Citizen Japan Only Titanium Diver Impressions

Ah the seven day eternal wait for my new titanium titan to arrive from Japan finally ended today.
It has been sized and is now riding my wrist as I type.
My initial impressions.
Very nicely made with good fit and finish, though at the moment I'm not certain it is equal to my old Seiko Sumo 6R-15 Japan-only diver. Certainly, the lume is not in the Seiko catagory.
On the plus side, the Citizen is much smaller (39 mm) than the Seiko (46 mm if I recall correctly) and lots, lots lighter. The Citizen is entirely made of titanium, of course. The Seiko was all stainless - and heavy in it's own right. A hulk of a watch, which is why I no longer own it even though I loved the attention to detail and construction.
For me, the Citizen is much more comfortable. The bracelet reminds me of a Rolex or Tudor Sub (a good thing) without the rattle. It is as light as the hollow links on the Rolex brands but solid metal. Again another plus for me.
Surprisingly, the Citizen plays a bit smaller than either Sub, though it is the same size. Still, the dial is very legible and the big numbers make it very, very easy to read at a glance.
The crown seems a bit skimpy and small compared to the protector. The bezel turns very easily.
This watch is fitted with a divers safety clasp, push buttom release and a dive extension that is the coolest I've ever encountered - a two finger lock that releases and locks the extension right on your wrist. This will be handy for diving, but it is also handy for sizing if you gain or lose weight or from summer to winter.
Based on the dive extension alone, I give the watch a 7 out of 10. For the moment at least.
Here are pix:

Lite is good. That's a nice classic design the you can grab and go because of the Eco-drive. Way to go

LOOKS bigger than 39mm...big, clean dial!

Great review, very candid!

Enjoy!

Anomaly wrote:

LOOKS bigger than 39mm...big, clean dial!

Great review, very candid!

Enjoy!

I also noticed these things.

39mm is not too small for most of us. Just gotta get used to it again.

Nice Dan. I sometimes think Citizen may have a slight styling edge over Seiko. Sometimes.

I like it Dan and appreciate your impressions. If only it were bigger I'd be tempted to bite. Congrats, nonetheless

Looks great! Different combinations give it a unique appearance. I've found the extensions to be practical for wearing over gloves in the nasty winter, too.

Enjoy!

I agree with Alan, that sure doesn't look like it's 39mm. It sure is a sharp looking watch. Congrats.

Your Eco Drive looks well woth the wait Dan ! First of all the Diver theme
is excellent !..Many times the Eco Drives have a totally different feel. However,
this one is simply a classic sport diver that pulls no punches. The lines around
the chapter ring give a deep three dimensional feel to the dial which is great.
Also the hands have a distinct feel to them as well. The bezel, bracelet, and
case back round out what Citizen is known for..Great quality and great watches !
Enjoy your new Citizen !

. . . . How did I miss you getting this one in???? I've been waiting for it too!!!

Looks even better in your pics than the web shots. The Ti is sweet, love it . . . . great dial, great bracelet . . . Looks like another one that will catch on and pop up on wrist shots more often. Glad you are happy with it . . . .

Thanks for the Review Dan. Congrats on getting it in safe condition. I guess I didn't realize it was 39mm. Personally I would prefer 43mm, but that's another subject. I love the looks overall but agree that the crown looks somewhat undersized for the rest of the watch. That bezel totally rocks and I also like you enjoy the large numbers making it easy to read. Ti is a nice plus. Thanks again for the great initial review and pics. How's it look on the wrist and what size is your wrist?

Thank you gents for the kind words!

@randy: When did you order yours? I got mine from Higuchi - $355 with shipping if I remember right.

@noob: 43 mm is at my outer limit. I prefer 39-42 mm, plus these days Mrs. B is "sharing" my watches (lol) since she discovered "how wonderful they look" on her wrist. Basically, she wants 34-39 mm these days. She gave me a Rolex Sub last year, but wears it more than I do! (I actually prefer the Tudor Subs).

Back to the Citizen, it rides very well on the wrist and looks great. It does indeed remind me of the Rolex brand Subs in feel - without the hair pull. It is also relatively slim - slides right under a dress shirt. Slimmer than the Tudor Sub (which has a modified ETA 2824) and much less thick than the Rolex.

Some minor observations: Bezel is all Ti too! You probably noticed in the pix the bracelet is held together by pin and collar. The second hand hits the hash marks on the chapter ring exactly. No slop or in between, which you see on some watches. The beaded bezel arrow also hits exactly on the hashes. This indicates good fit and finish.

That's all for a while. Want to live with it then do a full review.

Congratulations on your new Citizen. But I am a little disappointed that there are no foodstuffs in the pic.

Excellent. Glad your wait it over. I really like its looks and am impressed that you seem impressed.

Great pictures, who took them?

Also, can you give a guess on the weight - what's it like given its both all metal and all Ti?

Doc, it feels like my IWC Portofino which is small and very light with the caribou strap. I'd estimate 100 grams or less. Much lighter than an Invicta Japan Pro Diver or the Pulsar Dive Watch I'm wearing today. I have misplaced my gram scale - been looking for it for about 7 months. (Used it to weigh baby birds, not drugs). It does not intrude on your wrist. Hope this helps.

And Rusty, I will use food when I do my full review.

Very nice Eco Drive Dan and thanks for the initial review. I am a fan of the Citizen Eco Drives and have seven of them in my collection. Also I noticed that like my BN0000-04H it has a one piece case design, very cool. Enjoy your new watch and that may just be the next Citizen I purchase

boscoe wrote:

Doc, it feels like my IWC Portofino which is small and very light with the caribou strap. I'd estimate 100 grams or less. Much lighter than an Invicta Japan Pro Diver or the Pulsar Dive Watch I'm wearing today. I have misplaced my gram scale - been looking for it for about 7 months. (Used it to weigh baby birds, not drugs). It does not intrude on your wrist. Hope this helps.

And Rusty, I will use food when I do my full review.

Yes, thanks, it helps a lot. Wear it in good health (hope it helps the wrist issue).