ⓘ Citizen - edited

Citizen announced the Eco-Drive Photon in March and quoted availability for autumn. Both references are now listed on Citizen's US and UK stores, slightly ahead of that window.The BJ6560-53W, in silver-tone titanium with a yellow seconds hand, is $995/£749. The BJ6569-59X, finished in black and gold with a purple seconds hand, is $1,195/£895. Both have an exclusive tag on Citizen's own store.

The dial is the main reason why these watches even exist in the first place. Citizen stacks two slitted metal layers over a structural color film above the solar cell. Light passing through the slits produces colors that change with viewing angles rather than being painted on. The construction is a direct reference to the renowned double-slit experiment. It demonstrates that light behaves as both wave and particle.

In a way, that approach also completely flips the usual Eco-Drive formula. Light-powered watches normally tend to hide their solar cells behind semi-opaque dials; here the slits make the light path visible.

The case is Super Titanium at 39.6 mm across and 9.9 mm thick — everything is packed into a rounded octagonal shape with an integrated bracelet. Citizen has used Duratect surface hardening — titanium carbide on the silver version, DLC with Duratect Amber yellow on the two-tone one. Sapphire with anti-reflective coating covers the entire dial, and water resistance is rated at 5 bar.

Another key bit is the movement: the Eco-Drive caliber E036 is new for this release and rated at ±15 seconds per month with up to a year of running in power-save mode from a full charge. Citizen says increased torque allows the watch to have larger hands without any incurred penalty. 

Each reference is limited to 5,000 pieces worldwide. Casebacks come with a 50th anniversary Eco-Drive logo and an individual edition number.

Buy the Citizen Eco-Drive BM7251-53L on Amazon.

Citizen US (1) (2)

Citizen UK (1) (2)

Anubhav Sharma - Senior Tech Writer - 1895 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2024

Most of my time goes into writing - and somehow it hasn’t stopped being fun yet. My work mainly revolves around everyday tech, gaming, watches, DIY modding, and the occasional piece on tech-policy chaos when companies and governments clash. I try to keep things simple and honest, without sounding like a product brochure. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering and an Associate Degree in English Studies from the College of New Caledonia in British Columbia, Canada. Away from articles and deadlines, life usually shifts to making music, taking photos, or trying to finish games that should have been completed months ago.