Hello, today I’m taking a closer look at 10 of amazing yet cheap Citizen watches for men. For the purpose of this article we’ve set the bar at £200. I’ve aimed to keep as many of these as possible under the £200, I felt £200 was a good marker to set for people looking for an affordable watch in this price range. Citizen are now one of the worlds largest watchmakers and most recognisable brands. They’ve been making watches since 1924 but most recently a lot of their success has come from their Eco-Drive range.
The Eco-Drive range of watches are powered by light, and natural or artificial light will fuel it meaning it never requires a battery. A fully charged Eco-Drive watch can last anywhere from 45 days up to 5 years. I tend to put these lists together as I go, researching the most popular watches. I knew Eco-Drive would be prominent here but I wasn’t expecting it to take every top 10 place. Every single watch below uses their Eco-Drive technology.
You can learn more about the Citizen brand and their history in my Citizen watches review.
As always, I hope you enjoy having a read through, if you want to find more details on any of the watches just click on the image or the link to get a full list of specifications and up to date prices. Comment below letting me know your favourite at the end, or was there another you think deserved to make it in here.
1. Citizen Men’s Eco-Drive Black Leather Watch #BM8240-03E
This is a nice little affordable addition in the Eco-drive series from Citizen. I like how they’ve gone for a simplistic design with the dial but added in a touch of variety with the numerals they’ve kept in place. It’s actually a little small for me personally, the casing diameter is 36mm. These days most the newer men’s watches are around the 42mm mark. A 36mm casing is classed as a small, and as I mentioned in other posts before I just prefer larger watches.
Other than the size issue, I love the Eco-drive technology, the watch is fuelled by sunlight and will never require a battery change, this is a money saver and better for the environment. They’ve gone for a hardened mineral glass which is what you would expect around this price range to be honest.
2. Citizen Men’s BM8475-26E Eco-Drive Strap Watch
Heads up, a lot of the watches that made into onto this list are going to be from Citizen’s Eco-drive series. This one has managed to pop up quite a few times in my list posts due to it’s popularity. The sleek design mixed with a low cost makes it an easy choice for most buyers seeking a good looking watch from a well known popular brand.
The diameter of the watch casing is 42mm which pretty much the new men’s average size these days. It’s technically classed as large but most watches are coming out this size and it’s my most comfortable size as well. I’m not a fan of going much smaller than this. The glass of the watch is made of a hardened mineral which is what you would expect from this price range.
This is of course another Eco-drive watch that powers up using the sunlight and will never require a battery change, such a good piece of tech to have in a watch.
3. Citizen Men’s BM7170-53L Eco-Drive Titanium Watch
This is one of those rare gems which is extremely good value for money. It’s under £200 and features a sapphire glass front, this is pretty big as you don’t often get these in watches around this value. Sapphire glass is 3 times stronger than hardened mineral glass and has a mohs hardness rating of 9. You’d struggle to scratch this if you were trying really.
It’s also the first titanium watch in the list. Titanium is a lighter weight material than stainless steel, it’s also stronger. It does normally cost more so it’s great that we get this titanium case and strap with a sapphire front all in one watch. Again it’s another Eco-drive watch, no battery changes required here either then.
This watch has definitely earned the right to be consider your next watch of choice. Do have a proper look at it.
4. BL5250-02L Mens Citizen Chronograph Brown Leather Strap Watch
Next up we have a chronograph edition which is nice to see as it’s a bit different from the previous watches. This is a titanium and genuine leather mix, Citizen are pretty well known for using great materials. A note worthy feature of this watch is it’s perpetual calendar meaning you’ll never have to change the date at the end of each varying month, they even allow for leap years.
As you’d expect in this price range this Citizen watch has a mineral glass like many of the others. It’s a specially hardened mineral glass so will resist most day to day scratches. Looking into the size of the watch, the casing diameter is just slightly over 42mm which is good in my eyes, and has a thickness of 13mm. The 13mm thickness is classed as large and you can expect this to be a little bit chunky, but by no means over the top at all. Let’s not forget to mention that Eco-drive technology again either.
5. Citizen Watch Ecosphere CA4157-17E Men’s Quartz Watch with Chronograph Display and PU Strap
By now you’ve worked out that the Eco-drive range has been pretty damn successful for Citizen right? Here we have another nice edition, this one is a bit bolder with a 48mm watch casing diameter, classing it as a large oversized style watch. Coupled with the 14mm thickness of the casing this will be noticeable chunky on your wrist. If chunky is what you after, do check this one out.
The glass is hardened mineral and the watch has a water resistance rating of 10 bar. It also features luminescent hands and hour markers making it easier to read in dim light conditions.
6. Citizen Men’s Eco-Drive Calibre 8700 Perpetual Calendar Watch BL8000-54L
We’re still in the Eco-drive zone you haven’t escaped it just yet sorry. Not sure why I would apologize for that, I think their Eco-drive technology is awesome. One of the best features I personally like about this watch is it’s perpetual calendar that’s programmed to automatically adjust the date of the month for the varying amount of days.
This watch is slightly smaller than the previous Citizen watches. The diameter of the casing is 39mm, it’s not a huge different to be honest. The thickness of the case is 10mm which is a pretty average size. Last point to add is the hardened mineral glass as most would have expected for this watch.
7. Citizen Men’s Quartz Watch with l Analogue Display AO9020
Comparing this to the previous watches you’ll notice they’ve gone for something a little different when it comes to day and date display, I think this bodes well for the watch, It’s a sleek design with a clean dial. The AO9020 is an easy to read watch with the larger numerals on display. The watch itself is of relatively average size with a 43mm diameter and a thickness of 12mm, the thickness is classed as large, but only just.
Like the others this also features the Eco-drive technology and has a hardened mineral glass. I can’t see this list of the best Citizen watches swaying too much from these design aspects.
8. Citizen Watch CALENDRIER men’s quartz Watch with black Dial chronograph Display and black leather Bracelet BU2023-04E
The regular readers among you probably already knew I would like this one. Its that classic rose gold casing with a dark leather strap that I love when it comes to watch design. Rose gold watches are effectively my Kryptonite. I always like this two tone design of the dial, lots of little features to be spotted around it if you have a close look.
Taking a look at the sizing of the watch now, the casing has a diameter of 44mm, ever so slightly above the typical 42mm these days. While the case thickness is 13mm which classes as large. You can probably already tell from the picture but it’s got that slightly oversized design to it without going too huge, more of an illusion really. Again, you guessed it, Eco-drive technology is being utilized once more.
9. Citizen Men’s Eco-Drive’ Watch with Leather Strap BM8242-08A
Here we have a bit more of a contemporary classic design for a watch. It’s almost taking a look back at the history of Citizen, it still remains an extremely popular style for people today. Being a classic design means, as I expected a smaller framework. The watch casing is 38mm (The classic average) with a thickness of just 8mm, quite small compared to the other watches featured today.
With a blend of old and new they’ve gone for their Eco-drive technology again which is an interesting take on thing and I personally love that they’ve done this.
10. Citizen Men’s Divers Eco Drive Watch with Blue Dial Analogue Display and Blue PU Strap BN0151-09L
Last but by no means least. This beauty from Citizen is one of their diver’s editions, it has a water pressure rating of 20 bar. It has a cool looking deep blue PU strap with a buckle and a hardened mineral glass for protection. It’s not really my cup of tea when it comes to watches, but this is a top 10 most popular Citizen watches list and it made the cut.
It’s another solar powered edition with the luminescent hands and markers for easier reading in the dark. The casing diameter is 42mm like a lot of the other Citizen watches. The thickness is classed as large at 12mm giving it a slightly chunky feel to it.
Conclusion
There you have it, 10 of the most popular, best selling Citizen watches for men for under £200. It’s been quite enjoyable putting this list together as I do really like the Citizen watch brand. If you’re not determined to go for a Citizen watch and want to see what else you can get for your money I suggest you check out my top 21 men’s watches for under £200 next.
Thanks for reading, leave a comment if you like. Follow us online and see you on the next post.
Citizen always offers high-quality watches at such attractive prices, they are beautiful & reliable timepieces. Citizen & Seiko are my No.1 choices! Thanks for interesting article!