Citizen Eco-Drive Stiletto Watch
by TreeHugger on 12.19.04
Not new, but time for a reminder. Citizen’s Eco-Drive powers these watches by light alone. Sunlight or interior man-made lighting charges a tiny, yet super efficient battery. Want to live in cave for a while? No problem. Depending on the model you chose, your watch will still run for 45 days to 5 years, after you renounce light. The Lithium Ion battery does not contain the usual caustic chemicals found in ordinary batteries, and it will last the life of the watch. After twenty years it should be able to get an 80% recharge. (Wish I could teach my iBook that trick!). The amorphous silicon solar panel is cleverly hidden under a variety of coloured face plates. Heaps of models to choose from, but picked this one for its clean, simple lines. £140 ::Citizen Eco-Drive [by WM]
I have one of these (, its a titanium and gold one and it works excellently. When I tool it out of the box it started running as soon as light hit it and the second hand was moving in a rhythem that meant it was low on power and I needed to reset the time. Since then it has not missed a beat, i have even left in in a draw for a week or so and it still ran perfectly.
fyi Casio also have solar powered watches called "tough solar" I have one of those as my knock about watch. I is LCD so gives more precise feedback about battery charge. It even has a sleep mode which switches the display off in low light. The display reactivates when you turn the watch toward your face.