CitizenMen's Eco-Drive Weekender Garrison Field Watch in Stainless Steel with Olive Nylon Strap, Black Dial (Model: BM8180-03E)

Regardless of price range, there will always be a seemingly endless amount of watches to choose from. Sometimes it can be daunting, but always fun! This was my very first watch i purchased. I went inexpensive initially in the event watches weren't really my thing. After a good time researching, I pulled the trigger on this little guy after reading the rave reviews. After three years of wearing this watch on and off, hiking in mountains, forests, rocky terrain, water activities, etc., I decided I would give an accurate assessment about this particular little time piece.Brand - I truly believe Citizen is the very best value when it comes to watches under $500.00. One can argue Seiko and Orient. I own all three brands, and feel like my three Citizens are made a bit better. Citizen is well respected among watch enthusiasts, and is a FANTASTIC brand for someone looking to purchase their first timepieceMovement - As you probably know by now, this watch is powered by Citizen's own Eco-Drive Quartz Movement. Needing no battery or servicing, this watch will stay maintenance-free for years on end. And it just charges by light? Amazing cutting edge.Accuracy - No shock here. Being quartz, this watch is supremely accurate. Mine tested out about 1.5 seconds fast a week. No arguments there!Looks - I love the way this watch looks. Everything just works. At 90 dollars, it's important not to try and look like a cheap, ugly homage of another watch. Citizen did a bang up job here with a field inspired look. The dial is a matte black with white font. The indices are not applied, but one cannot expect that at this price point. Fantastically, the dial has day/date windows, and even has the days in Spanish (pretty cool). The second hand is somewhat of a red/orange, but adds a really nice splash on an otherwise black and white dial. And guess what? This watch has pretty darn good lume! Quite impressive at this price point. Many watches don't have any lume at all. The hands and all of the numbers glow with a very pretty turquoise blue. Again, do not expect Seiko divers brightness here.Size - I love it. Now, it won't be for everyone at around 37mm or so, but there is so much dial squeezed into it, that it is always very easy to read the time. The watch is quite thin and light, almost disappearing on your wrist. Guys with really large wrists, may want to avoid.Enclosing, this is a spectacular little watch for the price. For less than $100 dollars you are getting a highly respected watch brand, an eco-drive battery/maintenance free movement, extremely accurate time, minimalist and attractive design, legible night lume, and a traditional sized watch. What a package! Sure, the mineral crystal will take light surface scratches, but that just adds to the character anyway, right? My only real complaint is the lugs are a bit sharp. They need to round them out a bit, but fortunately they do not interfere in anyway while wearing the watch.Watches like this make you contemplate while you are shelling out 100x more money on watches. This could serve you as your everyday companion for the rest of your life. Sure, there will likely come a time where your taste grows and you want higher end pieces, but this BM8180 is all you will ever NEED. Truly exceptional.

I used to have a Timex Ironman. I thought it would be durable due to the water resistance and the name, but that was not the case. It filled up with water when I dropped it in the sink and then the plastic screen cover fell off. What a piece of junk! I also had a swiss army watch before, which was indestructible , but too small (ladies) and it needed batteries and had to be tested for water-proofness. That was a great watch (it was stolen in Frankfurt), but I didn't want to pay that much again, though I still wanted the durability. So, I decided to buy a citizen (we have had them before too, all accurate and reliable). I needed an everyday watch that's basically everything-proof (I'm pretty careless, that's how my other watch was stolen), and I like the military style. This watch is great! It's not too large, only about 37mm, so it fits on smaller wrists yet would look right at home on someone with big arms. It seems very durable, with a hard mineral crystal display. The watch is very easy to read, and the red second hand looks really cool! The lume works really well also. Setting the time and date was a bit tricky at first. The time is alright, but the date was hard to set for the first day. It always seemed to change, no matter if you went around to fix it for 12 hours or not. The trick seems to be if you catch it right when it's changing around 12, it works fine. Some other reviewers mentioned it had something to do with the eco-drive mechanism. Now there are no problems, and I think the ones I had in the first place were probably my fault anyway. As many reviewers have also mentioned, the band is pretty stiff and small (the size looks nice though, not too big for my small wrists or too big to steal the attention from the actual watch itself), but it really isn't much of a problem, and it does compliment the watch well. It is a little uncomfortable but barely noticeable. The loops are a real pain especially because the band is so stiff. I ordered another band to replace it, I don't think I'll need it right away but I think it would definitely come in handy if the band just turns out not to loosten, etc. The pictures really do not do this eco-drive justice. The band is a little more green and the watch is very clear and smart looking. The crown is big, but not that large. It just makes it easier to set the date and time. Overall, the watch is tough, the right size (fits under a sleeve easy), eco friendly (and saves money in the long run) and really is very handsome. I would definitely recommend it, especially for the price!