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145 of 150 found the following review helpful:
 Eco-Friendly Watch That Calculates Fuel Consumption, Speed, Arrival time etc..., Apr 23, 2006
By Olaf Johnson
Sweet watch, I've been wearing mine for 4 months.
I'm an Environmental Engineering Student and I also currently own an Omega Speedmaster ($2100 graduation gift long ago) and a Titanium Pro-Trek Casio Triple Sensor Watch (Compass, Altimeter & Temperature $295.00) that I used for my previous job as an outdoors wilderness instructor.
Both those watches are extreme (the Casio being too rugged, big and bulky the Omega being very freaking expensive) for everyday use and wanted something that suited my keen personality, short budget and modern taste.
I never liked anything in terms of jewelry or watches from department stores or malls, but when I walked into MACY's during Christmas shopping last december at the local mall I saw these Eco-Drive watches for the first time.
It has always been my opinion that Citizen makes very old fashioned timepieces, yet the Nighthawk Eco-Drive is very different and far more classy than any other Citizen watch on the shelf. Some of the other newer Eco-Drive watches also look edgy and fresher. But the nighthawk captures a boldness with it's appearancethat is very timeless. Needless to say, I tried it on and was sold.
The features are amazing, apart from all the other "timekeeping-based and solar powered-based features you can read about everywhere else on the internet, the Nighthawk also has a multi-functional Slide Rule. This is not really praised or mentioned anywhere else so I will tell you what it is, what it does and why it makes owning this watch very cool!
With the slide rule you can calculate your car's fuel consumption, average speed/velocity and the time you will arrive at your destination, you can also multiply and divide numbers, calculate ratio's into percentages, integers and decimals, covert liters to gallons, pounds to kilograms as well as other metric conversions. The slide rule also performs a few more complicated calculations that involve airplanes and nautical vessels that are beyond my understanding.
At any rate, these calculations can be done by simply rotating the NightHawk's bezel and matching specific arrows at certain points along the dial. (If you don't believe me, you can download the Nighhawk's PDF manual and read up on it for yourself.)
In fact, it is easier than using a calculator and clears up the big mystery of what people used before computers and electronic calculators were invented; they used the "Slide Rule".
Being a grad student, I've read about the slide rules in a variety of classes but I never thought that I would own one on my next watch. I also would have never guessed that the slide rule is so efficient and easier to use than the graphics calculators we use in school.
The only negatives cocerning the Slide Rule feature on the NightHawk are the numbers on the slide rule dial are small and angled inwards so that they are tricky to read without tilting the watch around to get a good view of the numbers. Also the slide rule only approximates and produces whole numbers for some of the more advanced calculations.
Overall, I found that the useful geek-features, outdoorsman durability, everyday comfort and eco-friendliness to be well synthesized in the classy steel body of the Nighthawk Eco-Drive.
43 of 46 found the following review helpful:
 Great watch but needs a stopwatch for aviators Sep 30, 2005
By Alexys
Great watch:
looks great--I get a lot of comments
doesn't need a battery
fantastic layout--a lot of info at a glance: date, local & zulu times
luminous hands
slide rule easy to use and numbers won't rub out (like on external bezel ring slide rules)
However, for serious aviators:
no stopwatch! You will want a stopwatch to go with the slide rule for basic dead reckoning
you'll need another light source to read the slide rule if you're flying at night
also, the crown has an occasional tendency to work itself loose and you can lose your time hack if you don't tighten it every couple days
The closest I've seen to the elusive "perfect aviator's watch"
25 of 26 found the following review helpful:
Citizen - who'd have thought it? Dec 07, 2005
By Watch This
This is the first Citizen brand watch I've ever bought, and so far, it's as good or better quality than more expensive TAGs I've owned. About the only thing missing (aside from a stopwatch, as noted earlier - but that's debatable if you're not a serious aviator) is a sapphire crystal, which would probably prevent scratches a little better than the standard mineral crystal. For this price, though, I'm not complaining.
I like the layout, the overall appearance and something else nobody mentioned - the band clasp is a very smart design. Not only does it have something similar to the Rolex "Flip-Lock" clasp, but the main clasp has what can best be described as a squeeze lock, which must be pressed together from the sides of the band to release it from the wrist. This thing isn't coming off accidentally.
I got the stainless version, but there is a titanium one available as well as an all-black version. The all black version looked kinda cheap and the titanium was more money, so stainless was the one I chose. Even though I'm not a pilot, the slide rule is functional (perhaps even useful, in some situations) and the instructions for it are easily understood. All that and a five year warranty. And I always equated Citizen with cheaper-made watches - I stand corrected. No regrets.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Very nice watch, looks great, wears well! Feb 02, 2012
By jcazz
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RHRB2XBD3TXRN I've got a small collection of watches (Citizen, Seiko, Orient, Accutron, & Casio), and I've had another eco-drive since around 2002 which is showing its age. I recently bought an Orient Blue Mako, so I wasn't really looking to buy another watch. But this kept catching my eye and I kept finding nothing buy positive reviews so I gave in to temptation.
The watch arrived quickly and my first impressions were very positive. The face is very complex on first glance, but you quickly note the position of the main hour & minute hand and "get" the time very quickly. You can really stare up close at the dial though, there is a ton of detail (more on this in a bit). Overall the "look" of this watch is very appealing. I didn't mention I bought to my wife, and the first night I was wearing it she took a long look and said, "That's a really good looking watch. I really like that" (she normally doesn't pay any attention to my watches. She liked the way it looked so much, she didn't give me too much grief about having bought an Orient the week before!
The bracelet is very nice for a watch in this price range, it's all solid stainless links, but where the bracelet joins the watches' lugs it is just a folded link, not a solid link. The folder over clasp works well and is very secure. I have a large wrist and the bracelet is PLENTY long enough for me. I actually had to make it a smidge smaller with the micro-adjustment on the clasp. The bracelet is subtly brushed, and so far seems to be wearing well (I work at a desk & use a computer all day). There are some desk marks, but they're very minor. The Orient I just bought scratches much more easily, so I'm happy with the durability of the bracelet so far.
The bezel on this watch is a slide rule. There is a crown at the 8 o'clock position that controls the movement of the bezel. It's extremely smooth and seems to let you move it in very fine increments. You can use the slide rule for division, multiplication, unit conversion, and rate/time/distance calculations. It works and you can do it. It's sort of a neat party trick, but I doubt I'll ever find myself in a situation where I was relying on my watch's slide rule to save the day. This watch is billed as a flight watch so maybe there are still some pilots who do things the old-fashioned way and do their calculations by hand? If you want to know how to use the slide rule check out this video: [...]
There is also a GMT face. You can see it on the left side (from 6 to 12) with white & red numbers. There is a separate, double-ended hand with a red-tipped and white-tipped indicator. Out of the box it shows the 24-hour time (white for 00-12 and red for 13 - 24). You can set this to a different hour to have a true GMT indicator. It's a nice feature, and looks interesting, but I don't find I pay much attention to this "sub-dial" really other than what it adds to overall appeal (for me anyway).
The performance of my watch has been good. It's quartz, so it will be more accurate than an automatic watch. It does not sync itself to any of the atomic clocks (like the Citizen Skyhawk does) so I expect I'll eventually have to adjust it for accuracy one of these days.
The lume on the watch is nice and bright - a blue color which is different from the traditional green lume. I haven't gone out of my way to to expose it to bright light, but it's easy enough to read in the middle of the night when I wake up. The lume overall on my Seiko Black Monster is stronger, longer, but this is no problem to see in a dark room even after 5+ hours. I think the size of the hour & minute hand really help; they're very thick and hold a lot of lume.
I am very happy to have this watch in my collection, but my wife gave me the "oh really" look since I just bought another watch about a week before this one!
Pros:
* Looks fantastic in person
* Large enough bracelet for good-sized wrist
* Screw-down crowns for time/date & day
* 200M WR rating
* Solid links on bracelet (for all but end links)
* Good lume on numbers & hands - lume last a long time (plus cool, blue color)
* Eco-drive should last 10+ years (Citizen says they have examples w/ 20+ years on them now)
* Positive comments from the wife & co-workers abound!
Cons:
* The date is a little small, could be a tad bigger & easier to read.
* Folded links at the ends (not solid)
* No lume on second hand or GMT hand(s)
* Uses mineral crystal, could scratch easier than sapphire
* No radio to sync automatically to atomic clock
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
A Watch Should Symbolize Your Personality... Sep 13, 2005
By David A. Rivera
"coming judgement"
I first heard about the Eco-Drive watch from Citizen in a magazine ad, and then when I was at the Shore, I saw a display in a jewelry store. That prompted me to research it online. I was fascinated with it, and decided that it was the watch for me. My 2 previous watches had been Seiko, but I was impressed with the fact that the watch is light-powered and never needs a battery. Knowing this sort of gives you a sense of independence, and I liked wearing something that symbolized a work ethic of always being ready for whatever's gonna come. When I received it, I immediately liked that it was a heavier, substantial watch than I was used to. It looks good, and stands out as a unique timepiece. I have the Nighthawk model. I've had it a few weeks, and it is keeping great time. I especially like that the numbers and hands glow in the dark all night, unlike my Seiko which only glowed a couple hours. This is the best watch I have ever owned, and you will surely be impressed with it.
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