The Trip That Made Me Challenge All My Watch Preconceptions

Battery-powered watches run reliably while power lasts, but battery depletion creates practical problems: identifying the correct tiny battery, sourcing it, installing it, and resealing the watch without damage. Many people delay or forget maintenance, making battery replacement inconvenient. Automatic mechanical watches avoid batteries but require consistent wear to maintain power. Citizen Eco-Drive watches aim to eliminate these issues by using light—electric or daylight—to keep the watch running. Citizen’s approach is framed as a different power philosophy within a mechanical-dominated market. The underlying photovoltaic science traces back to the 1830s and 1800s, with photovoltaic effects discovered in 1839 and viable cells emerging later.

"It's all ticketyboo while the power lasts-you never have to think about it and, of course, it will keep way better time than a mechanical watch. But after a few years, when the battery is shot, that's when things get dicey. First you have to identify which teeny battery you need, assuming you have the dexterity to get the back off your watch. Then you have to find said battery. Finally, you have to get the damn thing in there and seal the watch back up without blowing a gasket (in both senses)."

"You could take it to get fixed, but who has time for that? In the scheme of things, you're more likely to forget about your watch than remember to put a new battery in it. Automatic mechanical watches are a viable-if more costly-solution, but you have to wear them consistently or they'll lose power after a few days (at most)."

"A Citizen Eco-Drive watch, on the other hand, will theoretically keep on going forever. You just need light-be it electric or daylight-to keep it ticking. In a business dominated by lofty mechanical makers, it's good for the soul to get re-educated once in a while. Last week, I was privileged to travel all the way to Tokyo to have my horological preconceptions thoroughly reorganized by Citizen, a 108-year-old Japanese watch brand that thinks in a wholly different way from other brands."

"At Citizen, you see, power is everything. If you think of solar power as futuristic it may surprise you to find out that it's been around-in concept, at least-for almost 200 years. The principle of the science goes back to 1839, when French physicist Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect. Selenium-based cells capable of storing electrical power gathered from the sunlight appeared in the 1880s. The first viable photovoltaic cell arrived in 1954, and the first solar-powered watche"

Read at Esquire