CitizenMen's Eco-Drive Weekender Garrison Field Watch in Stainless Steel with Olive Nylon Strap, Black Dial (Model: BM8180-03E)

I've owned this watch for 15 years but hardly wear it. It sits on the windowsill, so it gets sunlight daily.When I do wear it, it does the job and looks nice on my wrist. I have small wrists, so it is a good match.I have other watches that I think are more attractive, like the eco drive promaster diver, so I usually grab another watch. I think I'm going to change this and wear this field watch more often.The watch keeps good time to the extent that I may adjust the time once every year. I have no complaints. If it keeps getting regular sun light it may live longer than me.

A year or two ago I bought a watch from Amazon when it was on sale for 1/2 price. It was a dandy watch, worked perfect, but it was *huge*, and pretty heavy. It was also pretty flashy, and I'm not. So I wound up only wearing it for "dressy" times, e.g., like church. Finally, the battery died, and I decided I didn't like the watch well enough to go to the expense of buying a new battery and the hassle of putting it in.So I decided I would buy a new watch that (1) wasn't as big, heavy, and flashy as this one, and (2) didn't have a battery - I hate messing with batteries. So I started researching watches, and when the next Amazon watch sale came along, I found a lovely *automatic* (we called it "self-winding" in the "old days") Seiko in the "military-inspired" minimalist style was that I was looking for. I *almost* bought it, but the rating was a flat 4.0/5, and there were enough negative reviews about stopping working and other problems that it gave me pause. In addition, I doubted that a self-winding watch would work reliably for someone like me who doesn't wear a watch all the time.So I did some more research, and discovered that there was a 3rd class of watches - solar-powered!! And the "solar" supposedly means any kind of light. I found this Citizen watch that looked almost exactly like the Seiko that I liked and almost bought. It was about 85 bucks, which seemed reasonable, esp. for a watch that didn't require me to buy a battery or even to walk around...lolI've had this watch for about 32 days now. I love the look, and it is keeping perfect time. I still only wear it when I go out (i.e., not around the house), and I've been leaving it in the kitchen where there is usually natural light during the day, plus bright artificial light on and off. So far it has worked fine. I did have to charge it under bright light for something like 12-15 hours initially, so I just left the kitchen light on overnight. I suppose some would say that cost me maybe a quarter, but I can live with that.The strap is of decent quality, albeit a bit stiff (I'm sure that would have loosened up with wear), but I just didn't like having to futz with securing the strap ever time I put it on (yes, I'm old and set in my ways). This was solved by one of the major life lessons I got from my dad. Along with teaching me how to determine the model year for 50s and 60s Fords and Chevys (back when they *didn't* all look alike, and when unveiling the new model Chevy was an actual event in my small town), and warning me to "never buy a used car, you're just buying somebody else's problems", my dad introduced me to the Spiedel Twist-O-Flex watch band. When he bought me my first watch when I was around 12, the first thing we did was take off the band that came with it and replace it with a brand-new Twist-O-Flex (yes, we had to take out several links to get it to fit my thin young wrist). Heck, I didn't even know you could take the band off a watch, much less change its size !!! This watch has an 18mm aperture (or w/e you call it where the band attaches), and an 18mm Twist-O-Flex fits it perfectly.The only negative would be the dearth of documentation. Other than a little folder with a few lines in about 30 languages, I was referred to a web site for info on charging and setting, etc. This is standard in the 21st century, but it still chaps me a bit.I won't apologize for the length of this review. This is the kind of review I like to find when I am considering buying an item, so this is just "do unto others" for me.Keep it up, Jeff B., you are doing a great job !!!P.S. I added a couple of pics with the new band, mainly to practice with my new Kindle Fire...:)

The Citizen EcoDrive is a perfect watch and not just for the money. It looks great, fitsMy smaller wrist like a glove. I think it will fit anyone. The watch case looks both elegant and functional. Started collecting watches in 2023. Nothing more than $500. I love them all. But this watch will be my most worn.

I spent quite a while looking at military style watches under $200. I was looking for a watch that had a simple but stylish look and didn't look cheap. So far I am satisfied with this watch and in this review I will address some of the common themes in the other reviews.Size: This is not a large watch. I am not a person who believes a watch has to be large for it to look good. This watch is just about as small as I would go. In fact, the first few days I was filled with buyers remorse because my previous watch was much larger and I wasn't used to the drop in size. I felt like I had bought a women's watch. After asking many friends, and after a few days of it being on my wrist, it occurred to me that I was overreacting. I like the size very much actually, because when I'm dressed formally its size is classier looking than those expensive over-sized multi-function gizmos that an eight year old with cash would pick out. However, for my wrist size and my height, I would not go smaller than this. Make sure to consider your body and wrist size when buying a watch. There are guides for this online.The Canvas Strap: That being said, there are many complaints about the size, look, and feel of the watchband. Since its a smaller watch, its a smaller band and at first I did think it looked tiny. It's canvas on the outside and leather on the inner side and it is well made. The eyelets give it a good look, but the complaints are true and I can imagine that for some wrists the eyelets would cause the band to be too loose or too tight. Aside from that its a quality band and most importantly the watchband can be easily replaced with one that suits you more. I have a variety of watchbands and I recommend that people shop for one that they think looks best. I use the canvas strap usually, but I have a Maratac Zulu Bond 18mm strap for dress occasions (looks great with this watch! Don't settle for the cheaper versions they sell on Amazon). The great thing about military-style watches is their character.Eco-Drive: I find that the watch keeps spot on time. Whenever I get a watch I double check its accuracy every day for the first two weeks and then once a month. The watch hasn't been acting irregularly and I would say I'm outside as much as any average person. I fully charged it when I received it. After that, I left it face down on a desk for a weekend and it still kept time. One review was upset that the second (as in seconds in a minute) jumped two second markers instead of one. This is not an error in manufacturing! According to the manual, the second hand jumps this way when the battery is low on charge. I cannot verify as this has not happened to me. I very much like that I will never have to replace the battery.Second Hand: The second hand does not line up exactly with the second lines. This is one reason I gave it four stars. It isn't too obvious. I think the red color of the hand is a good look for the watch.Luminous numbers and hands: Seems to be evenly applied and bright enough for my liking.Calendar: I like the calendar. This is my second reason for giving the watch four stars however. PLEASE NOTE! that if you try to set the calendar between 9PM and 4AM this will probably permanently break the date feature on the watch! This did not happen to me because I read the description on this page and several reviews included it. The date works fine for me and it won't be hard to remember that. I just feel like no one should be able to break a good watch that easily and that makes it a flawed design. I would have preferred no fay of the week showing to being able to break my watch. Follow the instructions exactly!Metal-Stamp: Another reason for a forth star. Rather than the product info being stamped on the watch back, there is a sticker. Is this preferred? No not really...however see my last point.Price: This is a good watch for 80 bucks. I haven't had it for too long but a friend of mine has the same model and its lasted him many years. I would recommend this one over the Citizen AT0200-05E Eco-Drive Chronograph because the Chronograph on that watch is not very good, it lacks the beautifully simple look of this watch, and you pay much more for it. The actual watch looks better than the Amazon photo in my opinion.