Hi guys! Today I’m writing about Citizen EcoZilla review – specifically the Eco-Drive BJ8050-08E model, a huge and one of a kind diver’s watch which can even give the mighty aggressive Seiko Monster a run for its money.
But why the EcoZilla name?
Well, as you’ve noticed, the watch is humongous (it’s a freaking 48 mm diameter!) – so I guess the guy who coined this nickname likened it to Godzilla, the Japanese monster. Adds with the Eco-Drive model and you get EcoZilla lol!
The Citizen EcoZilla on hand – just look at that huge 48 mm diameter watch and that aggressive style
Just like the Seiko Monster, this watch is a polarizing figure. You either love it or hate it. There is in-between or over the fence with this one.
Above is the Seiko Monster, a watch popular for its rugged look
I can totally see how some guys can love the big bulky case of it making it look very manly and rugged. It’s heft also symbolizes a good watch that can withstand any punishment whatsoever.
But some other guys don’t like it because their hands are too small for such a big watch. Not to mention the eye-catching design is not something they would want to wear on their wrist.
Putting that aside, this Citizen EcoZilla is definitely something else, totally different than watches I’ve reviewed before. Without any delay, let’s check out the Citizen EcoZilla review!
Citizen EcoZilla (BJ8050-08E) Specification
Diameter: 48 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Lug Width: 29 mm
Lug To Lug Distance: 48 mm
Case: Stainless steel case
Strap: Black polyurethane strap
Dial: Black dial
Watch Crystal: 6 mm thick Mineral crystal with anti-reflective coating
Hands: Sword style hands with lume
Markers: Index markers with lume
Movement: Eco-Drive B873
Movement Features: Citizen’s Eco-Drive quartz movement with Solar/light powered
Power Reserve: 180 days
Water Resistance: 300 m
Other Features: Date display, Unidirectional rotating bezel, Screw down crown
Best Place To Buy: Amazon for $280, MSRP $395
A Huge 48 mm Diameter
The case of the Citizen EcoZilla is a huge 48 mm diameter. How big is it? For comparison, the normal classic dress watch is about 38 mm, while the current trend is 44 mm maximum.
With a 48 mm diameter, this watch definitely pushes the boundary on how big a watch can be. Not just the diameter, it’s thickness of 18 mm also is very mind-boggling!
Just look at that 18 mm thick casing!
It’s totally a monstrous watch, and has a very nice heavy weight to it. The brushed stainless steel case also makes it more rugged, something that’s intended for actual diving.
And make no mistake, this little beast also has a great 300 m water resistance rating, which means you can actually use it to dive! Too many watches nowadays only has the diver’s watch look, but can’t really be used for any diving at all.
The EcoZilla is definitely a great choice for those that want a big manly looking watch, if you have the wrist for it (and be warned, it’s going to be heavy!).
Special Lug-less Case Design
Due to how big the watch is, Citizen opted to use a lug-less case design making the watch a total circular shape. Or else the watch will be very long and won’t be wearable by anyone except for the biggest wrists.
But unfortunately, this special lug-less design means the polyurethane watch strap is specially built for the watch with separate metal coupling to the case.
This means the watch strap can’t be simply changed without purchasing a separate adapter to connect it to the back case.
This video shows how to change the strap of the Citizen EcoZilla. It will require more work and a special adapter just to put the watch
Raised Unidirectional Rotating Bezel
The watch bezel is raised pronouncely which can give good protection to the mineral crystal on top of the watch. And this is definitely a good thing as mineral crystals are not that good with scratches
(Read my introduction to watch crystal article HERE for more info about this)
One thing that I dislike about the bezel design is how to rotate it, we need to grab the bezel from top. The side of the bezel is a protection ring which is not connected to it.
This makes the bezel rotating not natural and can be quite hard to do. It’s totally unlike the normal diver’s watch bezel which is easily rotated by grabbing the sides of the bezel.
Unique Crown Located At 9 o’clock
The screw down crown is sitting on the right (at 9 o’clock) and is very weird for a watch as it’s usually situated at 3 o’clock. Some people dislike this since it’s quite hard to use it if you are wearing your watch on your left hand.
But in my opinion, this is not a big issue. In fact, we should never operate our crowns while wearing the watch as it’s the weakest thing on a watch.
As with any modern diver’s watch, the crown is also a screw down type for maximum protection against water ingress
A bad push while doing that could snap the crown stem – a very small slender bar connected to the inside of the movement. Which is why I advised all of you guys to always take off your watch before setting it via crown.
By the way, this is a quartz watch after all. So not much time resetting is required as compared to an automatic watch. So this issue on the crown located at the right is only an issue if you choose it to be one =)
Black Dial With Lots Of Lume
The dial of this Citizen EcoZilla BJ8050-08E is black in color, and frankly speaking, too small for its big case. I mean, just look at it and you’ll notice that it does not have a good proportion of case diameter to dial diameter.
For me, it’s one of the major flaw that this watch has. It makes the watch looks like a big man with a small head.. It’s definitely not attractive at all.
I can only suggest that Citizen make the dial bigger in future update – it’ll be a great pleasure to watch this black diver style dial in full =)
Just like any diver’s watch, the hands and markers of this EcoZilla is big and over-sized, which make the lume performance as good as what you can expect.
The lume on the Citizen EcoZilla is great, thanks to Citizen’s lume technology and huge area of paint application on its hands and markers
In fact, the hands and markers are much bigger than other diver’s watches which is why it’s liken to the Seiko Monster – both have very big hands and markers.
The markers are uniquely shaped as it’s not rectangle or round but more like an elongated half circle.
At the right of the dial is a small date display window. Unfortunately the window is too small that I’m sure going to be a problem for people to see.
It’s much nicer if Citizen can make the date much bigger, or even replace the 3 o’clock marker with the date window completely.
Overall, I’m not satisfied with the black dial as it’s too small compared to the over-sized case. The protective ring at the edge of the case just a waste of space, in my opinion.
It’s much better if this watch can has a bigger dial area as well as a bigger date window. Other than that, the luxurious application of lume on the hands and markers will surely give a long and satisfying glow-in-the-dark effect.
Citizen Solar Powered Eco-Drive B873 Quartz Movement
Powering the Citizen EcoZilla is none other than the Eco-Drive technology, Citizen’s famous and reliable solar/light powered movement.
The benefit of solar powered movement can’t be denied. It makes any quartz watches free from the dreaded dead battery. Just make sure you expose it to any light, and you are good to go.
Of course, the stronger the light (sunlight), the more it will recharge itself. And since the power reserve is a good 180 days (or 6 months), it’s basically maintenance free as I’m sure most of us will be able to get at least a few good hours of sunlight in that time span.
On the other hand, the Seiko Monster is powered by automatic self-winding movement. It’s the more antique type of watch, but has a huge amount of character that no quartz watch can beat.
(read my comparison between automatic/mechanical vs quartz watches HERE for more info)
Who Is The Citizen EcoZilla For?
Who is this watch for? Without a doubt, serious divers should definitely consider using this watch as it boasts a 300 m water resistance plus screw down crown.
And those big bulky case will surely mean some serious protection against any drop or impact during diving.
But even if you are not a diver, it’s a great watch for a casual use. Plus, anyone that would like a good eye-catching and unique watch on his wrist should get this. It’s huge size and weight will give a great wrist presence.
The diver suit engraving on its caseback marks how the watch is a true diver’s watch, suitable for those extreme condition underwater
Who Should Not Get It?
Anyone with a small wrist should not get this. Period. It’s humongous and won’t fit well with a small wrist. Not only that, the size also means it’s quite heavy and will be a big burden to those with smaller hands.
I also think it’s not a good watch to be used to office or work. Most diver’s watches are versatile, but this watch is at the other spectrum of casualness. I can’t imagine how an office guy can wear such a big watch and still command respect from his bosses/colleagues.
Citizen EcoZilla Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Great wrist presence with 48 mm diameter case
- Fuss free Eco-Drive movement without requiring any battery change in its entire life
- A good 300 m water resistance rating
- Date window for additional functionality
Cons:
- The size can be too big for some people
- Very small date window which is not easily readable
- Mineral crystal is not very good in scratch resistant
- Need an independent adapter to change strap
Like The Citizen EcoZilla BJ8050-08E? Buy It Cheapest On Amazon!
If you like this Citizen EcoZilla, get it cheapest on Amazon for just $280. This is a massive discount from its MSRP which is $395. Click the link below to check out the watch in Amazon.
->Click Here To View This Citizen EcoZilla On Amazon<-
Final Thoughts
Citizen EcoZilla BJ8050-08E is a very unique watch with extreme style. It’s very big, very thick and looks very aggressive.
But under this extreme look, it also sport a great 300 m water resistance – proving that those big case is not just for show. And as I’ve mentioned earlier, you’ll either love this watch, or hate it.
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I hope you guys like this Citizen Eco-Drive review.
Let me know your thoughts about it below =)
Till next time. Cheers!
Isaac
Mineral glass doesn’t scratch nearly as much as is commented on over the internet. I’ve use mineral glass dive watches for years now in an industrial environment or hard goods retail and they are pretty good at resisting wear. On the other hand, some people seem determined to strap them on and scrape up base rock by hand – I also have a BN0000 which appears to be liberally crosshatched. Superglue and polish does disguise it, tho.
While expensive sapphire crystals are always reputed to be much more scratch resistant the real problem is that they tend to hit hard surfaces at the wrong angle and explode. Mineral doesn’t seem to do that as much – but it does beg the question, what was the owner doing – aside from taking off his ISO DIVE rated watch before taking a bath and dropping it on a tile floor. There’s a whole thread with pics on the internet with crushed Submariners out there.
As for the date window, the size is all that Citizen gave it to peek thru the full face solar panel. If anything it’s not so much the window is small, it’s the increased depth – it’s sunken further in than a paper thin metal dial exhibits. Considering the Eco Drive works are partially electronic, an E-ink paperwhite display integrated into the printed circuit would do well – and can be colormatched with contrast digits. One of the nice upsides is that it doesn’t need constant current unlike LCD, once you “flip the ball” its static until data needs to be changed again. And the messy, slow clockwork change at 10PM to 2AM that must be avoided when updating the time would be eliminated.
Watches really are falling further behind in leading edge electronica, and it’s no help we seem to have a fascination by some with the old “rotary dialing” mechanical movements, even insisting they be allowed to pay extra for a clockworks that is by definition now 50 years out of date and 50 times less accurate than quartz, requiring periodic maintenance, with run times measured in hours – not years, like solar. Yes, some of the first Eco Drives had a 2 YEAR reserve. We are still using that 20 year old power cell design to this day, much the same as highly superlative watches are still using ratcheting escapements and being celebrated for keeping to 40 seconds a week. Good quartz movements do that each year. Since the Eco Drive was invented we have seen computing power – and LED power outputs, too – double every two years. Our watches remain mired in foot dragging obsolescence in an age were all too many just rely on their cell phone. It’s the 1970’s all over again, premier watch companies taking a hit when their slowly evolving product line is left in the dust by the new kid on the block. We don’t seem to learn from history.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Definitely an eye opener there. It shows that the owner’s precautions (or lack thereof) with their watches is the key element in whether any it will be damaged or not.
On the watch trend, all we could do is to wait and see how the consumer reacts on the watches in the market nowadays – and the resultant trend movement from it. True enough, quartz and smart watches are multiple times better than automatic watches but then it was not enough to bury automatic watches. It didn’t in the 80s-90s and I believe it won’t be the case now.
Although automatic watches are less capable, it’s mechanical identity makes it totally different than the whole digital world we’re living in today. We’ve seen more watch brands coming up with their automatic watches to cater to the low-end market which signals there are demand and money to be made from it.
Personally, I’m bullish about automatic watches. Well, it could be due to my love for it and I just want the industry to thrive so I can still buy it at affordable prices in future – so yeah my analysis is definitely biased =)
great review . thanks now I am on to amazon to get one
Great review. It’s a shame Citizen always make their date windows so small, they should learn from Seiko.
Yeah Steve. I don’t know how anyone can read the date easily with such small window!
the glass does not scratch.
Hi David. Mind if you elaborate more on this?
Oh boy! Every time I read one of your reviews, I am compelled to buy the same watch on the spotlight. Isaac, your evaluation of this Citizen diver is so spot-on and brutally honest that all I need now is discretionary cash to get me one. Doubtless, the quality of these Japanese watches are unquestionable; but with your mention of their best and worst features make the reader feel the real value of the watch or lack thereof. It certainly influenced my buying decision re: Orient diver’s and the Seiko Monster. Thank u and keep up the good work, hopefully I don’t wind up in the poorhouse from reading your awesome reviews!!! I’ll just have to wait and see ‘cuz some online dealers beat Amazon’s price by $50, hmmm… do you recommend Ebay retailers?
Hi Juan. Thanks for the complement. I hope you can exercise some self restrain to avoid costly (but satisfying) purchases lol!
By the way, mind sharing which online dealers has lower price than Amazon? It’s a surprise because usually they have the lowest price among them. I don’t really prefer Ebay because the website layout is a bit difficult for customers. Just try to search for any popular watches there and you’ll be greeted with many similar listings. On the other hand, I like how Amazon only has one sales page for each watch – very easy for us to see. That being said, if you can find a cheaper price on Ebay, then why not? Just make sure to read the reviews of the sellers to ensure they are legit.
Cheers!