It’s not a typo – Citizen is calling this series the Citizen Eco-Drive Riiiver Watches and the triple ‘i’ stand for Imagine. Inspire. Innovate – the watches are so easy to use that they can turn your ideas into a reality. Calling it a “watch of infinite possibilities”, the Eco-Drive Riiiver has the potential to update your lifestyle by being more than a watch with an ordinary display and standard set of features.
For example, you can actually get your watch to behave like a map and point you (via the hands) towards the direction of a café nearby. The watch can help you count steps and the calories burned thanks to built-in accelerometer sensors. Integrated with IoT and being open-source, the Riiiver has the potential to evolve constantly and upgrade according to your preference.
The Citizen Eco-Drive Riiiver watch is well crafted and is extremely low-maintenance; it doesn’t need to be charged as often as many other smart and hybrid watches. The Eco-Drive technology is powered by the amorphous silicon photocell placed behind the dial, which charges the watch easily when exposed to even a little light – any kind of light, actually!
This watch gives you the utmost control: stay on top of your activity level inside the app, which can be viewed as a single number. I also happen to like the fact that you can check the scores of a big game and interestingly enough, a unique shared signal can be used to figure out a meeting for you and your pals.
Breaking the norms of a conventional watch, this piece of technology pushes the boundaries of a regular smartwatch. Riiiver has the ability to organically link to devices, services, people, and is well integrated with the dedicated App.
Hooking up to the series, you will be able to access them via the watch and use the functions that work for your lifestyle. You can even share the services you are using with friends and other connected people.
Announced in March of this year, the watch will be up for grabs by the fall. The open-source IoT platform service being will be the highlight, offering services like summoning a cab with a simple push of the button. The software used, will allow you to set up an “iiidea,” (each action is predefined, and falls under trigger, service, or action).
Trigger is an action conjured by pressing a button on the watch. Service is like getting directions to the nearest café, and action will consist of stuff like sifting through a playlist to only play your favorites.
I like the colors being used in the watch series and they are dubbed “programmer’s watch” by Citizen. The hands of the watch are also a delight. Available in two options – a bare metal and blackened finished – the stainless steel case measures 43.2mm and is covered with anti-reflective sapphire crystal.
Powered by the Eco-Drive caliber W150, the watch offers 100 meters of water resistance and works for seven months on a full charge. This notches up to 1.5 years when in power-save mode.
The Citizen Eco-Drive Riiiver watch connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth, and to third-party devices and services using Riiiver. Snap it up for $450.