There are a lot of reviews available of this watch so I'll just comment on what I've noticed.
I'm involved with graphic design and, from that perspective, the design of the face is something the folks at Citizen have got just right. The face itself is matt black, so doesn't produce distracting reflections. The minute-markers and numbers are in a light tan colour. The lume of the hands is lightest of all – so the hands stand out really well. And what they've done with the hands guarantees maximum readability. The hour and minute hands are of distinct shape, length and colour. The result of all this is a true 'read-at-a-glance' watch.
I have to agree with other reviewers that the date window is very difficult to read, but fortunately it has thin white numbers on a black background that blends so well with the surrounding black face that it doesn't distract/detract.
The seconds hand is easy to see, but not white, polished silver or distracting – but it does have an orange tip with lume which makes it easy to see when you need to.
Along with the tip of the seconds hand, the minutes hand and hour hand have lume applied. It glows an attractive blue/green.
There are luminous dots at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock. This arrangement works very well – at night, because the hour and minute hands are both a different shape and length, they are very easy to distinguish. The 4 dots at 12, 3, 6 and 9 make it easy to see which way 'up' the watch is. I mention this because, as a light sleeper who wakes up frequently at night, I really need a watch I can glance at and easily get a sense of the time. I charge the lume up by pointing a torch at the watch before going to sleep and the time is easily seen the whole night through. I've tried several watches, and this works better than any other by far.
Reviewers commonly mention it's a relatively large watch. Something that adds to that impression is that it's very much 'all dial' – which also contributes to making it so readable. And it helps that the crystal is flat rather than domed because you don't get a lot of annoying reflections – and that again helps readability. Finally, some people comment on the thickness, but this has much to do with the depth required by the solar collector of the Eco-drive, which is in the form of a 'solar ring' that runs just outside the numbers on the dial. In a sense, the face of the watch is like a 'light well' catching the light to keep the watch running.
The point is, the size and thickness of the watch has a real functional purpose – it's not 'for show' but rather contributes to making this watch optimised for its purpose – as a timepiece.
I can't comment on the strap it comes with as I immediately swapped it out for a NATO strap I preferred, though the supplied strap seems very well made and suits the watch rather well. Going back to the watch thickness question for a moment, I should mention that a NATO strap makes it sit a little taller on the wrist, but even this doesn't make its thickness a problem. I often wear it under a business shirt cuff with no difficulty.
In short, when I first put it on it did strike me as rather large, but as I've come to appreciate the design I can't imagine wearing anything else. It's very comfortable on the wrist.
I really had not expected to fall in love with this watch as much as I have. There's nothing quite like it – it's a distinctive design that totally works!
I purchase mine from a site called the Watch Depot and I can thoroughly recommend them. Ordering was easy, it was promptly dispatched, their communications were great and the watch arrived in perfect order. It qualified for free shipping and had a 30-day money back guarantee, so I had complete confidence placing the order with them. It was an easy decision to make and I'm glad I did.
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