Citizen Men'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.

Citizens has produced an excellent homage to the military field watch. With their solar battery technology and excellent time keeping this time piece is reliable and functional. My negative comment is the band. The band that came with this watch was to small. I replaced it with another field watch band that I purchased from Amazon for $18 US dollars.

After looking at almost 100 watches on Amazon, and closely at 6, I chose the Citizen Eco-Drive BM8180 because it met, and exceeded, the adjectives I applied to it in this review's title. I closely considered the similar Eco-Drive field chronograph, 2 Seikos (both 'field' styled, and both automatics), a Bulova, a Stuhrling, and an Invicta. It is the Citizen BM8180 for me (I have had the BM8180 for almost two months now), for these reasons, and in despite the one caveat:*Traditional materials & old-fashioned proven design. A solid steel case and back, and glass/mineral crystal, along with the 'plain' black dial and simple numerals. Details like the crown guards and a claw-screw back emphasize a handsome, well-made timepiece. Also carries a 5-year parts & labor warranty (and a 20-year warranty on the 'power cell').*Eco-Drive: no batteries, no 'winding' dependent on how active I am (and automatics all deviate at least 1 minute plus per month below the $400 and up range). Solar-powered quartz movement, so just "set it & forget it." I am a bit nocturnal, so to be on the safe side I set the watch on the windowsill for an hour of mostly direct sun once a week, which should keep it fully topped off at all times. Any source of artificial light is also fine (incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, even a REALLY large candelabra will do it!).*Feels great and very substantial in my hand, on my wrist, and when setting.*A very good, known maker, and at a price so low I want to tell people I paid MORE (I paid $81US, March 2010)!*And more than a little: a remarkably high & consistent rating on Amazon. It is indeed very rare to see any item on Amazon receive such high marks and comments, with so few negatives, over such a long period of time. I have been an Amazon customer since 1998 and bought watches, cameras, computer equipment, pens, books, CDs, DVDs, audio equipment, flashlights, small hand tools, luggage, and who knows what else, and I can't remember another item that so nearly universally gave it's purchasers here such a strong positive experience.*Setting the watch is easy, straightforward, and mostly intuitive, except for the warning not to set day/date between 9pm and 4am, which has to do with mechanical workings internally, and is not any inconvenience. A few people have not read either the Amazon product page or any of Citizen documentation, and have damaged their timepieces. So just don't be an impatient dope.*The only caveat or negative I'd offer I don't find an issue, myself. The band is tightly-woven OD green canvas with a sewn black leather backing (another mark of quality old-school manufacture). The solid steel grommets are large. It is stiff at first. After 2 weeks it loosened and lengthened about 3mm. I have pretty thick wrists and I am on hole 2, even 3 on some days. It is a good looking, substantial band. I like it.*All the other things: it keeps good time, losing just slightly more than 1 second in 9 weeks, which makes it 5-6 seconds deviant a YEAR. There is no backlight, but the hands glow legibly for 30 minutes or more after lights out. It is perfectly silent, even pressed tightly to my ear. The day function reads out alternatively in spanish, if you like or need it to. The requirements for light recharge are modest and will be easy to meet or exceeded by nearly everyone who wears this watch. 100 meter water resistance, which will be retained, unlike watches that must be opened every 2-3 years to replace the battery, thus ruining their real water resistance unless repacked by a pro for $$. The Citizen docs are clear, easy to read, and extensive.All in all, I give this watch an unreserved strong recommendation, a 5-star item for certain. I was prepared to hate the band and replace it right away, and the BM8180 would still have been a 4+ star. So for a handsome, solid, dependable, and inexpensive watch, you can't go wrong here.