Spring is here, and Watches and Wonders is a few days away; March to April keeps being that time of the year where all the brands take the curtain off their new products. With the holiday season coming up next, expect lots of new diving watches to hit the spot, with new Citizen Promaster timepieces to hit the stores sometime soon. However, the headline news is that Citizen, as a group, releases new mechanical movements. It sounds as strange as it looks more than welcome, given how massive their effort to make the Eco-Drive mainstream across the offering was so far.
Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200M
Promaster is a brand within the brand; there's no mistaking, and it has a distinctive sports pedigree. The Citizen Promaster class of products comes loaded with technical innovations geared towards the most demanding professionals looking for a unique style as much as superior technical specs. To my great surprise, Citizen has created the Series 8 of mechanical watches by launching a new lineup of mechanical timepieces (you'll find out about the new Series 8 in a separate post). With that said, the Promaster family adds new mechanical diving watches, the Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver's 200M Supertitanium: boasting a rugged contemporary design, they adopt caliber Citizen 9051 capable of withstanding magnetic fields up to 16,000A/m and come on rubber or Supertitanium bracelet:
Citizen has globally launched three references of the new Promaster Series 8 Mechanical Diver's, but as long as the Italian market concerns, those pictured above are the only options available in my home country. The designers drew inspiration from legendary timepieces like the never-forgotten 1982 Citizen Promaster 1300m, a collector's piece. Outside Italy, Citizen has introduced a modern iteration of the original timepiece, too, yet powered by Eco-Drive technology. While looking at the dial, the Citizen watches die-hard fans will undoubtedly recognize a Citizen Ecozilla or Citizen Autozilla touch. The dial is a nod to the divers-admired Citizen Diver Promaster AutoZilla NH6930–09FB.
The watch measures 46mm across and is 15,3mm thick; it has a complete Supertitanium construction with the bezel adopting Duratect MRK treatment, thus combining lightweight and scratch resistance throughout. The new Promaster Series 8 Mechanical Diver's is ISO 6425 compliant, and the 9501 caliber ensures a -10 to +20 seconds per day accuracy. Retail prices are as follows: 698 Euros on a rubber strap and 798 Euros with a bracelet.
Citizen Promaster Aqualand Chronograph 200M Diver
With the new references BJ2167–03E, BJ2168–01E, and BJ2169–08E, Citizen is launching a new generation of ISO 6425 certified diving watches, featuring a depth gauge and a chronograph. The new Citizen Promaster Aqualand Chronograph Diver's collection is worth its predecessor, the long-gone Citizen Promaster BJ2128–05E generation. The new generation comes in three color options, one of them also available as a limited edition exclusive package.
The new Promaster Aqualand Chronograph Diver's is impressive, with its 50mm large and 15,9mm thick case, even more so when we consider it solely comes in steel. Powered by the Eco-Drive 740 caliber, it offers a chronograph and a depth gauge device like the current BJ2111–08E.
The caliber 740 runs for 60 days when fully wound and provides a comprehensive list of functions, making it the complete Promaster if you're going underwater. The retail price is 598 Euros.
Citizen Chrono Supertitanium 2021
The Japanese brand unveils a new Supertitanium chronograph in three color options: blue, black, and green. At first glance, and based upon press photos, it seems Citizen aims at raising the bar, taking attention to detail to new heights. Look, for example, at the slightly beveled lugs or the applied indexes paired with a satin finish.
The crystal is sapphire, and the movement runs for nine months when fully charged. Offering a 1/9 of a second chronograph function, the mechanical movement is housed in a 42mm case, waterproof to up to 10 atm. The three references pictured above are the Citizen CA4490–85L, CA4491–82E, and CA4497–86X, respectively, and each costs 358 Euros respectively, an RRP in line with the current Supertitanium offering, like for like.
(Photo credit: courtesy of Citizen watches)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
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