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Citizen Satellite Wave CC3020-57L

I live outside the range of any radio time signals, so a watch's ability to set itself anywhere on the surface of the globe represents a practical advantage to me. A real bonus is that Citizen has combined this technology with a dressy, well-laid out design with case, dial and bracelet finishing to rival much more expensive watches. It even has a sapphire crystal! While I love my mechanical watches, this package is far too interesting to ignore.

From a technical perspective, this watch is highly impressive. In its main reception mode, it synchronizes itself to the GPS time signal in as little as 3 seconds. I've found this to be easily achievable on cloudless days with an unobstructed view of the sky. In an urban environment, it takes a little longer.

There is a secondary reception mode that has to be activated manually. In this mode, the watch actually determines its geographical location and automatically adjusts to the correct timezone. The trade-off is that it takes a minute or two and requires better reception conditions than the time-only mode to even work at all. Admittedly, if you know what the timezone is where you are, it's much quicker to set it manually (in a very user-friendly operation). Still, this feature might come in useful should you find yourself waiting for a cab at a foreign airport with no clue what timezone you are in.

This watch is powered by Citizen's very mature Eco-Drive solar charging technology, with a 7-year (!) reserve. This is complemented by a nifty one-button feature that tells you the charge status as well as how much light the solar cells are currently receiving.

As far as I can see, this watch can only be improved in two minor ways - (1) by shaving 2-3mm off the case diameter; 44mm is the limit of what my 16cm wrist can take, and a smaller case would complement the dressy design much better; and (2) by making the bracelet interchangeable; the integrated bracelet is very nice, but some flexibility would be even nicer.

There is also the existential irony that whereas the half-century old Speedmaster Professional can function exactly as designed anywhere in space, this space-age watch would probably lose its headline features above 20,000km, where the GPS constellation orbits.

However, since I am probably never going to space, this is something I can live with (and if I were to go, I would bring my Speedy Pro anyway).
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Cool piece. I share your admiration for the tech that Citizen can pack in to an aesthetically pleasing case at an attractive price point.
While some watch snobs sneer, I marvel at the time we are living in where I can buy an Eco Drive field watch that will run for 8 years for under $100. Cool stuff.
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