Solar power wrist computer Citizen

[Scubanomad]

Anyone has the Citizen JV0020-12F Eco Drive? How do you like it. Im selling my Suunto Mosquito to get the Citizen JV0020-12F Eco Drive, tired of changing the battery every year or so.
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[Scubanomad]

As I just sold my Mosquito, I now bought a Citizen Eco Drive dive computer Review will follow.

 

[nimoh]

looking forward to the review, I have been considering the eco drive as a backup for diving, and a primary for non-diving

 

[Arturo]

Anyone has the Citizen JV0020-12F Eco Drive? How do you like it. Im selling my Suunto Mosquito to get the Citizen JV0020-12F Eco Drive, tired of changing the battery every year or so.

1. The Suunto Mosquito is a full diving computer capable of performing decompression calculations
2) The Citizen Eco Drive is just a Dive Watch. They are different species and you can not compare them.
3. I personally own and have used over for the past 10 years a Citizen HyperAqualand as my Dive Watch. Love it. That said, I must warn you that I have seen a few Citizen EcoDrive watches showing pressure sensor problems and even had to replace the battery (capacitor is the correct name) in a couple of others because they would not get charged any more, in spite of leaving them one week in the sun.

 

[Autolycus]

I Have to agree with Arturo, in that the the Citizen range of Aqualand Dive Watches are just that - dive WATCHES. Nowadays, most are eco-drive, so you don't have to worry about battery (ok, Capacitor...), changes quite so often - and most that have a depth indication also have an ascent-rate warning, dive timer and depth/time alerts which can be user-adjusted - but these are best described as (accurate), Depth Gauges and Dive Timers, NOT as Dive computers. There is, as yet, no Citizen Aqualand model which combines Solar charging and Dive Computer algorithms - though Citizen did make a watch-style dive computer some years ago (I almost bought one in a sale in Hong Kong), which was powered from a charging base containing 4x AA batteries. When fully charged, this watch/computer would run for about a month and utilised a basic Buhlmann algorithm - but it was very expensive, few were sold and Citizen eventually discontinued the range.
Then you have the Seiko NX - which is another expensive watch-style computer, but which is not solar-powered, to my knowledge. Equally unpopular...
This all brings me to the reason for writing in the first place... Does anyone out there in scubaboard-land know for sure if Suunto or Citizen or Seiko are planning to release a solar-powered, dive COMPUTER, at a sensible price, with all the basic features of a basic dive computer - without all the annual faff with battery changes and the inevitable leaks that follow when user-replaced O-rings are overgreased, undergreased, not greased, cut, twisted or contaminated with a grain of sand or an eyelash on installation - resulting in expensive seawater intrusion and subsequent tears...?
A definitive statement from Suunto or Citizen or Seiko would be nice...

 

[DIVEWATCHDOCTOR]

To me, the safest powering method for dive computers is still the old lithium 3V batteries. If you are careful to choose a computer that uses say a CR2450 or even a CR2430, the largest capacities batteries used in dive computers, it should last anywhere between 1 1/2 to 2 years before you have to change it. Yes, a few years ago Citizen came out with the CyberAqualand dive computer that you would charge from a charging base containing 4 AA batteries. A total fiasco to the point that was promptly removed from the market and never replaced again. On the other hand, the Citizen Aqualand and Hyperaqualand are probably the best and most reliable dive watches ever manufactured and the batteries in them last for at least 2 years. Now their solar version so called Ecodive watches still have a rechargeable battery (capacitor) inside that is only capable of going through a finite number of charge cycles. And when that happens, you have to replace the capacitor sending it to Citizen or to a specialized shop like ours. But be aware, the capacitors cost around $ 30, vs. the $ 3 or 4 of a CR2450 battery.

 

[Autolycus]

Not a definitive answer to my specific question about whether Citizen or Seiko or Suunto or anyone is planning to release a solar-powered Dive Computer anywhen soon, but I do agree with DiveWatchDoctor's comments about the finite life of a Citizen eco-Drive Aqualand Capacitor - and if he has a shop that will carry out such Citizen capacitor replacements and carry out a full hydrostatic (i.e. submerged), pressure check - then Guarantee such capacitor replacements, then I know where I'll be sending my old Citizen Promaster eco-Drive Aqualand watch - with its attached Leatherman Tread bracelet - for such a Capacitor replacement when the time comes...!

 

[Kevrumbo]

Got this as areplacement for my ancient Suunto D3 bottom timer back in 2012:
Citizen Diver Depth Meter Promaster Cyber Aqualand JV0000-01E
http://www.citizenwatch-global.com/support/pdf/u100/e.pdf

Don't use it anymore on dives since cataract surgeries on both eyes last year --LCD display is way too small to read now. The only problems I had with the Citizen watch was it would automatically go into pre-dive/stand-by mode when it got wet, and if you didn't start the dive within 30 minutes it would annoyingly error-out which requires a full reset (simultaneous press & hold all four buttons) to enable dive functions again.

 

[DIVEWATCHDOCTOR]

Autolycus: Yes, we do carry a full hydrostatic pressure check "in water" to 165 feet (50 meters) to every dive computer or dive watch to which we replace the battery (in dive computers and dive watches with log capability, the test dive stays recorded as the last dive). We also change the O ring as part of our standard service. You are welcome to visit our website: www.divewatchdoctor.com.