Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9351 in Watches
• Brand: Citizen
• Model: BL5334-04E
• Dimensions: 3.80" h x 4.50" w x 4.80" l, .75 pounds
• Band material: Rubber
• Bezel material: black-ion-plated-stainless-steel
• Case material: black-plated-stainless-steel
• Clasp type: Buckle
• Dial color: black
• Dial window material: Mineral
• Movement type: japanese-quartz
• Water-resistant to 660 feet

Features

• Ecologically friendly, light powered Eco-Drive Japanese-quartz movement; Charges in natural sunlight or indoor light
• Durable, hardened mineral crystal
• Case diameter: 47 mm
• Black plated stainless steel case; Black dial; Perpetual calendar, chronograph function
• Water-resistant to 660 feet (200 M)

Amazon.com Product Description
The Eco-Drive Perpetual Calendar features a stainless steel case with black ion plated bezel and black rubber strap. The timepiece features a 1/20 second chronograph that measures up to 60 minutes, 12/24 time, dual time, alarm and date indicator. Additional features include a screw-back case, red detailing and a superior water resistance to 200 meters.

The Citizen Watch Brand

The company was established in 1924. The founding fathers selected the name Citizen so it would be "Close to the Hearts of People Everywhere" and soon after adopted the company’s formal name, Citizen Watch Company.

During the last seventy-five years Citizen has expanded its business throughout the world and has achieved recognition as the global brand. The past twenty-five year period has coincided with the company’s dramatic rise to its current position as the world’s largest watchmaker, a distinction Citizen has held every year since 1986.

Beyond sheer size, Citizen is also recognized as a worldwide leader in advanced technology. From the world’s slimmest LCD watch to the first voice recognition watch and the world’s first professional dive watch with an electronic depth sensor, Citizen’s record of "world’s firsts" is unmatched.

More recently, Citizen has staked out a new position as the leader in Ecologically Friendly timekeeping with its Eco-Drives watches that are light powered. With models ranging from dress models to sports models to professional dive watches, Citizen Eco-Drive runs continuously in any kind of natural or artificial light for a lifetime of use. Fueled by light, it never needs a battery.

Eco-Drive Frequently Asked Questions (See the full Citizen Eco-Drive FAQ here)

How can you tell if the Eco-Drive watch is getting enough light?
In normal use, the watch displays the time and the sweep-second hand moves in one second intervals. A very important feature of Eco-Drive is the Low Charge Warning Mode which as a result of low battery voltage, causes the second hand to jump two seconds at a time (while still keeping correct time).

How long will an Eco-Drive watch run after it is fully charged?
If your watch is put away where no light is available to it while in a fully charged state, depending on the model, it will run for from 45 days to 5 years.

How can the Eco-Drive watch be recharged?
Besides sunlight, it can be safely charged by exposing it to a fluorescent desk lamp, with the dial (face) up and within about 8 inches or an incandescent lamp (regular light bulb) no closer than 20 inches. Never use a halogen lamp since the heat generated by it can cause damage to your watch. The most efficient and the quickest is in direct bright sunlight (not windowsill) and never on the dashboard of a car.

Customer Reviews

Good Overall Quality For Casual Men's Watch
My first experience with a Citizen's watch was with one I recently purchased: a Citizen Eco-Drive Men's Professional Diver Watch #BJ8050-08E through Amazon. I'm a slender guy, so i don't have huge wrists, but I do prefer larger men's watches. The Diver watch was WAY TOO THICK; stuck off my wrist like a satellite dish.

I am pleased to say that my replacement, the #BL5334-04E is a perfect match for me. I've had it for a few months now and safely say that it is a keeper. It's width is a perfectly masculine 47mm, while the thickness of the watch case is not too much. Pros & cons:

Pros:

+ Ultra stylish: the design, color contrast, and the band are sharp. The details on the watch face give it just a little bit of bling. Definitely looks like a high-end men's watch.

+ Seems durable, watch has a nice heft to it. And the 'rubbery' band keeps it in place on my wrist w/o sliding all around like most leather/steel bands do.

+ The perpetual calendar is spot on (my first experience with it, I love that I'm not having to adjust the date every month!) and the Eco-Drive means I'll never have to replace a battery...nice. It sometimes sits in my dresser for a couple of days, and it has never lost its 'charge'.

Cons:

- I wish the band was a bit wider, as it is it kinda bows out on the bottem of my wrist.

- There have been two instances where the watch seemingly stopped, only to find out it looked as if the alarm had gone off (if the watch stops when the alarm goes off, I don't think that's a good feature). To my knowledge I have never set the alarm. So the alarm setting is either off to a novice user who doesn't use that feature, or it is some sort of glitch (I was suspicious that the airport x-ray somehow messed with it, although I cannot confirm that theory).

Great watch, I've received numerous compliments on it. I am now officially a Citizen customer...I'll be purchasing others from their extensive line.

Great Watch For the Price
This is a great watch for the price. I was looking for a more casual watch and this fit the criteria I was looking for. The watch has good weight and the face is large enough that even in the dark it is easy to read the dials. Although the strap is Rubber, the watch looks very high end. This is my second Eco-Drive watch and have nothing but great things to say about them.

Very Nice, A Couple Flaws...
Overall, a nice watch.

Pros:
1. Very cool looks.
2. Nice feature set for an analog watch - Chronograph, alarm, perpetual calendar, second time zone...
3. Solid quality construction, water resistant to 200m, etc.
4. Very readable at night, hands remain luminescent all night without dimming, provided that your eyes are accustomed to the darkness (if you've just come from a brightly lit area, you may have a hard time reading the time until your eyes adjust).
5. Fairly light weight with the rubberized band.

Cons:
1. Setting the alarm - the big one for me. You have to wait for the hands to swing around to the previously set alarm time, which can take a couple of minutes if that time is 10 or 12 hours away... And then, if you want to change the alarm time, you have to move the hands again. And the hands don't move that fast! In all, it can literally take three minutes or more to set the alarm. Rather tedious.
2. Minor quibble - the chronograph only goes to 59:59 then stops.
3. Would be nice to have the day of the week displayed on there somewhere. I work the night shift, so half the time I don't even know what day it is.
4. Another quibble - I like the rubberized band, but even dirt cheap Timex's from Wal-Mart have better devices to hold the tail of the band in place. I ended up having to cut about 1/2 inch off of my band so the tail didn't stick out so far.

Additional Comments:
1. Many EcoDrive reviewers have noted the volume of the alarm is too low. I personally found it to be just adequate, provided you are not wearing the watch in bed with it stuck under a bunch of covers or pillows. I do wish the tone sounded for more than 15 seconds...
2. Many EcoDrive reviewers have also mentioned the crown accidentally getting turned while wearing, which switches the mode. I have had zero problems with this model.
3. Citizen classifies this watch as a diver on its website, but the manual says you're not supposed to wear it diving (?). And why is there a tachymeter on the bezel? Why not a rotating diver's bezel? Tell me honestly, does anyone EVER really use the tachymeter on their watch bezel???