Review of Citizen Ecodrive BL5250-53L Titanium Perpetual Calendar Watch

I will now be looking closer at the Citizen Ecodrive BL5250 53L watch. What's so special about this titanium watch that makes so many men want to buy it? Well, we men seem to be drawn towards watches with loads of gadgets we just love to play with. And Citizen Eco watches does have all that: Rotating bezel, stop watch, water resistant, perpetual calendar, and alarm and off course the titanium case and bezel.

Design

Ok, let’s start with the outside, meaning the design of this Ecodrive watch. As mentioned, the watch is made out of titanium. And for those of you wondering why Citizen made a watch out of titanium I can tell you that titanium is a lot stronger material than watches made of steel. In fact titanium is 30% stronger and half as light as steel. This makes the case and the bracelet very durable and the watch feels lighter on your wrist.



The dial is protected by sapphire crystal glass, which means it's the second hardest material in the world. That's right; technically speaking only diamond can scratch it. The glass is also anti-reflective coated so no light reflection will disturb you when you look at the dial. In fact, it looks like you can touch the dial!

The case of the Citizen BL5250 53L is 43mm x 13mm which means that it's a chunky piece and should fit well on a guy with a large wrist and the bracelet got a dual clasp with a push button system to make it sit securely on your wrist. On the outside of the dial a solid, engraved screw bezel with elapse time indicator is protecting the interior of the watch. A tachymeter is running on the edge of the dial. If you don't know what a tachymeter is you can read more about it at Watch Terms - What do they mean?

Functions and technology

Let's dive deeper into this gadget packed watch. First of all the battery life lasts for a lifetime, yes that's right. The lithium-ion battery is rechargeable and is powered by an amorphous silicon solar cell placed behind the dial. So it means no more expensive costs to change the watch battery.








You can say Citizen was a head when thinking 'green', because the BL5250 53L watch is smart as well. It saves the energy when it's kept in the dark for a long time by parking the second hand at 12 o'clock position. No worries, the time watch will still be running as accurate as usual.

On the dial you can see the three sub-dials for the stop watch or chronograph as you also can call it with a 1/20 second indicator and a 24-hour display. With the sub-dials you can also select local time and alarm function. The perpetual calendar is handy and you don't have to adjust it every month since it does that automatically through to year 2100. The date is placed at 4 o'clock position with numbers on white background. With the screw crown you can switch between alarm, chronograph, dual time and time. The hands are luminous and are a clear contrast to the black dial. Just to let you know, the dial also comes in a blue color as well.

Citizen BL5250 53L is water resistant to 200 meters (660 feet) which is enough for swimming or washing your hands.

Citizen is generous to the warranty as well; 5 years which is quite unusual to get from watches in this price range. You will also get an instructional CD - easier than reading the manual.

Ok, now let's put this watch on the test and let’s be honest.

The good stuff

- It's light to wear so you barely feel it on your arm and the bracelet is super strong.

- The dial is clear and easy to read even with the sub-dials

The bad stuff

- The alarm is not loud, but what can you expect from a water resistant watch to 200m (660 feet)

- The mode button is easy to change by accident so be sure you check it's in the right mode.

Watch Information (Boring but necessary information)

Brand Name: Citizen

Model number: BL5250-53L

Part Number: BL525053L

Dial window material type: Mineral

Clasp: fold-over-clasp-with-double-push-button-safety

Case material: Titanium

Case diameter: 43 millimeters

Case Thickness: 13 millimeters

Band material: Titanium

Band length: men

Band width: 22 millimeters

Dial color: black

Bezel material: Titanium

Bezel Function: unidirectional

Calendar: Date

Item-weight: 2.40 Ounces

Movement: Japanese-Quartz

Water resistant depth: 660 Feet

Warranty Type: Manufacturer



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About the Author

John Bergseth

Working fulltime as a watch sales consultant in London. Writing product articles about watches on my free time. Long experience in SEM...