Embracing the latest in technology is a long-standing tradition with the watch-making industry. We have seen many of those technologies wearing the high fashion tag; some, who tried desperately doing so and a handful that became synonymous. With them, there’s no gee-whiz factor and while countless people try integrating them into their regular lives, let’s take a peek at three among them.
The first is undoubtedly Citizen, which we talk about today. People no more ask for a Citizen watch; rather, they ask for Eco-Drives. Now that they come with metal dials too, the craze has gone even far! Metal Eco-Drives got no solar panel; instead, a solar ring set above and around the dial, just where it meets the case. See this to get an idea. There’s also a silver finish version of it, but on a personal note, the black IP looks better.
So far, the solar panels made translucent dials a norm but the metal Eco-Drives brought in a whole new lot of design possibilities to be explored and this created a sensation the Proximity Bluetooth Chrono alike. Citizen slipped in a gadget beneath that time; now, it’s all about the esthetics for the next generation of Citizen Eco-Drives. Nothing now imposes restrictions to the designs and the constructions; in fact, the solar ring has helped the manufacturer to cut down on the costs of laser perforations and translucent materials. However, the only downside could be the solar ring not giving Citizen much space to put in chapter rings, but there’s also a high possibility they will solve it within not much time.
What seems particularly likeable about the two is they are nice deviations from standard chronographs. There are many who are not quite comfortable about watches with simple faces and they can’t wear a chronograph with formals. So the formals spend perpetual vacations – for them, there are sub-dials denoting just day and the date. The absence of the extra buttons and a date window gives the watches a more complete look and keeps complexity brimming, not overflowing.
To keep up with the looks, there’s not much to setup. The crown does it all. The lack of a host of other controlling mechanisms is soothing to the eyes. While lovers of monstrous crowns (e.g. Seiko Solar Diver Chrono) might sneer at it but more shall love it for this limitation.
Not just the dress watches, though; those who would like to wear their metal rugged and strong shall take pleasure in Aviators. Highly influenced by the instrument designs of the WWII fighters, each come with calf-skin leather strap to ensure you don’t get itchy around the wrist during summers. They are good for light business casuals, so if you are going for a dress, then why not a casual too?
