Citizen Eco-Drive BM8180 Review & Complete Guide
If you are looking for a sporty and robust timepiece with great legibility at an affordable price, this watch may be it. Citizen is a brand that is widely appreciated for its affordable timepieces which offer great value for money. In a sporty watch that is meant to take a beating, it can give some peace of mind to not wear the most expensive timepiece.
Citizen Eco-Drive BM8180 Review
As the name suggests, this is an Eco-Drive timepiece. We’ll go more into detail about this further on, but what it means, in Citizen’s own words is that it ”converts any kind of light into energy to power a watch, storing the surplus on a power cell. On a full charge, an Eco–Drive watch runs for months even in darkness with no need for regular battery replacement.”
This is of course a very clever piece of technology that keeps the watch charged and ensures it does not run out of battery – without actually having to replace the battery.
For a sporty functional timepiece that just ”works”, the BM8180 is definitely a watch worth considering. In this article, we are reviewing and looking at this timepiece in detail.
Citizen Eco-Drive BM8180 case
The Citizen Eco-Drive BM8180 is presented with a stainless steel case with a diameter of 37mm and a lug width of 18mm which is appropriate for the diameter. With that said, it is a rather small watch for a ”tool watch” that will work great on most wrist sizes. And whilst it is sporty in nature, its discreet size can make it work even more formal occasions. Especially if you opt to change the strap for something more elegant. The thickness measures only 9mm which makes it very slim for a field watch. It will sid slim on the wrist and slide under a cuff without any issues.
Due to its small size, it will sit so discreetly on the wrist that you will likely forget that you are wearing it at times. This is further contributed by its light weight of only 47.6 grams.
The case is made of stainless steel and has satin-finished lugs. As a contrast, the bezel is polished, and equally so are the sides of the case. The satin elements ensure it retains its sportiness, but the polished parts work as a nice contrast that enhances the impression of quality. It also helps make it more versatile.
Sitting on top of the case, we have a mineral crystal. At this price point, we can’t really expect a sapphire crystal, so no big surprise here.
The watch offers a water resistance of 100 meters which is actually quite good for a watch at this price point and with this design. This means it is suitable for swimming and snorkeling. Positioned at 3 o’clock, we have a knurled push-pull crown that sits protected by two crown guards that extend, but not substantially, from the case. The knurled finish of the crown ensures it is easy to operate.
Citizen Eco-Drive BM8180 dial
Moving on to the dial, which is in our opinion the highlight of this watch. Since the case is not very big, and the bezel is rather slim, it allows for a big dial. This means the dial takes up most of the property of this watch.
The dial is black and has markers in white which provide a superb contrast. Since this is designed as a sporty field watch, legibility is key, and Citizen has done a great job here. If you find certain watches difficult to read and want something you can only glance at for a second and know the time, the Eco-Drive BM8180 definitely does the job.
Furthermore, the dial has a sporty, military-inspired design featuring triangles and Arabic numerals. With that said, the dial is not a full-on military watch in terms of layout and design, but there is still a clear inspiration.
Positioned at 3 o’clock on the dial, we have a window that displays the day and the date. Since most owners will wear this as an everyday watch, it is a practical thing to have. The hour and minutes hands are sword-shaped and have luminescent material on them. Their design is reminiscent of the hands used for some American military watches. They are both broad, have polished metal frames, and are slightly skeletonized. As a contrast to the otherwise monochrome dial, the arrow-shaped seconds hand is bright red.
On the inner circle of the dial, we have large Arabic numerals from 1 to 11. Moving one position outwards, we have triangles pointing inwards, next to each numeral. And inside of this, just at the outer edge of the dial, we have small Arabic numerals indicating the seconds.
The watch is rather sterile with its monochrome design, and only has ”WR 100M” and ”Citizen Eco-Drive” printed on the dial.
The lume can be found on the hands and the minute markers. The lume glows ok but not insanely bright. There could be more luminescent material for an even brighter glow.
Citizen Eco-Drive BM8180 movement
As mentioned, this watch features Eco-Drive technology, which is Citizen’s name for solar movements. With that said, it means that it is powered by a quartz movement. This watch has a photo-voltaic cell underneath the dial that captures light, including regular ambient light, and converts that into energy.
The most die-hard watch enthusiasts may be scared off to not having a mechanical movement, but it does have some practical benefits. Most notably, quartz watches are much more accurate than mechanical watches. In addition, this movement will continue to tick year after year since it removes the need of having to replace the batteries when they run out of energy. With that said, it is both practical and good for the environment.
Citizen Eco-Drive BM8180 strap
The watch is presented on a sporty khaki canvas strap. The color and look of the strap go very well together with the military-inspired design of this watch. It can be a bit hard in the beginning, but it will get better over time.
If you don’t like the strap, or just want to give the watch a different look, you can simply change the strap to something else.
Specifications
- Power reserve: 6 months when fully charged, if not charged via solar during this time
- Accuracy: +/- 15 seconds per month
- Water resistance: 100m/330 feet
- Lug width: 18mm
- Diameter: 37mm
- Weight: 47.6 grams.
- Movement: Quartz with Eco-Drive technology
Conclusion
All in all, the Citizen Eco-Drive BM8180 is a watch that offers great value for money. This watch is well-made, has high quality, and has a good finish for the price. The Eco-Drive technology is truly helpful in practice and means you won’t have to change the battery.
The watch has a sporty military-inspired design, but is well-balanced with elegant lines and touches like the polished bezel and sides. It is sporty but not too sporty, which makes it great for everyday wear. And thanks to its small size and lightweight, you will at times even forget that you are wearing it.
This is a timepiece that you really cannot go wrong with.
The Citizen Eco-Drive BM8180 is available to order on Amazon.
