Citizen Blue Angel Review: The Best-in-Class Quartz Watch?

Most of the watch-enthusiasts frown upon the quartz movement. They think that quartz movement can’t offer the same level of accuracy compared to the automatic counterpart. Well, it’s true but only to some extent.

The lower-grade quartz movements that come at a few-dollars price tag can’t match the automatic movement. But you should NEVER think that all the quartz movement in the market offers the same accuracy level.

Why am I advocating for the quartz movement so much?

The reason is simple because I’ll talk about a quartz watch that offers a margin of error of one second in 100,00 years! Yes, it’s one of the most accurate watches in the world.

I’m talking about Citizen Blue Angel World Chronograph A-T.

From every single perspective, Citizen Blue Angel is an impressive watch. But can it hold against the watches in the same price point?

We’ll investigate the case as I take a look into the watch in my Citizen Blue Angel review. Let’s hop in, shall we?

What Makes Citizen Blue Angel Stand Apart?

You should’ve heard about the Citizen’s prowess in the quartz watchmaking. They’ve included all the impressive tech in this single watch.

The biggest drawback of the quartz movement is the requirement of a battery to keep the watch running. A huge number of people hate this technology because of this dependence on the batteries.

But Citizen uses an impressive tech called the Eco-Drive. This technology runs the watch taking energy from light, not just from solar energy, but from any kind of light.     

So, technically, your watch will never run out of power!

Another impressive feature about the Citizen Blue Angel is the radio-controlled atomic timing. The most accurate timekeeping machine in the world is the atomic watches. This technology has a margin of error of 1 billionth of a second.

This Citizen watch can sync with the atomic clocks around the world in up to 26 locations. So, disregarding of your location, your watch will offer you the accuracy of an atomic clock.

That’s why, Citizen Chronograph A-T is a superior watch.

Of course, the watch is stacked with many other impressive features and offers above-average build quality. But the Eco-Drive movement, synchronization with the atomic clock, and the radio-controlled time are the key features that make the watch stand apart.

Things to Consider Before Buying A Watch

Now, let’s take a step back?

Did all the terminology seem like jibber-jabber to you?

Let me simplify!

What are the most essential features that you should look for in a watch?

In my opinion, the most important feature of a watch is the accuracy and reliability. Mechanical and automatic watches held the crown for being the most accurate watch movement for centuries.

But, Citizen with their quartz masterclass dethroned all others being the most accurate watches in the world right now. Most of the top-shelf watches from Citizen are far superior in terms of accuracy and reliability.

Then, you should look into the material of choice in the watch. What is the case of the watch made of? What is the strap/band made of?

These questions factor in determining the durability of watch.

Finally, you should consider what additional features you get and those features that satisfy your needs from your watch.

For example, if you’re a diver or fancy swimming quite occasionally, the water resistance performance should be on your top priority. So should be the chronograph and the accuracy of the chronograph.

Then, if you’re a sports lover, the durability should be the most important factor for you.

Similarly, if you’re looking elegant watch to wear in the formal parties and various occasions, the looks and premium build features should matter the most.

So, you see, the ideal watch doesn’t stay the same, and your use case determines which watch is better and which one’s not.

Citizen Eco-Drive Blue Angels World Chronograph Review: Features & Benefits

By this time, you’re quite aware of some of the Citizen Blue Angel’s key features. The watch has so many great features that are focusing on a few important features is quite hard.

In fact, it’s only normal to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of Features. Still, I’ll try to take a look at the watch from a general perspective so that you can compare it with other watches in the market.

Movement

Just like every single watch review, I’ll give importance to the watch movement the most. Citizen Blue Angel is a quartz chronograph watch. But it’s far from the regular quartz watches.

Citizen has used its in-house H800 caliber in this watch. By definition, it’s a radio-controlled quartz chronograph watch.

What does that mean?

It means that the movement is synced with atomic clocks around the world, and time gets automatically updated as you move around the globe. H800 gets the radio synchronization in twenty-six cities in five different regions in the world.    

The movement also features Eco-Drive technology. With this technology, the H800 movement receives power from any light source. That means the watch doesn’t need battery to keep going.

So, in a sense, it’s free from the biggest drawback of a quartz movement.

We also know that quartz movement is not known for the accuracy. In fact, most of the cheap quartz movement gain or lose even minutes in a single day.

H800 is an extremely accurate movement due to the synchronization with the atomic clocks. Citizen heavily markets the watch to have an error margin of one second in 100,000 years. Reviews and forums also support that claim. Most of the real-life users have praised the watch for higher accuracy.

Let’s talk about the chronograph feature in this watch.

You’re getting 1/20 seconds chronograph that measures up to an hour. So, if you’re looking for a sports watch, H800 should support you quite well.

Some of the additional features of the H800 caliber are to show 10/24-hour display, day/date display, perpetual calendar, and power reserve indicator.

So, you see, H800 is a beast of a caliber that can meet all modern needs.

Case

Citizen uses a two-tone case for the Citizen Blue Angel. The side and the back of the case features a brushed stainless steel.

And, yes, it’s not any regular stainless steel, but the 316L surgical grade stainless steel!

Rather than going for the same silver color stainless steel finish, the bezel has an eye-catching dark-blue ion plating.

The case back is then completely covered with the same stainless steel finish with a Blue Angel emblem.

Overall, there’s nothing to complain about the case.

It gets solid “A” from me!

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Dial

Now, let’s talk about the most interesting part of the watch – the dial. At first glance, you’d get overwhelmed with all the writings and indications.

Some might love the intricacy while some would label it as “too complicated.”

I think the design is justified.

Why?

Citizen H800 is a feature-stacked caliber. There’s no point in choosing minimalistic design when your caliber has so much to offer. And, from that perspective, all the complex small denotations in the dial make perfect sense.  

More: Seiko SNZH53 Review: The Best Entry-level Automatic Watch?

Citizen has opted for the blue sunray style dial background that looks premium in both day and night. The color scheme also complements the tagline Blue Angel.

You can find three subdials on the middle. The top one located at the 12 o’clock marker shows the 1/20 second chronograph that measures up to 60 minutes. The left subdial shows the 24-hour time. And, the bottom one shows power reserve indicator along with the day display.

You can check the date indicator located at the convenient 3 o’clock marker.  

Citizen has favored the batons as the hour markers. Then, the hour and minute hands complement the design philosophy of the batons.

So far, all the design choices seem familiar and justifying. But them comes the tachymeter bezel. Three layers of tachymeter indicator seems a bit too much, and this where the dial loses the simplicity.  

Still, I loved the dial’s overall design choices, as I would love to show off all the watch’s unique features. The complicated nature of the dial only helps me to attract more eyes towards the watch.

Bracelet

The choice of the bracelet material sort of disappointed me.

Yes, the blue color matches the dial color, and the Blue Angels ideology perfectly, but Citizen used faux leather.

It would’ve loved the watch even more if Citizen used genuine leather here. Even a nylon strap would’ve complemented the aviator theme of the watch perfectly.

The good news is that you can change the faux leather strap and go for your favorite option at any time.

More: Seiko Recraft Review: Rocking the Retro Design!

Other Features

Citizen Blue Angels World Chronometer A-T is a great watch that is great for aviators and divers at the same time. The 200m water resistance rating seems impressive.

Despite offering 200-meter water resistance, Citizen doesn’t recommend the watch for diving. A lot of other watches from Citizen, having the same 200-meter resistance is recommended for diving.

So, keep in mind that this watch is NOT a dive class watch. However, the watch should perform perfectly during your swimming and snorkeling sessions.

Another awesome design feature of this watch is the inclusion of the anti-reflective, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. As you know. Sapphire crystal is the best option you can find for your dial window protection.

More: Sekonda Watches Reviews: The British Budget Standard

Product Specification and What to Expect?

Social Proof: What Other Customers Say?

Citizen Blue Angels has a massive fan following. Extreme accuracy and bold design choices are the two core reasons behind the popularity of the watch.

You can find people showering the watch with compliments and praises in the watch reviews and watch-related forums. Here, check out some of the actual reviews of the watch from the real buyers –

Alternatives

Citizen Blue Angels is one of the high-end quartz watches in the world. The sheer number of unique features and military-grade accuracy beg the attention of everyone shopping for a quartz watch.

However, this magnificent watch comes with a hefty price tag. You can call it one of the biggest let downs of this watch.

So, what if you don’t have the budget to buy this watch and looking for a good alternative?

Yes, there are several options, but you’ll have settle for a less feature-stacked option. Here, these two are the best alternative to Citizen Blue Angels in my opinion –

Alternate #1 Citizen Watches Men’s CA0648-09L Eco-Drive

The first alternate option also comes from Citizen. Both of the watches share similar design philosophy. But it doesn’t have as many features as the Blue Angels.

Yes, you’ll still get the Eco-Drive movement and the high-quality chronograph with day/date display. But it doesn’t offer the accuracy of atomic timing.

The best part is that Citizen Brycen comes at half the price. So, you can call it a cheaper alternative to our watch.

Alternate #2 Men’s Citizen Eco-Drive PCAT Chronograph Two-Tone Watch CB5886-58H

Well, this one’s even more expensive than the Blue Angels. But feature-wise, it fights neck and neck with the Blue Angels.

In fact, you can call it a more premium and elegant option.

While the Citizen Blue Angels focus on being a sport aviator watch, PCAT is more of a dress watch with tons of features.

If money is not the issue for you, you can definitely go for this watch.

Conclusion

So, here we are, my friends, that was my take on Citizen Blue Angel review. I hope it helped to make a better purchase decision.

If you have any questions regarding the watch or any other watches in the same category, feel free to leave a comment below. I’ll try my best to help you out!