djmm
June 16th, 2009, 11:39
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Review.jpg
SPECIFICATIONS
Model Number: ATD53-3002
Retail Price: 95,000 Yen
Release Date: 24/6/09
Movement Caliber: H10A (With radio signal reception – Japan only)
Accuracy: +/- 15 Seconds per month
Width: 42mm
Thickness: 10.7mm
Weight: 96gms.
Watch material: Titanium with DLC
Glass: Sapphire Crystal with Non-Reflective Coating
Calendar: Perpetual Calendar with Day/Date display
INTRODUCTION
Before I got this watch, I wasn’t really a Citizen fan. I think it’s because firstly, for a Japanese watch, the name doesn’t really sound Japanese (unlike Seiko). Heck it doesn’t even sound like a watch name if you think about it. I think for a watch company name, Citizen sounds as out of place as Asylum Seeker for a brand name.
Secondly, I personally think Seiko watches in general have nicer style. But looks like with their current new release and upcoming Citizen domestic models, my opinion of Citizen watches will be changed.
Back to the watch, so, my birthday was coming, and I was thinking to get one affordable, hassle-free watch to add to my collection. Hassle free means that the watch has to be in Quartz so I don’t need to be bothered with readjusting the watch so often and worrying about the expensive cost during service intervals.
With Quartz technology, my options were either Seiko’s Kinetic or Citizen’s Eco-Drive. With Kinetic, the power is coming from either you wearing it (movement), charging it using a charger, or winding it manually if it has Direct Drive technology. All those mean that the watch still needs some sort of interaction in order to operate.
This is where I think Citizen’s Eco-Drive technology is handier. It draws its energy from a source that gives life to everything in this world. No, not God you dumbo - it’s the sun. Although I think it will be awesome to have a watch that draws the energy from your faith in God. But I guess the watch wouldn’t operate very well on me, haha..
Anyway, so I like Eco-Drive because as long as it is exposed to light, it will still charge itself without me having to do anything. So I can just pop the watch in a watch-box with glass top and just leave it there for a long time and it can still operate by itself.
Originally, my choice was Citizen Alterna VO10-6662B (that’s a beautiful watch – google it), but then when I was browsing Citizen’s website, I stumbled upon this picture:
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen_productshot.jpg
That’s the picture that made me changed my mind about getting the Alterna. After reading the specs and features, I was completely convinced that I wanted this Attesa instead even though it is more expensive. It is also a new release watch, it is exciting to be able to get hold of a watch that is just released not long ago.
FEATURES
This watch has many features, some of them are not mentioned in the product information page on the website. On the page, the features are represented by little icons. For this Attesa, here are the features:
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-feature-table.jpg
The features that are not included in those little icons are such as:
-Easy-adjust bracelet – It has 3 adjustable steps that allow you to micro-adjust the bracelet without using a tool.
-Bilingual day display (Japanese & English)
-Auto power save (sleep mode) and auto resume once the watch is exposed to light
- Time Zone Adjustment
-Low charge indicator
ORDERING PROCESS
So far the places that I know of (and probably most of you know) when it comes to ordering Japanese domestic watches are either Chino, Seiya, or Higuchi. All of them have great reputation. Price-wise there is only a bit of difference among them, so generally speaking I just go with the one that I happen to bother the most when asking for prices. Since all of them are friendly, so to be fair I think you should order watch from each of them by turns, haha..
I got my Attesa from Higuchi (by the way, you pronounce his name as in "Hee-Guchi" not "Hay-Guchi").
The watch was sent on Saturday and it arrived in Australia on Wednesday. No custom hold-ups since the watch isn’t that expensive.
It arrived well and safe, the watch was also adequately packaged with enough shock protection.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Packaging_1.jpg
Often when you buy from eBay seller, the watch either comes with no retail box or it comes with generic box. The good thing about ordering from these three sellers is your watch will come in its original retail box.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Packaging_2.jpg
Inside the box, you will find the watch (duh!), user’s manual (in Japanese and English) and International warranty card. Mine was stamped by Katsu.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Packaging_3.jpg
DIAL – OVERALL STYLE
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Open_box.jpg
As cliché as this may sound, but in this case I really have to say that the watch really looks much better in real life and the small picture on the website does not do this watch justice.
When I opened the box and looked at the watch for the very first time, I thought “damn, this watch is really beautiful”. The watch in real life looks much larger than what you imagined from the stock picture. I think it’s because of the dial and also the flat profile of the watch.
Three words that describe the style of the watch are: modern, simple, casual. Due to its looks and size, I think you can wear this watch for any occasions as long as it’s not very formal one (eg. Wearing tux). You can still wear this when you go smart casual or wearing your night out jacket. Since it’s black, it will blend easier with your darker clothing too.
Talking about black, the case & bracelet of this watch is not exactly jet black (the dial is), but it has a slight brownish tint in it, depending on the lighting. It’s like when you have a bucket of black paint, then you drop in a dollop of brown paint and mix it up.
DIAL – DESIGN & DETAILS
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen_frontdial1.jpg
I think this is the most interesting part of the watch. The outer part of the dial is concave, same as the hour markers (twisted downwards too) – giving it a “sunken” look. A slightly raised black ring (with very thin line pattern) sits next to the concave part of the dial, which is connected to the day/date marker.
The day/date marker is buried quite deep – making the difference between the lowest part of the dial (day/date) and the highest part (hour markers) more contrasting. The raised round black ring gives the dial a floating look.
So if you observe the watch closely right in the centre of the watch, it gives you a slight 3D look. Unfortunately I couldn’t capture that feel in the picture – Must have something to do with our eyes and depth perception.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/CITIZEN_DIALDESIGN.jpg
Colour wise, The hour markers, hour hand and minute hand are in silver. The luminous substance in the middle of hour and minute hands is in clear white. The signature trident-style second hand is in white too.
Day/dates are in white, but the Sunday indicator is interestingly in pink, not red. It actually looks nicer than the usual red IMO. The date shows you 3 dates with current date in the centre, which is pretty much for aesthetic purpose. It gives the watch a more modern and dynamic look.
I can’t see the solar panel or whatever it is you called it. In the middle is black with a milled-like surface. It looks more like a metal than a panel to me. And it’s very black, so I don’t know how light can actually pass through that thing. But it looks great that’s all that matters.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/CitizenATTESA.jpg
The writings on the dial are:
-NO - This indicates No reception when you press the pusher
-RX - This indicates reception standby
-H,M,L - This indicates the reception strength (high, medium, low)
-Citizen
-Attesa Eco Drive
-Made in Japan
I am glad the designer chose to make it simple for this watch. Considering the style, I wouldn’t want this watch to be cluttered with features mentioned on the face of the dial (eg. Perpetual calendar, 10 Bar water resist, etc)
DIAL – LUME
The hour markers do not have lume, I think because this watch is not positioned as sport watch. However lume does exist on the hour and minute hand. Of course the lume is not as bright as in dive watch, but just enough for you to tell the time in the darkness.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-lume.jpg
DIAL – GLASS
The dial is protected with flat sapphire crystal, and according to the website, it has a non-reflective coating too. But judging from the reflection, I think the coating is only applied on the bottom side of the crystal, not the top one. The good thing is this means that you don't have to worry about scratching the coating on the crystal.
The glass still produces reflection but at least where there is no reflection, the glass is very clear and very easy for you to read the dial.
On the picture below, you can see the reflection from very bright sun light seeping through the gaps in the curtain.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/citizen-frontdial-1.jpg
CASE – FRONT
Case size is around 42mm, not including the crown. On the picture below, I included the Tag Heuer Aquaracer as a size reference since most people are familiar with the size of Aquaracer watches. As you can see, it looks noticeable bigger than the 38mm Aquaracer.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/citizen-sizecomparison.jpg
My wrist size is 6.9”, and as I mentioned in my previous Seiko review, 42mm is about the max size I would want for a watch. It still looks alright on my medium sized wrist, but I personally wouldn’t go for anything bigger than this watch.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-wristshot.jpg
The unusual design on the crown side gives the watch a more casual and modern look as you can see from the picture below. When pulling/pushing the crown, it clicks firmly and since it is not positioned very close to the case, it is easy to pull out, you don’t need to use your fingernail to pull the crown. If you have very short fingernails, you will appreciate the design. When rotating the crown, it also makes firm clicks.
Next to the crown you will find a pusher to check the reception signal and also to manual sync the watch if you press and hold it. On top of the crown, there is a small button that you use for time reference and correction. I doubt I will ever use this button, maybe that’s why they make it so small.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-Crown_and_Pusher.jpg
I also included side profile shots of the case; it is pretty thin for a watch this size (thickness is only 10.7mm).
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-Button.jpg
CASE – BACK
There is nothing special on the back of the case. Considering the price I was actually expecting some sort of embossed engraving of the Attesa symbol or something. Instead, it is just a plain thin engraving with the Earth Eco-Drive symbol in the middle of the watch. I don’t know, maybe it is hard to do a full DLC on high emboss? Or maybe it’s just normal for Citizen watches?
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/citizen-caseback.jpg
CASE & BRACELET – MATERIAL & FINISH
The case and bracelet are made from Titanium. Come to think about it, Titanium is actually pretty amazing, it is stronger than steel, more corrosion resistant than steel, it doesn’t rust, and at the same time also much lighter than steel.
The whole watch is so light, if you let an uninformed person to handle it he/she might think that it’s made of plastic. On your wrist the watch feels like nothing especially if you have been accustomed to steel watches.
One of the reasons why I chose this black version one over the silver one because it has a full DLC surface treatment. A lot of people hesitate on titanium watches because they tend to look dull, but I must say that Citizen’s DLC technology really solve that problem here. Not only that it is very scratch resistant, the surface is very smooth too.
People also hesitate on titanium because although stronger, titanium surface is easier to scratch. But this DLC technology is supposed to make the titanium even harder to scratch than stainless steel. DLC stands for Diamond-Like Carbon, so theoretically speaking it is almost impossible to scratch.
But I am pretty sure that if I really try, I can scratch this coating. But I wouldn’t do that on purpose – as long as this thing can handle regular desk diving, I am happy.
The bracelet is finished in two different brushed finishes, shiny and matte. The case on the other hand, has brushed finish and also polished finish. The top side of the case is brushed; if you look closely you can see its tiny fibre-like brushed finish. The only polished finish in the watch is the middle section of the case and the top of the crown.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-Brushed.jpg
BRACELET
I think you can get a lot of information about the bracelet from previous pictures, so I will just talk about the clasp instead. The clasp is a press-to-release type. The clasp has a modest “Citizen” engraving on it. Pretty simple.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-clasp_shots.jpg
There are no micro adjustment holes for the bracelet; instead, if you turn to the back of the clasp, it has this very handy tool-less adjustment system. When you press the clasp and pull the bracelet at the same time, the bracelet will extend a bit, giving you a few millimeters extra length for your bracelet. It consists of three stages as illustrated below. Altogether between fully retracted and extended, it will give you an equivalent of adding/removing one link of your bracelet.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-Clasp_Adjustment.jpg
If you want to watch the video of the clasp adjustment, just go to this link below.
Video: Pusher & Clasp Adjustment (http://www.vimeo.com/5094058)
I was wearing kitchen gloves in that video to prevent smudging the glass because I was going to take pictures later.
What I pressed in the beginning of the video was a reception indicator signal – it went to NO because I can’t get reception here.
OPERATIONS
I know it only receives Japanese radio signal, making my watch just a regular Quartz, but even that is enough, really. It has also synced the date/year when it was in Japan, so I don't have to do anything anymore.
The accuracy of the H10A movement is rated as +/- 15 seconds a day. It’s almost a week since I sync the watch, and today it is showing as 1 second fast. So my guess is, at this rate, at worst every month the watch will gain or lose around 5-6 seconds.
My watch came running at Japan time, so I guess it must have received the radio signal from Japan before it arrived here. Since the date would have been adjusted already, all I needed to do was to adjust the clock to 1 hour advance.
Adjusting the time is fun with this watch. Unlike normal Quartz, when you pull the crown, the watch will stop and the second hand will automatically go to 12 o’clock position. If you rotate it to one click, the second will quickly run one full circle accompanied by the minute hand. Turning the crown the other way round will make the second and minute hand rotate to opposite direction as well. The movement is motorised and not dependant on you turning the crown. Basically you turn the crown just to "tell" the watch to advance.
If you turn the crown rapidly and let go, it will automatically advance itself until you turn the crown again.
You can see the demonstration from the video below.
Video – Adjusting the time (http://www.vimeo.com/5107049)
Other interesting thing to look at is how the watch changes its day/date. Instead of abrupt slap like in regular Quartz or slow changing like automatic, it employs a motorized movement when changing the day/date. I shot this video at midnight when the watch was changing the day and date.
Video – Day/date change (http://www.vimeo.com/5166852)
Regarding Time Zone Adjustment feature, this watch has a feature that lets you adjust the time according to the place your travel to (if you go to a different timezone).
What's the difference with adjusting it manually?
The difference is, when you enter the timezone difference (eg. +2 hours), it will automatically adjust itself and still remembers the time and date setting down to the second, so you don't have to resync like when you adjust time manually.
It will also remember that it is under different timezone, and when you go back to local time, if you readjust it back to say, -2 hours, it will turn itself and resync everything by itself (or I assume if it's in Japan, it will do this automatically anyway). It's quite neat feature and very easy to do this actually.
Video - The watch on it's way to adjusting back to local time (http://www.vimeo.com/5303410) (excuse the music - forgot to turn it off)
CONCLUSION
Overall, this watch offers you so much for your money. I don’t think I will ever buy Swiss branded Quartz anymore from now on. For example, you can spend more than a grand for a Quartz Tag Heuer and all you get is a boring Quartz watch, and the rest of the money went to fund their marketing campaign, really.
With this Attesa you get perpetual calendar, radio wave, titanium with DLC, sapphire with non reflective, etc. So I think from now on if I were to get Quartz again, I’d definitely go Japanese. I know in the past (especially the international market ones), Citizen and Seiko design was nowhere as nice as Swiss brands, but I think now they have really improved and in person, this watch looks much better than my Tag.
And you know what’s funny? I can spend a few grand for Omega Aquaterra, Carrera, or Rolex Daytona, but in this city alone there are probably tons of people with similar watches like those.
But I can spend less than a grand for this Attesa JDM model, and I am willing to bet that you won’t find that many people wearing this Attesa compared to Omega/Tag/Rolex owners. So it somehow makes my watch more ‘limited edition’ than those Swiss brands, haha…
I like the other Attesa watches as well, but for my preference, I think this particular one is the best looking Attesa in the whole lineup (I wouldn't buy it if it wasn't right? duh... )
The newest chronograph version of the Attesa with world time indicator is only a bit more, but I much prefer the look of this one. If like me you prefer something with clean look, I highly recommend you this one instead. Other range that you might consider is the Citizen 800 series, those look beautiful, or Seiko Brightz Phoenix, those are nice as well. But they are in different price range though.
But for mid-end Quartz, you’d be hard pressed to find a watch as nice looking with as many features as this one. This watch is great for a casual style watch, and I can just forget about adjusting anything in this watch because everything is automatic.
I hope that you find this review is helpful and informative for you especially if you are thinking to get an Attesa model.
Now that the review is already out of the way, I can have fun with these goofy pictures I took last weekend when we went out, haha…
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAdrawer.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAfruity.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAgourmet.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAdessert.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAalcoholic.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAoperahouse.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAphotographer.jpg
And these are more formal shots of the Attesa:
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESA3.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESA1.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESA2.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen__attesa.jpg
Thanks for reading!
SPECIFICATIONS
Model Number: ATD53-3002
Retail Price: 95,000 Yen
Release Date: 24/6/09
Movement Caliber: H10A (With radio signal reception – Japan only)
Accuracy: +/- 15 Seconds per month
Width: 42mm
Thickness: 10.7mm
Weight: 96gms.
Watch material: Titanium with DLC
Glass: Sapphire Crystal with Non-Reflective Coating
Calendar: Perpetual Calendar with Day/Date display
INTRODUCTION
Before I got this watch, I wasn’t really a Citizen fan. I think it’s because firstly, for a Japanese watch, the name doesn’t really sound Japanese (unlike Seiko). Heck it doesn’t even sound like a watch name if you think about it. I think for a watch company name, Citizen sounds as out of place as Asylum Seeker for a brand name.
Secondly, I personally think Seiko watches in general have nicer style. But looks like with their current new release and upcoming Citizen domestic models, my opinion of Citizen watches will be changed.
Back to the watch, so, my birthday was coming, and I was thinking to get one affordable, hassle-free watch to add to my collection. Hassle free means that the watch has to be in Quartz so I don’t need to be bothered with readjusting the watch so often and worrying about the expensive cost during service intervals.
With Quartz technology, my options were either Seiko’s Kinetic or Citizen’s Eco-Drive. With Kinetic, the power is coming from either you wearing it (movement), charging it using a charger, or winding it manually if it has Direct Drive technology. All those mean that the watch still needs some sort of interaction in order to operate.
This is where I think Citizen’s Eco-Drive technology is handier. It draws its energy from a source that gives life to everything in this world. No, not God you dumbo - it’s the sun. Although I think it will be awesome to have a watch that draws the energy from your faith in God. But I guess the watch wouldn’t operate very well on me, haha..
Anyway, so I like Eco-Drive because as long as it is exposed to light, it will still charge itself without me having to do anything. So I can just pop the watch in a watch-box with glass top and just leave it there for a long time and it can still operate by itself.
Originally, my choice was Citizen Alterna VO10-6662B (that’s a beautiful watch – google it), but then when I was browsing Citizen’s website, I stumbled upon this picture:
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen_productshot.jpg
That’s the picture that made me changed my mind about getting the Alterna. After reading the specs and features, I was completely convinced that I wanted this Attesa instead even though it is more expensive. It is also a new release watch, it is exciting to be able to get hold of a watch that is just released not long ago.
FEATURES
This watch has many features, some of them are not mentioned in the product information page on the website. On the page, the features are represented by little icons. For this Attesa, here are the features:
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-feature-table.jpg
The features that are not included in those little icons are such as:
-Easy-adjust bracelet – It has 3 adjustable steps that allow you to micro-adjust the bracelet without using a tool.
-Bilingual day display (Japanese & English)
-Auto power save (sleep mode) and auto resume once the watch is exposed to light
- Time Zone Adjustment
-Low charge indicator
ORDERING PROCESS
So far the places that I know of (and probably most of you know) when it comes to ordering Japanese domestic watches are either Chino, Seiya, or Higuchi. All of them have great reputation. Price-wise there is only a bit of difference among them, so generally speaking I just go with the one that I happen to bother the most when asking for prices. Since all of them are friendly, so to be fair I think you should order watch from each of them by turns, haha..
I got my Attesa from Higuchi (by the way, you pronounce his name as in "Hee-Guchi" not "Hay-Guchi").
The watch was sent on Saturday and it arrived in Australia on Wednesday. No custom hold-ups since the watch isn’t that expensive.
It arrived well and safe, the watch was also adequately packaged with enough shock protection.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Packaging_1.jpg
Often when you buy from eBay seller, the watch either comes with no retail box or it comes with generic box. The good thing about ordering from these three sellers is your watch will come in its original retail box.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Packaging_2.jpg
Inside the box, you will find the watch (duh!), user’s manual (in Japanese and English) and International warranty card. Mine was stamped by Katsu.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Packaging_3.jpg
DIAL – OVERALL STYLE
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Open_box.jpg
As cliché as this may sound, but in this case I really have to say that the watch really looks much better in real life and the small picture on the website does not do this watch justice.
When I opened the box and looked at the watch for the very first time, I thought “damn, this watch is really beautiful”. The watch in real life looks much larger than what you imagined from the stock picture. I think it’s because of the dial and also the flat profile of the watch.
Three words that describe the style of the watch are: modern, simple, casual. Due to its looks and size, I think you can wear this watch for any occasions as long as it’s not very formal one (eg. Wearing tux). You can still wear this when you go smart casual or wearing your night out jacket. Since it’s black, it will blend easier with your darker clothing too.
Talking about black, the case & bracelet of this watch is not exactly jet black (the dial is), but it has a slight brownish tint in it, depending on the lighting. It’s like when you have a bucket of black paint, then you drop in a dollop of brown paint and mix it up.
DIAL – DESIGN & DETAILS
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen_frontdial1.jpg
I think this is the most interesting part of the watch. The outer part of the dial is concave, same as the hour markers (twisted downwards too) – giving it a “sunken” look. A slightly raised black ring (with very thin line pattern) sits next to the concave part of the dial, which is connected to the day/date marker.
The day/date marker is buried quite deep – making the difference between the lowest part of the dial (day/date) and the highest part (hour markers) more contrasting. The raised round black ring gives the dial a floating look.
So if you observe the watch closely right in the centre of the watch, it gives you a slight 3D look. Unfortunately I couldn’t capture that feel in the picture – Must have something to do with our eyes and depth perception.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/CITIZEN_DIALDESIGN.jpg
Colour wise, The hour markers, hour hand and minute hand are in silver. The luminous substance in the middle of hour and minute hands is in clear white. The signature trident-style second hand is in white too.
Day/dates are in white, but the Sunday indicator is interestingly in pink, not red. It actually looks nicer than the usual red IMO. The date shows you 3 dates with current date in the centre, which is pretty much for aesthetic purpose. It gives the watch a more modern and dynamic look.
I can’t see the solar panel or whatever it is you called it. In the middle is black with a milled-like surface. It looks more like a metal than a panel to me. And it’s very black, so I don’t know how light can actually pass through that thing. But it looks great that’s all that matters.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/CitizenATTESA.jpg
The writings on the dial are:
-NO - This indicates No reception when you press the pusher
-RX - This indicates reception standby
-H,M,L - This indicates the reception strength (high, medium, low)
-Citizen
-Attesa Eco Drive
-Made in Japan
I am glad the designer chose to make it simple for this watch. Considering the style, I wouldn’t want this watch to be cluttered with features mentioned on the face of the dial (eg. Perpetual calendar, 10 Bar water resist, etc)
DIAL – LUME
The hour markers do not have lume, I think because this watch is not positioned as sport watch. However lume does exist on the hour and minute hand. Of course the lume is not as bright as in dive watch, but just enough for you to tell the time in the darkness.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-lume.jpg
DIAL – GLASS
The dial is protected with flat sapphire crystal, and according to the website, it has a non-reflective coating too. But judging from the reflection, I think the coating is only applied on the bottom side of the crystal, not the top one. The good thing is this means that you don't have to worry about scratching the coating on the crystal.
The glass still produces reflection but at least where there is no reflection, the glass is very clear and very easy for you to read the dial.
On the picture below, you can see the reflection from very bright sun light seeping through the gaps in the curtain.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/citizen-frontdial-1.jpg
CASE – FRONT
Case size is around 42mm, not including the crown. On the picture below, I included the Tag Heuer Aquaracer as a size reference since most people are familiar with the size of Aquaracer watches. As you can see, it looks noticeable bigger than the 38mm Aquaracer.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/citizen-sizecomparison.jpg
My wrist size is 6.9”, and as I mentioned in my previous Seiko review, 42mm is about the max size I would want for a watch. It still looks alright on my medium sized wrist, but I personally wouldn’t go for anything bigger than this watch.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-wristshot.jpg
The unusual design on the crown side gives the watch a more casual and modern look as you can see from the picture below. When pulling/pushing the crown, it clicks firmly and since it is not positioned very close to the case, it is easy to pull out, you don’t need to use your fingernail to pull the crown. If you have very short fingernails, you will appreciate the design. When rotating the crown, it also makes firm clicks.
Next to the crown you will find a pusher to check the reception signal and also to manual sync the watch if you press and hold it. On top of the crown, there is a small button that you use for time reference and correction. I doubt I will ever use this button, maybe that’s why they make it so small.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-Crown_and_Pusher.jpg
I also included side profile shots of the case; it is pretty thin for a watch this size (thickness is only 10.7mm).
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-Button.jpg
CASE – BACK
There is nothing special on the back of the case. Considering the price I was actually expecting some sort of embossed engraving of the Attesa symbol or something. Instead, it is just a plain thin engraving with the Earth Eco-Drive symbol in the middle of the watch. I don’t know, maybe it is hard to do a full DLC on high emboss? Or maybe it’s just normal for Citizen watches?
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/citizen-caseback.jpg
CASE & BRACELET – MATERIAL & FINISH
The case and bracelet are made from Titanium. Come to think about it, Titanium is actually pretty amazing, it is stronger than steel, more corrosion resistant than steel, it doesn’t rust, and at the same time also much lighter than steel.
The whole watch is so light, if you let an uninformed person to handle it he/she might think that it’s made of plastic. On your wrist the watch feels like nothing especially if you have been accustomed to steel watches.
One of the reasons why I chose this black version one over the silver one because it has a full DLC surface treatment. A lot of people hesitate on titanium watches because they tend to look dull, but I must say that Citizen’s DLC technology really solve that problem here. Not only that it is very scratch resistant, the surface is very smooth too.
People also hesitate on titanium because although stronger, titanium surface is easier to scratch. But this DLC technology is supposed to make the titanium even harder to scratch than stainless steel. DLC stands for Diamond-Like Carbon, so theoretically speaking it is almost impossible to scratch.
But I am pretty sure that if I really try, I can scratch this coating. But I wouldn’t do that on purpose – as long as this thing can handle regular desk diving, I am happy.
The bracelet is finished in two different brushed finishes, shiny and matte. The case on the other hand, has brushed finish and also polished finish. The top side of the case is brushed; if you look closely you can see its tiny fibre-like brushed finish. The only polished finish in the watch is the middle section of the case and the top of the crown.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-Brushed.jpg
BRACELET
I think you can get a lot of information about the bracelet from previous pictures, so I will just talk about the clasp instead. The clasp is a press-to-release type. The clasp has a modest “Citizen” engraving on it. Pretty simple.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-clasp_shots.jpg
There are no micro adjustment holes for the bracelet; instead, if you turn to the back of the clasp, it has this very handy tool-less adjustment system. When you press the clasp and pull the bracelet at the same time, the bracelet will extend a bit, giving you a few millimeters extra length for your bracelet. It consists of three stages as illustrated below. Altogether between fully retracted and extended, it will give you an equivalent of adding/removing one link of your bracelet.
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen-Clasp_Adjustment.jpg
If you want to watch the video of the clasp adjustment, just go to this link below.
Video: Pusher & Clasp Adjustment (http://www.vimeo.com/5094058)
I was wearing kitchen gloves in that video to prevent smudging the glass because I was going to take pictures later.
What I pressed in the beginning of the video was a reception indicator signal – it went to NO because I can’t get reception here.
OPERATIONS
I know it only receives Japanese radio signal, making my watch just a regular Quartz, but even that is enough, really. It has also synced the date/year when it was in Japan, so I don't have to do anything anymore.
The accuracy of the H10A movement is rated as +/- 15 seconds a day. It’s almost a week since I sync the watch, and today it is showing as 1 second fast. So my guess is, at this rate, at worst every month the watch will gain or lose around 5-6 seconds.
My watch came running at Japan time, so I guess it must have received the radio signal from Japan before it arrived here. Since the date would have been adjusted already, all I needed to do was to adjust the clock to 1 hour advance.
Adjusting the time is fun with this watch. Unlike normal Quartz, when you pull the crown, the watch will stop and the second hand will automatically go to 12 o’clock position. If you rotate it to one click, the second will quickly run one full circle accompanied by the minute hand. Turning the crown the other way round will make the second and minute hand rotate to opposite direction as well. The movement is motorised and not dependant on you turning the crown. Basically you turn the crown just to "tell" the watch to advance.
If you turn the crown rapidly and let go, it will automatically advance itself until you turn the crown again.
You can see the demonstration from the video below.
Video – Adjusting the time (http://www.vimeo.com/5107049)
Other interesting thing to look at is how the watch changes its day/date. Instead of abrupt slap like in regular Quartz or slow changing like automatic, it employs a motorized movement when changing the day/date. I shot this video at midnight when the watch was changing the day and date.
Video – Day/date change (http://www.vimeo.com/5166852)
Regarding Time Zone Adjustment feature, this watch has a feature that lets you adjust the time according to the place your travel to (if you go to a different timezone).
What's the difference with adjusting it manually?
The difference is, when you enter the timezone difference (eg. +2 hours), it will automatically adjust itself and still remembers the time and date setting down to the second, so you don't have to resync like when you adjust time manually.
It will also remember that it is under different timezone, and when you go back to local time, if you readjust it back to say, -2 hours, it will turn itself and resync everything by itself (or I assume if it's in Japan, it will do this automatically anyway). It's quite neat feature and very easy to do this actually.
Video - The watch on it's way to adjusting back to local time (http://www.vimeo.com/5303410) (excuse the music - forgot to turn it off)
CONCLUSION
Overall, this watch offers you so much for your money. I don’t think I will ever buy Swiss branded Quartz anymore from now on. For example, you can spend more than a grand for a Quartz Tag Heuer and all you get is a boring Quartz watch, and the rest of the money went to fund their marketing campaign, really.
With this Attesa you get perpetual calendar, radio wave, titanium with DLC, sapphire with non reflective, etc. So I think from now on if I were to get Quartz again, I’d definitely go Japanese. I know in the past (especially the international market ones), Citizen and Seiko design was nowhere as nice as Swiss brands, but I think now they have really improved and in person, this watch looks much better than my Tag.
And you know what’s funny? I can spend a few grand for Omega Aquaterra, Carrera, or Rolex Daytona, but in this city alone there are probably tons of people with similar watches like those.
But I can spend less than a grand for this Attesa JDM model, and I am willing to bet that you won’t find that many people wearing this Attesa compared to Omega/Tag/Rolex owners. So it somehow makes my watch more ‘limited edition’ than those Swiss brands, haha…
I like the other Attesa watches as well, but for my preference, I think this particular one is the best looking Attesa in the whole lineup (I wouldn't buy it if it wasn't right? duh... )
The newest chronograph version of the Attesa with world time indicator is only a bit more, but I much prefer the look of this one. If like me you prefer something with clean look, I highly recommend you this one instead. Other range that you might consider is the Citizen 800 series, those look beautiful, or Seiko Brightz Phoenix, those are nice as well. But they are in different price range though.
But for mid-end Quartz, you’d be hard pressed to find a watch as nice looking with as many features as this one. This watch is great for a casual style watch, and I can just forget about adjusting anything in this watch because everything is automatic.
I hope that you find this review is helpful and informative for you especially if you are thinking to get an Attesa model.
Now that the review is already out of the way, I can have fun with these goofy pictures I took last weekend when we went out, haha…
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAdrawer.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAfruity.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAgourmet.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAdessert.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAalcoholic.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAoperahouse.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESAphotographer.jpg
And these are more formal shots of the Attesa:
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESA3.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESA1.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen___ATTESA2.jpg
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww207/albertdar33/Citizen__attesa.jpg
Thanks for reading!