# Has anyone bought the Citizen eco-drive one?



## guccimanilla (Jul 23, 2016)

I think it's absolutely stunning, although I can barely find posts about people owning it. Particularly the ar5000-50e


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## blacktuesday (Sep 3, 2017)

That's a beautiful watch. Never seen one up close, though.


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## Hen®i (May 28, 2008)

No, but it is a beautiful watch. Citizen let see the world of what they capable of and that's a lot.


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## Domo (Sep 20, 2013)

I'd love to see one in person. If I was gonna get a dressy watch, it's the sort of thing I'd go for. I love the "sporty" touches.


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## appleb (Sep 30, 2015)

Based on the lack of responses in this thread, I suspect there aren't too many owners of this watch, lol.

Here's mine... model AR5000-76E. It seems to be the same as the AR5000-50E. Maybe it's a regional thing since I purchased mine in Canada.


This watch originally came on a bracelet. The links are held together by screws instead of the usual pins. I don't own a properly sized screwdriver, and I don't have any loctite either... so for the time being I've simply swapped the bracelet with an 18mm strap (the lug width is actually 19mm)

The watch is absolutely fantastic. As much as I try, I cannot photograph a decent side profile shot to show off the thinness. So I'd rather just direct people to watch this video, where the thinness is really apparent.






As for the timekeeping, I last synced the watch 3 months ago for daylight savings and I've noticed no significant gain or loss of time since then. There is no seconds hand so I cannot actually take an accurate measurement, so I'm just eyeballing it.

Whenever I put this watch on, it always feels like a special occassion. It's certainly a different kind of experience. It's unfortunate that most people who see this on the wrist may simply dismiss it as just another Citizen.


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## Robinoz (Jul 20, 2012)

It's a lovely watch, although most Eco-Drive Citizens have Eco-Drive written on the dial. I've got several Citizen Eco-Drives and I imagine yours will be excellent like mine. Citizen produces excellent products at very reasonable prices.


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## appleb (Sep 30, 2015)

Robinoz said:


> It's a lovely watch, although most Eco-Drive Citizens have Eco-Drive written on the dial. I've got several Citizen Eco-Drives and I imagine yours will be excellent like mine. Citizen produces excellent products at very reasonable prices.


It's interesting that this is meant to be the flagship Eco-Drive watch, but there is no mention of Eco-Drive on the dial.


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## erasershavings (Feb 5, 2009)

might not be the iteration you are looking for, nor the colour. But i agree that there should be more real-world pictures of this line.

Here is my AR5026-05A, with the stock croc strap swapped to an apple watch leather strap. I really love how the thin leather complements the thin case!

People who are in the market to buy a citizen genuine crocodile strap 19/16mm with duratect clasp, hit me up!


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## V.I.T. (Mar 26, 2012)

I've held one and it is astoundingly thin. That's the only word I can use to describe it; it almost doesn't seem real.

The only comment that I have is that the bezel screws ruin the minimal look for me. Even so, still very, very nice. 

I also think Citizen undervalues a lot of their watches. The amount of tech in some of them is kind of mind blowing to me.


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## Ziptie (Jun 25, 2016)

V.I.T. said:


> I also think Citizen undervalues a lot of their watches. The amount of tech in some of them is kind of mind blowing to me.


Totally agree, except I think all the other brands over-value their watches!


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## arnage (Nov 3, 2012)

I have 2 of the Eco-Drive Ones (white dial, black dial); very cool watches. I have both the AR5026-05A (cermet bezel / duratect case) and the AR5014-04E (tungsten carbide bezel / cermet case, limited edition of 800)

I love how you don't need to worry about setting them when you're on the run, vs mechanicals (if you maintain a collection of watches). 

Will post a picture later. The watches are very slim and elegant; almost disconcertingly thin, to the point that you forget you're wearing it -- and sometimes will need to touch your wrist to check that it didnt fall off during your commute! I have a few Panerais, which are as "counter" to the eco-drive one concept as you can get. I suppose variety is the spice of life (and watches)

Feel free to ask me any specific Qs about these. There's not much information or personal experience posted about them. It also makes it challenging to research for feedback, given the generic naming of the line "The One." I was happy to see a handful of threads that discuss the watches here, but it's still far less information than what I would have hoped for -- considering this line was written up on Hodinkee twice so far.


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## arnage (Nov 3, 2012)

attempt at posting pic


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## mbeanie (Mar 5, 2019)

I've also ended up with two of these. Definitely grow on you. I think the materials and finish are top notch, and my appreciation for that has grown over time.

New acquisition on the left. The one on the right is often worn on a horween strap.


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## Indo-Padawan (Nov 17, 2017)

arnage said:


> attempt at posting pic


Nice pics and collections.

May I know your wrist size please ?


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## Barbababa (Jan 6, 2019)

arnage said:


> I have 2 of the Eco-Drive Ones (white dial, black dial); very cool watches. I have both the AR5026-05A (cermet bezel / duratect case) and the AR5014-04E (tungsten carbide bezel / cermet case, limited edition of 800)
> 
> I love how you don't need to worry about setting them when you're on the run, vs mechanicals (if you maintain a collection of watches).
> 
> ...


I take you up on that offer sir 
First Qs, is lug size 19mm or 20? Second Qs is a bit ocd. How, if possible at all, do you set a correct time with no seconds hand? I mean, even without a seconds hand you want it to change minute at the right moment. Is it as easy as to set the minute hand spot on a marker and syncronize by pushing the crown in when what you syncronize to hits the 12 marker? Did that make sense? And finaly, have you seen any nice looking options for a buckle (with citizen logo) if one should put it on a aftermarket strap?


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## vulcan666 (Feb 27, 2019)

Barbababa said:


> I take you up on that offer sir
> First Qs, is lug size 19mm or 20? Second Qs is a bit ocd. How, if possible at all, do you set a correct time with no seconds hand? I mean, even without a seconds hand you want it to change minute at the right moment. Is it as easy as to set the minute hand spot on a marker and syncronize by pushing the crown in when what you syncronize to hits the 12 marker? Did that make sense? And finaly, have you seen any nice looking options for a buckle (with citizen logo) if one should put it on a aftermarket strap?


I don't have an EcoDrive One but I have five Stilettos, all of which are two-hand watches. I don't worry about sychronizing a "minute change" and just set it to an index marker, then press the crown in at :00. I guess if I really wanted it to tick over at the same instant I'd watch for the minute hand to move, then quickly pull out the crown and back in at :00. But the truth is you can't READ it that accurately anyway, so sub-minute setting seems, well, OCD. 

It's not that I don't have enough OCD to care -- I want to get a new 0100S watch (accurate to 1 sec/year) and I love my F900-based Satellite Wave (which I set from GPS nearly every day)! Just I know I can't read it with enough accuracy.


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## Barbababa (Jan 6, 2019)

vulcan666 said:


> I don't have an EcoDrive One but I have five Stilettos, all of which are two-hand watches. I don't worry about sychronizing a "minute change" and just set it to an index marker, then press the crown in at :00. I guess if I really wanted it to tick over at the same instant I'd watch for the minute hand to move, then quickly pull out the crown and back in at :00. But the truth is you can't READ it that accurately anyway, so sub-minute setting seems, well, OCD.
> 
> It's not that I don't have enough OCD to care -- I want to get a new 0100S watch (accurate to 1 sec/year) and I love my F900-based Satellite Wave (which I set from GPS nearly every day)! Just I know I can't read it with enough accuracy.


Hehe, I knew it was a bit OCD  , but I was more interested to know the technical part of it. I did like you described, watch the hand move to the nearest index and pulled the crown, then set it to the right time and pushed the crown back while syncronized to a radio controlled watch. Its a new watch in my collection and I am keen to see how it performes. If it´s accurate enough I won´t need to set it until next DST  I would also like to have a 0.100, but I think it will be a while until they come in a more wallet-friendly edition... Hopefully I will find a nice substitute while visiting Tokyo at the end of the month  I am thinking of the AQ4020-03A


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## Barbababa (Jan 6, 2019)

I am wearing mine on a Hirsch Siena right now, but I have a black Hirsch London 19/14 and a handmade 19/16 black Goat on the way. The bracelet it super nice and comfy, but I´m saving it for summer


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## texastom (Mar 4, 2015)

Just discovered the Eco Drive One while looking for info on the brand new 0100. Seems like the One is thin enough, but I'm glad there are always people/companies pushing the limits.


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## arnage (Nov 3, 2012)

Barbababa said:


> I take you up on that offer sir
> First Qs, is lug size 19mm or 20? Second Qs is a bit ocd. How, if possible at all, do you set a correct time with no seconds hand? I mean, even without a seconds hand you want it to change minute at the right moment. Is it as easy as to set the minute hand spot on a marker and syncronize by pushing the crown in when what you syncronize to hits the 12 marker? Did that make sense? And finaly, have you seen any nice looking options for a buckle (with citizen logo) if one should put it on a aftermarket strap?


Sorry for the delayed response; I couldn't remember my password and was a bit lazy to go through the re-setting process.

I think lug size is formally 20mm, but I'm thinking a 19mm fits just fine (as when fitting a 20mm strap on it, there's slight "bunching up" of the strap at the edges).

To be honest, I was never particularly concerned about the accuracy - I figured it's quartz, so should be "good enough" by most reasonable standards. At least, compared to the mechanical watches I have.

If you look closely, you'll notice that the white-faced "One" i posted is on an Apple Watch strap. It's actually a high quality strap, as reflected by its price. The magnetic clasp closure is actually very convenient - enough so that my wife has adopted the watch, so I no longer wear it.

I havent been on the lookout very much for aftermarket straps. It was on my list of things to do -- as far as procuring a spare OEM gator.. as I feel reluctant to "wear out" the existing strap, given the watch is a limited edition. Please let me know if you find anything cool that fits with these watches.


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## arnage (Nov 3, 2012)

beanie - these look great. mind posting a pic of the one on the right with the Horween? 
I've thought about the idea of getting a shell cordovan (horween, no less!.. probably #8) for one of mine, but wasnt sure how it would look. I have a shell cordovan on one of my other watches, but it's a relatively thicker strap (mounted on a Panerai...)

Also - which dial do you prefer at this stage? the simpler one on the left, or the carbon-fiber look one on the right?


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## gangrel (Jun 25, 2015)

Thin watch, thin strap. Unlined, vintage-stitch shell cordovan is ideal, IMO. Mine's on a tan cordovan; it's the pink bezel, white dial version. But anything in the yellow-brown range would work, IMO...whiskey, cognac...I don't recall all the Horween options. Color 8 would work too, I think; it might be a little harder to coordinate with your shirt, but I suppose a chocolate brown, burgundy, or wine would be fine. 

With the gray bezel and black dial? Y'know, the best choice might well be 2-piece, black, single-weave perlon. Take understated to the next level.


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## Barbababa (Jan 6, 2019)

This years "New Years Watch" I wear it on a Hirsch London 19/14 Alligator strap, a perfect match I think. I have tried it on a Cordovan strap as well, although it was super comfy, it was a bit too plain for the watch.






I wish you all a Happy New Year!


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## Barbababa (Jan 6, 2019)

*dubbel


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## Tom2517 (Jun 18, 2012)

Great! so there are a few eco drive one owners in this forum.


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## TWHelis (May 12, 2020)

I have one, it's been a great watch for the 3+ years I've had it. Very slim, took a bit to get used to the band after not wearing a watch for years.
The jeweler that sold me the watch said it's the nicest timepiece he's ever seen.


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## bluevolt (Jun 22, 2018)

appleb said:


> Here's mine... model AR5000-76E. It seems to be the same as the AR5000-50E. Maybe it's a regional thing since I purchased mine in Canada.


This is an old thread, but I have to ask - where did you buy this watch in Canada? Many thanks!


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## appleb (Sep 30, 2015)

bluevolt said:


> This is an old thread, but I have to ask - where did you buy this watch in Canada? Many thanks!


Citizen has their headquarters/warehouse in Markham Ontario. They used to hold a bi-annual warehouse sale where they would sell old dealer stock as well as some scratch and dent items. I bought mine from there NOS at a significant discount. Unfortunately they stopped the warehouse sale since covid happened.


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## bluevolt (Jun 22, 2018)

appleb said:


> Citizen has their headquarters/warehouse in Markham Ontario. I bought mine from there NOS at a significant discount.


Thank you! I had no idea they held warehouse sales at Markham. I'll look out for those once Covid-19 tides over. I recently went to the Halton Hills Citizen store but they did not have the EcoDrive One in stock.


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## Man7is (Jan 10, 2021)

arnage said:


> attempt at posting pic
> 
> View attachment 13821041


This would absolutely tick my "conversation starter piece" box for sure. Since I saw the advertisement in magazines I loved the design.


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## JesseG (Nov 7, 2019)

Barbababa said:


> This years "New Years Watch" I wear it on a Hirsch London 19/14 Alligator strap, a perfect match I think. I have tried it on a Cordovan strap as well, although it was super comfy, it was a bit too plain for the watch.
> View attachment 14740361
> I wish you all a Happy New Year!


Absolutely gorgeous watch!  And I'm a very big fan of Hirsch straps. 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Barbababa (Jan 6, 2019)

Yes, I got the white AR5000-68A aswell. I now wear this on a the Hirsch London 19/14 alligator








and the AR5000-50E is on the bracelet.








Such a fantastic couple


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