Why I Ditched My Apple Watch for a Quartz Watch—and Never Looked Back
I have always been a big Apple Watch fan. I used this device day and night, but at some point, I realized that I don’t like it anymore. The biggest issue was that the battery drained too fast, so I had to charge it three times a day. I should add that I was wearing it at night to see the time if I woke up in the middle of the night.
In 2024, Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 10, and my initial thought was to buy that new version. However, I was surprised to find out that it has the same battery capacity as my old Apple Watch SE 1st generation.
At some point, I recalled that after my grandpa passed away, he left a Seiko watch. It was a nice, slim watch that ran for years on a single battery charge. I don’t have access to that watch anymore, but I decided to see what I could buy instead of a smartwatch.
Another issue with the Apple Watch was that it sent too many notifications. All the notifications from my iPhone, plus its own notifications on top of that. Notifications about activity or sleep or something else, not really relevant. And I realized how stressed I was by all of that.
Apple claims that with Apple Watch you don’t need to use your iPhone as often, but in reality, you end up using both your iPhone and Apple Watch.
On top of that, Apple decided to make my Apple Watch obsolete. So I can’t install the latest watchOS anymore. It means that Apple can perfectly control sales of new Watches that they release on the market. And I feel that I don’t truly own the device anymore.
So I did some research on what watch I could buy, and I started with Seiko first, but I didn’t want to buy my grandpa’s version. I wanted something new. And at some point, Citizen Eco-Drive grabbed my attention.
Citizen Eco-Drive uses a technology that converts any light source into energy to power the watch—not only sunlight but also electrical light. This means no more battery changes, practically ever! It’s a sustainable and convenient feature that immediately appealed to me. They hide that solar cell behind the watch face. And somehow light can pass through it.
I found that the non-smartwatch market is split into a couple of different directions, or styles, that you can choose from:
- Classic watches
- Dive watches
- Pilot watches
- Field watches
- Racing watches
I’m not a diver, but dive watches appeal to me the most, for some reason.
At some point during my research, I realized how much I love Apple Watch bands. They’re well-designed with an interesting look and are usually comfortable to use. This is what I was regretting losing.
Then I found this image of a Samsung watch that was trying to copy the Apple Watch Ultra, and it clicked! Conceptually, it’s a visually complicated device, with a bright orange wavy band. And overall, it looks very similar to an Apple Watch.
So I realized that I can repeat that experience but without using a smartwatch. Thanks to Aliexpress, today you can buy any kind of watch band that has the Apple Watch band look but can be attached to any watch.
At this point, I also realized that I love Apple Watch bands so much, that probably the Apple Watch was partly a reason why I wanted to wear it - since you can’t wear just a nice-looking band without the device.
So in the end, I chose the Citizen Promaster Dive, BN0151-09L. The stock band was total rubbish compared to Apple’s. So I bought a couple of Apple Watch bands that were adapted for classic watches on Aliexpress.
That Citizen watch has another feature that I love. Its lume is one of the longest-lasting on the market. So when I wake up, even as late as 6 AM, I’m still able to read the time, even in complete darkness. I like that it’s charged by light and not by a battery. It works by absorbing light energy and storing it in the electrons of the luminous material. When the lights go out, these electrons gradually release the stored energy as light, allowing the watch hands and markers to glow. It’s a fascinating.
I’m really happy with that move. I like that I replaced a watch that I need to charge three times per day with a watch that I don’t need to charge at all. Some websites claims that battery lifetime is 10-15 years. And according to Citizen the watch can:
- Operate for approximately 6-12 months on a full charge when fully powered
- Maintain timekeeping functionality even in complete darkness for up to 6 months after a full charge
- Continuously recharge through exposure to any light source
I’m really enjoying my new experience after a couple of months now. And I don’t see a reason to go back.