Man, what a day, and I'm sure I'll just get busier as we get into summer. I didn't really "forget" about posting, it just got pushed back further and further until I almost ran out of day. Anyway, today's watch is this Citizen Eco-Drive Sailhawk. It is said this is the official watch of the America's Cup team Stars & Stripes, but it doesn't make any mention of it on the watch or packaging like this watch does. The functions are pretty much the same but I actually like the looks of this new model better. It has a Rolex Yacht-Master-ish bezel (although in titanium instead of platinum) and even a similar bracelet. The dial is, of course, all Citizen, with inset digital displays as well as the function dial at 6 o'clock to show what mode the watch is in. The yellow accents are a nice touch, and work well with the dark dial, which is actually the very deep purple which is common to solar panels. Eco-Drives are all solar, if I didn't mention that before and you didn't happen to know. This being a more modern Eco-Drive than my GMT, it is supposed to keep time for 4 years(!) in total darkness on a full charge (vs. the 6 months for the older one.) It also has lots of functions, which I can't begin to describe here because I don't understand how they all work myself. I'll just copy from Amazon because I'm getting tired: "The large, silver-tone watch measures approximately 1.7 inches wide. Timing features include a yacht racing timer, time and calendar in twenty-two time zones, thirty cities, two world time alarms, a 99-minute countdown timer, one-touch interchangeable analog/digital time, and 1/100-second chronograph that measures up to 24 hours. The black face includes three subdials (24-hour, mode hand, and race timer/minute register) and large luminous hands. The band is joined by a push-button safety clasp. Other features include water resistance to 100 meters (330 feet) and a scratch-resistant, non-reflective mineral crystal." I have actually been in a few yacht races as a crew member, but that was years before I got this watch so I never had occasion to try out its yacht racing-specific functions for real. It's a really nice watch and is a great example of Citizen's ability to pack a huge amount of technology into a compact and attractive package.
Today I'm wearing my Invicta 9937. You might recall I mentioned this one when I wore my modified 9937. The 9937 was created at least partially at the request of members of the Invicta Forum. Invicta had another Submariner-style watch called the 8926 and many people bought and loved it, but also knew it could be so much better with just a few tweaks. The biggest thing was the Japanese Miyota movement on the 8926: some people wouldn't even consider buying the watch because it didn't have a Swiss movement. So Invicta responded with the 9937 which you can read about here. On later models the "Swiss" was removed from the dial and replaced with "Swiss Mov't" in small text at the bottom of the dial. The reason for this is the specific requirements the Swiss government have for calling a watch "Swiss Made". It is generally agreed that this watch is not "Swiss Made" even though the "Swiss" on the dial seems to indicate otherwise. While it came on a high quality bracelet, I typically wear it on the black leather band in the pics. You can see the original bracelet and nice packaging at the review link. I've seen a number of Invictas that have caught my eye, but the only two I own are 9937s. I could see myself owning other Invictas in the future, but the combination of great looks, high quality and Swiss reliability make the 9937 a very attractive package that was impossible for me to pass up.
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