Citizen’s New Chronograph Boasts Omega Looks and a Shockingly Low Price

With watch enthusiasm seemingly at an all-time high, the sub-$1,000 market is more competitive than ever.

While there are plenty of new names in the game, including start-ups and revived brands under new management, when it comes to pure bang-for-your-buck, Japanese behemoth Citizen is nearly impossible to beat.

Citizen

Even with Citizen’s recent increase in focus on affordable automatic movements, Eco-Drive quartz movements remain the watchmaker’s foundation. The technology is not without faults, but its accuracy, reliability and — above all — affordability compared to mechanical alternatives is impossible to argue with.

It’s been 50 years since Citizen introduced its light-powered watch movement, and as part of the celebration, a new sporty nautical chronograph has joined the massive Eco-Drive family. Dubbed the Endeavor Chrono, it bears a not-so-subtle resemblance to an iconic Omega dive watch.

Citizen

Of course, the Endeavor Chrono is far from a dupe. The dial is distinctly different, with only the wavy texture of the translucent metal dial plate resembling that of certain Diver 300M references.

That said, two of the three maiden references also come on a rubber dive strap that looks very much like the one provided with Omega’s flagship diver.

Familiar waters

The primary connection between Citizen’s new affordable chronograph and Omega’s not-so-affordable diver is the bezel. The Endeavor Chrono is topped with a prominent, scalloped bezel, featuring a 60-minute dive track on a ceramic insert.

Citizen

While the Citizen’s bezel grip is very similar, and its markings look like the Diver 300M’s have been set to bold, Omega maintains an edge with a fully graduated minutes track, while Citizen’s stops at 20, and has a luminescent pearl at the pip.

As for the dial texture, Citizen’s Echo-Drive movement requires light to pass through the dial to reach the photovoltaic cells that charge the battery. The Japanese watchmaker has mastered the art of making translucent dials that simply look decorative.

The 3D texture on the Endeavor Chrono’s metal dial serves a function, while the wavy grooves etched into many Diver 300M dials are just decorative.

Citizen

Citizen’s new light-powered chrono debuts with three color schemes that are right in line with Omega’s sporty diver, all measuring 43mm wide with a 22mm lug width.

There is a steel case with a black rubber strap, bezel and dial, accented with yellow on the chronograph track and seconds hand. Then there is a blue dial, bezel insert and rubber strap, featuring a rose gold-toned case, crown, pushers, applied indices and hands.

Finally, my favorite in the fleet is a panda version with a black bezel and subdials, paired with a silvery dial plate. This one has a brushed steel case and is the only reference to come on a steel Y-link bracelet with a folding clasp.

Smooth sailing

Citizen offers a wide range of Echo-Drive movements, from base-level three-hand watches up to the impressively accurate The Citizen collection.

The Endeavor Chrono is powered by an interesting iteration that functions like an alternative to a mechaquartz. The Caliber B620 has a jumping seconds hand on the small seconds dial at 6:00, but the chronograph seconds hand has a mechanical-like sweep, ticking five times each second.

Citizen

Citizen barely advertises this appealing feature — everyone wants a smooth sweeping hand, with only the ambiguous description of a “1/5 Second Chronograph.” It only counts up to an hour and one minute, with a 60-minute totalizer at 9:00, but few people ever utilize a chronograph for longer than that anyway.

My only complaint is that the Caliber B620 has a synced 24-hour subdial at 3:00, which is a major pet peeve of mine. Pardon my rant, but I’m convinced no one ever wants or uses this complication and that Seiko and Citizen need to do away with it. Any watch with this feature would look better as a bicompax chronograph.

Availability and price

Citizen’s new Eco-Drive powered Endeavor Chrono is available now from Citizen. It is perfectly capable at sea with 100m water resistance, a sapphire crystal and Citizen’s first ceramic unidirectional bezel.

The panda dial with a steel bracelet costs $650, the blue dial with a rose gold-toned case and rubber pin buckle strap costs $625 and the black dial with a steel case and rubber pin buckle strap costs $595.

Citizen

Citizen Endeavor Chrono

Specs

Case Size	43mm
Movement	Citizen Caliber B620 Eco-Drive quartz
Water Resistance	100m

• $650 at Citizen (Panda)
• $625 at Citizen (Navy and Rose Gold)
• $595 at Citizen (Black)

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