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

I ordered this watch from Amazon and it arrived before the estimated delivery date. I love the watch, and it looks much better in person than in pictures on the web. Quality is very good and the hands line up perfectly. The luminova is evenly applied and lasts longer, actually all the way through the night, which I didn't think would be the case. The only feature I don't like is the canvas band, which I found uncomfortable.I'm sure it's fine for others, but still a black leather band for less than (...)(any jewelry store or online store) compliments the watch very well, and it no longer looks like a 'weekend watch'.One small point about the Eco-drive that some other reviews I've read overlooked: Citizen Eco-drive models DO have a battery.The solar cell stores energy in a rechargeable mangenese-titanium battery.The battery should last a very long time according to Citizen engineers who project that even after 20 years the battery should retain 80% of recharge capacity (on their website), but only time will tell... no pun intended.Speaking of time, the watch is pretty accurate.I've had the watch for one month and during that time it has lost less than one second when compared to the US national time ([...]In sum: this is a very well constructed watch that I feel is worth the money.10 Year UPDATE:Just realized that I missed the 10 year mark several months ago.At 10 years the watch still works perfectly.The solar cell is maintaining the state of charge on the rechargeable manganese titanium lithium battery.I haven’t been wearing the watch much the past year, so I put it on my dresser where it gets about 10 minutes of sunlight through the window each morning.I haven't yet seen the low charge indicator (the second hand jumps in 2 second increments to indicate low state of charge).At that point the battery is supposed to have enough capacity to run the watch for only 4 days, which I think represents a 2% state of charge - based on full charge running the watch for 6 months - just a guess.Note: the low charge indicator just means that you need to put the watch under a lamp or in sunlight to recharge.After 10 years, the conclusion is that this watch and its solar charging mechanism is durable and very well constructed.In the attached photo you can see my 10 year old watch getting it's daily dose of morning sunshine.UPDATE: After 11.5 years, still going strong. And for those who are interested, the solar cell stores energy in a rechargeable battery, not a capacitor.Visit Citizen's website for more details on the Eco-Drive.

Regardless of price range, there will always be a seemingly endless amount of watches to choose from.Sometimes it can be daunting, but always fun! This was my very first watch i purchased. I went inexpensive initially in the event watches weren't really my thing.After a good time researching, I pulled the trigger on this little guy after reading the rave reviews. After three years of wearing this watch on and off, hiking in mountains, forests, rocky terrain, water activities, etc., I decided I would give an accurate assessment about this particular little time piece.Brand - I truly believe Citizen is the very best value when it comes to watches under $500.00.One can argue Seiko and Orient. I own all three brands, and feel like my three Citizens are made a bit better. Citizen is well respected among watch enthusiasts, and is a FANTASTIC brand for someone looking to purchase their first timepiece Movement - As you probably know by now, this watch is powered by Citizen's own Eco-Drive Quartz Movement.Needing no battery or servicing, this watch will stay maintenance-free for years on end.And it just charges by light? Amazing cutting edge. Accuracy - No shock here.Being quartz, this watch is supremely accurate.Mine tested out about 1.5 seconds fast a week.No arguments there!Looks - I love the way this watch looks.Everything just works.At 90 dollars, it's important not to try and look like a cheap, ugly homage of another watch.Citizen did a bang up job here with a field inspired look. The dial is a matte black with white font.The indices are not applied, but one cannot expect that at this price point.Fantastically, the dial has day/date windows, and even has the days in Spanish (pretty cool).The second hand is somewhat of a red/orange, but adds a really nice splash on an otherwise black and white dial.And guess what? This watch has pretty darn good lume!Quite impressive at this price point.Many watches don't have any lume at all.The hands and all of the numbers glow with a very pretty turquoise blue.Again, do not expect Seiko divers brightness here.Size - I love it.Now, it won't be for everyone at around 37mm or so, but there is so much dial squeezed into it, that it is always very easy to read the time.The watch is quite thin and light, almost disappearing on your wrist.Guys with really large wrists, may want to avoid.Enclosing, this is a spectacular little watch for the price.For less than $100 dollars you are getting a highly respected watch brand, an eco-drive battery/maintenance free movement, extremely accurate time, minimalist and attractive design, legible night lume, and a traditional sized watch.What a package! Sure, the mineral crystal will take light surface scratches, but that just adds to the character anyway, right? My only real complaint is the lugs are a bit sharp.They need to round them out a bit, but fortunately they do not interfere in anyway while wearing the watch.Watches like this make you contemplate while you are shelling out 100x more money on watches.This could serve you as your everyday companion for the rest of your life.Sure, there will likely come a time where your taste grows and you want higher end pieces, but this BM8180 is all you will ever NEED.Truly exceptional.

I have had this watch for 3.5 years now, with no major complaints, finding it to be a great everyday use watch.This may sound preposterous, but I purchased this as a replacement for a Rolex Submariner that I received as a gift 20 years ago.The Rolex was a great watch, although a bit big and heavy.Servicing it was more than the cost of this watch, and the latest repair would probably be ten times the cost, so into the safety deposit box the Rolex went.I do miss the ability of the Rolex to be completely submerged, having used it as a dive watch for years before giving up the sport, but the Citizen is much better for everyday use.It is hard to find tasteful, well made, and reasonably priced watches, which I believe the Citizen mostly satisfies.With the exception of the strap, that is.I did not care for the big metal grommets for the holes, but it was otherwise OK.The watch is not too gaudy, with plenty of function, including an easy to read dial, second hand, and day/date.As noted, I did not care for the strap and suspected that the leather/nylon material would get a bit funky with use, as others have noted. After a year or so, I replaced it with a plain nylon olive drab band that is a little easier to keep clean and odor free.As for accuracy, the watch requires only a 1-2 minute adjustment every few months, if that.Anyone that has come from a self-winding watch (even high end models from my limited exposure), should know the need for regular adjustments.My Rolex was off by several minutes every month, so I was happy to not have to adjust a watch as often.My job requires a high level of precision, so having a good, accurate timepiece is a necessity, and this watch does that.This is all based upon the online Navy atomic clock as my reference time, not one of those radio synchronised clocks, which I find to vary widely.As noted, the dial is easy to read, with the day/date function very useful for those of us confused about the day of the week (I'm a bit absent minded about the year at times!).The black face makes it easy to read the dial.Nighttime viewing is not as great as a doped display, but acceptable for the cost (not electroluminescent, alas).The crown is protected by arms on either side, which is a welcome touch for those of us not so coordinated, and I have not had any issues with the crown or arms.The crystal sits proud of the surface, as crystals usually do, but I rather wish it had some sort of raised protection outside it, as the crystal has become very well scratched with use.The scratches have only been more noticeable in the last year, so it is not all bad, and the watch is still readable. If I get another two years out of the watch, it will be a good value in my opinion, and if the watch is still for sale, I will probably order another one from Amazon (rather tempted to order one now and set it aside).Coming from the scratchless sapphire crystal of a Rolex, I assumed this would happen, so I cannot say I am surprised.A sapphire crystal would probably make the watch too expensive (although I wish it were an option, if Citizen is reading this), and as I well know, sapphire crystals are easily shattered from three foot drops onto hard tile floors...So the crystal used is a fair trade I suppose.One of the selling points to the watch is the Eco-Drive function, which as is illustrated with the watch listing, charges the built-in battery using available light from the dial's nearly perfectly hidden, baked-in solar cell.This was what finally sold me on this match, as I dislike quartz watches and their annoying battery replacements (I own several Seiko quartz watches).The battery in the Eco-Drive is supposed to last 20 years if I recall correctly, so I expect it will outlast the crystal (see above).Given the strap issue and scratching I'm taking away one star, but still like, and use the watch daily.It is a great watch with caveats, and recommended.