Today, we bring you a treat. The beast in the flesh, the internet forum darling, the Citizen Ecozilla. The model for review is the BJ8040-01E,watches u boat, a large dive watch that makes you feel like an old-school diver from the minute it is strapped to your wrist. Lets review the stats:
Dive watch rated to 300 meters (almost 1,000 feet).
Titanium case.
6mm thick mineral crystal.
Helium release valve.
Uni-directional dive time bezel.
180 day power reserve.
Citizen Eco-Drive solar quartz movement.
Movement caliber: B873.
46mm wide and 18mm thick.
MSRP: $595.
The Citizen Ecozilla (a nickname that combines the Eco-Drive name with an accurate poke at the watches gargantuan size) is a modern tool diver. Tool dive watches are not flashy, tech laden, or in any way concerned with the standard conventions of watch design. Tool divers are only concerned with being uncompromised dive watches. Citizen has created something of a frankenstein (in a good way) with this watch, mixing their highly successful Eco-Drive technology with the classic styling and build of a tool dive watch. The Ecozilla contrasts its large and unwieldy case with ultra light titanium, which makes the watch much more wearable then its looks alone would convey. I have to admit that I was not a fan of this watch from the moment I received it; it felt too big, clunky, and awkward (both physically and esthetically). That said, after giving the watch a few full days on my wrist, it grew on me in a profound way.
I want to resist any hyperbole when describing the size of the case. It is HUGE. It sits high on your wrist and if you have scrawny wrists like me, you will quickly get used to people commenting on the size of your watch. (See the included video and photos for a better view of the Ecozilla's profile.) Putting the size aside, the fit and finish of the Ecozilla is great, and exactly in line with what we have come to expect from Citizen watches. The screw down crown is arguably the best I have ever used on a quartz watch. The tactile gnarled finish on the crown is matched with excellent threading and smooth action when screwing or unscrewing. The unidirectional bezel is easy to grip and smooth across its prominent "clicks." Unfortunately, the crystal is mineral glass and not sapphire, though that does improve its shatter resistance.
Being a tool diver, the crystal is 6mm thick to ensure water resistance and it flat mounted just below the bezel.
The best feature of the watch is its luminosity; Citizen was not messing around when they painted the hands and markers on the Ecozilla. The lume glows brightly and for an almost absurd amount of time. The only comparison that comes to mind is the Seiko SKX779 "Monster" which is generally the gold standard for affordable dive watch luminosity. The Ecozilla easily glowed through an entire movie or a long night drive and seems to charge its paint quickly under sunlight. Legibility is obviously a priority on this watch; the large hands and markers are great for quickly glancing at the time.
The rubber strap is basic and in no way noteworthy. It is integrated into the case which made fitted rubber feel too tight coming out of the case and required backing off the buckle and leaving a space between the bottom of my wrist and the buckle itself. The watch comes packaged with an additional length of rubber to accommodate wearing with a wetsuit. There is a bracelet option but only on the stainless steel model and I cannot imagine the bracelet is worth giving up on the ultra light titanium on a watch of this size. The watch ships in a zippered faux leather case — standard citizen fare. I'm not sure why Citizen designed the Ecozilla without standard lugs but adapters can be found online to incorporate any strap with the Ecozilla.
The Eco-Drive solar quartz movement is both rugged and totally transparent from a usage standpoint. Like any good quartz movement once the time is set, you just wait for the battery to eventually die. You'll likely be waiting a long time as the Eco-Drive caliber in this watch is advertised as never needing a new battery. The Eco-Drive movement uses a solar cell in the dial to charge a battery that will power the movement for an entire 180 days. It is a great piece of technology that suits any watch and it is one of Citizens best innovations.
As a dive watch, the Citizen Ecozilla has its bases covered. It has a high resistance to water pressure, an extremely legible dial set, and accurate and simple movement, and very good build quality. It is easy to see how the Ecozilla (and its big brother the Autozilla — an automatic version) garner such a considerable following online. After wearing it for a couple of days I had grown to love the "submarine" style of the case, the large hands, and the purpose-built design. Tool dive watches are intrinsically cool because they are generally not very flashy, they are designed to be bulletproof, and apologize for nothing. The Citizen BJ8040-01E Ecozilla is a deep sea beast with the manners of a watch that you could wear daily. Priced at $595 and available online for less, if you are in the market for a large tool diver, I cannot imagine the Ecozilla ever letting you down.
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Swiss watch maker Hublot recently started a blog called Hublot Nation - allowing it to connect more directly with its customers, fans, and the general public. The "Hublog" as I call it will be a place to share information, events, and experiences direct from the source. Hublot always has a lot going on and I hope that the new venue will allow it to offer some juicy tidbits straight from the top to you. It is challenge to consistently offer good content. Blogging isn't easy,rolex replica, and aside from continually offering new content, the entire Hublot team needs to be part of the process, contributing useful,replica watch wholesale, quality information all the time. So check out the Hublot Nation blog at www.hublotnation.com - I hope we get a weekly update from Mr. Biver himself.
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Jaeger-LeCoultre's answer to the thin watch in 2011 was with their Reverso. Many of the Richemont brands were releasing their own slim watches, and I think the Grande Reverso Ultra-Thin is one of the sleeker models. As of now it will come in at least four versions. Some unlimited models including one with a more typical Reverso face guilloche engraved silvered dial with Arabic numerals, and a tribute dial that hearkens back to some of the original Reverso models. The limited edition models have slightly different dial or come in 18k pink.
The model pictured at the very bottom of the article is the "Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 U.S. Edition" watch - and I will cover it first. This one uses all baton hour markers with tan lume on them to look aged. It also has different style hands than the other models. What is really special is the strap. It is made by a fellow living in Argentina named Eduardo Fagliano who makes boots for polo players. Polo is big in Argentina, and Jaeger-LeCoultre is big in Polo. As you've probably heard a few times by now, the original Reverso was made for British Polo players.
Fagliano is said to be one of the greatest book makers, and was specially commissioned by JLC to make the strap for the US limited edition model. There will be only 100 of these version and they will have a price of $7,250 in steel. OK,discount replica rolex watch, now on to more hands-on stuff.
The Grande Reverso Ultra-Think is 7.2mm thick and in a 27.5mm by 46mm case. Even being that thin the case still allows the watch to flip around in true Reverso style. It looks and feels great on the wrist. When I first saw images of the watch I was feeling pretty ho-hum about it. I liked the looks of it but felt it might be a bit lacking in the excitement department - especially because I get so enthusiastic about JLC sport watches. When I put the Grande Reverso Ultra-Thin on my wrist, my perception changed and I felt a lot more positive about the watch. It just has a really nice elegant feel to it. I would term it "dignified." The style is sophisticated and demure - with various decorative elements but nothing too showy. It will win a lot of friends without having to try too hard.
My favorite piece is the 18k rose gold Tribute model. The limited edition models all have "Tribute to 1931" added to their name because they replicate original dials. This one has Arabic hour markers at 12 and 6,replica watch rolex replica, with baton hour markers elsewhere. Just a neat retro look. They did a good job with this collection in 1931,replica watch rolex replica, and now we can appreciate that again today.
Inside the Grande Reverso Ultra-Thin watches is a manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre in-house made calibre 822 movement. The movement is assembled and decorated by hand, which is nice, but I think it would be awesome to make another version with a power reserve indicator. Think about it. The Reverso flip case is fun to operate, but you don't often have a reason to do it. What if you put the power reserve indicator on the back of the case. This way you could not only have that added information to know when to wind the movement, but you'll also have an excuse to play with the case. Sounds win-win to me, and maybe we will see that? Not sure about pricing for the whole collection, but you can get a pretty good idea of the pricing knowing the limited edition steel model is $7,250. A bit less for the standard steel models, and a bit more for the gold models. Look for the Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ulta-Thin and Grande Reverso Ultra-Thin Tribute to 1931 limited edition watches soon.
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For ModernMan.com I was asked to write a guide on how to buy vintage watches. It was an interesting challenge to construct a comprehensive yet coherent guide for people who are both watch lovers and novices. I am pretty happy with the result. Check out my vintage watch buying guide on ModernMan.com here.
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Last week, No.30 of WATCH magazine came out, including my column on vintage Rolex watches. WATCH is a Dutch lifestyle magazine,yachtmaster replica, covering topics on travelling, photography, cars, HiFi, fashion and watches. WATCH also releases a watch annual, like the Armband Uhren Katalog, covering most watch brands and their collections. One of the other authors on watch topics is watchelebrity Elizabeth Doerr. She writes about haute horlogerie for approximately 20 titles (world wide), including the web portal WorldTempus.
The column I wrote for this edition,rolex watch replica, is mainly about the popularity of vintage Rolex watches and the things you should pay attention to when buying them. My former two articles for WATCH magazine were about being spoiled (or neglected) by the big watch brands and about the watch industry and e-commerce.
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Just so you know, the cheaper version of this watch costs over $700,discount replica rolex watch,000. Well over $700,000.... and there is the platinum version... I might just nickname this watch the "PhD degree times six." That sounds about right. After skipping over the Invention Piece number 2 the first time around and going straight to the Invention Piece 3, Greubel Forsey revisits your lust for four tourbillons again with the Invention Piece 2 in gold or platinum. Bon appetite,wholesale replica watch! It is just me or does the dial layout remind you of the Vianney Halter Antiqua?
Read my full article on the Greubel Forsey Invention Piece 2 at Haute Living Here.
