Citizen Nighthawk
The Citizen Nighthawk is very familiar to anyone who has even heard of GMT watches. By any standard, it is a modern classic and one of the most well-known Citizen models.
The Nighthawk has shown a level of popularity and staying power. Almost no other watch on the market today can match. It has been invented, reinvented, and redesigned.
It’s enjoyed by new generations all over the world. There is virtually no mass-produced watch comparable to it in terms of design, value, and affordability.
Case and Crystal:
Citizen Nighthawk has a gnarled signed crown. The citizen did a lot of things right with this watch, and the size of the case and how it is made are two examples.
The Nighthawk has a diameter of 42 millimetres and fits with ease on the wrist. Without being either too big or too small, the dial is the right size to show off everything.
It can accommodate all your 22mm NATO and leather straps because the lug width is standard. If you’re like me and a rebel, you’ll also put 20mm straps on it if they look good.
The case has a very angular and aggressive shape, but it doesn’t make it uncomfortable. This contributes to the entire design by giving it a very robust military appearance.
The Promaster logo is signed on the main crown at three o’clock, which is a nice touch.
Both crowns are gnarled, making them very comfortable to use.
The gem on the Nighthawk is made of an enemy of intelligent scratch-safe minerals.
Despite this, even after a lot of use, it still gets scratched. Still, this is a design feature intended for professional pilots.
In the event of an accident, scratch-resistant sapphire shards are in the cockpit. It is preferable to get a few scratches on your crystal.
Dial:
The dial’s striking design is the first thing you’ll notice. Besides the time, you are immediately confronted with a sea of information.
The slide rule display, which is both on the dial and extends onto the chapter rings itself. It can be found just outside of the hour markers (indices).
A dedicated crown at 8 o’clock lets you rotate the chapter ring for in-flight calculations.
The most distinctive GMT/dual-time analogue display. It can be found in the left hemisphere. Citizen does this by using a single central hand with two red and white tips shaped like aeroplanes.
This feature, which is referred to as a “complication,” is with care placed in its section of the dial. Here it remains relatively hidden from the rest of the dial’s components.
A date window with a classy white frame is located at three o’clock in the right hemisphere.
There is a lot of text neighbouring the date window without being domineering:
- Watch’s brand, Citizen;
- The movement, Eco-Drive.
- NIGHTHAWK—the watch’s name, accompanied by the distinctive Promaster logo. It resembles a jet flying through the air.
The WR 200 means it has a water resistance of 200 meters. It shows the watch’s professional nature.
Hands:
The hands of The Nighthawk nail it with the hands. They are sword-style handsets. They boldly and aggressively point to the indices to show the time.
You might misinterpret it if the hands were smaller. But Citizen deliberately makes them very pronounced and loud. Also, the hands are quite wide. This makes it possible to apply a lot of lume (glow-in-the-dark paint) for easy reading at night.
The Nighthawk can get away with using such a small second-hand. As it ticks like a thin toothpick and becomes an extension of the minute indices.
You can look for it for a split second, but the tick will tell you where it is. To achieve an aggressive and militaristic appearance. The second hand’s counterbalance widens into the shape of a spear.
Movement:
The ubiquitous Eco-Drive technology from Citizen powers each Nighthawk. This shows that the watch gets its power to function from the sun.
This makes it possible for it to be charged by any light, natural or otherwise (such as sunlight and light bulbs).
You can use your phone for six months after a full charge. This shows that if you fully charge it and store it in a dark drawer, it will continue to function for six months!
In practice, Eco-Drive will noticeably recharge itself. Even when there is only a tiny amount of light present, consuming more energy than it uses.
It can be fully charged in as little as six hours of direct sunlight or 320 hours of casual office wear.
As a little something extra. You never need to stress about over-charging the Nighthawk. As it has implicit insurance against this.
GMT and Dual Time Display:
The GMT/dual time complication that we discussed in the Dial section. It is my absolute favourite feature of this watch. The hands have the shape of small aeroplanes; one dressed in white and one in red.
These hands point to a special subdial. It’s oriented in a particular way; two concentric semicircles. The red goes from 12 to 24 (from 12 a.m. to 12 a.m.), and the white goes from 0 to 12 (from 12 a.m. to 12 a.m.).
These relate to 24-hour time, or “military time”.
One of the planes is pointing at a dial marker at any given time, and the other is pointing away. The subdial that it is pointing to will be the same colour as the aeroplane.
The white aeroplane is pointing toward the nine, and the main time display shows nine o’clock. The beauty of this complication is that you can display the time as military time.
This is done by setting it to your time zone. For this situation, it’s 9 am. The red hand would be pointing to 21 if it were 9 p.m.
Alternately, you can track a different time zone anywhere on Earth, How? by using it as a GMT, world time, or dual time feature.
Strap:
The strap on the Nighthawk is one of the greatest development on a watch under $200. It feels quite solid, and will without a doubt keep going for quite a while.
Links on the bracelet are a little bit rounded and have a brushed finish. It doesn’t feel cheap at all and fits with ease between the lugs.
The fact that the spring bars are pretty close to the case is one feature of the lugs. The bracelet makes it difficult to fit a 1.4mm NATO strap through it.
It will be easier with thinner 1.2mm NATOs; otherwise, it is best to remove the spring bars and place them over the NATO.
Other Citizen Nighthawk Variants and Models As of 2021. Many models carry the name “Nighthawk.” are as follows:
Citizen Chronograph Nighthawk
Another favourite is the Nighthawk Chronograph. It has the word “Nighthawk” on the dial. This watch capitalizes on the current fad for mission-style, stealthy blackout watches.
The slide rule, GMT/dual-time functionality. The black-and-red design that was popular on the original Nighthawk is all gone. This makes it very less appealing.
The fundamental element in like manner is the situation and armband. Even though it adds the expanded usefulness of a quartz chronograph. It’s valuable for estimating passed time.
It takes a lot longer for many owners to read the dial before they can tell what time it is. It is not ideal during a flight. In those circumstances, readability wins out over stealth.
In comparison, this watch evokes a very “Special Operations” aspect of air missions. Such as the well-known and guarded 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment).
This, among other missions, transported Seal Team 6 to the Bin Laden raid.
This regiment’s nickname is the Night Stalkers. It is alike the Nighthawk name. It resembles a SOAR-themed watch in this way.
Blue Angels Nighthawk
The Blue Angels Nighthawk is a limited-edition version of the standard Nighthawk. This one shows the blue and yellow colours of the elite flight demonstration squadron of the US Navy.
Like the black dial. This variation displays “Blue Angels” rather than “Nighthawk” on the dial. Besides, the case back features the Blue Angels logo and crest. The colour scheme shifts from black and red to yellow and blue.
Last but not least. There are bracelet and blue leather perforated strap options for this model.
Citizen Nighthawk Flieger
The Flieger-style BX1010-11L is one of Citizen’s more recent Nighthawk models. Despite not having the word “Nighthawk” written on the dial.
This world-time watch has a very attractive reflective blue dial and classic styling. Its design is alike to that of the blue angel’s theme (blue and yellow colour schemes).
This Nighthawk is very legible to read and makes it simple to keep track of the time in another city.
It has a date window and a water resistance of 200 meters, which is impressive for a watch made for pilots. The fact that its diameter is 44 millimetres too large is one drawback.
It is available with a leather strap. We can hopefully expect many Citizen variations of this popular model. Possibly in black or with a bracelet option.
The Citizen Nighthawk vs the Seiko Flight Master
The Citizen Nighthawk and the Seiko Flight Master. These two are highly regarded as trustworthy watches in the aviation industry.
Both watches were made with pilots, aviation enthusiasts, and travellers in mind.
To help you in selecting the ideal watch for your requirements. The Citizen Nighthawk and Seiko Flight Master will be compared here.
Features and Design:
While the design and functionality of the Citizen Nighthawk and Seiko Flight Master are comparable.
There is some significant difference. The Citizen Nighthawk has a black dial with a one-of-a-kind slide rule bezel. It lets pilots do complicated calculations like distance, speed, and fuel consumption.
The watch likewise has a date window and a 24-hour sub-dial. This is for the following time in a military organization.
The Seiko Flight Master, on the other hand, has a black dial with white hands and numerals. Making it easier to read in dim lighting.
The watch has an alarm function and a bidirectional bezel for timing and reminders. Along with that, it has subdials for both 12-hour and 24-hour time formats for time tracking.
Accuracy:
The quartz movement is used in Seiko Flight Master. While Citizen Nighthawk watches, ensuring accuracy and dependability.
The Seiko Flight Master has an accuracy of +/- 20 seconds per month. While the Citizen Nighthawk has an accuracy of +/- 15 seconds per month.
Citizen Nighthawk is a bit more dependable than Seiko Flight Master when it comes to accuracy.
Resistant to Water:
The Seiko Flight Master can withstand water up to 100 meters. While the Citizen Nighthawk can withstand water up to 200 meters.
Due to its screw-down crown and case back, the Citizen Nighthawk is more resistant to water damage.
Price:
The Citizen Nighthawk is less expensive than the Seiko Flight Master. The Seiko Flight Master costs between $1,000 and $1,500, while the Citizen Nighthawk costs between $300 and $500.
Why should I pick the Citizen Nighthawk over the Seiko Flight Master?
Citizen Nighthawk is the ideal choice. If you’re looking for an affordable aviation watch. A watch that is both accurate and dependable.
The Citizen Nighthawk is ideal for pilots and aviation enthusiasts. People who need it to perform complex calculations with ease. Due to its distinctive slide rule bezel and 24-hour subdial.
The Citizen Nighthawk is less expensive than the Seiko Flight Master. It has a higher water resistance rating. Even though the Seiko Flight Master is a great watch, its high price tag may not be affordable for everyone.
In conclusion, both Seiko Flight Master and Citizen Nighthawk are excellent aviation watches with distinctive functions and features.
The best watch for you depends on your preferences, budget, and specific requirements.
But, Citizen Nighthawk is an excellent option if you’re looking for a reliable aviation watch at a reasonable price.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Citizen Nighthawk
The Citizen Nighthawk is a well-known watch model. It has gained a great deal of traction among watch enthusiasts.
If you’re looking for a watch that looks good and does its job, this is it. But, as with any product, it has advantages and disadvantages, which we’ll go over below.
Pros:
1. Modern Design:
Many watch enthusiasts will appreciate this watch. Due to the sleek and contemporary design of the Citizen Nighthawk. It is a watch that can be worn with formal and casual outfits.
2. Outstanding Functionality:
The watch has a chronograph, date display, slide rule bezel, and many other features. It’s a versatile and useful watch thanks to these features.
3. Green Technology:
The Citizen Nighthawk gest its power to function by light. It doesn’t make use of a battery. Thanks to eco-drive technology. People who want to avoid changing the battery often will appreciate this feature.
4. Construction That Lasts:
The watch is made of high-quality materials. Like mineral crystal glass and stainless steel. Because of this, it is long-lasting and resistant to damage.
Cons:
1. It’s hard to read:
The watch’s busy dial and small font size make it difficult for some people to read the time.
2. A lot of weight:
The watch is heavier than many other watches. Making it uncomfortable to wear for long periods for some people.
3. Lack of water resistance:
The watch can only withstand water up to 200 meters, which may not be enough for water sports enthusiasts.
Conclusion
The Citizen Nighthawk wristwatch is an outstanding timepiece. It has impressive features, durability, and fashion.
The Nighthawk has you covered if you’re a frequent traveller, an outdoor enthusiast, or just looking for a dependable watch.
It can handle your everyday activities. This watch is the ideal companion for anyone. Even for people who value accuracy, functionality, and elegance.
Due to its eco-drive technology, many time zones display, and pilot-inspired design. The Citizen Nighthawk is the ultimate example of form and function,
So why not give it a try?
