Breaking News: Citizen Suppression of Second-gen CZ Smart TV Sales Due to a Technicolor Anomaly

Citizen is temporarily suspending sales of its second-gen CZ Smart watch due to a technical issue. The Wear OS watch had a feature based on technology from IBM and NASA to track a person’s sleepy state.

“We are investigating the issue, recalling review models, and will be temporarily suspending sales on touchscreen models while we pinpoint the source of the issue and the best path to a solution for our customers and partners,” Citizen wrote in an email to reviewers, including yours truly.

The models that are affected are: the MX 1000-01X, the MX 1000-22X, the MX 1000-21X, the MX 1000-26X, and the MX 1000-28X.

I just started testing the second-gen Citizen CZ Smart this past week and can confirm my experience was similar to those of Fisher, Chokkattu, and 9to5Google. I was trying to send an email to fix something when I realized I had a bunk unit. A number of outdoor runs I had tracked couldn’t find aGPS signal, froze mid- workout, and failed to record an exercise. A two-mile run I did earlier this week was recorded as a 0.1 mile run with a pace of 93 minutes per mile. (I’m not the fastest runner, but I’m not that slow, either.)

The issues got worse in the last two or three days. My watch had laggy screens initially, but at least I could pull up menus and receive notifications fairly reliably. Now, I can’t even do that anymore — it felt like a Wear OS experience circa 2016.

Citizen’s CZ Smart Product Page Revisited: Is It Still Helping? Customer Recommender to Citizen

I’ve reached out to Citizen to clarify what recourse existing customers will have, how long the suspension will last, and further details about the technical issues at hand but didn’t immediately receive a response.

I’m not alone. YouTube tech reviewer Michael Fisher (better known as MrMobile) has experienced many of the same bugs as I have and even introduced me to new ones, like the Pilot watch face that simply cannot tell the correct time. Customers aren’t happy at Citizen’s CZ Smart product page. Some of the reviews that were posted two to three months ago were about the poor battery life.

YouQ is a partnership between IBM and NASA. After a period of time, you should be able to figure out your physical and cognitive energy levels. Eventually, it assigns you a Power Score every day, and it can suggest “Power Fixes” to change the trajectory of your energy levels so you feel more wired than tired. These fixes can be as simple as having a cup of coffee, or they can be a little more intense, like lifting weights for 30 minutes.

The concept is old, as companies such as Fitbit have already had tools to gauge how well you are prepared for physical activity. But Citizen’s approach is more focused on improving alertness and productivity throughout the day, not just for exercise.