in most cases quartz is the way to go for the likelihood of durability. I love mechanicals and I was swept off my feet with the romance of the various exploits of automatics. The stories of Rolex and Omega conquering land, sea, and space with their mechanicals really captured my imagination. Indeed those watches were and are tough, however in at least one area it seems quartz has an edge and that's in shock resistance. In looking at a few mechanicals from brands that have gained notoriety for building extremely tough watches designed to be used by professionals, for example Sinn; I came across highly anti-magnetic (1000 Gauss), extreme temperature resistant (up to 80 C), highly scratch resistant (1200 Vickers), moisture resistant, water resistant, low pressure resistant watches, but that can only resist a shock from a 3 foot drop onto a wood floor. Now I'm sure it could survive a drop from a greater height but my point is that this is the bar that is set because of the challenges involved in shock proofing a mechanical movement. I know that G-shocks are known to be able to withstand shock, however most of their offerings have digital displays and involve a lot of resin in their case construction. The aesthetic is also very unique and more specific to certain environments which led me to look at Citizen. I believe Citizen has been able to provide a certain level of durability but in a design that is more versatile to go along with their famed Eco-drive technology. I have owned and own mechanical and analog quartz as well as multiple G-shocks but until I started to look into the durability of watches, I didn't understand how the different watch technologies affected their ability to be durable so to speak. I thought a Rolex Explorer was built like a tank and could handle anything you could throw at it for the most part, but that's not entirely true. Yes, I've read stories of Rolex and Omega and other various watch brand owners touting the different adventures and elements their respective watches overcame, and I don't doubt any of them. My question is which is more likely to survive a fall or a whack? A tough auto or a tough quartz? I know the Ball brand offers shock resistant technology for automatics and I'm sure other brands are working on shock resistant offerings as well, it's just that the R&D for such tech is extensive because of the challenge of protecting all those fine gears and parts is much larger than shock proofing a quartz movement I would think. I also understand that terms like "tough" , "durable" , "reliable", "versatile" can be subjective. So I guess what I am looking for in an all rounder would be something like:

Water Resistant to at least 100m
Shock Resistant to at least a 3m fall onto a wood floor? 
Anti-Magnetic properties (It seems that many watches that tout magnetic resistance have a rating of about 60 gauss)
Solar Powered quartz for accuracy and low maintenance
Date complication
42mm dia or less with Analog Display for versatility
Count up bezel, could be uni directional, prefer bi directional for functionality
Would like it to come on a Bracelet 

I've read a bit about Citizen's robustness and ruggedness and it seemed more likely than not that I would find what I'm looking for, or at least close, in a Citizen. I briefly owned a Citizen eco drive dress watch. I didn't wear it much and I gifted it to a family member so my experience with the brand is limited. I wanted to ask if there are any Citizen owners that can chime in with their experiences overall with the brand and share any adventures they've had with their watches that demonstrated "reliability", "durability" and overall "toughness." And maybe suggest a watch or two that may fit the description of what I'm looking for. My apologies for the long post. If you made it this far, thank you for reading. 

Regards,


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## toddwilliams110 (Jun 6, 2020)

2005 to 2006 Iraq I bought this before I left for Iraq and wore it for my full operation in Iraq I still have it today in my rotation one of my favorite watches of all time

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

toddwilliams110 said:


> 2005 to 2006 Iraq I bought this before I left for Iraq and wore it for my full operation in Iraq I still have it today in my rotation one of my favorite watches of all time
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Let me first say thank you for your service. I definitely like the looks of that model, unfortunately they don't make them any more. I would definitely say that 16 years runtime while enduring a year in Iraq would definitely qualify it as "tough" watch. Thank you very much for sharing.


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## MaDTempo (Oct 18, 2012)

I'd take a look at the Promaster Tough series - the ones currently on Citizen's US website are a little bigger than your specs but have the rotating bezel (I think) and hits other specs. Some of the older models can still be found new on grey market. 

I have (or had) 5 (4) Citizens from the Promaster, Drive and Atomic Time lines, Tsuno Racer and less expensive ones including the one I bought first in 1997 that still runs perfectly - sure I dropped it once or twice. Never been disappointed. Far fewer moving parts that could get jarred so lower risk from the get-go for damaging the movement.


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## Leopardfan (Mar 4, 2020)

Citizen Eco-Drive watches are very durable even if accidentally dropped on a hard floor wood or tiled surface. I have accidentally dropped some of my Citizen Eco-Drive watches in my apartment and they continue to work flawlessly. Casio G-Shock watches are renowned for their durability!


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## rob3691 (Jan 24, 2021)

toddwilliams110 said:


> 2005 to 2006 Iraq I bought this before I left for Iraq and wore it for my full operation in Iraq I still have it today in my rotation one of my favorite watches of all time
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I still have mine too. What a great watch!! ?


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## Viseguy (Jul 1, 2018)

Citizen's Promaster Tough line is worth a close look. There is a range of styles. This is my BN0217: sapphire, screw-down crown, WR 200m, and monocoque design. "Black ion-plated surface hardened stainless steel case" was how it was billed on Jomashop, where I bought it.


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## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

MaDTempo said:


> I'd take a look at the Promaster Tough series - the ones currently on Citizen's US website are a little bigger than your specs but have the rotating bezel (I think) and hits other specs. Some of the older models can still be found new on grey market.
> 
> I have (or had) 5 (4) Citizens from the Promaster, Drive and Atomic Time lines, Tsuno Racer and less expensive ones including the one I bought first in 1997 that still runs perfectly - sure I dropped it once or twice. Never been disappointed. Far fewer moving parts that could get jarred so lower risk from the get-go for damaging the movement.


Yes, the tough series are definitely within the realm of what i've been looking for. Thank you sharing your experiences. So no maintenance required for the one you purchased in 1997? That's definitely a low maintenance time piece. I've come across the general rule that solar capacitor will last roughly ten years, but yours and toddwilliams experiences seem to go well beyond that. That's fantastic.


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## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

Viseguy said:


> Citizen's Promaster Tough line is worth a close look. There is a range of styles. This is my BN0217: sapphire, screw-down crown, WR 200m, and monocoque design. "Black ion-plated surface hardened stainless steel case" was how it was billed on Jomashop, where I bought it.


Thank you for the recommendation and compliments on your watch. I know the tough series mention added anti-magnetism and shock resistance...does anyone know if there are any specs provided by Citizen in regards to these tolerances? I would be curious to know how much more anti-magnetic and shock resistant the tough series watches are in comparison to a standard Pro-master diver for example.


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## plohmann (Jan 7, 2007)

TLDR. Get a G-Shock. Otherwise, Citizens are good.


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## Rocket1991 (Mar 15, 2018)

AlboWatch said:


> My apologies in advance if this isn't posted properly as it's my first attempt at creating a post/thread. I've been looking for an all around, durable, and as much of a worry free watch as possible that has an analog display. After perusing the internet and the forums of various toughest watch and GADA watch threads; I've learned that in most cases quartz is the way to go for the likelihood of durability. I love mechanicals and I was swept off my feet with the romance of the various exploits of automatics. The stories of Rolex and Omega conquering land, sea, and space with their mechanicals really captured my imagination. Indeed those watches were and are tough, however in at least one area it seems quartz has an edge and that's in shock resistance. In looking at a few mechanicals from brands that have gained notoriety for building extremely tough watches designed to be used by professionals, for example Sinn; I came across highly anti-magnetic (1000 Gauss), extreme temperature resistant (up to 80 C), highly scratch resistant (1200 Vickers), moisture resistant, water resistant, low pressure resistant watches, but that can only resist a shock from a 3 foot drop onto a wood floor. Now I'm sure it could survive a drop from a greater height but my point is that this is the bar that is set because of the challenges involved in shock proofing a mechanical movement. I know that G-shocks are known to be able to withstand shock, however most of their offerings have digital displays and involve a lot of resin in their case construction. The aesthetic is also very unique and more specific to certain environments which led me to look at Citizen. I believe Citizen has been able to provide a certain level of durability but in a design that is more versatile to go along with their famed Eco-drive technology. I have owned and own mechanical and analog quartz as well as multiple G-shocks but until I started to look into the durability of watches, I didn't understand how the different watch technologies affected their ability to be durable so to speak. I thought a Rolex Explorer was built like a tank and could handle anything you could throw at it for the most part, but that's not entirely true. Yes, I've read stories of Rolex and Omega and other various watch brand owners touting the different adventures and elements their respective watches overcame, and I don't doubt any of them. My question is which is more likely to survive a fall or a whack? A tough auto or a tough quartz? I know the Ball brand offers shock resistant technology for automatics and I'm sure other brands are working on shock resistant offerings as well, it's just that the R&D for such tech is extensive because of the challenge of protecting all those fine gears and parts is much larger than shock proofing a quartz movement I would think. I also understand that terms like "tough" , "durable" , "reliable", "versatile" can be subjective. So I guess what I am looking for in an all rounder would be something like:
> 
> Water Resistant to at least 100m
> Shock Resistant to at least a 3m fall onto a wood floor?
> ...


Most of the things are true and found in many Citizens apart from 3m fall. Nobody tests watches for that. Quartz usually very durable so i don't believe you will encounter any problems with durability under majority of uses (operating jackhammer and such excluded). Casio has legend about 10m thing with G-Shock and it's true you can drop digital watch from 10m even in non G variety and it will be ok. Seen clips Garmin Instinct (smartwatch) been dropped from 6-7m and surviving and Victorinox claimed same 10m drop as casio in their Inox quartz model. so i think it safe to assume most quartz watches do have some chance of surviving 3m drop. The lighter the watch the better chances of survival.


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## Noku Dzu (Feb 20, 2010)

My 2 cents and my opinion:

No mechanical can compete with a quartz watch for durability. All the hype and reputation of the better automatics still don't make them more reliable than a good quartz watch. I've had excellent results with my Seiko and Citizen watches. I am very partial to Citizen's Eco-Drive watches. I've had numerous automatic watches in the past and also had numerous expensive repair bills for them. Since I prefer analog vs. digital, I stick with Citizen over Casio's G-Shock line.


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

Quartz watches are generally very tough, be it Citizen or other brands. But if you want a solar watch, Citizen's Eco-drive line is an excellent choice.


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## CitizenPromaster (Aug 4, 2016)

Guess which watches I will recommend ;-) プロマスター | シチズンウオッチ　オフィシャルサイト ［CITIZEN-シチズン］


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## HorologicOptic (Jun 17, 2019)

AlboWatch said:


> I've read a bit about Citizen's robustness and ruggedness and it seemed more likely than not that I would find what I'm looking for, or at least close, in a Citizen.


I believe you will find them plenty rugged. Here are a couple detail photos of one of my Eco-Drive watches. This watch suffered a fall from about 1.5 meters onto ceramic tile, and as you can see the stainless steel case was deformed from the impact. The movement didn't miss a tick. I checked it against the atomic clock I had set it to recently and it was still bang on. Alignment is still perfect to all the indices as well. This watch has no rugged features advertised, so a Promaster Eco-Drive is probably even more likely to survive such impacts.


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## Nokie (Jul 4, 2011)

I have more Citizens that I can count, and each one have never let me down, no matter if it is an Eco Drive, a Signature Collection, a JDM, whatever. 

I have always had great luck and durability with all of my Citizen watches over the years.


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## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

plohmann said:


> TLDR. Get a G-Shock. Otherwise, Citizens are good.


I have a few G-Shocks and they are fantastic. I was just looking for the analog variant so to speak and it does seem that Citizen fits the bill. Thank you for the recommendation.


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## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

Rocket1991 said:


> Most of the things are true and found in many Citizens apart from 3m fall. Nobody tests watches for that. Quartz usually very durable so i don't believe you will encounter any problems with durability under majority of uses (operating jackhammer and such excluded). Casio has legend about 10m thing with G-Shock and it's true you can drop digital watch from 10m even in non G variety and it will be ok. Seen clips Garmin Instinct (smartwatch) been dropped from 6-7m and surviving and Victorinox claimed same 10m drop as casio in their Inox quartz model. so i think it safe to assume most quartz watches do have some chance of surviving 3m drop. The lighter the watch the better chances of survival.


Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Yes, G-Shock is legendary in regards to their indestructability and I've heard great things about Victorinox and in particular the Inox. What attracted me to Citizen was their ruggedness _and_ their solar technology. The combination of durability and not having to worry about opening up the watch for service for at least 10 years makes Citizen a formidable candidate in the "one watch to rule them all" discussion.


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## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

Noku Dzu said:


> My 2 cents and my opinion:
> 
> No mechanical can compete with a quartz watch for durability. All the hype and reputation of the better automatics still don't make them more reliable than a good quartz watch. I've had excellent results with my Seiko and Citizen watches. I am very partial to Citizen's Eco-Drive watches. I've had numerous automatic watches in the past and also had numerous expensive repair bills for them. Since I prefer analog vs. digital, I stick with Citizen over Casio's G-Shock line.


This is becoming my sentiment as well. I believe autos can be built to be quite durable as in the Sinn I mentioned in the original post, but the R&D required to improve shock resistance to a level of a quality quartz powered watch would result in a significant price increase and still may not be as resistant to shocks as a quartz powered watch can be.


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## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

HorologicOptic said:


> I believe you will find them plenty rugged. Here are a couple detail photos of one of my Eco-Drive watches. This watch suffered a fall from about 1.5 meters onto ceramic tile, and as you can see the stainless steel case was deformed from the impact. The movement didn't miss a tick. I checked it against the atomic clock I had set it to recently and it was still bang on. Alignment is still perfect to all the indices as well. This watch has no rugged features advertised, so a Promaster Eco-Drive is probably even more likely to survive such impacts.
> 
> View attachment 15900591
> 
> ...


This is a great example of the watch being able to withstand a substantial impact. Something that watches are susceptible to on a daily basis. I've heard plenty of stories of automatics being dropped from waist height and time keeping was thrown completely out of whack. I'm definitely leaning towards the Promaster series. They look great and prices are fair as well.


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## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

Nokie said:


> I have more Citizens that I can count, and each one have never let me down, no matter if it is an Eco Drive, a Signature Collection, a JDM, whatever.
> 
> I have always had great luck and durability with all of my Citizen watches over the years.


I appreciate the endorsement. They are obviously well established and a reputable brand. It's cool to get input from actual owners. Thank you.


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## Franswristes (May 24, 2021)

I still have mine too.


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## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

Franswristes said:


> I still have mine too.


Which model do you have? Would you mind posting a pic two? Thanks.


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## HorologicOptic (Jun 17, 2019)

AlboWatch said:


> This is a great example of the watch being able to withstand a substantial impact. Something that watches are susceptible to on a daily basis. I've heard plenty of stories of automatics being dropped from waist height and time keeping was thrown completely out of whack. I'm definitely leaning towards the Promaster series. They look great and prices are fair as well.


Since you're looking for top level impact and magnetic resistance for an analogue watch, I'd recommend looking for Promaster watches equipped with the Perfex system, detailed below. (JIS mag resist is 4800 A/m minimum)










One watch that includes Perfex and meets all your requirements other than being 1mm outsized is the *PMD56-3081*. It also features radio control and surface hardened stainless steel, so it's versatile and tough inside and out. (edit: I looked into the matter, the radio control only receives Japanese broadcasts or an app spoofing one. Even so, still a tough watch)










I recommend this style of Promaster adjustable clasp. It can be adjusted on the fly throughout the day without removing the watch, and its retention is superb.


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## Leopardfan (Mar 4, 2020)

Nokie said:


> I have more Citizens that I can count, and each one have never let me down, no matter if it is an Eco Drive, a Signature Collection, a JDM, whatever.
> 
> I have always had great luck and durability with all of my Citizen watches over the years.


@ Nokie. I agree that Citizen watches are superb in terms of durability and no functionality problems. I own a number of Citizen Eco-Drive watches and, as the old expression goes, " knock on wood", they have continued to work superbly with no problems. I received an email message from a watch seller on eBay not too long ago in which he told me that he has owned no less than 4 Citizen ATO815-51E Chronograph watches and that on each one of them, one of the bracelet pins fell out. I told him that I used to own two of that model watch and currently own one of that model watch and have never had a pin in the watch bracelet fall out. The only time I have ever experienced a pin start to fall out of the bracelet on one of my Citizen watches, was many years ago when one of the pins on the watch bracelet on one of my Citizen Skyhawk watches started to fall out, but I discovered it before it completely fell out and pushed it back into place and never had a problem with it again!


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## MaDTempo (Oct 18, 2012)

AlboWatch said:


> Yes, the tough series are definitely within the realm of what i've been looking for. Thank you sharing your experiences. So no maintenance required for the one you purchased in 1997? That's definitely a low maintenance time piece. I've come across the general rule that solar capacitor will last roughly ten years, but yours and toddwilliams experiences seem to go well beyond that. That's fantastic.


I would also add that, based on experience, I just picked up another late 90s Citizen promaster (titanium monocoque case) from a WUS member which is also running awesome (though by the looks of it, never "had a great fall" a la Humpty Dumpty).


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## lateraljesus (May 24, 2021)

My husband and I both have eco drive models that we used to wear daily before we got into watches a few years ago. One is almost 10 years old and the other is about 8, and both are going strong and have never missed a beat. We still wear them to travel, and they are super tough. Also, gotta say the build quality is better than a lot of automatic seikos I have owned


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## mrphyslw (Mar 13, 2021)

Durability is second to none. I will say that if you are looking to abuse a watch, make sure that you get one with a sapphire crystal. Mineral crystal doesn't cut it, and has been the only real "wear" on a few of mine.


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## Aero2001 (Sep 25, 2014)

toddwilliams110 said:


> 2005 to 2006 Iraq I bought this before I left for Iraq and wore it for my full operation in Iraq I still have it today in my rotation one of my favorite watches of all time
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


First, thanks for your service! I have the same model, which I bought around 2005, and it's been my diver/beater since then. It's been extremely tough and reliable, and got me hooked on the Eco-Drives. My other two are below.

They're both titanium, and the diver would fit the OP's criteria but for its 44mm size, which is an issue with many Citizen divers and others in the Promaster series. At least it doesn't wear huge, because it's incredibly light and only 12mm thick. (On a Hirsch Ayrton strap; OEM was black rubber.) It's also available with a black dial on bracelet or black strap, and with a blue dial on a blue rubber strap. Yes, I wish it were 42mm, but it's a really great watch that I expect will be rugged over the long term despite how easily some titanium can scratch. If you can deal with the size, I recommend it. Heck, it's a lot more manageable than some of their other divers that go up to 46mm!

I've had the chrono for over five years, and it's been perfect too. But my wife and I have had other Eco-Drive chronos with some reliability issues. Mine needed its capacitor replaced, and a couple of times the stopwatch second hand didn't return to 12:00 and had to be reset. It also started losing chunks of time periodically, which was annoying. But hey, I got 11 years out of it, so no biggie. (The orange diver replaced it last November.) My wife's chrono had the same stopwatch second hand issue, and my watchmaker (also a Citizen AD) couldn't get it to return to 12:00. Not a huge deal for my wife, who absolutely loves the watch.

I suspect we were just unlucky with those chronos, because they're generally very reliable, and I think I qualify as an Eco-Drive fanboy. The titanium variants are especially great IMO.


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## por44 (Dec 21, 2007)

AlboWatch said:


> My apologies in advance if this isn't posted properly as it's my first attempt at creating a post/thread. I've been looking for an all around, durable, and as much of a worry free watch as possible that has an analog display. After perusing the internet and the forums of various toughest watch and GADA watch threads; I've learned that in most cases quartz is the way to go for the likelihood of durability. I love mechanicals and I was swept off my feet with the romance of the various exploits of automatics. The stories of Rolex and Omega conquering land, sea, and space with their mechanicals really captured my imagination. Indeed those watches were and are tough, however in at least one area it seems quartz has an edge and that's in shock resistance. In looking at a few mechanicals from brands that have gained notoriety for building extremely tough watches designed to be used by professionals, for example Sinn; I came across highly anti-magnetic (1000 Gauss), extreme temperature resistant (up to 80 C), highly scratch resistant (1200 Vickers), moisture resistant, water resistant, low pressure resistant watches, but that can only resist a shock from a 3 foot drop onto a wood floor. Now I'm sure it could survive a drop from a greater height but my point is that this is the bar that is set because of the challenges involved in shock proofing a mechanical movement. I know that G-shocks are known to be able to withstand shock, however most of their offerings have digital displays and involve a lot of resin in their case construction. The aesthetic is also very unique and more specific to certain environments which led me to look at Citizen. I believe Citizen has been able to provide a certain level of durability but in a design that is more versatile to go along with their famed Eco-drive technology. I have owned and own mechanical and analog quartz as well as multiple G-shocks but until I started to look into the durability of watches, I didn't understand how the different watch technologies affected their ability to be durable so to speak. I thought a Rolex Explorer was built like a tank and could handle anything you could throw at it for the most part, but that's not entirely true. Yes, I've read stories of Rolex and Omega and other various watch brand owners touting the different adventures and elements their respective watches overcame, and I don't doubt any of them. My question is which is more likely to survive a fall or a whack? A tough auto or a tough quartz? I know the Ball brand offers shock resistant technology for automatics and I'm sure other brands are working on shock resistant offerings as well, it's just that the R&D for such tech is extensive because of the challenge of protecting all those fine gears and parts is much larger than shock proofing a quartz movement I would think. I also understand that terms like "tough" , "durable" , "reliable", "versatile" can be subjective. So I guess what I am looking for in an all rounder would be something like:
> 
> Water Resistant to at least 100m
> Shock Resistant to at least a 3m fall onto a wood floor?
> ...


The Citizen Eco-Drive movement is about as tough & trouble free as one can be. There are many who can verify a decade + of hard labor and they are still A-OK.


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## sticky (Apr 5, 2013)

While Citizens might turn their nose up at having a big rig run over them like a G Shock did (they might not either) I very much doubt that one will let you down because of its fragility.


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## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

HorologicOptic said:


> Since you're looking for top level impact and magnetic resistance for an analogue watch, I'd recommend looking for Promaster watches equipped with the Perfex system, detailed below. (JIS mag resist is 4800 A/m minimum)
> 
> View attachment 15901057
> 
> ...


I greatly appreciate your effort in providing this information. I didn't really come across anything like this in my limited research. I'm surprised Citizen doesn't market this more.


MaDTempo said:


> I would also add that, based on experience, I just picked up another late 90s Citizen promaster (titanium monocoque case) from a WUS member which is also running awesome (though by the looks of it, never "had a great fall" a la Humpty Dumpty).


I guess any watch or "device" for that matter can fail at anytime regardless of how indestructible it is designed to be. There's always outliers, but a particular model or manufacturer's overall performance is what can be used determine it's toughness and your experience just added more to the legend. 


lateraljesus said:


> My husband and I both have eco drive models that we used to wear daily before we got into watches a few years ago. One is almost 10 years old and the other is about 8, and both are going strong and have never missed a beat. We still wear them to travel, and they are super tough. Also, gotta say the build quality is better than a lot of automatic seikos I have owned


Glad to hear your Citizen's have treated you both well. I'm eager to aquire a Citizen eco-drive and compare it to some of my Seiko's that I own. 


mrphyslw said:


> Durability is second to none. I will say that if you are looking to abuse a watch, make sure that you get one with a sapphire crystal. Mineral crystal doesn't cut it, and has been the only real "wear" on a few of mine.


Happy to know that you stand by Citizen's durability. I guess I've been fortunate in regards to the mineral crystal Seikos that I've owned and own. They've held up pretty well in terms of scratches. 


por44 said:


> The Citizen Eco-Drive movement is about as tough & trouble free as one can be. There are many who can verify a decade + of hard labor and they are still A-OK.


Yeah I'm really not seeing much else in terms of competition in the solar powered analog category. Hearing about long term trouble free ownership just reinforces my desire to pick one up. Thank you for your insight. 


sticky said:


> While Citizens might turn their nose up at having a big rig run over them like a G Shock did (they might not either) I very much doubt that one will let you down because of its fragility.


It seems that many Citizen owners are touting their resilience. I'm sure I'll have similar results once I've put one through it's paces.


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## coltpeacemaker041 (Jul 21, 2012)

I just bought Citizen BM7430-89L for $220 AUD with a Super Titanium case/bracelet and sapphire crystal and knowing Citizens' great build quality I expect she will give me years off faithful service...


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## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

coltpeacemaker041 said:


> I just bought Citizen BM7430-89L for $220 AUD with a Super Titanium case/bracelet and sapphire crystal and knowing Citizens' great build quality I expect she will give me years off faithful service...
> View attachment 15905347
> View attachment 15905348


Nice looking watch. Another good option in the integrated bracelet sports watch genre. Titanium and sapphire at that price seems like a great value proposition. Congratulations. Wear it in good health.


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## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

I'm very pleased to announce that my new Citizen arrived today. I've decided to cut my teeth with what seems to be a very popular entry level diver; the BN0150-61E. Its specs have it sized at 44mm but based on owner experiences I've read, it wears more like a 42mm due to the sloping design of the bezel as well as the approximate 48mm lug to lug measurement. ISO rated dive watch, anti-magnetic to go along with quartz shock resistant properties qualify it as a considerably "tough" watch. Very handsome watch and definitely feels robust and rugged. It gives off a bit of a Seiko tuna vibe which isn't a bad thing imo. The bracelet is fantastic and the quick adjustment clasp makes me wish all bracelets had this feature. The lume is on par or even better compared to my two ISO rated Seiko divers and I'm really enjoying the blue lume as opposed to the green. Overall I'm extremely pleased with this watch and I'm sure it's going to be a gateway to acquiring more of what Citizen has to offer. I've attached a few wrist shots and a shot of it next to the 43mm Sinn 857 UTC for size reference. Thanks again to everyone who shared their thoughts about Citizen and for your suggestions and recommendations.


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## HorologicOptic (Jun 17, 2019)

AlboWatch said:


> I'm very pleased to announce that my new Citizen arrived today. I've decided to cut my teeth with what seems to be a very popular entry level diver; the BN0150-61E. Its specs have it sized at 44mm but based on owner experiences I've read, it wears more like a 42mm due to the sloping design of the bezel as well as the approximate 48mm lug to lug measurement. ISO rated dive watch, anti-magnetic to go along with quartz shock resistant properties qualify it as a considerably "tough" watch. Very handsome watch and definitely feels robust and rugged. It gives off a bit of a Seiko tuna vibe which isn't a bad thing imo. The bracelet is fantastic and the quick adjustment clasp makes me wish all bracelets had this feature. The lume is on par or even better compared to my two ISO rated Seiko divers and I'm really enjoying the blue lume as opposed to the green. Overall I'm extremely pleased with this watch and I'm sure it's going to be a gateway to acquiring more of what Citizen has to offer. I've attached a few wrist shots and a shot of it next to the 43mm Sinn 857 UTC for size reference. Thanks again to everyone who shared their thoughts about Citizen and for your suggestions and recommendations.
> View attachment 15915823
> View attachment 15915825
> View attachment 15915827
> View attachment 15915828


Awesome choice! You really can't go wrong with Citizen divers. Don't worry about anything in the 44mm range, you have the wrist for it so there's nothing to worry about. Very natural looking fit. That Sinn is amazing, outstanding piece there! Enjoy your new Citizen and wear both in good health!


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## AlboWatch (Jul 26, 2012)

HorologicOptic said:


> Awesome choice! You really can't go wrong with Citizen divers. Don't worry about anything in the 44mm range, you have the wrist for it so there's nothing to worry about. Very natural looking fit. That Sinn is amazing, outstanding piece there! Enjoy your new Citizen and wear both in good health!


Thank you. I appreciate the kind words. It's amazing the quality that Citizen provides at this price point. I realize I've only had the watch for less than a day, but based on user experiences and how the watch feels in hand, I'm sure it can handle all the pools, lakes, oceans, mountain hikes, bike rides and backyard barbecues I can throw at it without a flinch. I'm looking forward to it.


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## aafanatic (Feb 25, 2008)

@lateraljesus Welcome to the forum Citizen are the best vacation watches


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## alliance107 (Sep 10, 2021)

I have the citizen nighthawk not the best but pretty good. Would reccomend but its style is very different,


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## rob3691 (Jan 24, 2021)

Here's one of my first dive watches. Still going strong after many years and many adventures. This one will always be a part of my collection. 🙂


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## jwernatl (Dec 21, 2014)

coltpeacemaker041 said:


> I just bought Citizen BM7430-89L for $220 AUD with a Super Titanium case/bracelet and sapphire crystal and knowing Citizens' great build quality I expect she will give me years off faithful service...
> View attachment 15905347
> View attachment 15905348


That watch will never let you down.


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## coltpeacemaker041 (Jul 21, 2012)

jwernatl said:


> That watch will never let you down.


Thanks, mate. I've enjoyed wearing it and it's so comfortable.


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