The Japanese watchmaker Citizen offers a wide variety of watches from a series of different price points. Towards the upper end of this price range is the Citizen Navihawk. The Citizen Navihawk is extremely complicated for a non-mechanical watch. For a start, it syncs with your nearest atomic clock, you certainly won’t find anything much more accurate than the Navihawk – however, this is not really the main selling point.
In short, the Navihawk is a watch for people who have a fairly active lifestyle based around traveling. The main features include 2 alarms, a chronograph, and a second timezone display. Put simply, this is not a basic watch and has a lot of complications. There is no doubt many of these will be completely unnecessary for the average person, but that is the appeal of a Citizen Navihawk.
Table of Contents
Dial & Case
There is A LOT going on within the dial of the Citizen Navihawk. In all honesty, you’re not really going to find a more complicated watch than this. It has both analog and digital displays, as well as a huge variety of features mentioned later. Around the outside of the dial are a number of measurements you will very likely not use. If you do want to, you are able to make calculations such as fuel consumption and navigation estimates. It goes without saying that the Navihawk is a very true, yet complicated pilots watch.
The lume on the Navihawk is good enough, but not the best. Obviously, the LCD displays are very good as you would expect a digital watch to be. These are very simple to read. However, the lumed hands and hour indicators are not bad but could have had more of a coating applied.
The caseback of the watch is quite smart and features pretty much everything you would expect. All information such as the calibre number can be found here. One negative display is that if you want your watch repaired or serviced, the only place you should send it to is the Citizen service center.
This is somewhat understandable since the movement is so complicated. Quartz movements are fairly difficult to service for those who do not know what they are going. An unusual ana-digi movement is another case entirely.
Thankfully, Citizen quartz movements are super reliable. As the Navihawk is an eco-drive watch, you will not have to worry about the watch for the best part of a decade in any case.
Bracelet
The strap used on a Citizen Navihawk is pretty heavy duty, yet lightweight considering it is made of stainless steel. As you will see, Citizen have chosen to use a butterfly clasp. This is pretty much the best kind of clasp you can ask for since it is very simple to take the watch off and put it back on. You will never really get your hand and knuckles stuck with a butterfly clasp.
The beads of rice design on the main bracelet are what makes the watch more lightweight. Solid steel links would be significantly heavier and not really practical for a watch of this size. Furthermore, the beads are very tightly packed together so will not annoyingly pull any hairs out of your arm.
Features & Complications
First of all, the Navihawk is somewhat unique in that it is both eco-drive and also radio-controlled. It is rare for a watch to be RC, but a combination of the two is very unusual. However, both of these are hugely positive.
Eco-drive means that the watch does not need a battery in order to run. Instead, light is drawn in through the dial and is stored in a capacitor. This energy is then released to the watch movement over a period of time, much like a battery.
RC means that the watch does not need to be set manually. Instead, the movement will synchronize with the nearest atomic clock. This ensures accuracy far superior to any other quartz or mechanical movement on the planet and is also very convenient in terms of setting and forgetting about it.
List Of Complications
- Chronograph
- Perpetual Calendar
- Timer
- World Time
- 2 Separate Alarms
Drawbacks
Even though the Citizen Navihawk is hugely positive overall, there are a few drawbacks. Firstly, the Navihawk is not for people with small wrists since it has a 48mm case size. This is pretty oversize for a watch, with a Rolex Submariner being 40mm for comparison.
Secondly is the fact that Citizen have chosen to use mineral glass. For a watch that usually costs between $400-$600, you would expect that a higher quality crystal would be preferred.
Lastly is setting and understanding the watch. In all honesty, you’re going to have to sit down and spend a good amount of time with the Navihawk. It takes a few hours to get used to before you fully understand how to use it. Furthermore, you may have to keep the manual safe, or at least look online if you forget how a particular function works.
It’s not THAT difficult or complicated, but the Navihawk does take a bit of time to get used to.
Where To Buy
As Citizen is such a large watch manufacturer, you are unable to buy directly from the factory. If you wish to try the watch on before buying, the best place to buy a Navihawk is your local brick and mortar store. However, it is very likely that the local physical watch retailer will charge around 30-50% more for a Navihawk and would be unable to sell it to you for less than $500.
If you want the best value for money Navihawk it is best to buy it on Amazon.
If you wish to buy a cheaper preowned Citizen Navihawk, then check out eBay.
