Recently a good customer was looking to buy his wife a watch and asked us our opinion between the Pulsar and Seiko Kinetic watches and the Citizen Eco-Drive watches.
We get asked this frequently so here is our take on the three options.
The Pulsar and Seiko Kinetics are the same as far as the movements. The difference is in the cases. Pulsar is a lower end brand for Seiko and so the cases are not as well made. The metal cases on Pulsar are generally brass with a heavy nickle plate and then maybe a gold plating on top. All plating will wear over time and when it is worn off, the base metal will be exposed. In this case the brass would be exposed and so her natural skin oils and sweat will eat away the brass case which limits the length of the life of the case. The only solution when this happens is to replace the case. However, by the time this will happen the case may no longer be available. So if this is something you think she will want to wear for the next 20 – 30 years and you go with the Pulsar you might also want to buy a spare case for it to have on hand down the road.
Also we do not recommend the plastic cases at all. It is great to see inside a watch with a see through case but the acrylic case will crack and disintegrate in a few years.
Seiko being a higher end watch than the Pulsar means the case should not have problems but here again there are grades to the stainless steel used. A lower retail price for the watch will generally mean a less expensive grade of metal which does have the possibility to rust. Yes, some grades of Stainless Steel will rust.
This rusting is only a problem for where the case back gasket sits. When the moisture sits there is will start to rust the lower grade stainless and this pits the flat channel where the gasket seals.
Citizen cases are like Seiko cases so the lower the cost the less expensive the quality of stainless steel.
Now on to the movements.
A Kinetic has to be worn to keep the battery charged. Even Seiko states this in their technical documentation. Or a Seiko kinetic energy supplier needs to be used. These are about $230 currently, if the watch is not going to be worn, using this unit even once a month will keep the watch running and keeping time.
An Eco-Drive has to get light to charge the battery. It does not have to be worn at all but it cannot be put in a drawer for long periods of time. Not knowing your wife and how she dresses I will say that if she normally wears long sleeve tops that would cover the watch and the watch is not allowed to get light to it the battery will run down. Generally professionals see this problem. If this is true of your wife then putting the watch under a lamp each night or every few nights should be enough to keep it charged.
If she doesn’t wear clothes that cover her wrists all the time then she should have no problem keeping it charged.
The Eco-Drive requires light to charge the battery. The Kinetic requires movement to keep it charged. So there is one more issue, if your wife has had a stroke and her arm does not move as much as would be normal she may not be able to move enough to keep the kinetic charged. Even a mild stroke can cause problems. In addition, any kind of major surgery can cause this problem due to a lack of adequate movement. An Eco-Drive is not susceptible to these problems.
If your wife is healthy and active she most likely won’t have a problem with either type of movement.
As far as service goes, both require special rechargeable LI ion batteries so both are much more expensive than a normal quartz watch with a regular watch battery. The LI ion batteries should last between 7 and 10 years. Some people get a little more out of them and so far we have not been able to determine how or why they can get the extended life. It may just be the luck of the draw. A normal watch battery in a new watch will last between 3 and 5 years on average with some people getting a little more than 5 years. This is on their first battery. Normally a quartz watch should be serviced every 5 – 10 years. What happens is the oils dry out and make it harder for the gear train to operate. This in turn forces the movement to draw more power from the battery which shortens the battery life. As time goes on the battery life shortens more and more.
Now all of these things are stated as if we live in a perfect world. Other factors can influence these numbers and it is really not possible to write out in an email all the possible problems and what effect they will have on a watch. But on average a regular quartz watch may need 2-3 batteries in the first 10 years. At that point the watch should be serviced and then if done properly the watch should use the same 2-3 batteries in the next 10 years.
On the kinetic and eco-drive watches if the batteries last ten years the watch will need some service at the time when the battery needs replacing.
As for which one I feel is better, I would have to say the Seiko or Citizen over the Pulsar just because of quality. But price does matter to everyone and so if your budget only allows the Pulsar then realize the shortcomings and be prepared for them in the future.
Both the kinetic and eco-drive have limitations and special requirements. So as far as choosing between these that would be better for you to decide based on how your wife moves and what she wears. It will also depend on how much she will wear it. The extra cost of the kinetic charger could be a determining factor if it is needed. With the eco-drive if she doesn’t wear it all the time she just needs to place the watch where it gets light like on a dresser or table or even a window sill.
You can reach Yellowstone Watch at yellowstonewatch.com . We are happy to help with your questions and watch repairs.
