I bought this watch because because of your review. My grail is a blue smooth bezel Datejust on an oyster but I can’t justify the prices. And this watch beats the DJ in terms of maintenance costs which are essentially zero, and I never need to touch the crown. It’s always ready. I adore it. Thanks for the great videos, Andy!
I shopped this against Swiss watches in this price range and found it superior to any of the Swatch group offerings, Ball, etc. with ETA or Sellita movements. Hard to fathom paying 4x what I paid for other watches in my collection that have these same movements. Superb finishing, unique in-house HAQ movement, and rarity all swayed me. Did consider the GS HAQ models, but didn’t want to deal with battery changes. IMO, the EcoDrive makes this watch the ultimate no fuss luxury watch. An Acura vs the venerable German car brands is a good comparison-with the GS being the Lexus.
Love this watch, got it in Kyoto Yodobashi a few months ago at a great price. The external AR coating is incredibly durable thus far. I've knocked the crystal several times already against railings, towel racks, walls, door frames, etc. It's still 100% pristine.
Big congrats! I’m glad you’re liking it. And thanks for your real-life report with regards to the Duratect coating. Very assuring to know it holds up. 👍
@@AndyinSG Just to be clear, I'm referring to the "clarity coating" on the sapphire crystal. Duratect refers to the coating on the metal, if I'm not mistaken.
@@AndyinSGthanks for help. Am really not sure if the videos looks different in real life or not. Although the hands looks to me too thin i hope in real life will be perfectly sized and legible enough
So I hear people saying "Grand Seiko killer" and using other terms to position the Chronomaster as superior or equal in every way to a Grand Seiko 9F quartz. I can understand where people are coming from, and I would agree that the Chronomaster is easy to enjoy. For its price, the Chronomaster is in many ways better value. But as an owner of both, I have to protest a little about these polishing claims. When you see the mirror-like polishing on Grand Seiko, you should see that it is distortion-free. It really is like a mirror, for better and worse; On the Chronomaster, it is still highly reflective, but I think you would agree that the polished surfaces come with warps and distortions. As it should be, because both brands and watches are priced accordingly... One other thing people should also consider: No watch is maintenance-free. The Chronomaster has 100 WR, but you should have it tested periodically like any other watch to assure its water resistance. And that rechargable cell and solar cell will degrade over time. Can they be replaced? Will you have to ship the watch to Japan to get the work done? I'm not saying that you should be afraid, just don't have a blind spot to them.
The Chronomaster is more accurate at 5 secs a year compared to the GS 10 secs a year, the Chrono has a perpetual calendar, the GS does not, in fact until recently the GS didn't even support hacking which negates any accuracy, speaking of which Citizen has the most accurate watch in the world (1 sec a year) and is so far above everyone else for solar technology it's embarrassing.
@@AndyinSG oooo.. I googled EXP watch and was given links to some micro-brand watch 😅😅 on the other hand, googling op36 watch promptly gave me oyster perpetual..
It’s a good watch for sure. But do bear in mind that the AQ4100 is bigger and thicker. I prefer the size of AQ4080 because I have a smaller wrist and I think that such design should be under 40mm.
@@AndyinSG Yeah, 2 mm thicker and 1 mm bigger L2L, not significantly bigger, I have small wrist too. I am only attracted to that Titanium and I am not sure is it worth to give 400 dollars more for it only because of Titanium. How is Duratect coating holding on on your watch btw?
Before I knew that The Citizen exists, I thought they would someday follow Grand Seiko and name their premium line perhaps Royal Citizen or something.. Then I found out a premium citizen did exist but I was quite bummed to know that they named it The Citizen.. Not to mention their chicken logo.. I still love their watch though
I guess they meant it to be an eagle. But I can't help seeing the head looks quite like, maybe not chicken, but not eagle either.. Try googling baby parrot,.. the feet are splayed out, so it's quite comical.. and of course the C in the middle must have stood for "chicken" right? 😂😂😂 But again, I still love their watches 😂😂
@@antonius0809 Thanks for analysing the emblem. You really made my day. Great to have you on the channel. As for The Citizen HAQ, they are definitely my favourite watches now. Just amazing quality and accuracy.
Thank you for that, I wish there was much more information about The Citizen range online. In a review of a similar model (Washi dial domed crystal version) it said the minute & hour markers will correct themselves to compensate for the wearer not doing it accurately and to keep everything properly aligned with the actual time as set by the quartz crystal. Do you happen to know if that feature is common to all ‘The Citizen’ quartz models? Best
@@AndyinSG Was hoping you'd say that. After accuracy the reason I now want one is the seconds hand hitting the middle of the markers so utterly perfectly. I have a lovely GS which I've learnt not to focus on too closely whenever looking at its dial - if you know what I mean! Cheers
@@vedranbozicevic1111that is my biggest complaint about non lumed watches on videos and photos looks very hard to read and am not sure how its gonna look in real life
I bought this watch because because of your review. My grail is a blue smooth bezel Datejust on an oyster but I can’t justify the prices. And this watch beats the DJ in terms of maintenance costs which are essentially zero, and I never need to touch the crown. It’s always ready. I adore it. Thanks for the great videos, Andy!
Congrats!
I hope you’re as happy with your 4080 as I am with my 4020. Like you said, these guys are fuss-free and of high quality.
Enioy your watch!
I shopped this against Swiss watches in this price range and found it superior to any of the Swatch group offerings, Ball, etc. with ETA or Sellita movements. Hard to fathom paying 4x what I paid for other watches in my collection that have these same movements. Superb finishing, unique in-house HAQ movement, and rarity all swayed me. Did consider the GS HAQ models, but didn’t want to deal with battery changes. IMO, the EcoDrive makes this watch the ultimate no fuss luxury watch. An Acura vs the venerable German car brands is a good comparison-with the GS being the Lexus.
You’re totally spot on. Congrats!
These eco-drive HAQs really deserve more recognition.
GS got discontinued
@@KC-bv9kf what about the 9F series from GS? Those are still around right?
Love this watch, got it in Kyoto Yodobashi a few months ago at a great price. The external AR coating is incredibly durable thus far. I've knocked the crystal several times already against railings, towel racks, walls, door frames, etc. It's still 100% pristine.
Big congrats! I’m glad you’re liking it.
And thanks for your real-life report with regards to the Duratect coating. Very assuring to know it holds up. 👍
@@AndyinSG Just to be clear, I'm referring to the "clarity coating" on the sapphire crystal. Duratect refers to the coating on the metal, if I'm not mistaken.
@@wuchinshan133 ah.. yes you’re right. I mis-read what you shared. Still, thanks for your user report with regards to this watch.
Great value for money 👍
Totally agree.
Great looks and dimensions
Agreed!
Dial size is 30mm or 29mm
Its sad they dont use duratec alpha on the watch 😢
I’m guessing Duratec Alpha is superior to the “usual” Duratec here?
I gotta find out which watches come with this coating.
@@AndyinSGDid you look up witch watches that dod have Diratec Aöpha
Thanks for the review! Is the Citizen logo on the dial printed on white? Or is it actually raised and metallic/shiny?
I think it is embossed. Not applied but still a sort of raised look to it.
Thanks! Is it white?
@@tpn8402 silver!
Is it legible and easy to read at glance??
Yes it is.
I mean the hands are clear and visible in most cases ?? The indices are clear thanks to white lines but not aure about hands, please confirm
@@mohnnadmercedes8246 yes it is very legible. Easy to read the time.
@@AndyinSGthanks for help. Am really not sure if the videos looks different in real life or not. Although the hands looks to me too thin i hope in real life will be perfectly sized and legible enough
So I hear people saying "Grand Seiko killer" and using other terms to position the Chronomaster as superior or equal in every way to a Grand Seiko 9F quartz. I can understand where people are coming from, and I would agree that the Chronomaster is easy to enjoy. For its price, the Chronomaster is in many ways better value. But as an owner of both, I have to protest a little about these polishing claims. When you see the mirror-like polishing on Grand Seiko, you should see that it is distortion-free. It really is like a mirror, for better and worse; On the Chronomaster, it is still highly reflective, but I think you would agree that the polished surfaces come with warps and distortions. As it should be, because both brands and watches are priced accordingly...
One other thing people should also consider: No watch is maintenance-free. The Chronomaster has 100 WR, but you should have it tested periodically like any other watch to assure its water resistance. And that rechargable cell and solar cell will degrade over time. Can they be replaced? Will you have to ship the watch to Japan to get the work done? I'm not saying that you should be afraid, just don't have a blind spot to them.
The solar cell may take 15-20years before it needs a replacement. Sure beats replacing GS battery every 2-3yrs.
The Chronomaster is more accurate at 5 secs a year compared to the GS 10 secs a year, the Chrono has a perpetual calendar, the GS does not, in fact until recently the GS didn't even support hacking which negates any accuracy, speaking of which Citizen has the most accurate watch in the world (1 sec a year) and is so far above everyone else for solar technology it's embarrassing.
Just out of curiosity, what is the EXP you mentioned in the video description?
Explorer!
@@AndyinSG oooo.. I googled EXP watch and was given links to some micro-brand watch 😅😅 on the other hand, googling op36 watch promptly gave me oyster perpetual..
In your opinion, is it worth to get Titanium(AQ4100-57L) version or not? How is Duratect coating holding on regarding micro scratches?
It’s a good watch for sure. But do bear in mind that the AQ4100 is bigger and thicker.
I prefer the size of AQ4080 because I have a smaller wrist and I think that such design should be under 40mm.
@@AndyinSG Yeah, 2 mm thicker and 1 mm bigger L2L, not significantly bigger, I have small wrist too. I am only attracted to that Titanium and I am not sure is it worth to give 400 dollars more for it only because of Titanium. How is Duratect coating holding on on your watch btw?
@@vedranbozicevic1111 I don’t wear the watch regularly so I can’t tell you how good the Duratech coating is.
If you want titanium, look at the AQ4020.
I’ve worn my 4080 routinely for about a month and have seen no visible wear.
Before I knew that The Citizen exists, I thought they would someday follow Grand Seiko and name their premium line perhaps Royal Citizen or something.. Then I found out a premium citizen did exist but I was quite bummed to know that they named it The Citizen.. Not to mention their chicken logo.. I still love their watch though
Is that logo really a chicken? 😹😹😹 I thought it’s some kinda eagle or something. Now that you mention, I can’t unsee it!
I guess they meant it to be an eagle. But I can't help seeing the head looks quite like, maybe not chicken, but not eagle either.. Try googling baby parrot,.. the feet are splayed out, so it's quite comical.. and of course the C in the middle must have stood for "chicken" right? 😂😂😂 But again, I still love their watches 😂😂
@@antonius0809 Thanks for analysing the emblem. You really made my day. Great to have you on the channel.
As for The Citizen HAQ, they are definitely my favourite watches now. Just amazing quality and accuracy.
I know what you mean do I buy a cool sounding Grand Seiko with a 9f movement or a Citizen with a chicken on the dial?@@AndyinSG
@@MrBacchus18 I'd choose Citizen Solar HAQ over 9F movement for now.
Set it and forget it, ok.
I still prefer 62GS case design.
The AQ series are punching above their weight.
Fully agree!
Citizen is achieving this sort of accuracy while still on solar energy… another plus point
how big is your wrist???
17cm
Lume would have been nice.
Thank you for that, I wish there was much more information about The Citizen range online.
In a review of a similar model (Washi dial domed crystal version) it said the minute & hour markers will correct themselves to compensate for the wearer not doing it accurately and to keep everything properly aligned with the actual time as set by the quartz crystal.
Do you happen to know if that feature is common to all ‘The Citizen’ quartz models?
Best
I think all The Citizen watches will have this function.
@@AndyinSG Was hoping you'd say that.
After accuracy the reason I now want one is the seconds hand hitting the middle of the markers so utterly perfectly. I have a lovely GS which I've learnt not to focus on too closely whenever looking at its dial - if you know what I mean!
Cheers
@@tomoxfford Well, I think my 4020 doesn’t hit each marker perfectly. Sad but true.
Biggest disadvantage: No lumed hands and indices...
I’m ok with no lume. Not required for this style of watch for me.
It’s a dress watch, so agree, no lume fits.
Because of high class polishing, I am sure it is pretty visible under minimal light.
@@vedranbozicevic1111that is my biggest complaint about non lumed watches on videos and photos looks very hard to read and am not sure how its gonna look in real life
@@mohnnadmercedes8246It catches even the smallest amount of light. It is fine when you consider type of the watch.
Thousands of monies for a Quartz movement makes zero sense to me..
This is HAQ. Solar HAQ. It’s better than mechanical movement.
What's haq
@@profound369 High Accuracy Quartz
Thousands at all for a watch makes zero sense to me