I own a different model Garrison and was excited to add another to the collection. Good features include the usual Citizen fit & finish, and the Arabic numerals are highly legible as is desired in a field watch. The supplied leather band is of very good quality, if barely long enough to fit my larger wrist. Accuracy seems extremely good so far, with well under +\- 15s per month. Mine is about -5s per month so far, and as I write this it’s spot-on after last setting it to my AT-synchronized watches about a week ago. Bad features that I wish I’d known about before making a purchase - the window for the date complication is EXTREMELY small, to the point where it is unreadable for me in anything but direct sunlight, or indoor lighting of considerable brightness and directly overhead, as it’s shadowed by the window edges. I’ve actually had to get a flashlight out to read it on occasions. The lume is only applied to the hour & minute hands, nowhere else on the dial. Not a big deal, but given that my other Garrison has it applied to the hour markers I was rather disappointed. The supplied band tapers quite a bit, which wasn’t clear from the images on the site. IMO it makes the watch look out of proportion, with a rather dainty band on a 42mm watch. Since the lugs are 21.5mm, it made finding a longer and wider band a challenge. I ended up putting a one-piece leather NATO-style band and it looks vastly improved with it. Lastly, the green color of the dial is quite dark, to the point where the dark red second hand basically disappears. I bought this model for the bit of color, to contrast from my other Garrison, but unless it’s very bright out you can’t really see it. A lighter shade of green and much brighter second hand would be enormous improvements to the watch. Overall a bit of mixed bag. Quality is excellent, and it looks absolutely fantastic on a vintage-style dark leather NATO strap (which is why I’ll keep and wear it) but some design features (date window, color palette, strap choice) are real head-scratchers.
I own a different model Garrison and was excited to add another to the collection. Good features include the usual Citizen fit & finish, and the Arabic numerals are highly legible as is desired in a field watch. The supplied leather band is of very good quality, if barely long enough to fit my larger wrist. Accuracy seems extremely good so far, with well under +\- 15s per month. Mine is about -5s per month so far, and as I write this it’s spot-on after last setting it to my AT-synchronized watches about a week ago. Bad features that I wish I’d known about before making a purchase - the window for the date complication is EXTREMELY small, to the point where it is unreadable for me in anything but direct sunlight, or indoor lighting of considerable brightness and directly overhead, as it’s shadowed by the window edges. I’ve actually had to get a flashlight out to read it on occasions. The lume is only applied to the hour & minute hands, nowhere else on the dial. Not a big deal, but given that my other Garrison has it applied to the hour markers I was rather disappointed. The supplied band tapers quite a bit, which wasn’t clear from the images on the site. IMO it makes the watch look out of proportion, with a rather dainty band on a 42mm watch. Since the lugs are 21.5mm, it made finding a longer and wider band a challenge. I ended up putting a one-piece leather NATO-style band and it looks vastly improved with it. Lastly, the green color of the dial is quite dark, to the point where the dark red second hand basically disappears. I bought this model for the bit of color, to contrast from my other Garrison, but unless it’s very bright out you can’t really see it. A lighter shade of green and much brighter second hand would be enormous improvements to the watch. Overall a bit of mixed bag. Quality is excellent, and it looks absolutely fantastic on a vintage-style dark leather NATO strap (which is why I’ll keep and wear it) but some design features (date window, color palette, strap choice) are real head-scratchers.
Received as a christmas present 18 yrs ago and it has barely missed a beat. Runs about 30sec fast a month and all I do is pop the stem to let time catch up. Capacitor battery may be showing its age and it got low on charge recently.I think It was just inside too much. I have spent more on bands than it cost in 2005.Crystal is pretty scratched up and I avoid submersing it if I can help it. I think as watches age the waterproof rating diminishes and I find it easier to just not shower or swim with it. And I have a leather band on it also.
Has all the features a great field watch needs except good lume. Nonetheless it's my everyday watch.
Got my first unsolicited comment on it today. Felt great! So far, I love it...
Love this watch. It's simple, elegant, and perfectly weighted. I like wearing this watch.
Gift for son. He loves it! Green color and green energy!
Love the look and the functionality. The crystal and band are thinner/lower profile than the pictures appear, however, that is a great for me as a prefer a lower profile. Love the watch.
Received as a christmas present 18 yrs ago and it has barely missed a beat. Runs about 30sec fast a month and all I do is pop the stem to let time catch up. Capacitor battery may be showing its age and it got low on charge recently.I think It was just inside too much. I have spent more on bands than it cost in 2005.Crystal is pretty scratched up and I avoid submersing it if I can help it. I think as watches age the waterproof rating diminishes and I find it easier to just not shower or swim with it. And I have a leather band on it also.
This was a gift. My brother loved the Garrison Eco Drive
Had this for about a month now, primarily as a watch for work. Overall it seems to be a reliable and attractive daily watch. Pros: Accurate quartz (has lost about 1s in a month), clear and easy to read in daylight, nicely finished case and quality leather strap. Cons: Lume is below average - only the hands have it applied and it's nowhere near as bright as others (like my Seiko dive watch). Also the 24-hour time indicators are tiny, and even with my glasses on they're almost impossible to read - Citizen should have made them much larger or left them off entirely.
EcoDrive watches are a bargain and beautiful. I have saved hundreds of dollars on batteries over the years and they are truly dependable.
This is exactly what I was looking for. A great watch for weekend wear. It is not so expensive that I will worry about it getting wet or muddy while doing yardwork or banging it up working in the barn, but it is still really attractive. The strap is a nice sturdy leather, the face is simple, and I love the solar Ecodrive. The green and stainless steel gives it a nice outdoor hiking/camping look. I got my son and I Star Wars watches last Christmas, so this is my third Citizen EcoDrive. I would definitely recommend them.
Great looking watch and I'm looking forward to skipping the battery replacement routine.
I'd been interested in trying out an Eco-Drive powered Citizen for a while, and saw this in a department store display and was bowled over. A great field watch for everyday use, extremely comfortable and fits perfectly on a medium sized wrist, while still presenting a commanding presence. Perfectly legible in a handsome font, with the gorgeous, deep "evergreen" dial and white numerals. The second hand in an equally deep crimson sets everything off nicely. The brown leather strap is extremely soft and has a durable feeling for the price point (though I only have a week of wear to report from). The stainless case has both brushed and polished pieces, and looks smart. The crown is substantial and easy to manipulate. Looks great with casual or sporting ensembles, or with a sport coat or sweater. The only thing I would knock the piece on is the lume, which is fairly weak and only applied to the hour and minute hands. Other than that, I have hardly had reason to take it off since purchase.
I’ve had this watch for about 2 weeks now. I’ve synchronized it with my Citizen World Perpetual A-T with radio controlled world timer and it’s bang-on to the second after two weeks of running. Very impressed with the accuracy to date.
The date window appears much larger in pictures than it is in reality. We returned it right away.