[cmeisenzahl]

Are they similar? Markedly different? Is one believed to be superior to the other? Do they make different engineering trade-offs?

Thanks in advance!

Chris

 

[time]

for some reason Citizen's eco drives are perceived to be superior.
IMO, having many from both, I think they are the same, performance wise.

 

[minidriver]

[size=medium]
Not all Eco-Drive movements are the same. Some charge faster than others and some have increased power reserve over others. Typically, the lowest power reserve Eco-Drive movement will have 6 months (180 days) total power reserve, and some like the U700 ana-digi module used in the Promaster SST series will have a power reserve of 7 years.


also, it is important to note that there are different grades of Eco-Drive movements. For example, the H500 module is the most basic Eco-Drive chronograph module while the E210 used in the Calibre 2100 is the most complex ECO-Drive movement to date (294+ parts, hand assembled, 11 jewels, mechanically actuated 12 hour chronograph with instant hands flyback reset). Other higher grade Eco-Drive movements are the radio controlled U600/U680 Ana-digis and the H610 world time radio controlled used in the Chrono-Time AT series, JDM Attesas, Promaster Sky, etc.


The G910 caliber is a high end Eco-Drive movement with multiple complications, minute repeater and a 9 month power reserve. It is currently used exclusively in the Citizen Signature Collection Grand Complication watches.


So as you can see, there are marked differences between low end and high end Eco-Drive movements. The only thing common to all of them is the use of solar power cells and a rechargable battery to store light energy. But beyond that, there are differences to be sure.


I am sure the same can be said of Casio solar movements with low end and high end calibers sharing the same solar technology but vastly different from each other.

 

[nhoj]

The solar Casios that I have owned have never moved from a HIGH indication on the power meter. Granted these have been digitals with low power demand, but there isn't much sun in the winter time with long sleeves and I don't bother doing any sunbathing of the watches either.

I've only owned one EcoDrive and it didn't have a power meter, so I have no idea how well the charge was kept. I never noticed the 2-second hop, though.

One thing I like on the Casio digitals is the use of a power saving feature which shuts down to minimal functions in the absence of light. This can really increase the life of the charge, especially for watches of infrequent use.

 

[minidriver]

The solar Casios that I have owned have never moved from a HIGH indication on the power meter. Granted these have been digitals with low power demand, but there isn't much sun in the winter time with long sleeves and I don't bother doing any sunbathing of the watches either.

I've only owned one EcoDrive and it didn't have a power meter, so I have no idea how well the charge was kept. I never noticed the 2-second hop, though.

One thing I like on the Casio digitals is the use of a power saving feature which shuts down to minimal functions in the absence of light. This can really increase the life of the charge, especially for watches of infrequent use.

My U600/U680 and H610 (And my ex E870 from the Calibre 8700 perpetual calendar) all have power saving features that shutdown certain functions (including the radio) thus increasing the power reserve into years. For instance, the U680 has a 3.5 year power reserve and the H610 has a 4 year power reserve.

 

[cmeisenzahl]

Good info, thanks, guys.