Established in 1924, Citizen watches expanded its business throughout the world, quickly achieving recognition as an international brand. The last 25 years coincided with the company's rise to its current position as the world's largest creator of men’s and ladies’ watches, a distinction held every year for more than 20 years. With models ranging from the innovative Eco Drive watches to the Citizen Aqualand, their line of professional dive watches, Citizen wristwatches run continuously in any kind of natural or artificial light for a lifetime of use. Browse Dexclusive’s large collection of discount Citizen watches today for the one that moves you.
Citizez Eco Drive Is a solar powered watch that has caught the attention of many and citizez is one of the first companies to present a line of solar powered watches. These solar powered watches are for men and women and are beautifully designed for every occasion. Solar Powered Watches
Maybe you've thought of buying a wristwatch online? Your are not alone! Watches are one of the most popular items purchased online. Perhaps you've already discovered that the enormous variety of styles and brands can be a little bit confusing. Here are some guidelines that hopefully will help you to narrow your choices.
First and foremost there is the issue of size. Watches have grown bigger over the past few years. A few years ago a typical men's watch may have measured 32-35mm. Newer men's watches average 38-42mm with some even as large as 55mm. Rectangular watches, or tank shaped of course tend to be longer and narrower than round watches. Average case width for a mens' rectangular watch is 28-34mm. Bigger watches might look great in pictures, but unless you've tried one on, and like it – big watches make great conversation pieces – you should probably stay in the 42mm and under range.
Even ladies' watches have gotten larger. So much so that many women opt to wear men's watches instead. A large watch on a woman's wrist can make a bold fashion statement. But if you are shopping for just an average size ladies' watch, anything under 24mm could be considered "petite", 24-28mm "average", and 28mm and up large. An average size ladies' rectangular shaped watch would be 18-22mm.
Quartz watches v. Mechanical watches. You've probably heard the terms "quartz" watch and "mechanical" or "automatic" watch, but may not really know the difference, or which one is better. A quartz watch is quite simply an electronic watch, usually powered by a battery, although some are solar, and others are powered by kinetic energy. A good quality quartz watch is extremely accurate as well as reliable. They are also quite a bit less expensive than mechanical watches. The only maintenance they require is a periodic battery change. A quartz watch is the right choice for most people who just want an inexpensive, reliable watch to tell the time.
Most Citizen Watches have a technology called "Eco-Drive" which is really just Citizen's term for solar-powered quartz watch. Solar powered watches don't have a battery that you need to change, but an internal capacitor that will power the watch for several months when fully charged. Casio, and a number of other manufacturers also offer solar powered watches, but Citizen Eco-Drive watches are the best known and are used in almost the entire Citizen line.
A mechanical watch, is a watch powered by a wound up spring that turns a series of gears and eventually the hands. It is a more traditional technology that goes back several hundred years and has its origins in the original clocks with their giant wooden gears. "Automatic" mechanical watches are self-winding. The way this works is that a small rotor on the back of the watch's movement spins around with any movement as you wear your watch. As it spins, it winds a spring - automatically, which provides power to the watch. When the spring is fully wound, it will typically power the watch for about 42 hours before it needs to be wound again. This is referred to as the "power reserve."
Mechanical watches are popular with watch enthusiasts and collectors. If properly maintained, a good quality mechanical watch can last a lifetime and even become a family heirloom.
Analog v. Digital. Analog watches are simply watches with moving hands. A digital watch is a watch with a small LED or LCD screen that displays the time in a digital format. Analog/Digital watches combine both. Analog watches are considered to be somewhat more elegant and dressy, as well as more traditional. The function of an analog watch is usually limited to time, day, date and maybe a stopwatch or an alarm. Digital watches frequently provide much greater functionality than analog watches. Some of the newer digital watches from manufacturers such as Suunto or Casio are equipped with functions such as electronic compasses, barometers, altimeters, thermometers, timers and multiple alarms.
Another important factor to consider is the watch's "crystal". The crystal is the glass that covers the face or dial of the watch. Crystals are usually made of acrylic, mineral glass, or cultured sapphire crystal. Acrylic scratches very easily, but can also be polished on a jewelers buffing wheel to remove minor abrasions.
Mineral glass is much more resistant to scratching than acrylic, but cannot be polished once it gets scratched, although it is generally inexpensive to replace. A watch with a good quality mineral crystal will hold up pretty well if you are gentle with your watches.
Sapphire crystals are virtually impossible to scratch, and theoretically can only be scratches by a diamond, or another sapphire. They are actually made from laboratory cultured, or synthetic sapphire crystal. All sapphire crystals used in watches are synthetic. Watches with sapphire crystals are usually more expensive, but stay looking great for longer.
If you are looking for an everyday "work horse" watch that you plan to wear for a long time, the case material is important. Stainless steel, titanium or gold watches will last much longer than watches constructed of a base metal, and plated with another material. They also will not rust, and are less likely to provoke allergic reactions.
Swiss v. Japanese. Nowadays, the best watches in the world are made in either Japan or in Switzerland. The Japanese are perhaps best known for quartz watches. Seiko, Citizen and Casio are the largest Japanese watch manufacturers and are highly respected for their quality.
When you shop for a Swiss watch, look for a small label on the dial that says "Swiss Made". This label guarantees the watch was constructed in Switzerland and meets a minimal standard of quality required by the Swiss government. While Swiss are best known for mechanical watches, they also produce high quality quartz watches as well.
Leather strap v. Metal Bracelet. This is mostly a matter of taste, but there are other factors to consider. Leather straps are very comfortable, lightweight and more dressy, but must be replaced as sweat and dirt from your wrist causes them to wear out over time. Metal bracelets are more popular in the United States than in Europe and are very durable, although some people consider them to be less comfortable. Rubber straps combine some of the durability and water proofing of metal bracelets, with the comfort of leather. Rubber straps have become more acceptable in dressy situations and are sometimes seen on even very expensive watches.
When you buy a watch online, first make sure you are comfortable with the vendor's returns policy so that you can return the watch you purchased if it isn't quite what you expected. As with anything purchased online, you should also carefully inspect your watch as soon as you receive it so that you can immediately report any problem to the vendor. Reputable watch vendors are generally very good at quality control.
If you have a large wrist -- over 8 inches for a man and over 7 inches for a woman -- you should be aware that not every watch will fit you out of the box. Online watch dealers usually have a customer service department that can help you find a watch that will fit.
If you need a watch bracelet downsized to fit comfortably, you can usually take it to a local
jeweler of watch dealer who can adjust it for you at a minimal cost.
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