Like many blokes, we can’t help ourselves being drawn to complicated looking watches, stuffed full of rotating bezels, dials and obscure markings, and if the thing comes in a chunky metal case and lights up like a Christmas tree at night, all the better.Naturally, it has to be waterproof to something like twenty thousand leagues under the sea (even if it’s unlikely to go much deeper than the washing up bowl) and come liberally furnished with buttons, functions and a beefy strap. Oh, and if it looks like the kind of thing a commando would wear on a heroic mission, we’ll be even more interested.
But there’s not much point having all that manly technology pulsating away on your wrist if the battery conks out when you’re scaling the Eiger, and here’s where the Citizen Eco-Drive watches caught our eye.
But there’s not much point having all that manly technology pulsating away on your wrist if the battery conks out when you’re scaling the Eiger, and here’s where the Citizen Eco-Drive watches caught our eye.
Eco Drive technology
The clever-clogs Citizen Eco-Drive watches are powered by an amorphous silicon solar cell lurking behind the dial which converts any form of light into electrical energy - so the watch will continuously recharge itself over a lifetime of use
The power is then stored by a “revolutionary” lithium-ion rechargeable battery which Citizen claims can store enough energy to power the watch for anything up to four years, depending on the model.
It’s intelligent too - so if the watch is kept in the dark for a long period, it switches to a sleep mode to conserve energy, with the second hand parking itself at the 12 o’clock position.
The power is then stored by a “revolutionary” lithium-ion rechargeable battery which Citizen claims can store enough energy to power the watch for anything up to four years, depending on the model.
It’s intelligent too - so if the watch is kept in the dark for a long period, it switches to a sleep mode to conserve energy, with the second hand parking itself at the 12 o’clock position.
As soon as the watch is exposed to light again, the second hand whizzes across the dial to the correct time.
Although the light-powered technology no doubt adds a few bob to the cost of the watch, it’s worth bearing in mind that when you replace the batteries on a conventional sports watch you’ll probably have to send it off to have the case resealed properly - an unwelcome extra (recurring) cost and inconvenience. With the Eco-Drive you can kiss goodbye to buying batteries forever.
Although the light-powered technology no doubt adds a few bob to the cost of the watch, it’s worth bearing in mind that when you replace the batteries on a conventional sports watch you’ll probably have to send it off to have the case resealed properly - an unwelcome extra (recurring) cost and inconvenience. With the Eco-Drive you can kiss goodbye to buying batteries forever.
Posted by: Mike Slocombe
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