# Citizen H800 Movement Problem -Excellent Initial Citizen Service response



## MaDTempo (Oct 18, 2012)

I have a Citizen Blue Angels Atomic Time Chronograph Model AT8020-03L with the H800 Caliber. I purchased this watch about 18 months ago. In the last 3 months, the time keeping function is malfunctioning. Despite living in Denver about 70 miles from the atomic time radio signal tower in Ft. Collins, CO, 2-3 times a week the time ends up being delayed 8-12 hours. It will reset using the reset function (holding down button A) but then time keeping malfunctions again 2-3 days later. The second hand also stops usually around the 5 minute index and if I check the timezone it's set to, it's usually something other than Denver. I have tried resetting the reference position (pg 52 of the manual) which is always off when I have gone through these steps. Also, I have even done an "all reset" (pg 58 of the manual) and the problem persists. The charge is full. The chronograph works fine.

Contacted the Citizen Service Center by email and actually received a phone call back from Victor S***** (not sure if I'm allowed to put full name in) who was great. We talked through what I had done to rectify the problem which he stated was what he planned to have me do on our call. However, he didn't question me or make me go through the process with him on the phone, wait a few days, call him back and then move to the next step. He just said, "Send me the watch." He had me mark it to his attention so it didn't just end up with one of the service center techs who would have probably gone through all the steps I had, waited 24 hours and then sent it back saying there was no problem. He plans to verify the problem but indicated sounded like it needed a new movement.

So, off my little Angel went to CA to see what St. Peter can do to resurrect it.

I'll post an update when I hear back.


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## Kilovolt (May 1, 2012)

Sounds promising.


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## sticky (Apr 5, 2013)

Now that’s what I call good customer service. It’s the sort of attention you usually get when you’re buying a piece but mysteriously seems to tail off once you own it. Hope things continue to go well for you.


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## xellos49698 (Jan 6, 2019)

Nice to hear that Citizen Repair service is treating you so well. I hope my own experience is just as good with them.


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## MaDTempo (Oct 18, 2012)

So this great guy (Victor S) at Citizen service center had my watch for about 2 weeks. Apparently there were no problems at all while there. No stopping. When checked all hands set to the reference position. Nothing. I asked him to check if the watch was receiving a signal when we followed up by phone. It had not received during the 2 AM time check period but was at least not having issues keeping time/date without the nightly update. They used a citizen radio contolled atomic time signal amplifier (available for ~$11) and it did receive the signal just fine in Torrance, CA. So, I said, must be something in my end. 

Watch was shipped out after our call 1/18/19 and arrived to me reading about 20:30 and date window on 18. Second hand not moving. When I used the A button to check the time, it indicated the wrong time zone but a full charge. Holding down A, it reset to the proper date and time but then second hand stopped (though hour and minute kept going) a few hours later. 

I guess I need to call Victor back...


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## Kilovolt (May 1, 2012)

I hope you have clear that the seconds hand is supposed to stop whenever the ambient light is not enough to charge the cell. So when you pull the watch out of a box/drawer the seconds hand will not turn but it will start to do so as soon as the dial receives enough light. This might not happen in a bedroom. When the hand is stopped the watch keeps on operating as usual.

This power saving feature is described in your manual


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## MaDTempo (Oct 18, 2012)

Kilovolt said:


> I hope you have clear that the seconds hand is supposed to stop whenever the ambient light is not enough to charge the cell. So when you pull the watch out of a box/drawer the seconds hand will not turn but it will start to do so as soon as the dial receives enough light. This might not happen in a bedroom. When the hand is stopped the watch keeps on operating as usual.
> 
> This power saving feature is described in your manual


Yeah, I have owned multiple Citizens with that feature. The second hand stops (and should stop at 12 o'clock) but not the whole movement. As mentioned in the original post that's not the problem.

But the above notwithstanding, here's the update. After 10 days, and the original A-button reset, everything seems to be running fine. I have had no further issues with loss of time, wrong date, or the time zone pointing to something other than what I set. Ended up not calling Victor.

Guess it was just a therapeutic trip to the Torrance service facility or the movement wised up and realized its days were numbered if it didn't get with the program but seems okay for now.

Let's keep our fingers crossed...


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## Tickythebull (Jun 15, 2012)

Um yeah, duh !

Sent from my SM-A530F using Tapatalk


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## donttpanic (Nov 9, 2016)

It's possible you had a low battery. If the battery is starting to fail, the timekeeping and sync could get funky, and the meter could not work properly. These are all just guesses, mind you. Thankfully I haven't seen it happen to my angel.

I had a fashion watch with a citizen movement. It got to the point where it would stop or start running when it would get knocked. Watchmaker told me it was just due to low battery.


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## MissileExpert (Mar 18, 2018)

I lost a couple of really small sleeves to my Citizen Satellite Wave while trying to size the bracelet. I called Citizen and the guy who helped me was very knowledgeable, looked up the parts, and I got them within a week. They weren't cheap, but it did save the cost of a new bracelet. It's refreshing to get a US-based service that is customer-focused.


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## MaDTempo (Oct 18, 2012)

Belated Update: I sent the watch back for a second round and, sure enough, they were able to witness the problem. Victor S got the watch mov't replaced. 5 months on and it's keeping great time, syncing with the Ft. Collins tower. Great customer service over all.


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## Chrisx2 (Jun 24, 2020)

I have what seems to be the exact same problem - battery charged but everything stops, including date stops advancing. When i press the status button, time zone goes to some random time zone, battery status full. When it goes back to time keeping, time is wrong. I left in a window to charge more, no change. I bought one of those USB light chargers, no change. But in truth, I had never actually seen battery status drop from 100% since purchasing. I was about to ship to citizen, but balked at the idea because it’s a expensive watch and shouldn’t need repair after such short time. So I put the watch away in a drawer so I wouldn’t see it.......

After a month or two, it started working again! Battery status still said full, so now I decided to experiment and see if it would ever report 3/4 or lower. Waiting another month, etc, next check, still working! Eventually, left it in the drawer until battery got down to 1 month reserve and then started using it as normal. No problems!

After a few weeks, battery was charged back up to full, and then.... stopped working again! So it’s been in my drawer again and sure enough, after a couple weeks in the dark, it starts working again.

I think there is a problem with overcharging this watch.


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## Westsideecodrive (Jun 2, 2020)

What numer were you using for Citizen? An 800 number? I want to save it for future refrence.


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## poorwatchfan (May 2, 2015)

MaDTempo said:


> So this great guy (Victor S) at Citizen service center had my watch for about 2 weeks. Apparently there were no problems at all while there. No stopping. When checked all hands set to the reference position. Nothing. I asked him to check if the watch was receiving a signal when we followed up by phone. It had not received during the 2 AM time check period but was at least not having issues keeping time/date without the nightly update. *They used a citizen radio contolled atomic time signal amplifier (available for ~$11) *and it did receive the signal just fine in Torrance, CA. So, I said, must be something in my end.
> 
> Watch was shipped out after our call 1/18/19 and arrived to me reading about 20:30 and date window on 18. Second hand not moving. When I used the A button to check the time, it indicated the wrong time zone but a full charge. Holding down A, it reset to the proper date and time but then second hand stopped (though hour and minute kept going) a few hours later.
> 
> I guess I need to call Victor back...


Where is this available?

Looking to acquire it in canada.


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## Kuma23 (Aug 1, 2011)

Glad I found this old post, my new AT8020-54L is doing the same thing you described above. The second hand stops or freezes at random times, and when I check the home city I see it is not where it should be. I must have reset the watch two or three times yesterday and then last night before bed. When I got up this morning it was running and had done a successful sync with the atomic clock in Colorado. 10 minutes later I noticed the second hand stopped again. I am going to wait and see it the watch will start again and keep current time with my other atomic watch. I plan to give Citizen a call tomorrow to see about sending it in since it sounds like a module issue as stated in this forum.


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## Kuma23 (Aug 1, 2011)

I have an update on my AT8020-54L second hand stopping....
I have been monitoring my watch this morning and the second hand is the only one that is stopping, the hour and minute hand are still keeping current time and move when they should. The seconds hand has stopped at the following times, and then would correct itself shortly afterwards:
09:21 - 09:23 / 2nd hand stopped at the 3 sec marker
0954 - 09:59 / at the 20 sec marker
10:49 - 10:59 / at the 15 sec marker


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## vmgotit (Apr 27, 2017)

I have had great service from Citizen USA. Service Center. Like you, I experienced fast response and and great personal service. To bad other Watch Companies don’t give you the same service! Way to go Citizen! Vance.


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## Leopardfan (Mar 4, 2020)

MaDTempo said:


> Yeah, I have owned multiple Citizens with that feature. The second hand stops (and should stop at 12 o'clock) but not the whole movement. As mentioned in the original post that's not the problem.
> 
> But the above notwithstanding, here's the update. After 10 days, and the original A-button reset, everything seems to be running fine. I have had no further issues with loss of time, wrong date, or the time zone pointing to something other than what I set. Ended up not calling Victor.
> 
> ...


@ MaDTempo. One possibility is that do you place your watch in an area that is near a very strong electromagnetic source that could be stopping the second hand on the watch? Or do you wear your watch a lot in an area that is near a very strong electromagnetic source? Perhaps that's the reason that the second hand on your radio-control Citizen watch is stopping when it shouldn't?


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## Kuma23 (Aug 1, 2011)

I called today and spoke with customer service and was told it could be an energy issue or movement issue. My watch synchronized for the 2nd night in a row with the atomic clock in Colorado, and was in direct sunlight for 2 1/2 days, and I counted 13 plus times that the second hand stopped yesterday from 09:21 - 20:00 last night. It even stopped while I was on the phone with customer service this morning, after being in the sunlight for 3 hours, so they provided me with instructions to send it in to get checked. I will update this forum once I hear back from Citizen.


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## Kuma23 (Aug 1, 2011)

I received an email today from Citizen Customer service:

"Thank you for the information provided.
Your repair number is XXXXXXX and
Your watch is currently in our repair shop for a warranty replacement of the internal mechanism.
There is no cost associated with your repair.
Please allow 12-14 business days to receive your watch back."

So this sounds like what was mentioned by others, it was the movement that had an issue. I will post again once I receive my watch back.


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## Kuma23 (Aug 1, 2011)

I just received my watch back from Citizen and the invoice states that the movement and caseback gasket both needed replacing. They replaced those parts, conducted a water tightness test (included the results) and sent it back. The only thing I was not happy about was they noted there were scratches on the crown, bezel, caseback, band and clasp? The watch was brand new when I sent it to them and didn't have a mark on it. I even packed it securely when I mailed it to them. It was returned to me in a plastic bag inside a box with some packing paper, and I now see scratches where they noted on the invoice. On the bright side, my movement is new and it didn't cost me a dime since it is still under warranty.


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## Kuma23 (Aug 1, 2011)

Here she is...









Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk


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## ccmano (Aug 13, 2011)

Resurrecting this old thread. I have developed the same issue with my H800 powered Blue Angels watch. (One of my favorite watches) Mine is about 6 years old, so out of warranty but in otherwise excellent condition. I sent it in to Citizen in CA. and was told the entire movement needed to be replaced. $269 with a 1 year warranty. Considering I can buy a new one for $389 with a 5 year warranty I passed on the repair. Based on what I read here it seems there is consistent and known flaw in this movement resulting in total failure of the watch. My (rhetorical) question is simple. Does this mean if I buy a new one I'll have the same problem down the road? If it's a known, larger, issue why do I have to pay full price for a total movement repair? (Yes, I know, mines out of warranty). So... bottom line is I will not buy a replacement and be perfectly happy with my watches that are older. (in some case much older than 6 years) And if I do feel the need to buy a new watch it will likely not be a Citizen, or at least not one with and H800 or derivative movement. There.... I feel better now 😆 
H


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## t minus (Dec 10, 2014)

I am having the exact same issue with my out of warranty H800 Blue Angels watch (~6 years old). Did anyone ever find a work around without getting the movement replaced? I've already tried the reset procedure, the same problem just keeps happening. The watch just stops and then I hit the A or B button. Sometimes it starts working again, but then just quits. Any help or ideas would be appreciated. Thank you.


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## t minus (Dec 10, 2014)

Anybody have any ideas?


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## GaryK30 (Dec 14, 2014)

t minus said:


> Anybody have any ideas?


Are you sure the battery level is okay and the battery is in good condition? Mine dropped from 3 out of 4 bars on the battery meter down to 1 bar, with the 2-second tick, when I tried to do a manual sync back in March. I don't think it totally stopped running. I charged it on a window sill for a few days and it has been fine since. I bought it about 8 years ago.


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## t minus (Dec 10, 2014)

Thank you for the response. Yes, the battery shows 4 bars and yet the movement just completely quits intermittently. I had it charging for over a week even with the battery indicator showing full. I have tried resetting the watch several times and yet the problem still persists. It is behaving very similar to the OPs watch. Mine is out of warranty so I can't just get it serviced without paying the costs. My only last idea is to open the watch and replace the battery; however, I strongly suspect is the movement itself that is failing. I am open to any other ideas.


GaryK30 said:


> Are you sure the battery level is okay and the battery is in good condition? Mine dropped from 3 out of 4 bars on the battery meter down to 1 bar, with the 2-second tick, when I tried to do a manual sync back in March. I don't think it totally stopped running. I charged it on a window sill for a few days and it has been fine since. I bought it about 8 years ago.


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## GaryK30 (Dec 14, 2014)

t minus said:


> Thank you for the response. Yes, the battery shows 4 bars and yet the movement just completely quits intermittently. I had it charging for over a week even with the battery indicator showing full. I have tried resetting the watch several times and yet the problem still persists. It is behaving very similar to the OPs watch. Mine is out of warranty so I can't just get it serviced without paying the costs. My only last idea is to open the watch and replace the battery; however, I strongly suspect is the movement itself that is failing. I am open to any other ideas.


Yes, it sounds like it probably is the movement. Too bad.

On Casio watches there is an AC reset by shorting two contact points on the back of the module. It's kind of like a reboot. I wonder if Citizen movements have something similar.


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## t minus (Dec 10, 2014)

That is a thought, when I have a bit more time I will see is there is anything like that on the H800.


GaryK30 said:


> Yes, it sounds like it probably is the movement. Too bad.
> 
> On Casio watches there is an AC reset by shorting two contact points on the back of the module. It's kind of like a reboot. I wonder if Citizen movements have something similar.


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## t minus (Dec 10, 2014)

I managed to remove the case back and have disconnected the battery. I don't see any obvious AC reset, but perhaps I am missing it?


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## GaryK30 (Dec 14, 2014)

t minus said:


> I managed to remove the case back and have disconnected the battery. I don't see any obvious AC reset, but perhaps I am missing it?
> View attachment 17095252


I've never had to open any of my Eco-Drive watches. Maybe somebody on this forum knows.


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## t minus (Dec 10, 2014)

I removed the battery (very tiny for all the complications) and it has been running in the sunlight non-stop. So I have a new battery on order and will see if that was the problem.


GaryK30 said:


> I've never had to open any of my Eco-Drive watches. Maybe somebody on this forum knows.


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## tmathes (Jan 11, 2013)

t minus said:


> I removed the battery (very tiny for all the complications) and it has been running in the sunlight non-stop. So I have a new battery on order and will see if that was the problem.


Are you running the watch without the rechargeable battery in place? I don't know if that's harmful to the movement, to be safe don't do it (or stop doing it).

The solar cell(s) generate a higher voltage than the battery's nominal voltage, depending on how the charge circuit is designed there could be an over-voltage on the movement's circuitry happening. Many charging circuits when left with no-load will have a rather high output voltage, they rely on the load (ie battery) as a crude voltage regulator. That is why you'll often see instructions for products with rechargeable batteries warn to not run the product with the battery removed.


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## t minus (Dec 10, 2014)

Thank you, I appreciate that information. I only ran it to test if it would work and not stop like it was doing continuously with the battery in place. I have it in storage until the new battery arrives. I am hopeful that it will solve the issue.


tmathes said:


> Are you running the watch without the rechargeable battery in place? I don't know if that's harmful to the movement, to be safe don't do it (or stop doing it).
> 
> The solar cell(s) generate a higher voltage than the battery's nominal voltage, depending on how the charge circuit is designed there could be an over-voltage on the movement's circuitry happening. Many charging circuits when left with no-load will have a rather high output voltage, they rely on the load (ie battery) as a crude voltage regulator. That is why you'll often see instructions for products with rechargeable batteries warn to not run the product with the battery removed.


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## t minus (Dec 10, 2014)

Just a quick update. Replacing the battery and letting the watch charge in the sun did not solve this issue. I am out of ideas for the moment.


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## tmathes (Jan 11, 2013)

t minus said:


> Just a quick update. Replacing the battery and letting the watch charge in the sun did not solve this issue. I am out of ideas for the moment.


Unfortunately it sounds like a bum movement. As a last gasp try, see if cleaning battery contacts on the movement help. Try something like 1000-2000 grit sandpaper or a red (ie lightly abrasive) pencil eraser.


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## t minus (Dec 10, 2014)

That is a good idea, I will give that a try. Thank you.


tmathes said:


> Unfortunately it sounds like a bum movement. As a last gasp try, see if cleaning battery contacts on the movement help. Try something like 1000-2000 grit sandpaper or a red (ie lightly abrasive) pencil eraser.


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## tmathes (Jan 11, 2013)

What is curious is you can get the watch to run directly off the solar cells but not the battery. That means that either

1) the charging circuits are dead
2) some printed circuit board trace has corroded (either the battery or charging circuit)
3) contacts to the battery are oxidized. 

Hence my suggestion. I hope it's #3 since that's an easy fix.


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