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Amidst the three and four-figure divers that dominate the market, Citizen has a reputation for being the everyman’s watch. Though the brand offers a variety of styles and price points, their dive watches tend to be one of the most popular options amongst their fan base.
Launched in 1989, the Promaster series was developed with the goal of providing professional-grade, reliable watches for divers and outdoor enthusiasts. The first Promaster dive watch was equipped with advanced features like a high-water resistance rating, luminous hands for visibility underwater, and a rotating bezel to track elapsed time.These Promasters featured an arrow logo, symbolizing the watch’s ability to “go higher and deeper” than Citizen’s previous collections. This arrow is still included on the crown of modern Promaster references, tying these new releases into a longer history of one of the brand’s favored series.
Citizen made waves in the summer of 2023 when they released a smaller version of their Eco-Drive divers. Those releases brought the Eco-Drive Promaster, traditionally sized 44mm, into the realm of the smaller-wristed by shaving off a whopping seven millimeters. These options came in three dial colors: gray, blue, and black, and all had a color-matched bezel. Three more colorways were debuted this past December, which included purple, blue, and red dial options. Along with the new colors, the brand made some aesthetic changes to these 37mm divers.
Though the three colorways are nearly identical in specs to the options that came out last summer, there are some updates worth noting outside of just the dial changes. The most notable difference is the update to the bezel. Promasters in past releases have featured a bezel that is color matched to the dial. This new reference has swapped that uniform look for a fully stainless steel exterior with gray bezel markers. While offering a cleaner and almost clinical look to these watches it also serves to make the dial pop a bit more than it does on the other references. While the dial and bezel blend together on last summer’s releases, there is a stark juxtaposition between the colorful dial and the bezel on these new watches. The dial appears smaller in this update, which is just a visual trick of the monochrome stainless steel bezel.
These watches are labeled on the brand’s website as 37mm in diameter, though the official spec sheet lists them at 36.5mm. Regardless of that slight difference, the sizing means they wear well on a variety of wrist sizes. I was surprised at just how great these watches looked on my 5.75 inch wrist. This review sample set might be the only situation I’ve experienced where a smaller sizing configuration exclusively looks better on smaller wrists. I was able to compare these watches on my friend’s 7.0 inch wrist, and the watch was certainly dwarfed. Of course, people should wear the watches they like and everyone will have different preferences when it comes to sizing. That said, typically, dive watches are known for wearing a little larger than other types of watches, like field/military, or dress watches. If one wants typical dive watch proportions or aesthetics, this new release may want to remain in the territory of the sub-6.5 inch-wristed.
Each watch has a sunray dial finishing that toes the line very subtly between matte and reflective. This sunray effect is understated in the best way. I’ve occasionally found it to be tough to choose between matte and sunray options, as both seem to offer something unique. These watches let you have a bit of each. All three colorways only reveal their reflective nature in direct light, which makes these choices a good option for those who want a beautiful dial that flies a little under the radar and doesn’t draw too much attention to itself.
The watches feature mineral crystals, which offers a lighter alternative to sapphire and is impact and shatter resistant. Many enthusiasts know the pros and cons of mineral and sapphire crystal options, so I won’t go into detail in this review. However, it’s worth pointing out that this particular style of watch – a diver – can be a bit more susceptible to door-frame scratches (but that could just be my particular, clumsy experience). Since dive watches tend to be thicker than their less water resistant counterparts, it’s easy to ding them against things while walking by. Though mineral crystal is the victor when it comes to being shatterproof, sapphire crystal is less prone to scratching. However, mineral crystals tend to keep costs lower, which is ideal for watches at the Promaster price-point.
I’m on record as not being a date window fan. I see the practicality, but the poor design choices often ruining the symmetry of certain dials make me err on the side of the dateless. That said, this is probably the best application of a date window I’ve seen recently. The 4 o’clock position is fairly controversial in the community, but this one is done well. The window is roughly the same size as one of the cardinal hour markers, which keeps the date from visually disrupting the overall dial design. Per ISO standards, the date window also has a bit of lume which means the hour marker is still visible in the dark.
The crown is also located at the four o’clock position, which keeps this watch in line with many other Promaster divers in Citizen’s collection. The positioning is ideal, as it keeps the crown from potentially digging into the wrist. However, the design itself could use an update. The crown is mostly polished with shallow cutouts that don’t offer much grip. This, in addition to the screw-down nature of the crown, make it hard to disengage and re-engage.The size of the watch certainly plays a role here, as everything is small and hard to grasp. Citizen labels the bezel as “easy-grip,” but the same cannot be said for the crown.
Slightly making up for the crown drawback, the movement itself mitigates the need to be setting the time regularly. This series is powered by the quartz Caliber E168, which utilizes Eco-Drive technology. This means the watch should run indefinitely, as long as it has access to the occasional light source.
The blue dial reference comes on a polyurethane strap and it doesn’t appear there’s an option to opt for the bracelet at this time, if one buys through Citizen directly. The red and purple colorways come on a three-link stainless steel bracelet with a fold-over clasp and push buttons. The polyurethane strap adds a nice bit of color to the watch – not to mention some level of robustness. However, the bracelet is really where these watches shine. I was able to get this one sized to a perfect fit and the stainless steel bracelet paired with the monochrome steel bezel looked very thoughtfully designed. The clasp is small and doesn’t consume the entire underside of the wrist the way some bracelets can. Simply put, this Promaster on the bracelet is greater than the sum of its individual parts, and that’s a tough thing to accomplish.
Overall, these new updates offer more than just the simple addition of dial colors. Updates to the bezel, the addition of the sunray dial finishing, and the option of a bracelet, offer Citizen enthusiasts (of all wrist sizes) a chance to find something that truly fits their individual tastes. I’ve been in the market for a diver for over a year and nothing seemed to fit the bill. But after a few weeks with these review pieces, I actually decided to purchase one of these 37mm Promasters – my first ever dive watch! If you’re looking for a smaller diver – at any price point – these new Citizen Promasters are worth considering adding to the collection.
The blue dial with the polyurethane strap is available on the brand’s website and is currently priced at $375. The purple and red dials on the three-link bracelet are currently priced at $450. Citizen
