Citizen Builds Out Its Eco-Drive One Collection With Five New Models

Citizen has been making some serious waves this year through their Promaster collection. But let us not forget that Citizen is a brand that produces more than your robust, and at times funky, sports watch. Since 2016, Citizen has been the proud owner of the thinnest analog, light powered quartz watch in the world called the Eco-Drive One. Last week, Citizen released five new watches that builds out the Eco-Drive One collection, providing a new range of options to add an ultra-thin watch to the quiver.

The Eco-Drive One houses the Citizen Caliber 8826. The movement is made up of 85 individual parts, most of which are designed by Citizen themselves, including a two-component rotor as opposed to the traditional three-component rotor found in most watches. The result is a movement that measures a slender 1mm. In addition to the Caliber 8826, Citizen maintains the slimness of the Eco-Drive One by utilizing a ring-shaped solar cell that is placed on the same plane as the gear train for the hands. Combine the former with a 3.7 volt rechargeable cell developed in collaboration with Hitachi Maxell that measures just 0.87mm thick, the Eco-Drive One is a watch that looks to hold its title for the thinnest analog, light powered quartz watch for the foreseeable future.

Now to the new Eco-Drive One release. The Citizen Eco-Drive One AR5050–51L, AR5055-58E, and AR50504-51E come with a stainless steel case that spans 39mm in width and a svelte 2.98mm in thickness. They each come with Citizen’s proprietary Duratect-Alpha coating, adding an element of corrosion resistance, hypoallergenic properties and, according to Citizen, a surface hardness five times that of steel. The AR5050–51L is the conservative choice out of the three, with its all steel aesthetic, steel hands and two-tone blue tuxedo dial.

The AR5055-58E and AR50504-51E are of the traditional two-tone variety, adorned with a rose gold colored Cermet (ceramic-metal composite) bezel, a matching colored handset and a black dial. The AR5055-58E comes on a steel bracelet while the AR50504-51E comes with a DLC-coating. These models, as well as the AR5050–51L are water resistant up to 30 meters and come on a stainless steel beads of rice bracelet.

The AR5060–58E is a step away from the standard Eco-Drive One look. Its angular case gives the watch a more streamlined and sportier look. The AR5060–58E still measures 39mm in width, but increases a shade under 1mm in thickness, to 3.88mm. With the extra case bulk, the AR5060–58E sports an increase in water resistance up to 50 meters. Citizen forgoes the beads of rice style bracelet for a brushed flat link bracelet. Rounding out the collection we have the AR5075-69E, which maintains the traditional silhouette of the Eco-Drive One, except for the addition of a Zirconia bezel and hobnail patterned dial.

Pricing for the entire collection are as follows: the navy blue AR5050–51L for $3,495, the steel two-tone AR5055-58E and the Zirconia bezel AR5075-69E for $3,750, the DLC-coated AR50504-51E for $3,995, and the sleek AR5060–58E for $4,750, respectively. The entire collection is currently available now directly through Citizen’s e-commerce platform. Citizen