Citizen Eco-Drive Largo Watch

...worse than go for the Citizen Largo Eco Drive.

I've owned one for a couple of years, having purchased it after trying on a bunch of others by different manufacturers from seiko to breitling, and have found very little, if anything, wrong with it.

LOOKS

For starters, mine doesn't look quite like the one in the Ciao picture, so I've added a picture at the bottom! As you can see, mine has a rectangular case ...
...run dry.

Citizen claim the Largo will run in the dark for over 150 hours from a full charge: I've never tested that claim, but it's nice to know I'll be able to tell how long I've been stuck should I ever fall down a mine shaft.

Should the watch start to run low for some reason (for example if you've been wearing long sleeves a lot as you may do in the winter, the watch saves energy by moving the second hand in two second ... more

Any bloke looking to buy a smart looking, reliable and solid watch for a decent price could do an awful lot worse than go for the Citizen Largo Eco Drive.

I've owned one for a couple of years, having purchased it after trying on a bunch of others by different manufacturers from seiko to breitling, and have found very little, if anything, wrong with it.

LOOKS

For starters, mine doesn't look quite like the one in the Ciao picture, so I've added a picture at the bottom! As you can see, mine has a rectangular case with a deep blue face. It's a smart looking watch, chunky but not too chunky, with a very neat two-tone brushed/polished stainless steel case.

The highly adjustable bracelet is also two-tone and features a neat little squeeze/lock action to undo it, which is hidden when you wear it and gives the impresion that it is a single, unbroken chain encircling your wrist.

The bezel is push fit, and again chunky but not too chunky.

The face is very clear and bright and easy to read (even when wearing thick beer goggles, a common accessory for me to be wearing on a Friday night), but don't expect lots of numbers all the way around. You've a big fat 12, and nothing else but hour markers to tell the time by. Hour and second hands are both fluorescent and make telling the time in the dark easy enough. But neither the 12 nor the hour markers glow. If you can't tell the time just by looking at the relative position of the hands and really need numbers, buy something else!

Although not a dress watch, it is smart enough to be worn with a suit, and 'blokey' enough to wear with casual clothes too. I've got quite big hands and thick-ish wrists, so slim watches look a bit daft on me, but at the same time this isn't like dragging Big Ben around - it's really quite nicely proportioned.

DURABILITY

The stainless steel case is very hard, so even after two years of daily wear it has very few scratches, and those which it does has are very minor and would probably disappear with a good polish.

The crystal glass is extremely hard, and even though I've clouted it against bare brick (not on purpose, obviously) it is completely unmarked. This is not a particularly common feature for a watch in this price range, and a definite plus.

ECO DRIVE

Battery life is better than excellent, and one of the very best features of the Largo. Unlike 'normal' watches, with the Eco Drive system you should NEVER need to replace the battery. The face of the watch is backed by a small solar panel, and in normal use the watch is always topping up the built-in lithium battery. Better still, it can charge under both natural and artificial light so even if you're office bound the watch won't run dry.

Citizen claim the Largo will run in the dark for over 150 hours from a full charge: I've never tested that claim, but it's nice to know I'll be able to tell how long I've been stuck should I ever fall down a mine shaft.

Should the watch start to run low for some reason (for example if you've been wearing long sleeves a lot as you may do in the winter, the watch saves energy by moving the second hand in two second increments, warning you that it's running out of juice in the process. Pop it on your desk in the light for a couple of hours and it will soon revert to normal. As another energy saving feature, if left in the dark for a while, (for example when covered by a sleeve), the second hand stops moving altogether, but the watch keeps track of where it should be and as soon as you bring it back into the light the second hand rapidly advances to where it should be. Cool indeed!

OTHER FEATURES

The Largo has a very impressive array of features for a watch at this price, with a 24 hour clock, perpetual calendar (which both operate constantly), alarm, chronograph and world clock. The last three of these are operated by turning the bezel, which in turn moves the hand on the small dial at the bottom of the face of the watch from TME (standard time) to CHR (chrono) L-TM (local time) and ALM (alarm).

> 24 hour clock

This function shows you where you are in the day, with a small dial on the upper left side of the face ticking off the hours. I don't know about you, but I usually know whether it is morning or afternoon, so I don't really know why this is there, and it seems a bit pointless. It wouldn't even be much use while you're stuck down that mine shaft because the little dial doesn't glow! That said, it doesn't get in the way and the 24 hour dial does serve another useful function.

> Perpetual calendar

The perpetual calendar is very handy indeed and one of my favourite features of the watch. For those who don't know the difference between a perpetual calendar and a normal calendar, once set up correctly the Largo automatically advances the date in the window to take account of the shorter months and leap years. As with some of the other features this is not too easy to set up first. Fortunately Citizen have an online tutorial/instruction manual which takes you through the process, step-by-step, so you can be sure to get it right. Once done you need never worry about doing it again.

> Chronograph

The chronograph seems to be pretty accurate, and is able to record time in 20ths of a second. It's a nice little feature, but if I'm honest not one I've used very much. The second hand shows the seconds (obviously) and the smaller dials on the face keep track of the minutes and the 20ths (the latter looked after by the same dial which does the 24 hour stuff).

> Alarm

The Largo's a daily alarm function is relatively easy to set and turn on/off once you've done it a couple of times, and it gives a pleasant bleep which is loud enough to wake you if your staying away from home. I've used it quite a few times and it has never failed to do the job it is designed for.

> World clock

As a final function, the watch has a world clock, which allows you to set the local time and switch between 'home time' (UK in my case) and the time wherever you are. I've travelled to various time zones on business, and think this is another very useful feature. Once set, you can easily flick back and forth between the two, and when you get off the plan when you come home you only need turn the bezel a half turn and your watch is back to UK time. I admit that having to set the watch fully wouldn't be a big hassle, but it is nice to have. As an extra little bonus if UK time is before the foreign time set, the hands of the watch will reset by gliding anticlockwise... something I found so cool the first time I did it that I flicked back and forth a few times! Boys will be boys!

WOULD I RECOMMEND IT?

Absolutely! The finish is excellent, it looks great, has a bundle of features and is easy to use once you get the hang of it. It could perhaps do with a little light that you could turn off and on so you could more easily make use of all the other features in the dark, but I expect that would put extra strain on the Eco Drive system and make the thing unworkable. For a day to day watch I'd be surprised if there is anything better though.

If you're looking to treat yourself, or treat the man in your life, this would make a superb gift! 

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