Do Citizen Eco Drive Watches Need New Batteries?
If you are looking for a watch that you will never need to buy a battery for, then the Citizen Eco Drive is about as good an option as any. This is a watch that is built from the ground up to run on light power. It has a capacitor inside of it that will convert solar energy into the power that it needs to run. This means that the battery inside the watch is only there as a secondary source of power when need, which is rarely or never according to Citizen. While Citizen states that the battery inside of its Eco Drive watches will last for 10 years, the reality is that they could last even longer. The question of whether or not you will ever need to replace the batter largely depends on usage and just simple mechanics. Here is some more information about the Eco Drive watch by Citizen that might help guide you.
An Overview of the Watch
Many people love the watches that they wear, but are frustrated when they go to put them on one day only to discover that the battery has died. In fact, it is often at awkward moments, such as being late for an appointment because your watch was telling you the wrong time, that you even realized the battery was dead in the first place. In many cases, you might just put the watch in a drawer and forget about it. It is not like most people just have spare watch batteries lying around. It is also not that easy to change the battery in a watch, so unless you go to a jewelry shop, you might be tempted to think that it is not worth your time.
That is where Citizen came up with the concept behind its Eco Drive watch. They wanted to design a wristwatch where the wearer would not really have to worry about the battery running dry. It would be a watch that looks great and can be worn to a variety of social occasions. At the same time, you could be confident that the time will be accurate. Technology has now evolved to the point that this goal has become a reality. The Eco Drive watch is able to go a decade or more without ever having to worry about a dead battery.
Eco-Drive Explained
You might be wondering what an Eco-Drive watch is in the first place. This is a process designed by Citizen that takes the energy from a light source and turns it into energy. The cool thing about this technology is that it can be artificial or natural light that ends up providing the energy that the watch needs to work properly. So, if you are inside for the entire day, the watch will still be getting a necessary amount of light. This energy ends up being stored in a lithium-ion cell battery that is rechargeable. Unlike other types of rechargeable batteries, this can be continuously recharged without compromising its strength. In essence, it is designed to last for as long as the watch itself does.
A Watch That Helps the Environment
In essence, the Citizen Eco Drive watch helps the environment as well. Battery disposal is a huge problem across the world. By eliminating the need to take out a dead battery and destroy it, the environment is better off as a result. This reduces pollution, while also providing you with a watch that always tells accurate time. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved.
What is the History Behind the Eco Drive Watch?
You might be wondering why you have never heard of the Citizen Eco Drive watch in the first place. That is a good question, as it has actually been around since 1996. You will find that this technology at the time was light years beyond what other watches were able to provide. Up until that point. solar powered watches did not work well outside of a natural light environment. The Eco Drive technology was also able to reduce the need for a large power cell in order to power the watch. This allowed Citizen to create an elegant design for its Eco Drive watch that people could really resonate with.
What makes the Eco Drive technology so unique is the caliber 7878 movement that is built into its design. The effectively permits the solar cells to be placed just underneath the dial. The dial itself has just enough translucency to permit light to pass right under it and charge the battery. This also gives more than enough power to move the various components of the watch. You can actually run the watch for an impressive six months without ever needing to expose the watch to light again in order to charge the battery.
You will notice the some models of the Eco Drive watch by Citizen will have its hands go into hibernation mode if there is a lack of light for long periods of time. While the hands may stop moving, the quartz movement inside the watch will continue working so time is tracked just as accurately as you would expect it to be. You can actually put your watch in a drawer for several months and then take it out to the right time. This is the wonder of the Eco Drive watch and you do not have to worry about changing the battery.
Conclusion
The Citizen Eco Drive watch is revolutionary. It works off natural and artificial light, so you do not need to worry about doing anything to keep the battery going. If you are wondering if the watch will ever need new batteries, the answer is most likely no. While there are no guarantees in life, the chances are pretty good that the battery that comes with your Citizen Eco Drive watch will be the same one that is in it when you end up putting it to rest at ome point in the future.