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Seiko Vs. Citizen

I did not want to hijack the other thread, so I thought I would start this one. I have a Seiko that I bought back in 1985. Still in great shape. And I have a Citizen that was a gift a few years ago. The face (crystal) of this watch has been scratched beyond belief. I have never had a watch "scratch" like this one. Anyone else have the same issue with a Citizen? I have a new Citizen that I have never worn. It was a 5 year award from my employer. I'm afraid to wear it.

Randy
 
Have you had a jeweler look at the Citizen in case there is something wrong with it and that's why it's scatching so much?

I don't have any experience with Citizen. But I have a Seiko, I like very much.

What type of Crystal is on your Citizen?
 
my wife got me a citizen when first started going out 8 years ago bin wearing it every day except at work . never had any scratches on it or any thing. i am guessing some thing is wrong with yours bud unless i have just bin that lucky but i don't think that is the case .

can it be you got a knock off by any chance and didn't realize it at the time?
 
Have you had a jeweler look at the Citizen in case there is something wrong with it and that's why it's scatching so much?

I don't have any experience with Citizen. But I have a Seiko, I like very much.

What type of Crystal is on your Citizen?

Tim,

I have no idea, but I assume it is the standard factory crystal. However, I have been sorely disappointed in how it stands up to day to day use. I have a cheap $40 watch that actually stands up to abuse better than any of my more expensive watches, including my Movado and my Tourneau watches.

Randy
 
I have what I would consider inexpensive watches - A Seiko, Citiizen and Wenger all retailing for around $200. I purchased the Seiko and Wenger for a lot less on line, about $100.

I totally beat on watches and all the crystals have scratches. I tried to keep one "nice" as a dress watch but failed. I'm left handed so the watches get a lot more exposure to banging & scratching opportunities. So in my personal experience the Citizen was no worse than others's I have owned.

I think saphire is more scratch resistant material for a watch crystal. Its usually found on more expensive watches than the price points I described above but you can find saphire on watches in this price range. I believe the downside to saphire is that it is more shatter prone than mineral crystal. I'm gonna give saphire a try someday to see if it hold up a bit better.
 
I bought a Seiko last week for my wife. She was so happy!
Back in 1981 (!!) -when I was a kid- my watch was a Casio and it was a very good brand. I lost it in 1985 and bought a Citizen. I must say that I was disappointed with it and it was full of scratches also.
I've got a Tag-Heuer since 1993 and It's perfect!!
 
M

modern man

I do not have a Seko to compare

But I had a Citizen Eco Drive Dive watch for a year

Scratched all to Heck and the Crown broke

All and All my Timex and Casios lasted longer and took way more of a beating.
 
Given what I do for a living, my watch takes a heckuva beating.

Needless to say, my work watch tends to the less expensive side :biggrin:

Currently it's a Casio MDV-102, and I replaced the resin band with stainless steel.

It holds up.

That said, Sapphire is far less scratch prone than mineral (glass) crystal. But it will shatter. Sapphire (whether natural or synthetic) is one of the hardest substances on earth. It measures 9 on the Mohs scale, which is a system for rating the relative hardness of various materials. (Diamond measures 10, the highest rating.) Watch crystals made of synthetic sapphire are often marketed as "scratch resistant", meaning they are very difficult - but not impossible - to scratch. Diamond can scratch them; so can man-made materials that incorporate silicon carbide, with, with a Mohs rating of between 9 and 10, is, like diamond, harder than sapphire. These materials are sometimes used to make simulated-stone surfaces for furniture or walls, and accidentally scraping a sapphire crystal against such a surface could cause a scratch. Sapphire crystals cost upwards of $150 for just the crystal itself.

Here's a pic of my watch, and again, mine has a stainless band. (mineral glass crystal, BTW)
 
Check these guys out for everything you could ever want to know about Seiko, Citizen and watches, generally. Tons of info and nice people too. http://www.network54.com/Forum/78440/

I have owned several Seiko's and Citizens. If I had to characterize my preferences by brand alone, I would say Seiko is tops. Both brands make some really nice high end watches in addition to their mass produced offerings. Seiko's Spring Drive technology is absolutely cutting edge and is applauded as such, even by the Swiss watch snobbery. Sapphire is the material of choice for crystals. It is virtually impervious to scratches. While it is said to be subject to shattering, I have not ever seen this.
 
I have owned several Seiko's and Citizens. If I had to characterize my preferences by brand alone, I would say Seiko is tops. Both brands make some really nice high end watches in addition to their mass produced offerings. Seiko's Spring Drive technology is absolutely cutting edge and is applauded as such, even by the Swiss watch snobbery. Sapphire is the material of choice for crystals. It is virtually impervious to scratches. While it is said to be subject to shattering, I have not ever seen this.

Doesn't Seiko use some proprietary crystal called Hardex for their crystals? I imagine it is not as hard as Sapphire, but how much better than the regular glass crystal is it? And is it actually a different material, or just a coating?

-Mo
 
Doesn't Seiko use some proprietary crystal called Hardex for their crystals? I imagine it is not as hard as Sapphire, but how much better than the regular glass crystal is it? And is it actually a different material, or just a coating?

-Mo

Seiko does use a material called hardlex. I don't know much about it except that it is prone to scratching far more than sapphire. Seiko also uses sapphire on some models.
 
my everyday watch is a higher end Kinetic: have had it since 2000 and there are some scratches but I subject it to so much abuse that it's hardly surprising. Love it.

Cheers
Ivo
 
Its all about the crystal - my 15 year old Pulsar (made by the same company that makes Seiko) has a saphire crystal and its only got one or two small scratches - despite going through boot camp - great watch.

Having said this, I'm not sure if current production Pulsars are as good as they used to be - this one cost me something like $150 fifteen years ago, so, while not an expensive watch, it certainly wasn't cheap.
 
Thanks for all of the input. I'm going to contact Citizen and send them a few pics of my collection and see what their response is.

Randy
 
I've had my share of both Citizens and Seikos. My current "everyday" watch is a higher end Seiko with sapphire crystal. In the last year (actually 13 months) I've had it, it has lost exactly 2 seconds when compared to my Casio Atomic watch. I've had some swiss quarts watches (Wenger, etc) that were great timekeepers, but this Seiko has just blown me away. It's a large, heavy watch (which doesn't bother me), but it blows away every other Seiko or Citizen that I've owned.

This is NOT meant to brag! Actually, I had sort of "lost faith" in Seiko a few watches back - but has this watch ever turned that around! I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone who's "in the market."

It has taken it's fair share of dings and while the metal bezel (with the screws) has a couple of small scratches, the crystal is perfect.

full
 
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I might add, if I am not mistaken, that crystals are a relatively easy thing for a watchmaker/repairer to replace for a reasonable cost. I understand your point of comparing the state of the crystals over the same time served and wondering though.

Dennis
 
I have several watches...

Seiko makes an upper brand and I have one of those..It is a great watch..

I like it as much as I like my Omega.
 
I have two Eco Drive watches, and a 50-year-old Seiko that belonged to my father. The latter is currently not functioning. Seiko seems more popular in the reviews I have read. I like the idea of solar charging, and my Citizens are flat out beautiful. At about $150 per, I believe I got my money's worth. But...I am not rough on my watches, and none of them have a scratch. The self-winding is interesting, but I opted for the Eco Drive.
 
$itsalive.jpg

But any talk of watches is fine by me:001_smile

My Eco-Drive nearly died a couple of years ago when I left it in a box for months on end, needed 3 days of strong sun(well as sunny as it gets in the UK!) to finally get it going, working great again now.
Got a couple of Citizen divers, love my Seiko's as well, got a couple of auto's, as few Kinetics and one solar.
 
I have had a Citizen with the sapphire crystal for several years and it has no scratches even though there are a couple good scratches in the titanium case right next to the crystal. Apparently sapphire is pretty tough.
 
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