Review: Q&Q Smile Solar Watch

Editor’s note:

So how did this Q&Q pop up on our radar? There are many reasons for our choice, but if you’re hard pressed for time and can’t read the whole article, here’s a quick summary. Smile Solar is a subsidary of Citizen and uses Citizen’s eco-drive movement, (solar powered and made in Japan), and is strangely affordable! $60-70 for a solar powered Citizen eco-drive movement beats conventional quartz movements hands down in our dictionary. Apart from that, it uses recyclable materials in almost all its parts, which makes this watch a truly futuristic green watch. Furthermore, a portion of the proceeds from the watch sales goes to charity! With these three reasons in mind, we have decided to introduce this great value timepiece to all of you.

By Justin Tay

The Story

Last week, NUS Horology Club had the chance of reviewing Q&Q’s Smile Solar range of watches courtesy of Joizu Pte Ltd, Singapore’s sole distributor of Q&Q watches. Q&Q’s Smile Solar watch which has taken pop culture by storm is Joizu’s latest offering. Q&Q is a subsidiary of Citizen Watches who has had vast experience manufacturing Solar powered watches since the early 1970s. The Ecodrive system which is incorporated in the Smile Solar first debuted in 1996, it works by utilizing a thin solar panel to absorb sunlight or artificial light either above or on the dial. Citizen uses lithium-ion batteries to store sufficient energy to power the watch for months on end. In this article, we dig a little deeper to find out whether the solar-powered watch made by Citizen is worth your while.

International Debut

Q&Q (Quest and Quality), a subsidiary of Citizen Watch Co. debuted the SmileSolar watch in the US in April 2014 to much fanfare, receiving endorsement from the likes of Katy Perry and designer Sofia Joelsson. The Smilesolar watch is crafted from virgin and recycled materials, using recycled ABS Resin for its case. Interestingly, the resin casing is hermetically sealed (Single piece casing with no caseback) that keeps the watch water-resistant to 5 Bars (50m). The Smilesolar watch is powered by the solar-powered Miyota Cal.2085 and can run up to 3.5months on a full charge with zero light exposure. Requiring virtually zero or no maintenance, the Smilesolar watch effectively converts and stores solar energy via a razor-thin solar panel hidden around the lower portion of the dial. As with quartz watches, the Miyota Cal. 2085 provides for very dependable timekeeping with an accuracy of +- 20s/month.

Yuko Izuka, CEO of Joizu Pte Ltd, believes that the affordability of the Smile Solar is it’s biggest selling point.

Although the Smilesolar is stamped as ‘Made in China’, only the final assembly process was performed in China. All major components including the Cal.2085 Movement and hands were made by Citizen in Japan, reassuring fanatics for products that are ‘Made in Japan’.

Against the Swatch Classic

The Q&Q Smilesolar is a serious contender and threatens to dethrone the Swatch Core Collection as the king of Quartz watches near SGD$100 price range. Priced attractively at SGD$60 for base models and SGD$70 for limited edition pieces, the Smilesolar is evidently go-to option for the price conscious. This is as opposed to the sub $100 option for a Swatch.

At $60, the Smile Solar is definitely bang for buck.

What I liked about the watch

One of the lower end Ecodrive timepieces (Citizen Eco-Drive 180) already retails for at least SGD$130. Being price at SGD$60 for an Citizen Ecodrive powered watch, the Smilesolar is definitely considered a steal. Also, weighing in at a mere 24grams, I had at times forgotten that I had a watch on after being so accustomed to heavier automatic watches. Personally, I also liked that the cutout of the brand logo ‘Q’ being featured on the second hand, a nice touch for a reasonably priced watch. For every Q&Q Smilesolar watch sold, a portion of the proceeds is donated to Table For Two, to provide for school meals to needy children in Africa and Asia.

These rastafari-eqsue pieces are Q&Q’s latest offerings from their Spring/Summer collection

The Smilesolar Mini has a case diameter of 32mm.

A close up of the Smilesolar Mini.

The opaque caseback on the Q&Q shyly hides the Miyota movement.

What you may not like

Honestly, at such a low price point, it’s nearly impossible to have anything to complain about. However I certainly felt that there were components that could have been improved on. For starters, the cost of a replacement strap ($20) is relatively high compared to the price of a watch, possibly deterring those who have a keen affection for strap swapping. Also, at 12.50mm, the casing of the watch is rather thick. In comparison, Swatch’s Core Collection pieces have varying thickness but most range from 8.50-9.00mm. However, reducing the thickness of the case could result in waterproofing issues as pointed out by Chester during our visit. Citizen may have encountered problems with reducing thickness due to inherent size of the solar panel tube.  Despite being relatively thicker, the Smilesolar still sits very comfortably on the wrist.

The Q&Q Smilesolar assortment, note the SG50 appropriate color combination

 Conclusion

The Smilesolar is all-in-all a competitively priced quartz watch with quality Japanese components. Although Q&Q adopts a clean design for its dial, it would be interesting to see the incorporation of day/date functions.

Looking forward, in light of the upcoming SG50 celebrations, Joizu has plans to bring in special commemorative models to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of Singapore, stay tuned to find out more! The Smilesolar is available is for purchase at most major departmental store with the likes of Takashimaya. Joizu Pte Ltd will also soon be taking walk-in customers, do give them a call before you drop by!