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When it comes to “big” and “busy”, few do it better than the Citizen Promaster Navihawk. With a commanding presence packed with information, the aviation icon has always proven to be accessible in price, but not so much in size. That’s all changing, however, as Citizen unveils the 40mm Promaster Navihawk as part of their revamped Promaster Air collection.
Designed to favor legibility and functionality, the 40mm Navihawk will look familiar to those who know the larger model. It features a stainless steel case with satin finishing, polished accents, and a knurled crown, ringed by a rotating slide rule bezel. Inside the flat sapphire crystal, a complementary internal flange borders a metallic dial, available in three colors—khaki green, copper, and silver.
According to Citizen, the 40mm Navihawk features ⅕ second chronograph timing up to 60 minutes, and 12- and 24-hour time displays. Three black chronograph subdials take up the bottom half of the dial, and a rotated date indicator sits between the 4 and 5 indices. To balance out the date’s stilted location, printed details proclaiming the 200m water resistance and the Navihawk logo occupy the same location on the other side, between the 7 and 8 indices.
Inside, the 40mm Navihawk upholds the original model’s reputation of reliability and practicality. Citizen’s proprietary Caliber B620 Eco-Drive movement utilizes solar power to keep the watch running without use of a battery—very handy for those with demanding jobs out in the field. The hour and minute hands, along with the hour indices, are luminous, making the Navihawk legible in a dark cockpit.
Adding a touch of class to an otherwise function-forward watch, the provided stainless steel three-link bracelet features a push-button folding clasp emblazoned with the Citizen logo. The slick steel combined with the fun dial colors give the 40mm Navihawk a vibrant, dressy alter-ego. I can imagine an off-duty pilot hitting the airport bar with the copper dial version poking out from behind their navy blue sleeve, and the new smaller size makes taking the Navihawk out on the town more viable than it was with its chunky predecessor.
With a cleaner face, sleeker silhouette, and smaller size, the 40mm Navihawk is sure to be a hit with smaller-wristed fans of the original—and those who want something a little more under-the-radar than the beefy big boy version. Still, Citizen hasn’t cut out any of the rugged functionality, and the 40mm is packed with all the numbers, markers, and subdials that a real pilot would need. Stout water resistance and a rotating bezel make it a fine dive watch, too. Each dial color gives a distinctly different vibe to me: the khaki green feels appropriately mil-spec, the copper feels luxurious, and the silver feels almost like a piece of vintage spy gear. It’s difficult to cram this much functionality and personality into an affordable timepiece, but Citizen has once again proven that they’re the “Promasters” of the affordable tool watch crowd.
The green and copper variants are available now, and the silver is expected this spring. The retail price is $595. Citizen
