# Why is the Citizen AW7038-04L Eco-Drive so unpopular?



## j708 (Mar 24, 2018)

I had pretty much made up my mind that my next watch will be the Citizen AW7038.

However, after doing research on online shops and reviews I was shocked to see how little reviews there are out there (even for the AW7030).

I am really having second thoughts. Whats wrong with this watch? Why don't people fancy it?

Our dealer doesn't sell this model and never did and I doubt ever will. I know the size is perfect and its really a style that I love. I really want to go for it unless I am warned not to.

Thoughts and opinions?


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## jerouy (Feb 13, 2017)

Being popular needs reasons but being unpopular does not need any reason, especially when there are so many Eco-Drive models out there.

Good looking piece BTW. Would be very nice if it is screwed down crown.


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## j708 (Mar 24, 2018)

jerouy said:


> Being popular needs reasons but being unpopular does not need any reason, especially when there are so many Eco-Drive models out there.
> 
> Good looking piece BTW. Would be very nice if it is screwed down crown.


Well being unpopular means you are a loser. LOL. I was just wondering if there are other alternatives out there with similar style that people prefer that I am missing out on.

I am glad you like it. PMed a member on here to get there opinion as I think they still own it.


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## mfunnell (Jun 8, 2017)

I'm sure the watch is fine: Citizen seems to make good watches. I'm afraid this one doesn't especially appeal to me - but if it does to you, then why not go ahead with it? "Nobody notices your watch" is a truism around here - so mostly it will be you who is looking at it. If you like what you're looking at, that can only be a good thing.

...Mike


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## j708 (Mar 24, 2018)

mfunnell said:


> I'm sure the watch is fine: Citizen seems to make good watches. I'm afraid this one doesn't especially appeal to me - but if it does to you, then why not go ahead with it? "Nobody notices your watch" is a truism around here - so mostly it will be you who is looking at it. If you like what you're looking at, that can only be a good thing.
> 
> ...Mike


Thank you for your input Mike. The only thing that will stop me from getting this watch is if someone gives me negative feedback on here based on experience with it.


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## sticky (Apr 5, 2013)

Watch sellers have a nose for what their customer base is likely to want and if a watch doesn't fall within that profile then they won't stock it. The simple truth is that Citizen make a damn good watch so I can see no reason whatsoever for not getting the watch if you want it.


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## X2-Elijah (Dec 25, 2009)

Well, it's not popular because it's very un-exceptional, and the fit-and-finish is on par with every other citizen in the pricerange.

Also it follows this weird 90-s formula-1 automotive-racing-modern look, which is not "in" nowadays.


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## Real Artman (Jan 8, 2015)

If you like it, buy it.


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## j708 (Mar 24, 2018)

X2-Elijah said:


> Well, it's not popular because it's very un-exceptional, and the fit-and-finish is on par with every other citizen in the pricerange.
> 
> Also it follows this weird 90-s formula-1 automotive-racing-modern look, which is not "in" nowadays.


Thats interesting! I happen to be crazy about open wheel racing, so this watch will fit me perfect. Are there any watches you can think off that have the 90s f1 modern look you are talking about?


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## X2-Elijah (Dec 25, 2009)

Off the top of my head?

A lot of Casio Edifices;
Orient Rally (now-discontinued range of semi-skeletonized racing themed watches, iirc CTF00004 something);
ofc Tag Heuer had a whole range of f1 watches.

In fact, do a search for orient racing watches, there's a LOT of them.


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## Ftumch (Sep 18, 2017)

j708 said:


> Whats wrong with this watch? Why don't people fancy it?


Like Homer's car, that watch has a lot going on. The carbon dial and redundant power reserve look tacky to me, like Citizen was going for a space-age design that somehow got too serious about itself.

The watch fandom is crazy though. If Citizen went a step further and added, say, a pointless rotating internal navigation bezel, it might become a cult classic.



jerouy said:


> Being popular needs reasons but being unpopular does not need any reason


That should be on an image macro next to Yoda or Gandalf or someone.


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## EdwardChen (Jan 9, 2012)

I bet there are a lot great watches that aren't popular for any number of unknown reasons. I can tell you why I wouldn't buy that watch, which are really just personal opinions, and I wouldn't discourage you from buying one.

-Looks like it has a dive bezel, but from what I can tell it doesn't rotate
-Quartz movements aren't as interesting to me as mechanicals
-Not a fan of the cyclops

However, there's a lot to like:
-100m water resistance
-Power reserve
-Solar/Eco-Drive

Ultimately, it's likely a quality watch, like all of Citizen's watches, and if you like it, go for it.


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## Watch19 (Oct 15, 2016)

Many people never develop tastes outside of the mainstream "popular" watches. Perhaps they have a need for name brand or popularity to justify their choices. 
It's good that you found a design that you know you like. Don't bother with other's opinions. Citizen builds good reliable watches and if you like the look, that should be enough. 
That said, this Citizen looks like it would look especially good worn with jeans.


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## j708 (Mar 24, 2018)

thanks for everyones input. This is my next watch


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## DSteve (Mar 14, 2018)

Not my style but I do love Citizen they make a good watch with slightly better finishing touches than Seikos in my opinion (Gasp) I think Citizen just makes a lot of different designs so there isn't a thread for all of them. Once you buy it you could post the first review!

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk


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## jerouy (Feb 13, 2017)

I'd say CITIZEN never had a widely accepted iconic piece. It's hard to find any exceptionally "popular" Eco-drive IMO.

Nothing wrong with that though.


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## yankeexpress (Apr 7, 2013)

If they were to lower the price, it would probably sell better


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## Ftumch (Sep 18, 2017)

jerouy said:


> I'd say CITIZEN never had a widely accepted iconic piece. It's hard to find any exceptionally "popular" Eco-drive IMO.


Ray Mears Promaster. Maybe the only Citizen that ever rose in value.


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## EdwardChen (Jan 9, 2012)

I just bought a lefty diver that was selling for more than it did when new. It might not hit Seiko hype, but they have their following.


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## jerouy (Feb 13, 2017)

Ftumch said:


> Ray Mears Promaster. Maybe the only Citizen that ever rose in value.


It's not about value.
By "iconic" I mean "getting recognized 5 meters away".

SEIKO has a few -- SKX, Turtle, etc...
CITIZEN... nothing come up in my mind. NY0040 comes close.
Eco-Drive ... really nothing.

They are good watches though. I love mine a lot. Just brand recognition and overall popularity fall short.


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## Ftumch (Sep 18, 2017)

jerouy said:


> It's not about value. By "iconic" I mean "getting recognized 5 meters away".


That's a WIS paradox, though. No one notices watches except watch nerds, and watch nerds will notice all sorts of watches.

The exception is Rolex, because it's famous, and maybe G-Shock, which for some reason my Asian relatives can ID down to the model number from across a crowded food court.


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## EdwardChen (Jan 9, 2012)

I'd say the Eco-Drive Navihawk would make the list (might be the only one that comes to my mind).


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## Cobia (Nov 24, 2013)

Theres a lot of watches like this that dont get any attention because imo they are just forgettable watches.
Theres nothing endearing on this watch to my eyes, the dial, markers, hands, bezel are nothing special, the power reserve looks poor especially with the orange, its just not a very appealing watch to my eyes, and the non existent reviews show that is hasnt hit the mark with the masses im guessing.

Having said that citizen make good watches, im sure the build is good and it will be a reliable watch, if you like it buy it.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


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## jerouy (Feb 13, 2017)

Ftumch said:


> That's a WIS paradox, though. No one notices watches except watch nerds, and watch nerds will notice all sorts of watches.
> 
> The exception is Rolex, because it's famous, and maybe G-Shock, which for some reason my Asian relatives can ID down to the model number from across a crowded food court.


Look we are not talking about the absolute recognition among the general public here right?
In the eyes of general public, SEIKO is less recognized compared to ROLEX, granted.
But the point really is, compare to other Japanese brands such as SEIKO, even in watch nerd's eyes, there is hardly any iconic piece from CITIZEN/Eco-Drive.


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## X2-Elijah (Dec 25, 2009)

jerouy said:


> I'd say CITIZEN never had a widely accepted iconic piece. It's hard to find any exceptionally "popular" Eco-drive IMO.
> 
> Nothing wrong with that though.


Nighthawk.

Blue Angels Navihawk.


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## j708 (Mar 24, 2018)

X2-Elijah said:


> Nighthawk.
> 
> Blue Angels Navihawk.


Was at the watch shop this morning and was talking to the sales rep about popular Citizen watches and he happen to mention the blue angels. Said something about it being limited edition.

Really a beautiful time piece. Would love to see one and try it on. Maybe, just maybe I will consider it if I can start accepting how busy the dial is and the lug to lug is right for me. The chrono dials are absolutely gorgeous.


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## sticky (Apr 5, 2013)

j708 said:


> Was at the watch shop this morning and was talking to the sales rep about popular Citizen watches and he happen to mention the blue angels. Said something about it being limited edition.
> 
> Really a beautiful time piece. Would love to see one and try it on. Maybe, just maybe I will consider it if I can start accepting how busy the dial is and the lug to lug is right for me. The chrono dials are absolutely gorgeous.


Don't look at the new BJ7007-02L then or your wallet will be out double quick.


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## j708 (Mar 24, 2018)

sticky said:


> Don't look at the new BJ7007-02L then or your wallet will be out double quick.


fancied the AT8020-03L alot more


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## journeyforce (Apr 20, 2013)

I have this watch and also the black dial/black outside chapter ring version


I find the watch is pretty nice in the metal. It is a good size but not super huge like a lot of them are on the market. The lume (while not Seiko diver bright) is pretty good and does last the night. It wears comfy


It uses 22mm straps so if you don't like the nylon strap on it now, then you can pair it with another strap. I have no complaints with mine.


If you want a good watch that you can wear daily and ether keep it looking casual with the nylon or dress it up with a leather strap, this one is good for you


Some folks don't like the date cyclops on the crystal but you get use to it.


I love the power reserve indicator. It means I don't have to sit and think "hey is this watch charged up enough"

Here is one of mine with a close up of the attractive dial.

Good luck in your watch choices.


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## journeyforce (Apr 20, 2013)

jerouy said:


> It's not about value.
> By "iconic" I mean "getting recognized 5 meters away".
> 
> SEIKO has a few -- SKX, Turtle, etc...
> ...


 I disagree

Citizen has several iconic watches.
Nighthawk
Skyhawk
Eco-zilla

The Blue Angels Skyhawks are very iconic and recognizable. They are also very popular. I see a lot of them around on the wrist

I just got this one on Tuesday from TJ Maxx


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## zymphad (Dec 28, 2015)

If this was an automatic with Miyota's 9015 @ $299, I'd buy it w/o a second thought. But it's not, it's a boring eco-drive, not exciting at all.

For whatever odd reason, Citizen has given the finger to automatic Divers. If they do have one, it's got one of the horrible 8xxx series movements, reliable, but noisy rotor, no hack/wind, oddities with second hand, just a crappy movement that's only used because supposedly reliable and ridiculously cheap.

Only the Citizen Grand Touring is of some interest. But the crown is idiotic with that cumbersome locking mechanism. It protrudes so much, it digs into your wrist, it's really uncomfortable, to the point of painful. And for 44mm it's huge, it fits as if it's 48mm to me. The dial and hands are puny in comparison to the size of the case, it just doesn't work. Whoever is at Citizen really needs to a head check, it has potential but really, it sucks.



j708 said:


> I had pretty much made up my mind that my next watch will be the Citizen AW7038.
> 
> However, after doing research on online shops and reviews I was shocked to see how little reviews there are out there (even for the AW7030).
> 
> ...


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## j708 (Mar 24, 2018)

journeyforce said:


> I have this watch and also the black dial/black outside chapter ring version
> 
> I find the watch is pretty nice in the metal. It is a good size but not super huge like a lot of them are on the market. The lume (while not Seiko diver bright) is pretty good and does last the night. It wears comfy
> 
> ...


Is the pic u posted black dial and blue outside chapter?


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## EdwardChen (Jan 9, 2012)

I think the 8200 used in the NY0040 can be handwound, which I think is a big step up from the SKXs. My NY0040 runs significantly better than either of my 7S26, at least with regards to positional variance. I feel the NY0040 does very well in comparison to an SKX. The Citizen has a bit more upscale look with the polished outlining around the indices and around the date window. I still love my SKX though!



zymphad said:


> If this was an automatic with Miyota's 9015 @ $299, I'd buy it w/o a second thought. But it's not, it's a boring eco-drive, not exciting at all.
> 
> For whatever odd reason, Citizen has given the finger to automatic Divers. If they do have one, it's got one of the horrible 8xxx series movements, reliable, but noisy rotor, no hack/wind, oddities with second hand, just a crappy movement that's only used because supposedly reliable and ridiculously cheap.
> 
> Only the Citizen Grand Touring is of some interest. But the crown is idiotic with that cumbersome locking mechanism. It protrudes so much, it digs into your wrist, it's really uncomfortable, to the point of painful. And for 44mm it's huge, it fits as if it's 48mm to me. The dial and hands are puny in comparison to the size of the case, it just doesn't work. Whoever is at Citizen really needs to a head check, it has potential but really, it sucks.


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## jerouy (Feb 13, 2017)

journeyforce said:


> I disagree
> 
> Citizen has several iconic watches.
> Nighthawk
> ...


I had to google these names to see what they look like... Probably I am not watch-nerdy enough 



EdwardChen said:


> I think the 8200 used in the NY0040 can be handwound, which I think is a big step up from the SKXs. My NY0040 runs significantly better than either of my 7S26, at least with regards to positional variance. I feel the NY0040 does very well in comparison to an SKX. The Citizen has a bit more upscale look with the polished outlining around the indices and around the date window. I still love my SKX though!


8200 having hand winding is likely for compensating its uni-directional auto winding system which is less efficient comparing to SEIKO's magic lever. I would say that's a draw.

And yeah 7S has horrible positional variance...


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## X2-Elijah (Dec 25, 2009)

Lol.

Turns out the trolls are holding on to this thread


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## j708 (Mar 24, 2018)

X2-Elijah said:


> Lol.
> 
> Turns out the trolls are holding on to this thread


I guess so :-d


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## sticky (Apr 5, 2013)

j708 said:


> fancied the AT8020-03L alot more


If you think it looks good in photos you should see it in the metal.


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## j708 (Mar 24, 2018)

sticky said:


> If you think it looks good in photos you should see it in the metal.


I will watch out for people wearing it here. Will even ask them to try it on, and then cry and make a scene when they ask for it back.


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## Rocket1991 (Mar 15, 2018)

Don't know why it considered unpopular. I suggested this one to my friend and he ordered it on a spot. It is good watch for a good price (Can be 150$) and it looks lively and not boring as some other models.


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## EdwardChen (Jan 9, 2012)

It's kind of a self fulfilling prophecy, if we all keep this thread alive long enough, it'll become more popular.


To get back on topic, to those that own this watch, does the bezel rotate? In the OP's stock photo, it looks a little off center, but that might just be the angle.


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## journeyforce (Apr 20, 2013)

j708 said:


> Is the pic u posted black dial and blue outside chapter?


No that is the one you are thinking about, the outside chapter ring is blue and the dial is a black looking color. My black chapter ring one is on a bracelet.


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## journeyforce (Apr 20, 2013)

EdwardChen said:


> It's kind of a self fulfilling prophecy, if we all keep this thread alive long enough, it'll become more popular.
> 
> To get back on topic, to those that own this watch, does the bezel rotate? In the OP's stock photo, it looks a little off center, but that might just be the angle.


No the bezel does not rotate, it is fixed.


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## j708 (Mar 24, 2018)

EdwardChen said:


> It's kind of a self fulfilling prophecy, if we all keep this thread alive long enough, it'll become more popular.


my master planb-)


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## shrewboy (Feb 24, 2015)

Just stumbled across this thread and realized this is a watch I looked at online recently. I really like it! Any chance you could add a wrist shot? (EDIT: was trying to reply to a post a couple of pages back that had a pic from someone's watch box). The size is on the upper end of my comfort range (~6.5" wrist), but I saw tonight that the L2L was list as 48mm. And looking at the pics, the lugs DO look short. It might actually work.
Shrewboy


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## jasonin951 (Oct 28, 2017)

I have the gray face brown leather strap version of this watch and love it.









Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## audiomagnate (Mar 1, 2018)

I like it. And IMO a power reserve meter is more useful than most complications. I'd get the blue one and try some different straps.


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## jasonin951 (Oct 28, 2017)

audiomagnate said:


> I like it. And IMO a power reserve meter is more useful than most complications. I'd get the blue one and try some different straps.


I agree especially for a solar powered watch.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Sir-Guy (Apr 25, 2017)

jasonin951 said:


> I have the gray face brown leather strap version of this watch and love it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


@jasonin951, question for you. From the photos I've seen I suspect the power reserve indicator is really a "high-medium-low-charge immediately" gauge, rather than moving smoothly or incrementally up or down like a mechanical one. Can you confirm how the indicator moves? If it just snicks from high to medium and back it's less appealing to me. Thanks!

@j708, did you ever end up getting one of these?


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## audiomagnate (Mar 1, 2018)

Sir-Guy said:


> @jasonin951, question for you. From the photos I've seen I suspect the power reserve indicator is really a "high-medium-low-charge immediately" gauge, rather than moving smoothly or incrementally up or down like a mechanical one. Can you confirm how the indicator moves? If it just snicks from high to medium and back it's less appealing to me. Thanks!
> 
> @j708, did you ever end up getting one of these?


More like "normal-medium-low-you may be a vampire."


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## jasonin951 (Oct 28, 2017)

Sir-Guy said:


> @jasonin951, question for you. From the photos I've seen I suspect the power reserve indicator is really a "high-medium-low-charge immediately" gauge, rather than moving smoothly or incrementally up or down like a mechanical one. Can you confirm how the indicator moves? If it just snicks from high to medium and back it's less appealing to me. Thanks!
> 
> @j708, did you ever end up getting one of these?


I honestly have never watched it that long to be able to tell. But I imagine it would be the way you say.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Hen®i (May 28, 2008)

Really guys, you all to blame when I read this thread:

I just ordered one. (AW7038-04L)
Shame on you!


:-!;-)


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