Citizen Men's CA0331-05A Eco-Drive Stainless Steel Chronograph Watch Review

About half a year ago, I bought myself the Citizen Men's CA0331-05A Eco-Drive Stainless Steel Chronograph Watch. I was drawn to it for several reasons. In no particular order they are as follows:

• It never needs a battery as it charges from any light source
• It looks nice
• It has a good warranty and is made by a reputable company
• It should be very accurate

Having had it for about half a year, I am now ready to report my findings. I have been wearing it about once a week and most of the time it sat on a table in a relatively dimly-lit room. Still, the battery never got low (as would be indicated by the second hand skipping 2 seconds at a time instead of one) and the accuracy is superb.


Overall Impressions

The watch is elegant without being overwrought. The color scheme is simple with black numerals on a white background. The main dial is large and easy to read. There are three subdials: one sub-dial for the second hand, the other for the minute readout of the chronometer and the third for the 24-hour indicator. There is also a date window. There is no day of the week indicator, however.

The case diameter is 42mm, which is on the large side and barely fits my wrist, especially since I lost weight on my low-carb/paleo diet. The supplied strap has been durable so far, but of course not going to be as durable as a metal band.

Accuracy

The watch is very accurate. Its movement is hacking, meaning once you pull the crown out, the second hand stops, so you can set it very precisely. In the last couple months, the watch didn't deviate from the correct time pretty much at all. Maybe 1-2 seconds. In the past, with my mechanical/automatic Orient and Invicta watches, when they only deviated from correct time by 20 seconds a month, I considered it excellent. Of course, quartz can be much more accurate, if done well and this watch is an example.

Chronometer

The chronometer is a nice feature, but I haven't used it at all yet, other than to test out how it works.

Some Specs/Features

• 1/5 Chronometer up to 60 minutes
• 12/24 Hour time
• 42 mm case
• Screw-back case
• Mineral crystal
• 100 m / 330 feet water resistance
• Leather strap
• 5-year warranty

Charging from Light

The watch charges itself from virtually any light source, the strongest charger being sunlight. It can run for months without any light. When the battery gets low, the second hand starts moving in 2-second increments instead of 1-second. It hasn't happened at all with my watch, even though it mostly sits in a dimly-lit room.

Conclusion

The Citizen Men's CA0331-05A Eco-Drive Stainless Steel Chronograph Watch is an excellent, elegant and functional watch. It has an amazing accuracy, should be durable and never needs a battery replacement. The only minor issue is the fact that you have to adjust the date when the month has less than 31 days. I also would prefer it had a day of the week indicator. Otherwise, this watch is super-awesome. I enjoy wearing it and highly recommend it.