I own both the Citizen Garrison and the TAG Heuer Autavia WBE5116.EB0173, and the difference between them goes far beyond price. The Citizen Garrison uses Citizen’s light-powered Eco-Drive movement and a remarkably light Super Titanium case, while the TAG Heuer Autavia is a Swiss automatic pilot watch with a COSC-certified Calibre 5 movement, a 42 mm steel case and a distinctive blue smoked dial. One is accessible and practical, designed for easy daily ownership. The other is a discontinued premium model with strong aviation heritage.

That makes this an unusual but revealing comparison. Can an affordable Citizen Garrison provide the same wrist presence, legibility and everyday enjoyment as a significantly more expensive TAG Heuer Autavia? And how much do the Autavia’s automatic movement, finishing, heritage and premium positioning actually change the ownership experience?

In this comparison, I will examine their design, comfort, materials, movements, readability and real-world value. For anyone searching for the best affordable pilot watches, or wondering whether an affordable pilot watch alternative can compete with a premium Swiss model, these two watches offer a fascinating answer.

Case Size, Quality, and Comfort

Both watches are very well made, but I sincerely prefer the Citizen’s case. The TAG Heuer Autavia has the solid construction and clean finishing expected from a premium Swiss watch. Its stainless-steel case feels substantial, and the transitions between its brushed and polished surfaces give it a refined presence. At this price and from a brand such as TAG Heuer, that level of quality is expected, and the Autavia delivers it.

Although both cases measure 42 mm, they feel very different on the wrist. The Garrison is only 10 mm thick and weighs 52 grams with its leather strap. The Autavia is 13.4 mm thick, and the factory leather-strap version weighs approximately 102 grams. My WBE5116.EB0173 originally came on its steel bracelet, but I fitted a leather strap for this comparison. Even with both watches on leather, the Autavia is approximately twice as heavy, so the Citizen feels noticeably lighter and less tiring over a full day.

The Garrison is the more surprising watch. Its case is made from Super Titanium with a TiC (titanium carbide) version of Citizen’s proprietary Duratect surface-hardening treatment. According to Citizen, Super Titanium is approximately 40% lighter than stainless steel, while its surface is five times harder, reaching approximately 1,000 to 1,100 HV on the Vickers hardness scale. HV measures how strongly a material resists indentation, so a higher number indicates a surface that is more difficult to scratch. For comparison, conventional 316L stainless steel, the grade commonly used for Swiss watch cases, typically measures around 190 to 220 HV. This helps explain Citizen’s five-times-harder claim and gives the Garrison a significant advantage over a conventional steel case such as the Autavia’s when it comes to resisting everyday scratches and small marks. Neither watch is completely scratch-proof, but the difference in surface hardness is substantial.

The crown comparison produces a different result. The Autavia’s oversized crown feels distinctly premium, with a more substantial shape, sharper grip and smoother operation. Its size makes it easy to handle while wearing gloves, which is exactly what an effective pilot watch crown should offer. Here, the TAG Heuer is the clear winner. The Citizen’s crown is smaller, but its pronounced grip markings still make it easy to hold and use. Setting the time and calendar is straightforward, so it remains a good and practical crown for an affordable pilot watch, even if it cannot match the Autavia’s tactile quality.

What impresses me is that the Citizen does not feel inexpensive despite being so light. Its muted titanium colour, crisp case shape and purposeful brushed finish suit the pilot watch design extremely well. The Autavia feels denser and more traditionally premium, but the Citizen feels more comfortable, more practical and unusually well executed for its price. Citizen really made the case one of the strongest parts of this watch, and between the two, it is the one I personally prefer.

Crystal, Dial Legibility and Lume

Both watches use sapphire crystals, and that is one specification worth celebrating. Sapphire is exceptionally hard and almost impossible to scratch during normal everyday use, so it should remain clear for many years. A diamond can still mark it, but unless your daily routine involves wrestling with loose diamonds, that is not much of a concern. Keys, desks and the usual enemies of a watch crystal are unlikely to leave a scratch, which makes sapphire ideal for a watch you actually intend to wear.

The TAG Heuer is the clear winner in presentation. Its domed sapphire crystal, combined with an anti-reflective treatment, gives the dial additional depth and produces an attractive optical effect when viewed from different angles. It feels genuinely premium and, in my opinion, is more impressive than the crystals fitted to many other premium watches in the same price range. The shape also complements the Autavia’s vintage pilot watch character.

The Garrison uses a flat sapphire crystal, so it does not create the same visual depth as the TAG. Even so, fitting a sapphire to a watch at the Citizen’s price is phenomenal. Many affordable watches still compromise with mineral glass, while the BM8560 provides the scratch resistance and clarity of sapphire without moving into a much higher price category. At this price point, the Citizen’s crystal is extremely difficult to beat.

Legibility is excellent on both watches, which is exactly what a pilot watch should deliver. Large Arabic numerals, broad hands and strong contrast make the time easy to read with a quick glance. Neither watch asks you to stop, squint and negotiate with the dial before it reveals the time.

The Autavia’s date display is larger and easier to read, giving the TAG a small advantage if the date is all you need. The Citizen’s display is more compact, but it shows both the day and the date. That extra information becomes particularly important when you need absolute confirmation that it is finally Friday and the weekend can officially begin.

Lume is where the Autavia becomes extremely difficult to beat. It has probably the best lume I have seen on any watch, not merely within its price range. It charges quickly, shines very brightly and remains visible for a long time. Even watches costing considerably more can struggle to match it, so this is a convincing win for the TAG Heuer.

The Citizen’s lume is still good and certainly very good at this price. The hour and minute hands perform at roughly the same level as those on the Autavia, with strong initial brightness and useful visibility in the dark. The difference is in the hour markers, which are not as bright and do not remain visible for as long as the TAG’s. The Autavia also has lume on its seconds hand, while the Citizen does not. Once again, however, the Autavia’s lume is something you rarely encounter on any watch, regardless of price, it’s in another league. The Citizen is impressive enough to embarrass watches costing much more.

Movement and Accuracy

The two movements take completely different approaches. The Autavia uses TAG Heuer’s automatic Calibre 5, which is certified by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, better known as COSC. For a mechanical movement of this type, the official COSC standard requires an average daily rate between -4 and +6 seconds. In my own testing, the Autavia gains approximately +4 seconds per day, placing it comfortably inside the certified range.

Accuracy is only part of the appeal. The manual winding action is probably the smoothest I have felt in any watch. Turning the crown feels fluid, refined and silent, without the rough or slightly gritty sensation found in some other automatic movements. It is one of those rare watches that you may wind even when it does not really need it, simply because the action feels so satisfying. The Calibre 5 offers approximately 38 hours of power reserve, so regular wear keeps it running, while a quiet weekend away from the wrist may require a Monday-morning reset.

The Citizen takes the practical route with its E101 Eco-Drive movement. Light passes through the dial and is converted into energy, with both sunlight and ordinary indoor lighting able to recharge the internal cell. Once fully charged, the BM8560 can run for approximately six months in complete darkness. With regular exposure to light it continually tops itself up and can operate for years without routine battery replacement. In other words, leaving it in a drawer for half a year is fine, although buying a watch specifically to hide it in a drawer would be an unusual strategy.

Citizen officially rates the E101 at ±15 seconds per month under normal operating temperatures. My watch performs even better, running at about +3 seconds per month. By comparison, the Autavia’s excellent result of +4 seconds per day adds up to roughly two minutes per month. That is impressive for a mechanical watch, but the solar-powered Citizen wins easily for pure accuracy and convenience. The TAG Heuer offers mechanical character, COSC certification and an exceptionally smooth winding experience. The Garrison simply gets on with the job and asks for almost nothing in return, apart from a little light now and then. Even a houseplant is more demanding.

Design and Value for money

In my opinion, the Autavia is probably the most beautiful pilot watch ever made. Its smoked blue dial, large vintage-style numerals, broad hands and ceramic bezel work together almost perfectly. The colour changes subtly with the light, while the domed crystal adds even more depth. Beauty is always subjective, but for me this is a pilot watch design that is extremely difficult to beat.

That makes the Garrison’s achievement even more impressive. The green European reference is BM8560-11X and it is priced at around €199 or £179 to £199 in the UK. In the United States, the green-dial Garrison carries the reference BM8560-02X. Citizen currently prices it at $316, reduced from its regular $395 price. At this level, the design is stunning. It is elegant and beautiful without losing the clear, practical character expected from a pilot watch. The green dial and orange accents on the markers are particularly striking, giving the watch plenty of character and a genuinely cool combination of colours.

With the Garrison name and all that green, a South Park reference is almost unavoidable. Fortunately, this Mr. Garrison is dependable, easy to live with and considerably less controversial.

Citizen also offers the same design in several other colour and strap combinations, although the final letter in the reference can vary between markets. The BM8560-29E or BM8560-29EC has a black dial and black leather strap, while the BM8560-45L or BM8560-45LC combines a blue dial with a matching blue leather strap. Both are priced at around €229 in Europe. Bracelet versions are available as the black-dial BM8560-88E and blue-dial BM8560-88L, also around €229 in parts of Europe. In the US, the black-dial titanium-bracelet version is called the BM8560-53E and currently costs $360, reduced from $450. This gives buyers a useful choice between the green version, a traditional black pilot watch look and a more elegant blue option.

The exact Autavia WBE5116.EB0173 is now discontinued, but TAG Heuer still shows its official price as €4,450, $4,450 or £4,100, depending on the market. That makes it more than 22 times the European price of the green Garrison. The Autavia remains the clear winner for me on pure beauty, and beating it would be difficult for almost any pilot watch. The remarkable part is that the Citizen can stand beside it without looking cheap or uninspired. It may cost roughly one twenty-second as much, but thankfully nobody informed its design department.

Final words

After wearing and testing the Garrison for over one year and the Autavia for over two years, I do not see the Garrison as a cheap pilot watch alternative to the Autavia. Calling it cheap would seriously undersell what Citizen has created. This is an affordable entry-level premium watch with a hardened Super Titanium case, sapphire crystal, excellent comfort, a reliable Eco-Drive movement and a design with real character.

The Autavia remains very special to me. It is still the more beautiful watch, its finishing feels more premium and its mechanical movement provides an experience the Citizen is not trying to imitate. I would not sell my Autavia even if someone offered me its full original retail price today. The Garrison does not replace it, but it proves that spending considerably less does not mean accepting a watch without personality or quality.

In fact, I am now thinking about buying the black-dial Garrison with the Super Titanium bracelet as well, sold as the BM8560-88E in Europe and the BM8560-53E in the US. Perhaps the strongest compliment I can give this Citizen is that owning one has made me consider buying another version of the same watch. Citizen should make more watches like this. It is practical, distinctive, beautifully designed and genuinely premium where it matters, while remaining affordable. The Garrison proves that an affordable watch does not have to feel cheap. It can feel genuinely premium instead.

How I photographed these watches

For the photographs in this article, I used my Panasonic Lumix S9 with the 18-40mm zoom lens and the 18mm f/1.8 prime lens. The wrist shots are with my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to provide a more familiar, real-world perspective, since many people photograph their watches with their phones rather than a camera.