Let’s do this duel that is Citizen Nighthawk vs Seiko Flightmaster.
Both are pretty similar watches made by Citizen and Seiko. Both are made as flight watches. There are a lot of similarities between both watches. Like date window is at the same location in the same case diameter. Both are 200 meters water resistant and screw down crown but there exist differences between both.
If you look both of them visually then you may not find much difference unless you do the measurements or begin reading the manual or simply read the below details.
Diameter
Both watches have the same case diameter of 42mm. However, Citizen’s nighthawk watch feels like to have a bigger diameter than that of Seiko’s Flightmaster. This is because the Citizen interior is not as busy as that of the Seiko. Citizen’s internal time zone area has a bigger circle for the time hands than that of the Citizens. That is also the reason Citizen Appears to have a bigger profile.
Case Width
There is a difference of just 1mm between both watches with Flightmaster having 13mm while Seiko having 12mm. But if both watches are compared side by side then the Seiko looks thinner because of the dome glass over the bezel.
Lug Width
Nighthawk lug width is 22mm while Flightmaster has smaller lug width of 20mm. Visually if you look at both the watches side by side then it is difficult to figure out which one is wider unless you have a Vernier caliper available to measure the distance.
The top to bottom measurement for Seiko is also smaller measuring at 44m while the citizen is at 46mm length.
Crystals
As mentioned above the Seiko Flightmaster has a domed shaped thick Lex Crystal. This thick dome shaped glass helps in magnifying what is going inside. It is actually quite right because the internal of the Flightmaster is quite busy and heavy visually. The magnification helps in simplifying the view of the watch.
The Nighthawk has a flat crystal but its not a simple cover rather it is coated with anti-reflective coating. This helps in making the internal visuals in case you are outdoors under bright sunlight you can easily see where are the dials located. The dome magnification is not required because the internal is somewhat lesser busy and does not feel as complicated as Flightmaster.
Case design
Although from dimensions aspects both watches are pretty much similar but in terms of the design, there is a significant difference between the two. Seiko Flightmaster has more rounded or smooth case while citizen nighthawk very sharp and edgy or angular.
Seiko Flightmaster has an external bidirectional bezel which can be rotated easily with grooved pointy bezel case. The good thing is that it does not make the click sound rather it rotates smoothly. The movement is quite smooth and does not slip easily.
In the case of citizen’s Nighthawk, it is the internal slide rule bezel controlled by the lower left-hand crown that can be rotated to match the internal chapter rules by aligning the hash marks.
MOVEMENTS
Let’s have a look at the movement for Citizen Nighthawk vs Seiko Flightmaster.
Nighthawk has the Citizen pride the eco-drive movement that gives a difference of 30 seconds per month while flight master has the prestigious 7t62 movement which can have the error of 15 seconds per month. Both are pretty small but when it comes to comparison it does matter.
But eco drive has the edge over the Nighthawk because the battery can last for more than 2 decades while Flightmaster has a life of 3 years and requires the battery replacement.
BATTERY
Seiko is powered by a regular battery which has to be replaced after it gets consumed. Citizen Nighthawk is powered by its Rechargeable Eco-Drive Solar battery. This means that the battery will last for decades and won’t require power maintenance which can be a nuisance in case of Flightmaster. Although batteries are not expensive but if you get that replaced from a service store than the service charges will add to the cost.
DUAL TIME ZONE
On Citizen NightHawk, you can view the time in terms of GMT or 24-hour format thanks to the semi-circular timing marks that run from 6 o clock to 12 o clock. In case of Seiko flight master, this feature is missing that kind of mars the fact that it is actually a flight watch.
The alarm subdial on the flight master although can be used to tell the GMT time but its first function is to set the alarm.
Chronograph
The chronograph is one major difference between Nighthawk and Flightmaster. If you are someone who still uses chronographs on watches then Nighthawk can be a disappointment.
Flightmaster has two pushers right above and below the middle dial that can be used to work the chronograph. In the case of Nighthawk, the chronograph is missing completely so that is somewhat a big difference between both.
BRACELET and CLASP
Citizen Nighthawk has a clear tapering from the lugs to the clasp. It narrows from 22mm to 18mm as it reaches the clasp which feels to be better quality and has three micro adjustment slots that can help if you need customization. The links are brushed throughout the length of the bracelet.
Seiko Flightmaster’s bracelet has inner polished shiny links while the edges are brushed which gives a variable look on the bracelet. The clasp feels somewhat lower quality and has only two slot micro
CONCLUSION: CITIZEN NIGHTHAWK VS SEIKO FLIGHTMASTER
In terms of design both watches look quite a lot similar on the first look but if looked in detail they do vary. If I were to choose one, I would go for the citizen, the prime reason being it’s simpler looking yet it is a flight watch thanks to its semi-circular dual time telling ability.
The chronograph is not something important to me and I would prefer a stronger clasp. Another important factor is the rechargeable battery that cuts down the maintenance cost in the future. So the battle Citizen Nighthawk vs Seiko Flightmaster has a clear winner for me and that is Nighthawk.
