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Customer Ratings & Reviews

Your price for this item is $375.00

Customer reviews

Rating 4.1 out of 5 stars with 34 reviews

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85%
would recommend
to a friend

Customers are saying

Customers express satisfaction with the CZ Smart 44mm Unisex Stainless Hybrid Sport Smartwatch's long battery life, stylish design, and accurate activity tracking. However, some users have concerns about its water resistance, sluggish navigation, limited backlight, and lack of audible notifications.

This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.

The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 34 reviews
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    smart watch

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    Posted . Owned for 3 months when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I bought this as my husband’s birthday gift.He was happy and worth the price

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Design
    Cons mentioned:
    Smart app, Water resistance
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 2 out of 5 stars

    Great looks, but limited smarts…

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Easily one of the best looking watches I’ve ever owned. Classic, timeless look, with just a subtle nod towards being a ‘smart’ watch. The e-ink type background works extremely well in bright sunlight, probably better than any other smartwatch I’ve ever owned, but it definitely struggles when the lights go down. You can (usually - it is somewhat hit and miss for me) activate an ‘old-school’ type backlight with a double-tap of the watch face, but it’s not overly effective; it helps, but my eyes still have trouble reading the screen. Speaking of the screen, the fonts are pretty small, and offer very little options to increase the size. If you normally wear reading glasses, you’ll probably struggle with this display, particularly when it comes to reading any notifications that come across. I don’t wear glasses on a regular basis, and only wear reading glasses occasionally, and I sometimes struggle reading the display. This is even more pronounced in low-light situations. Battery life is very impressive. I’ve been wearing the watch constantly (excluding shower time) for over two weeks now and the battery is at 36%. Based on that, it should easily surpass the promised 18 day battery life, which is also a welcome departure from the usual over-promise & under-deliver for most battery estimates. Speaking of shower time, I’m really disappointed that this watch is only ‘Splash Resistant’ rated. Given that this watch is advertised as a “Sport” smart watch, the lack of a more robust water resistance rating is a huge miss on their part. Factor in the price of the watch & this is almost unacceptable. As for sport functions, it does have workout tracking, albeit somewhat limited. It offers choices for run, walk, hike, treadmill, bike, spinning, weights, row machine, elliptical, and a generic workout option. It seems to use GPS (if connected to your phone) to track distance for walking (and I assume the other non-stationary workout types) activities, but it doesn’t track your route. Not really a big deal to me, but something to be aware of if you typically go back and look at your routes. The other fitness tracking aspect that I was disappointed in was the heart rate monitoring. It will report on your average, and max, but doesn’t report on the amount of time in each zone. The Smart YouQ app (at least for Android) is still a work in progress, but I do know that they’re working to improve it. If you have the patience, and the commitment, to take the requisite Alert Check tests at the prescribed times of the day, it will eventually populate with various insights. I’ve added a few screenshots that may help illustrate some of the insights. Overall, it’s a beautiful watch, with great battery life. If you’re looking for a classy watch, with limited smart functionality, you’ll probably be happy with it. However, and it pains me to say this because I LOVE how it looks & the battery life, it just doesn’t satisfy my needs for a smart watch, so I couldn’t recommend it to a friend.

    No, I would not recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life
    Cons mentioned:
    Notifications
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Attractive And Striking Statement Piece

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I have long been a technology enthusiast, but this is the first smartwatch that I have embraced. Not because I have anything against smart watches, but because I am also a watch enthusiast. Over the years I have assembled a nice collection of watches and I consider wearing a watch to be a statement piece that complements my dress and the occasion. For this reason I have not embraced generic smart watches. I own other Citizen watches and have long been impressed by their precision, build quality and appearance. This Citizen watch easily meets that high expectation. First impression out of the box is that it is noticeably heavy and appears to be exquisitely engineered.The watch has significant weight and looks great on my wrist. I plan to use it for exercise and outdoor activities, and when it matches my clothing. The silicon strap makes it perfect for this function. The watch strap can be swapped out easily because it is the standard watch size. Thai Citizen watch is, as the title states, a hybrid design. What this means is that it is a traditional mechanical wristwatch with a black and white digital display faceplate. The face place display is limited to basic readouts. But it does update with the current readings. The time function is the traditional moving minute and second hands. The watch face is not interactive in any way, with the exception of that a double tap will slightly illuminate the watch face. The three buttons can be used to navigate the watch settings. To operate and control this watch it is completely necessary to download the Citizen Connectected App. Once you pair the watch and your phone, the watch is ready to use. Most of the watch functions and information can be controlled using the App. The App also gives you the option of selecting several different displays for the watch face. The App can also customize the functions of the three side buttons. Be sure to explore the App and enable any functions,notifications, and permissions for any Apps you wish to use with this watch. For example to share data with my Apple Health App I had to specifically select and allow that function. I had to do this in a few different places in the App and in my iPhone settings. I was able to receive alerts from my phone on this watch, but they were informational only. There is no audible beep from the watch, only one long vibration. It is not possible to answer a message or call with the watch, or even read the full message if it is longer than one line of characters.The watch measures steps, calories burned, sleep, heart rate, and oxygen levels. The accuracy of the heart rate and oxygen sensors requires that the strap be sufficiently tight for the sensors to get a proper reading. The watch can be used independently of the phone it is paired to, and will sync its recorded date the next time it is near the phone. Battery life is phenomenal. I was able to fully charge it in less than an hour, and after about a week of use the battery reads 70%. The rated battery life is 18 days, dependent on use. The greyscale, non-touch display significantly contributes to the long battery life. The included USB charger is a proprietary magnetic design. The battery strength is visible in the App and the watch face. I am very picky about watches, and this smartwatch is a welcome addition to my collection. As long as you don’t need or expect the full features of a smart watch, then the Citizen hybrid smartwatch is an excellent choice. I expect and am looking forward to many years of enjoyable wear and use.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life
    Cons mentioned:
    Water resistance
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    A large and attractive watch

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    The Citizen CZ Smart 44mm smartwatch is a really good looking watch in my opinion. It has a few tradeoffs I would like to describe. First thing I noticed is that the electronic paper watch face only does grayscale. It’s very customizable using the Citizen Connected app with either your own design or a pre-made face but it’s still just grays, black, and white. In this 256 color world that may seem like an odd choice, but the benefit of this design over something like an OLED face is that the battery life of this watch will make an Apple watch user cry. A note about the battery charging- the watch comes with a magnetic charger, if you remove the charger (or the power goes out) while the battery state of charge is between 80 and 100%, the watch will not start charging again until the state of charge is below 80% to extend the battery life. I moved my watch from charging on my PC to my nightstand while the watch was barely over 80% and found this out. I’ve been wearing it for a solid week now and it’s still above 40% and I’ve been playing with it all the time so the battery life is amazing. I used the features of the Citizen Connected app to monitor my sleep, count my daily steps, and calories burned. It also does heart rate and blood O2 levels. Through the app you can set alarms and reminders but, strangely, the alarms make no sound in the watch, just vibrate. It says it has a speaker but I assume that’s only for Alexa? I don’t use that feature so I can’t speak to that. Haven’t found any place to turn on the speaker otherwise though. You can allow the watch face to display texts and caller ID, you can’t scroll to read the whole message or answer a call on the watch though. One benefit of that for me is that I work in a sometimes noisy environment and I wear my phone in a belt clip case so I can’t always hear the alert or ring of my phone or feel it vibrate but I can feel the watch vibrate. A quick glance at the watch and I know if I need to grab my phone or skip the spam call. So I like that. The watch band is made of a silicone material that has a little grip to it. Keeps it from sliding on my wrist even if I sweat. One other thing that surprised me is the water resistance rating on this watch. Splash rated only. That seems like a big miss on this? I did try to use this watch with Citizen’s other app, YouQ. This app promises to provide a “power gauge” to predict your energy level/alertness for the coming day along with alert checks and a power score. Once it has enough data collected, it determines your chronotype. I never got that far, though, because when you connect to YouQ, you disconnect from the Citizen Connected app and the watch face reverts back to it’s default, and any alarms and notifications you set are cleared. YouQ works with Google Fit so you must have that app installed also and be logged in to both Google Fit and YouQ on the same Google login. I tried YouQ long enough to get a power gauge reading, apparently I am dead. I will share a screenshot. The hands and hour markers will glow in the dark for a time after being exposed to light, you can also double tap the watch to turn on the built in lighting. The watch has a countdown timer and stopwatch function, they continue to run even if you set the watch face back to the main face. Resolution is one second. Countdown timer alarm is vibrate only when done, no noise. There are ten workout modes you can select, bike, run, walk, weights, etc. and it will time your exercise. If you’re the type that loses track of your phone, you can ring your phone from the watch to help you locate it. From the Connected app you can also locate your watch using your phone. There’s also a pretty basic music control, you can adjust the volume, pause playback, or skip to the next track. Can’t select albums, artists, or playlists though. Have to do that on your phone. From the main face, pressing the bottom button shortcuts to the music control. From the main face, pressing the top button shortcuts to heart rate, blood O2, and a dashboard that shows your steps, exercise minutes, calories, last sleep time, last heart rate, and last blood O2 reading. Long press on the top button hides the watch face, a second long press restores it. Long press on the bottom button shortcuts to notifications. If you long press the center button it will first go to the home face, if you continue to hold the button it will switch to another screen with a reset option or you can view the watch’s serial number.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Design
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Beautiful, Huge connected watch

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    This watch is unique in many ways. It looks like a traditional, albeit massive watch. The design tries very hard to make it look like a traditional sports watch. It has the three large buttons like a chronograph. These are three push buttons, not a rotating crown. That would've been useful. Then it has the non-rotating dial. Blue in this case. It looks classic, but it's form, not function. Then another ring inside the glass makes the face appear larger than what it really is. The hands are real, and unlike traditional watches, they are also used to point to things or move sideways to guide to data on the screen. The screen is an E-Ink screen but sadly is black and white. A missed opportunity since later generation Pebble watches came with color E-Ink screens that were a bit more useful. I'm using the watch with an iPhone. Initial setup took several trials, until I restarted the phone and it finally connected, however I noticed that the Bluetooth range is very short. With the phone a few ft. from the watch, it looses connectivity. The Citizen Connected app is fairly simple and intuitive. Works well and doesn't have any major issues. It's used to control notifications on the watch and to sync with Apple Health. Took a while to find that setting but it works. However I had to manually sync the watch with the app (Pulling down to refresh). It's supposed to be automatic. The watch continually measures heart rate, and can be manually set to take a more in-depth HR measurement and blood oxygen, which is a great feature although not automatic. The watch has a microphone but doesn't have a speaker. It can be set up with Alexa, through the phone, and one can press a shortcut or activate from the main menu and speak to Alexa, but it replies with text on the screen instead of voice, because there is no speaker. Data on the screen is configurable, it has several themes and it's configurable through the app. I think it's simple enough to do and can add up to four configurable 'complications'. I chose HR, steps, date and weather, in addition to numbers on the dial. Notifications work well although they are read only, and can be set to sync with the phone (clearing from the watch clears it from the phone and vice-versa). At dark, the handles and dial glow in the dark, slightly. Double-tap on the glass turns on internal lights. It works but it's not the most readable. Battery is outstanding for a smartwatch: It's rated at 14 days. I charged it almost fully and a week later is at 60%. The charger magnetic but it's not an induction charger: The back of the watch has two tracks and the charger has tiny pins that connect to the track. I don't find this ideal but it works. Overall, it’s a beautifully but unnecessarily massive watch. Real handles and e-ink screen makes it look like a traditional watch with a very long battery.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Activity tracking, Battery life
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Great as a watch with limited smart functionality

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    If you’re looking for a watch with some smart functionality the Citizen CZ smartwatch may be for you. The watch is very attractive to me, though the band is not my favorite and unfortunately according to Citizens website it’s not swappable. I’m sure you have to be able to replace it but maybe not as easy as other smartwatch bands, I mean if it goes on it has to come off! Connecting the watch to my 14 pro max was easy and honestly has more functionality than I thought it would mainly due to Apples ecosystem. The citizen app where you can customize the watch is is good and allows for limited customization as the watch doesn’t have a color display so, it will allow you to use your own pics as a background but they’ll be in black and white. In terms of smart functionality, it’s a mixed bag for me coming from an Apple Watch. You’ll get notifications but the display doesn’t light up when you get a notification. The display has a backlight that will light up when you double tap the display, it’s sufficient but not very bright. There’s not a lot of watch faces to choose from, like I said it will allow you to use a pic, but it’ll be in black and white. In terms of battery life the thing is amazing, dropping only 13 percent since a full charge after three days of use. When synced to your phone and a call comes in, you’ll get a notification on the watch to answer or reject, but you can’t take the call on your watch. When you press the answer button it sends it to your phone. The watch does a good job though with activity tracking and you can set one of the side buttons to quick launch a workout or other functions. The Citizen CZ hybrid smartwatch is for the person that is looking for that classic watch look with some smart functions . If you don’t want or need all the stuff of a full blown smartwatch, it’s an attractive watch with great battery.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Comfort, Design
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Not Your Grandpa’s Watch! It’s for everyone!

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    The Citizen CZ is a switch up from my previous smart watch. I opted for the Citizen CZ because I wanted something in assuming with all the benefits of the smartwatches with color watch faces. This one can be tailored with included faces and you can design your own. With the 90’s trends circling back I used to love my black and grey digital watch faces. That’s what you get here but they are greatly enhanced with smart features like: music, text, heart monitoring, and more. My favorite part of the watch is that this is the first watch in over a decade that I can comfortably wear to sleep. I haven’t been able to do so with my previous watch. Sleep is super important to your health during the day. I haven’t been sleeping well so I tried the watch and I never felt it during my sleep. I am loving the break down of my sleep patterns and when I’m having my peak sleep cycles. It’s helping me more conscious decision of when to jump in bed and how to avoid tv. The design is pretty sharp and jazzed up just enough to add flare to my work suit with my white button up and tie. It is also not a distraction like other smart watches that buzz all day. It keeps life simple. Overall a great option for anyone wanting a smart watch with bells, whistles, and awesome features. I’m still learning more about the AI forecasting and I can tell I’m really going to love this on my runs. The silicone band is by far the most comfortable watch band I’ve ever had. A side note: I love watches and I have over 20 of them. None are super luxurious but this one has me stuffing and storing my other watches away for now.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Design
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    A Good Citizen

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    This is not a typical smartwatch. I suspect the targeted customer would not at all be attracted to the likes of the Apple Watch or the Pixel Watch. This is a second-generation CZ Smart Hybrid. It does not have a battery-hogging OLED display. It looks like you would think a large (44mm) stainless steel sport watch would look, with a crown and a real mechanical analog hour and minute hand (but not a mechanical second hand). Of course, it is not powered by winding a watch spring. You charge it with the supplied cable, and it takes about an hour for a full charge. How often must one charge this watch? How about once every 18 days? That’s right. The charge lasts for more than two weeks, and pretty close to three. If have not used it for three weeks yet, but after 3 days, the charge indicator is at 90 per cent. As I said, this is not your typical smartwatch. Not by any stretch. Any Apple or Google watch owner will stand in complete awe of this kind of battery life. It looks great and has some heft. The sport band on the model supplied to me is made of blue silicone. It has a stainless-steel buckle. It is said to be water resistant to 90 feet, and I have no reason to be skeptical of the claim. The manufacturer’s warranty extends for two years. So, since it is an analog watch, how is it smart? This watch is able to measure your heart rate, your blood oxygen level, keep up with your steps and plan and time your workouts. All of those functions are done in the watch. But it also communicates with your smartphone, Ios or Android. In fact, when the watch was fully charged, I downloaded the Citizen app from the iPhone App store and configured and synced the phone and smartwatch via Bluetooth in just a few minutes. The digital display on the watch face provides a plethora of information, once set up with your phone. You use the crown and the buttons on the top and bottom of the crown to select the function you want to access, such as local weather, music, notifications, stopwatch, workout, wellness and settings. The watch can be set up to work with Alexa. The digital display of pertinent information is on the watch face itself. The display is clean and legible, and a backlight is furnished for night viewing. The app also allows the user to design their own watch face to match their particular needs. I set the watch up for all the typical notifications: email, messaging, CNN, Facebook and the like. When I sat at lunch with friends, the watch vibrated unobtrusively when a new message came, and the header was displayed. If I wanted to read the full message, I would access my smartphone to read it. Convenient and practical. If you like this design and are attracted to this type of watch, I think you will be pleased with its performance and practicality. I recommend it.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Traditional look
    Cons mentioned:
    Water resistance

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Great watch, just not as smart as others.

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    Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    While not as smart as an Apple or Samsung watch, it has a classic watch look and enough smart features for everyday life. I really want the watch to let me know when I'm getting calls or messages during the work day and this does a great job conveying those notices. It also has workout features and tracks steps, etc., but they are admittedly not as slick as the other options available. You also won't be able to sync Apple pay and the display is black & white. For my purposes it works great and the battery is amazing. So far I've charged it about once per month and I wear it every day. I'd give it 5 stars for my use, but it's not fully waterproof. Just resistant, so it's fine in the rain but no wearing it swimming.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life
    Cons mentioned:
    Backlight
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great Smart Watch

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I received the Citizen CZ Smart Watch and when I removed it from the box I could immediately tell I had a high quality watch in line with their other products. The watch feels substantial and well made and comes with a magnetic charging cord. Setup and pairing with the Citizen app on my phone was quick and simple. A nice thing about the app is that I can change the face of the watch at any time to give it a different look. I can choose from 13 different styles from Citizen or customize my own, which is a nice feature. The three buttons on the side of the watch are responsive and allow you to cycle through all the available information and settings. The screen has several different font sizes to choose from, which is nice since it keeps me from needing my reading glasses. The screen displays your steps, activity, heart rate, date, calendar notifications, and incoming texts and phone calls. When you get notifications, the watch hands move to allow you to see the message area before they move back to show the time again. I especially like the fact that I can track my heart rate history in the app to monitor my Bradycardia. There is even an alarm feature where the watch will vibrate at a set time to notify you and I use it to help wake me up in the morning. If you use Alexa, this watch is compatible so long as you have the Alexa app installed on your phone. Battery life so far has been impressive. I’ve worn the watch for a week and it’s still at 68%. Charging goes quick with the magnetic charging cord. I believe the battery has an 18-day life and I don’t think I will have any issues hitting that mark. With all the positive things I like about this watch I was able to find one con. At night the watch face isn’t visible, and you cannot see the hands either. A tritium or glow in the dark option would have been nice, but the watch does have a backlight in the form of 4 small lights on the outer edge of the watch to help see the watch face at night. The problem is that the touch area to active the backlight is a little tricky and can be difficult to activate at times. Overall, I’m very happy with the watch and it’s performance. Even with the backlight issue it’s a very nice, high quality, smart watch.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Unbelievably long battery life

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    The Citizen - CZ Smart 44mm Stainless Steel Hybrid Sport Smartwatch with Silicone Strap is a different kind of smartwatch. It looks and feels like a sporty, hefty analog watch but once you get to know it better, it clearly has many additional features only found in today’s most popular smartwatches. From the moment you put it on its cute little magnetic USB charger, the screen comes alive and invites you to download the app by scanning the QR code with your phone. Once the Citizen Connected App is installed, follow the instructions on the screen to pair it with your watch. From there you can customize the style and the four information dials of the display, though they are all black and white or shades of gray - no color. There are no additional apps you can install, so you’ll have to rely on syncing and getting notifications from your phone from many popular email, messaging and news apps. Since there is no actual touch screen, you will not be able to reply and since there is no speaker built in, you will not be able to answer phone calls from your watch, though it will notify you and vibrate when you get a message or phone call. It does have a mic built-in that you can use to setup with Alexa for voice command of other devices, play music, etc. It’s a nice looking watch, not too bulky if you like this more classic style. And because it does not have a fancy color display and all the other bells and whistles of true smartwatches, the battery life is hard to believe how good it is. I’ve used it for a few days since activation and battery charge is still in the 90% range. It is advertised to last up to 18-days depending on usage, I totally believe that. It does take some getting used to navigating around using the up and down buttons and the home/select button in the middle, but overall fairly intuitive. Display is a bit dim for my preference, but you can double tap anywhere to turn on the backlit display for a few seconds. Overall it is a stylish, classic looking analog watch, with very useful fitness, wellness and notification features only found in smart watches.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    A Happy Medium

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    The Citizen CZ Smart is a great attempt of providing the best of both worlds. [PROS] Solid Construction - The build quality of this watch is sturdy. From my usage, it's definitely tough, but without feeling heavy. I couldn't notice much difference in weight between a standard stainless watch and this device. Battery Life - This smartwatch has an extremely large battery life. I still managed to be in the 50% range after 5 days of moderate use. Abundance of functionality - I was bit skeptical about the amount of features that I would find in this watch, but I've been pretty impressed. You can find about 80% of standard smartwatch features in this device. The fitness features has been accurate, and the built-in microphone helps me to get things done through my AI assistant. [CONS] Manual Navigation - Switching among different settings through the physical buttons can be awkward at times. It presents a learning curve and takes time to get used to as opposed to a native touchscreen display. Limited Display Colors - Truthfully, I'm not a fan of the black and white display, but I understand the purpose. A more vibrant display would strip the watch of its hybrid identity. However, the lack of colors causes this watch to not be very visible in dark rooms or areas. [CONCLUSION] In conclusion, this watch is a great alternative to standard smartwatches. If you desire to have a smartwatch abilities, but with a display that is incognito then this is perfect.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life
    Cons mentioned:
    Backlight

    Rated 4 out of 5 stars

    Good watch, messages could be brighter

    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Really good looking hybrid watch. Battery life is about 8 days depending on usage. Good features and integration but the backlight functionality isn’t that good.. so hard to read messages in poor light.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great watch for those that don’t want a computer

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I have several smart watches from several companies. I LOVE watches. Old school timepieces, cutting edge supercomputer wrist units, and all in between. This watch is the best of the “in between”. Lacking the App Store of other major brands, it focuses on improving the health metrics. And for that, it’s doing a fairly stellar job. I have several step counters, and this watch is among the most accurate. Given its large size, it’s also fairly light. I don’t feel like a gorilla swinging my arms around while wearing it. It’s slightly more complex to use, given the lack of the App Store, but it took me 20 minutes of fiddling to get the basic use of it down. Battery life is fantastic. Wore it most of the day, and it only drained 5%. The e-ink display is crisp and easy to read. The citizen app that handles all the data from the app is super easy to use. It handles everything from watch faces to display settings and health measurments. It doesn’t re-invent the wheel, but it’s a clean program that non-techie people can easily use. Since owning the very first Watch developed by the fruit company, over the years I’ve realized I use less and less of the “App Store” stuff and just need a good time piece that does a few basics… display messages and steps. The rest was fluff. I needed good battery life. This Watch delivers. It’s stylish, durable, and comfortable.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 2 out of 5 stars

    A different approach

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I had lofty expectations for this smartwatch. Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. What to like: - The watch has the Citizen look and feel. It is attractive and as noticed by several people. - It has a sturdy feel and solid build - what I would expect from Citizen and certainly what I would expect at this high price point. -The timekeeping is accurate. -The pace count is fairly accurate - The Alexa connectivity is an interesting addition - The approach to the multifunction aspect of the smartwatch is innovative and certainly different than anything I have ever seen before - The battery life is phenomenal, easily two weeks on a single charge What I do not care for: - Bulk. The watch is large (see photos). The watch face alone is 1/2" thick and 1 3/4" in circumference. To think that I have to wear it to bed to capture some of the health information is not something I look forward to every night. In comparison, a thinner competitor that I have used is much more comfortable in this aspect. - The touchscreen is unreliable. Sometimes the backlight comes on with two taps, other times I tap incessantly without result. Also, it is a monochrome that is not easy to read. - The menu is driven by a single push on the center hand. I found that I would accidentally activate the menu by bending my wrist. I would not notice until I looked down at the time and saw 3:15 and I knew that was not correct. - It is not waterproof, so for all those Citizen SCUBA watch aficionados, do not try diving with this watch. - There is no option for a second time zone - .I have presbyopia and I cannot read it without my reading glasses. - - The operating system is interesting but not something I want to learn. I already have enough tools to learn how to use and I do not want one more simply for the benefit of good looks on my writ, because all the other functions already exist on my phone. Overall, I would say it is a watch with some interesting additional features, but not what I would call a "smartwatch" as any smarts come from the connection to my phone and the Citizen app. If I have to look at my phone, then why do I need the watch?

    No, I would not recommend this to a friend
  • Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    watch

    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    It was a gift for my husband.He was so happy with the item and would like to buy another one for his dad.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Comfort

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    A sports watch with a bit of style

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    Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    Great watch... comfortable, stylish and reliable. I would definitely recommend it.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Battery life, Design
    Cons mentioned:
    Navigation, Notifications
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 3 out of 5 stars

    Extremely Attractive Hybrid Smartwatch

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    The Citizen CZ Hybrid Smartwatch is a hybrid smartwatch that blends the appearance of a traditional watch with the functionality of a modern smartwatch. To start, inside the box you’ll find the watch itself along with a charging puck and a couple of pieces of documentation. The charging puck employs a standard USB-A end and makes a physical connection via small pins to the back of the watch; there is no wireless charging. Surprisingly, the charging puck is actually the exact same one that fits my Fossil smart watches. The watch features a large metal body with a silicone band and is exceedingly attractive. It has a solid, quality, weighty feel to it, while not being cumbersome. The front glass/crystal is a mineral crystal, similar to other traditional watches, making it extremely durable. The side navigation buttons have a good bit of resistance to them, helping to avoid unintended interactions. The band, while being soft silicone does have surprisingly sharp-ish edges on the inside that sit against your arm. They’re not so sharp as to actually cut you, but I do regularly notice their presence. Also, the band does not offer an easy method to swap it. There are no quick release pins on the inside; you have to actually physically compress the band enough to expose the retainer pins, then compress them. The screen, positioned behind the physical arms, is e-ink, similar to e-readers. This means that the screen is only black and white and uses a backlight for viewing in dark situations (double-tap the face to activate). The trade-off here is that the battery life is great. So far, the battery has on average lost only about 5-10% per day. Setup of the watch is fairly quick and easy via the Citizen Connected app. The app itself is pretty simple and easy to navigate. It allows for customization of the watch for things like changing the watch face or the functions of the side buttons. The app also manages the connection to Google Fit to keep your fitness information synced. Generally, the app has been stable, but there have been a couple instances where swiping the Citizen Connected app away would kill the connection between the watch and the phone forcing me to open the app again and then close it. Navigating the menus on the watch itself involves using the side buttons to make selections with the physical watch hands pointing to your options. While this works, navigating through menus on the watch can be slow at times; sometimes the watch hands will move a few seconds before the screen catches up to show the selection and sometimes the screen will change quicker than the watch hands will move. The watch’s sensor package allows for activity and biometric tracking, such as sleep tracking, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, and step tracking. Activities such as workouts or sleep will often be detected automatically and will sync your data via the Citizen Connected app to Google Fit. Step tracking proved to be a little over zealous in my experience; after sleeping with the watch the first night, I amassed about 100 steps. Similar to many other Wear OS 3 watches, there is no Google Assistant available. Instead, Amazon’s Alexa is present. Personally, I don’t use any of the assistants on my smart watches so this didn’t affect me one way or the other. The biggest trade-off for the hybrid nature of the watch is that it is a bit limited in its onboard menus/functions. For instance, during media playback, you can increase/decrease volume on the phone or pause and skip a song, but there is no way to step back a track. Similarly limited is the notification list; you can view notifications and scroll through them, but can't get rid of notifications or reply to messages. At the end of the day, the Citizen CZ Hybrid Smartwatch is an extremely handsome watch that provides excellent battery life and expanded, helpful functionality over a traditional watch with some limitations. Tempering your expectations of what it can and can’t do out of the gate will make or break your overall experience.

    I would recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Design
    Cons mentioned:
    Navigation, Smart app
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 2 out of 5 stars

    Just Terrible!!!

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    I am a huge fan of citizen watches, especially their eco drive models. When I saw this hybrid smart watch, I couldn't wait to get it. However, I am so disappointed. This is the worst smart watch that I have ever owned. The look and feel of the watch is good. I like the simplistic design of the silicone band and metal bezel. The weight of the watch is also nice and seems to be very well built. Now for the smart part of the watch. The YouQ app is nowhere to be found in the google play store on my android phone. The app I had to use and the one it directed me to with a qr code is call citizen connected. Setup was the most annoying thing I have ever had to deal with. I downloaded the app and launched it. It asked me to create an account so I did. Once that was out of the way, it searched for my watch. It kept saying it couldn't find it. It took almost thirty five minutes for it to finally find the watch. Once it found it, I was able to get into the main page of the app and the time automatically set itself. The app is so minimal. It really only has wellness features. Which is fine but I expected way more for a smart watch, especially one by a company like Citizen. I really have no use for the app beyond being connected to my phone because I can see and access everything on the watch itself. The watch interface is simple but the way it navigates through the options is very sluggish. It causes me for frustration than anything else. I think this will just function as a basic watch for me on a day to day basis and I'll use the wellness statistics when I want to walk or workout. Overall, I am so disappointed with this thing.

    No, I would not recommend this to a friend
  • Pros mentioned:
    Activity tracking, Battery life, Design
    Tech Insider Network Member

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Great watch for many, perfect watch for few.

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    Tech Insider Network Member
    Posted .
    This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.

    This watch is one of the best blends between smart and "dumb" watches that I have ever personally used. I have used smart watches. dating all the way back to the original pebble and this one might be one of my favorites. That being said, this isn't going to be the perfect watch for everyone. what this watch has in traditional style, it lacks in some of the more "typical" smart watches However, depending on what you're looking for, this might be the perfect smartwatch for you. first is the design. the design compliments a very traditional and stylish watch. I selected the navy blue which gives it a slightly sportier look, but it's still functions well with almost any situation. and the physical hands are an awesome look. I have never once had someone ask me if this is a smart watch because of how inconspicuous it is. next is the battery life. because of the minimal screen design, The battery life is fantastic. I have only charged this once in nearly in 2 weeks of very light usage. Even though there is less features than you might find in a typical smartwatch, there is still many of the essentials that you would expect. the heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring seems very accurate and responsive and there are still is a decent amount of customization that you can do to the watch face to have the watch fit your needs. Ultimately I think this watch is perfect for someone looking for a traditional looking watch that will give you many smart watch features.

    I would recommend this to a friend
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