Citizen leads the pack with this fine watch
Written: Jun 07 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Ecodrive, Useful Functions, Appearance, Reliability, Support.
Cons: Non-perpetual and non-shock proof.
The Bottom Line: The Calibre AV0021-52H is one of the best values in men's chronograph watches today. This watch is be the benchmark in under $1000 chronographs.
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| philips949's Full Review: Citizen Calibre 2100 Stainless Steel Chronograph W... |
This review covers the Citizen Calibre 2100 AV0021-52H Chronograph Watch...
Overview:
This is a great watch for guys who want reliability and useful features in a Chronograph watch with a great appearance. The Calibre 2100 is Citizen’s top of the line chronograph with the right combination of feature most folks will actually use. This is not a diving or a flight watch. This watch is water resistant to 200 meters so for swimming it should be fine. Citizen has other models better suited for those purposes. The MSRP is $600 but, you can find this watch on the Internet for around $300 and at local jewelers/department stores for around $450. This is a great price for a watch of this type even at MSRP. Other watches I considered in the same price range include Seiko, Swiss Army(Wenger), Tag Heuer, and Bolouva. The Citizen is better looking and has better features in this class of watch.
Citizen is the world’s largest watchmaker and has been in business since 1924. The last 25 years has been the period in which Citizen has clearly established its leadership in design, technology, and quality. The Ecodrive system is solar based which is a big plus for a watch of this type.
Appearance:
Again, this is one cool looking very large watch. The unique faceplate design and color really makes the watch standout. It is larger than others in its class and will certainly draw attention form others. It is easy to read with great contrast between the hands and the background and the numbers are clear. The hands and position markers glow brightly (more than other watches I have seen in this class) and for reading the time in the dark. The very large charge meter is unique but balances well with the rest of the watch face features.
The instruction book was well written and all of the buttons have a positive feel. Setting and using the Calibre's various functions was easy to do and works well. The alarm function is set by using an hour hand so it is hard to pinpoint a specific time but it can be done with a little patience and trial and error will get you fairly close (within +or- 5 minutes).
Construction:
This model has a titanium case with screw down back case and crown, non-reflective crystal, and push button fold over safety latch. The titanium band can be adjusted but if you need a link taken out it should be done by a professional according to Citizen so if you decide to buy it over the web keep in mind that you may will need a skilled Citizen Jeweler to size the bracelet for you. I have an average size wrist and my jeweler simply had to adjust the clasp pin one notch for a perfect fit but I could have done this myself. Considering the on-line pricing is about $125 cheaper than in the local stores, it is worth paying a jeweler $10-20 to size it locally. The titanium construction also saves weight on this very large watch.
The only shortcoming is that I would have liked this watch to be considered shock resistant. The instructions clearly state the watch can be damaged by dropping it. I feel that any sports watch or chronograph will be exposed more harsh environments that dress watches and should be shock resistant. Still this at least appears to be an incredibly sturdy watch. In fact, I did drop it once already on a hard vinyl floor and it survived just fine. I have owned citizens in the past and they were always tough watches.
Features/Specifications:
Accurate to or – 15 seconds/month
1/5 second 12 hour Chronograph
Water resistant to 666ft or 200 meters
Ecodrive solar powered (no batteries to change)
Power Meter
One button all reset (resets the entire chronograph)
Features that it does NOT have
No moving bezel with numbers (unless you dive these are useless anyway)
Not perpetual (They should have implemented this feature in this high end watch)
Competitor products:
This watch competes closely with the Seiko, Tag Heuer, Boulova and Swiss Army. These watches are either kinetic or battery powered. I like the solar based system as it has fewer moving parts and it never needs batteries. The Tag is more of a prestige watch and is slightly more expensive in this class. I was unimpressed with the TAG watches that were under $600 in appearance and function. Swiss Army only has battery watches and although they do look nice they fall short on useful features. Boulova chronographs were nice dress watches but the chronograph offerings were very bland. Seiko was my favorite alternative to the Citizen but the Seiko watches simply did not have the appearance that the Calibre 2100 has. I have owned Seiko watches in the past and was pleased with them. The tie breaker was the Ecodrive and titanium construction.
Reliability/service/support:
The instructions are well written and downloadable from the Citizen web site. I also was able to get a tech on the phone is less than 5 minutes to ask a few questions. This was better than the responses from the major competitors who had me on hold for at between 15 minutes and 30 minutes. The tech was easy to understand and spoke clearly. This is a big plus as many companies use offshore support that is difficult to communicate with.
I have had Citizens before and they were quite durable. The only thing for me is that in a midrange watch battery replacement usually is the kiss of death for the water resistant specs unless you want to pay big $$$ to a jeweler who will re-certify the waterproof rating. This is why the ECO drive is appealing to me as I often boat and swim with my watch on. Not having to crack open the case is a big plus. My wife has a Ecodrive Citizen and is very pleased with its performance for the past 4 years as well.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
philips949
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Member: Philip Siebert
Reviews written: 22
Trusted by: 2 members
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