Reply With QuoteThere is only one original and that is it well done Mate and wear it in very good health.
This was a watch that I *needed* from the first time I saw one. At that time I didn't know of the Ray Mears connection, it was just the simple dial, fat numerals, fat hands, and the whole understated look that attracted me. Introduced around the turn of the century and manufactured until about 2007 these don't come up for sale that often, and when they do they often command silly money, especially on ebay. There have been similar models from Citizen but none look quite as good in my eyes. There is the BM6400e in steel, but the hands are gilt edged and thin. There's the latest 'Royal Marines' incarnation but the logo is a no-no for me. And there have been a couple of JDM models like the PMD56-2952 and the PMT-2731 - these are the most like the original but a lot more expensive and some of the dials are a bit fussy.
The watch has a Duratect titanium monobloc case (no caseback, the movement is front loaded). Duratect is 4x harder than untreated ti. Dimensions are 40mm diameter, 11mm thick, 20mm lugs. The crystal is a domed sapphire with a/r on the inside. The crown is screwdown and the watch is rated to 200m. Lugs are recessed slightly under the bezel which means many straps fit with minimal gap - it comes on a canvas strap.
The caseback shows that this watch was made in November 2001, is fitted with the early 7828 Eco Drive movement, and the code GN-4W-UL means monobloc case, upper opening, L-shaped gasket. And of course, it is 'made in Japan'. These early movements have a 6 month reserve and none of the features of later movements such as parking the second hand to conserve power in the dark, perpetual calendars etc.
The screwdown crown has an externally threaded tube which makes them stronger than the internal threads used on many other watches. There are a full 3 turns from open to screwed down as can be seen above and the crown is very easy to grip due to that knurling.
I think this makes an excellent do-anything watch. It's 'Tough' by name and tough by nature - this particular example is 12 years old yet looks almost new. I have no idea when/if it has ever been serviced but during a recent holiday it was used for swimming and snorkeling every day with no problems. The simple layout with jet black dial and bright white numerals and hands gives superb legibility. Although the numerals are painted on they reflect very slightly in the dial at anything other than square on and this almost makes them look applied. The lume is pretty good but not outstanding. It stays easily readable all night. While many straps work I think it looks best on a nato.
I am well aware of the recent thread on this forum complaining about cell failure. However these are chemical secondary cells and will never last forever - Seiko Kinetics and solar G-shocks will also need cells replacing periodically, but should normally last at least 10 years. A problem with these is that, unlike a Kinetic, there is no way to see how much power is stored, the first you will know of an issue is when it won't hold charge and the low power warning kicks in. I'm not normally a fan of bead blasted finishes either as once marked they are impossible to refinish without a full strip down, but the Duratect means this is less of an issue than on a steel watch.
Cheers,
Ian
There is only one original and that is it well done Mate and wear it in very good health.
Owned a couple and there is no doubt what a cracking watch these are.
As you've said, 12 years old and looking like its just out of an AD!
Also true is the best strap option being a Nato, sublime.
The simple reason I never retained mine was the weight. I'm a fan of titanium, but found this model too light for me. Although I don't enjoy a lump on my wrist, I like the 'feel' of something, which I struggled with in this case.
Very nice watch - as you say, the cell in them is never going to last forward...but so what?
My son has one of these he had it handed down to him after his grandad died,,,,recently placed a NATO on it for him and its got a new lease of life
Originally Posted by marcus fenix
This was a watch that I *needed* from the first time I saw one. At that time I didn't know of the Ray Mears connection, it was just the simple dial, fat numerals, fat hands, and the whole understated look that attracted me. Introduced around the turn of the century and manufactured until about 2007 these don't come up for sale that often, and when they do they often command silly money, especially on ebay. There have been similar models from Citizen but none look quite as good in my eyes. There is the BM6400e in steel, but the hands are gilt edged and thin. There's the latest 'Royal Marines' incarnation but the logo is a no-no for me. And there have been a couple of JDM models like the PMD56-2952 and the PMT-2731 - these are the most like the original but a lot more expensive and some of the dials are a bit fussy.
The watch has a Duratect titanium monobloc case (no caseback, the movement is front loaded). Duratect is 4x harder than untreated ti. Dimensions are 40mm diameter, 11mm thick, 20mm lugs. The crystal is a domed sapphire with a/r on the inside. The crown is screwdown and the watch is rated to 200m. Lugs are recessed slightly under the bezel which means many straps fit with minimal gap - it comes on a canvas strap.
The caseback shows that this watch was made in November 2001, is fitted with the early 7828 Eco Drive movement, and the code GN-4W-UL means monobloc case, upper opening, L-shaped gasket. And of course, it is 'made in Japan'. These early movements have a 6 month reserve and none of the features of later movements such as parking the second hand to conserve power in the dark, perpetual calendars etc.
The screwdown crown has an externally threaded tube which makes them stronger than the internal threads used on many other watches. There are a full 3 turns from open to screwed down as can be seen above and the crown is very easy to grip due to that knurling.
I think this makes an excellent do-anything watch. It's 'Tough' by name and tough by nature - this particular example is 12 years old yet looks almost new. I have no idea when/if it has ever been serviced but during a recent holiday it was used for swimming and snorkeling every day with no problems. The simple layout with jet black dial and bright white numerals and hands gives superb legibility. Although the numerals are painted on they reflect very slightly in the dial at anything other than square on and this almost makes them look applied. The lume is pretty good but not outstanding. It stays easily readable all night. While many straps work I think it looks best on a nato.
I am well aware of the recent thread on this forum complaining about cell failure. However these are chemical secondary cells and will never last forever - Seiko Kinetics and solar G-shocks will also need cells replacing periodically, but should normally last at least 10 years. A problem with these is that, unlike a Kinetic, there is no way to see how much power is stored, the first you will know of an issue is when it won't hold charge and the low power warning kicks in. I'm not normally a fan of bead blasted finishes either as once marked they are impossible to refinish without a full strip down, but the Duratect means this is less of an issue than on a steel watch.
Cheers,
Ian
Such a shame when you have to toss it in the bin, tommorrow, next week, next month, who knows.
Dosn't matter how you look after it either! What where the claims for this watch in the original advert that made you buy it?
"This watch is unstoppable"
It will never need winding or batteries" (no capacitors either?)
"This watch will go on for ever"
"This watch is going places"
dead watch.jpg
Dont get me wrong here, you have a super watch and I hope it lasts you a long time but I was bitterly dissapointed to find out that mine is consigned to the scrap heap for no good reason. The caliber is not replaceable now.
Elsewhere on this forum I bemoaned this situation and was told that I was
a/ stupid to think that a watch this old should still be serviceable
b/ stupid to beleieve the advertising which apparently is just 'puffery'
Good luck with yours though, I really mean that
Steve
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
What a stupid bugger can't you take him diving with you. Its without doubt a fantastic timepiece
Paul.
Indeed...
R
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Fantastic watch Ian, I've often thought about tracking one down, it looks fantastic....
Holy cow, is yours for sale?
Cheers..
Jase
Great photos, bloody wicked looking watch, enjoy it. I want one.
Very much enjoyed reading that, Ian (read it twice!) I love posts like this. Really excellent photos, too.
Thanks chaps, I'm glad some of you liked it
Just wait for the complaints when he finds out the about the tooth fairy and Santa, he won't be happy.
R
Very nice.
Could never bring myself to pay the price attached to this model but I did have a very similar steel monobloc cased ecodrive GMT.
Great 'do anything' watch which can take a real beating - the absence of the rotating bezel seen on most tool watches is a real benefit too IMHO.
Cool watch. Thanks for posting.
One on eBay now http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171125343676 which looks reasonable.
The seller states a repair shop on The Strand replaced the capacitor recently.
Great looking watch, very functional, good one!
My Ray Mears dates from 2002 and has the seldom seen uber rare green dial. A fantastic watch although not quite as big as most watches seem to be these days. Time for a few pics. What do ya think (bearing in mind my pics arnt that great)..
.
.
Bit off topic but I've picked up and waiting for a BM6400
In relation to reliability etc don't Citizen offer a 5 year warranty as standard? Always seems pretty good to me for a relatively inexpensive (UK) range. I'm actually tempted to try the recent version with the daft 'commando' logo - I like the watch and think the logo is too small to be misconstrued as 'Walter Mitty' - and at £299 it seems good value. If it dies after 10 years I'd be a bit annoyed but it is (in comparison to current prices) a bit if a bargain.
There's 12% quidco cashback at Ernest Jones at the moment which takes a nice bit off the ION plated version at £299.
http://www.ernestjones.co.uk/webstor...+plated+watch/
I didn't see the previous thread talking about the cells. I had a similar watch to the one below and Citizen had no problem servicing it with a new cell ( I bought it as a non-working watch ) , that was a few years ago. I think the only time these cells run down is if you leave them in a drawer for years, if you wear them regularly and they get some normal light ( I don't go out of my way to charge mine ) there shouldn't be a problem. I have 2 and the second one has never been touched and is still perfect.
BTW the model below goes great on a black rubber strap , setting off the black anodized bezel.
images taken from a seller pic on the web, here ( http://forums.watchuseek.com/f30/*so...c*-551209.html )
regards
siggy
Very handsome and purposeful. Always liked those.
Is it true they can't be fixed when broken?
No.
I've got three (yep…I'm weird like that) and all have stopped at some point. They go straight back to Citizen who fix them and have them back in about 10 days.
Despite the extremely old thread revival, fancy selling one?!
What is the difference between these and the newer very similar looking models??
Amazingly, my son has one of the Royal Marine one's and it has a slightly crisper case, perhaps it's marginally heavier, and of course there's the dial logo.
- - - Updated - - -
No promises, but it has crossed my mind of late. Let me think about it.Despite the extremely old thread revival, fancy selling one?!
Do they do a version of the Royal marine watch without the Royal marine stuff? (Jdm???) I was looking today and size looks right for me.
I've had the 6400 so not sure I'd want to try the real thing but there's no doubt it's a nice watch. Can't believe Citizen wouldn't continue to service these just as Seiko will the older kinetics. Or a competent watch basher given the parts will be readily available.
The limited edition black is only £145 at the moment Alan. I'm sure you could live with the logo at the price...
http://www.ernestjones.co.uk/webstor...+plated+watch/
At that price I Can! Cheers.
(Edit - 10% cashback!)
Last edited by Alansmithee; 3rd January 2016 at 11:11.
Unfortunately it seems to be sold out now.
Yep - sold out and removed from website but an excellent buy for whoever got in there...
I didn't realise that they did at one stage a GMT version (like the PMX):
Last edited by Alansmithee; 4th January 2016 at 13:05.
Out of interest - anyone got the Royal Marines diver (which doesn't have a logo):
http://www.citizenwatch.com/en-uk/wa...del=BN0148-54E
Indeed, I can live with it:
So em.. I put in the window this morning for a charge, went fine working well, left it there all day - this evening it just...died. Didn't do the low charge thing it just stopped? Dead? Longer in the sun - never had this problem with my Casio solar watches...
I think they really do need a lot of sun this time of year -
Never had that problem with a Casio so it's not a great advert for Eco-drive technology.
Send it to me - it's very sunny in Kent today
Once it gets charged up it should be ok-
Doing an exchange anyway to be on the safe side...
Its true, they cannot be fixed. The reason is that Citizen changed the size of the calibre for the newest revamp (RMC) model.
The only parts available ran out some time ago.. In my case, the watch was useless after a relatively short period of time which is frustrating given the puffery used to sell the thing and the materials and workmanship used to make it.
Mind you, I'm still hopeful, which is how I found this thread again, via a general internet search.
I'm going to bring this back to life because I'm hankering after another one of these and something that wasn't quite clear to me - the PMX and PMD models I see for sale on the web are NOS?
Is the only version available really the RMC versions that we get in the UK?
I have both, the logo doesnt bother me but I do prefer the diver style of the non-logod. If there is any thing I don't like it's the diver extension - it makes the clasp to long and uncomfortable.
I have kept the strap on the 'ray mears' but have the other on a Hirsch Arne strap (very nice).
Sorry about the bad pic - as you can see i like Citizen watches
I have moved it onto a nato and I must say I think it looks sharp!I have both, the logo doesnt bother me but I do prefer the diver style of the non-logod. If there is any thing I don't like it's the diver extension - it makes the clasp to long and uncomfortable.
I have kept the strap on the 'ray mears' but have the other on a Hirsch Arne strap (very nice).
Sorry about the bad pic - as you can see i like Citizen watches
Wow, this is an awesome looking watch? Love the polish and the slope of the bezel.
A month or so ago I saw the earlier version Citizen RM Limited edition Ti Diver with the black bezel for sale at Ernest Jones for £250...placed an order and all was well, order received, its been despatched to your local store as requested etc...bargain ! (rrp £499). Didn't hear anything for a week or two so called customer services..."erm, really sorry but another customer must have ordered at the same time and so they got the last one..."...very disappointed but didn't kick up a fuss...nice lady said she'd have a word with the bossman and 5 minutes later they agreed to instruct my store to let me have the latest version with the silver Ti bezel for the same price...picked it up the next day and after wearing it pretty much nonstop for a month I love it...on one of Eddies Natos it weighs 70g and with a case size of 41mm its a perfect size...now I just need to get photos up to prove it happened....
Does anyone have anything definite on whether or not these can be serviced by Citizen and have the battery replaced?
I've lusted after one of these for a long time now, almost pulled the pin on the one in SC recently, but the thought of it no longer being servicable was the only thing putting me off.
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