Best watches and a great place to buy them

Even though time keeping during the day is not an issue these days due to clocks in computers, cars and cell phones - I still like to have a good timepiece. And in my, very humble, opinion Citizen makes best watches. While such claims are extremely subjective, I'll try to substantiate my claim. A good watch has very simple characteristics which anyone can appreciate: accuracy, reliability, amount of care required and simplicity. Before anyone says that simplicity is a preference that some may not subscribe to, I would point out that even complex mechanisms can have simple or overly complex implementations. So for any given function - the simpler it is implement, the better. Now let's see why these qualities make the best watches!

Accuracy - Quartz movement is proven to be more accurate than simple mechanical movement due to the way quartz watches work. Mechanical watches have springs and masses that move around in order to measure time. By the very nature anything at a scale of a watch spring can not be very precise, especially when the spring's force changes as time goes by, as gears wear out, dirt gets inside and so on. In Quartz watch the quartz crystal is oscillating and thus measuring time (actually it moves tens of thousands of times per second).

Reliability - a good timepiece will work reliably for generations. Not without a degree of basic care, but many watches can work without a fault for very long periods of time (provided they have supply of energy - either human winding them up or electrical source). Many very expensive watches are fully mechanical and self winding. While this is a showcase for great craftsmanship, it also introduces a layer of complexity that tends to lower the reliability of the watch. Many of the gears are so delicate, that any kind of sudden physical shock, temperature variation, or even magnetic source can put them out of service. Lack of these delicate gears and mechanisms make quartz watches more tolerant to adverse conditions.

Amount of care - It used to be the fact of life, that watches needed to be cleaned and adjusted. This is still the case for many mechanical wrist watches, but often not the case for quartz ones. Quartz watches have a different point of care - replacement of energy source. And this is where Citizen really shines and brings innovation. Citizen Eco-Drives  while technically have a battery - do not require it to be replaced for very long periods of time (and in some times for as long as the watch itself lasts). They use solar power, converted with special layer of electronics right under the face of the watch, to power all the functions. As a result, most of Citizen watches will never be opened, no dirt will be introduced, no battery replaced, no mistakes will be made. While this may sound as very minor point to some, it is actually a big deal in the world of watches. Of course Citizen is not unique in this respect - there are other companies that make solar powered watches, but very few of them come to the same level of technological ingenuity, precision and craftsmanship (especially for the price) as Citizen.

Simplicity - Many people enjoy complex watches, but the more complex it is - the more chances it has for failure. The best watch does only one function - show time, but does it very accurately, reliably and needs no special care. If someone has a watch that has compass, altimeter, barometer, tach, and more... of course it is a great technological marvel, but there is a price to pay for it. Usually these secondary functions are not as precise as one would want, and they increase the potential of the entire mechanism being broken. Plus all of these extra functions require extra power, which ultimately means that the watch has smaller power reserve. Many complex mechanical watches have enough energy to last only about one and a half day before they need to be recharged in some way. Battery powered ones will last from tree to five years before the battery needs to be replaced. But a simple, solar powered watch like an Eco-Drive can last up-to nine month on a single charge! But you would say "Hey, how is that better than the battery powered one that last five years?". Good question! And the answer is very simple - no one really wears a watch in darkness for nine month. So as long as there is exposure to any light source, the watch will just keep on going indefinitely (theoretically of course. In practice you are likely to get tired of it and buy a new one).

And it just happens that Citizen realized all of these features in their line of Eco-Drive watches, which are an exceptional value for their price. One can buy an Eco-Drive timepiece for as little as $80 (brand new!). This is often times much cheaper than cheap knockoffs of expensive brands or even same price as "no-name" watches.

Princeton Watches - is the place to go if you want one of these marvels. They have good selection, great prices and exceptional service. Shipping is free and often times you get a small present (even though you won't find this watch for less anywhere else). They are very reliable and reputable company. I have bought from them on many occasions and have always been 100% satisfied. So if you are in the market for a good no nonsense watch - check out Citizen and PrincetonWatches.com

And here you can see how it works: