Excellent Smartwatch, but Unpleasant App Surprise…

As an exclusive Citizen customer and avid collector, I had been contemplating adding this watch to my collection for quite some time, and finally did after weighing all the reviews I could come across in this website, other vendors’ websites, and every social media platform. And, I am very glad I did. The watch is not for those who prefer cloned cellphone screens as watches, but for people who prefer practicality, functionality, style, and uniqueness over fad. It conveys everything a smartwatch should be, cleverly packed into a “dive watch” case, where even the hour and minute hands have secondary and tertiary functions. The watch is a real treat, even for the most purist horologists who might frown upon smartwatches. However, I just came across a very unpleasant surprise as I set up the watch through its different supporting apps. The watch is mainly controlled by the “Citizen Connected” app, which provides a series of advanced setting options, beyond basic settings managed through the watch itself. As I browsed through this app, I came across a series of icons unrelated to the watch’s functions that did not respond as expected and did not lead to their intended targets, however my intrigue led me to reach out to Citizen for their support. After a very diligent and amicable series of email exchanges, that even included screenshot videos, Citizen could not identify the source of the problem until I shared that I live in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to which they responded that the app is only available in the mainland USA, Mexico, Canada, and the UK. For a company from Japan (a series of islands, just like Puerto Rico), who has prided itself in producing watches that adapt and perform in any timezone (PCAT’s of which I own 2 and receive their update radio signal between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM every morning from the Fort Collins, Colorado, USA station; and Altichron’s, of which I own 1 that provides me directions and altitude anywhere in the world I am), limiting an apps full functionality to 4 countries is very disappointing. As confirmation to all this, I activated my cellphone’s VPN (Virtual Private Network) and set it for one of the supported countries, and a series of other functions sprung into the app, including the much advertised “Riiiver watchfaces” with expanded self-updating displays and functions, which automatically disappear from the app and the watch when deactivate my VPN. In summary, I can download the apps (Citizen Connected, YouQ, and Riiiver), for exactly the same watch being sold worldwide, but have limited functionality due to living in Puerto Rico: truly appalling. I truly hope this review helps any decision-making process from potential buyers in unsupported areas/countries, or moves Citizen to update the app(s) to support currently unsupported areas/countries.

4/5 good watch

I really enjoy this watch. It’s comfortable and looks good as a casual wear watch. I like the smart features as well and find it handy.

I watch for those actively on the go.

The watch is great and keeps track of the physical events I do each day.

Good buy

My favorite part about the watch is that I can customize the watch face, since I can see my heart rate, steps, and calories burned without the need to open an app. I also like that I can control my music with the side buttons, and can navigate through the apps quickly. One feature that I like is that you can track the score of your favorite sports team right from the watch face, letting you know the score without having to open an app or google it. The battery life is great too, it lasts over 2 weeks and is very convenient.

Beautiful and function. Limited water resistance

Beautiful and functional watch. Water resistance information was reported as higher in the promotional resources. When the watch arrived, it indicates "normal" water resistance.

Overall great watch with some faults

I have always been a fan of Citizen watches. I have four of them and purchased the Hybrid Smartwatch as an option to my Apple Watch. Fantastic battery life and great classic looks. Overall happy with my purchase with some issues. First, no Apple/Google pay. You'll have to pull your phone out for that. Next, I have an issue where the dials disappear. Theres a setting to show/not show the dials and although I dont change it, it sets itself to hide dials every so often. Another issue is if you have complications to show weather or a different time zone, they are not constant. You have to flick your wrist for it to update the time (it does show time difference and city constant so I dont know why it can't show the actual time) or, have to have the app running on your phone for the weather to update. Aside from the issues, I like the watch and swap between it and an Apple watch depending on what I'm doing. You'll have to decide for yourself depending on your use case. Definitely not as integrated as the Apple watch, so you're paying for looks at a lower price point.

Failure to stay synced and connectd

First, the watch was exactly what I was looking for. Size and look were perfect. Hybrid with long battery life (I have been testing it at the house for a week and still over 75%). I really like the looks, and the available options. However, at the very beginning (as others had noted) the watch failed multiple times (was never able to connect via the app, had to connect via BT on phone and then finally not syncing at all) to connect, to stay connected and finally not connecting at all. Tried everything, from reinstalling the app, turning on BT and off again, shutting down Iphone, and all other options available, and now nothing. I am disappointed in the product, though Citizen has always been a quality product, this falls short. Sending it back.

Battery time

I have just purchased smart watch ( not hybrid). Battery runs out in few hours. I like watch, worried about need of charging twice a day. Is this fixable or I should get Hybrid

Enjoyed the watch before it died

I bought this watch in July 2024. I was never able to get it connected to some of the apps, and it constantly disconnected from my phone. Still, it was a great watch, and I enjoyed the features. It suddenly refuses to charge. I bought a replacement charger, which I had to find locally since it is always out of stock on your site. The watch doesn't show that it is connected to the charger at all, no matter which charger I'm using. I've never had this problem with other Citizen watches.

Failure to Launch app

Since I was unable to launch the app and support was of no help I will be returning the watch.