Watch Evaluate: Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m

When Citizen first introduced the Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m again in spring 2022, the Japanese large’s messaging was largely centered round this mannequin’s ancestor — a 1977 Citizen Problem Diver that fell off its proprietor’s wrist whereas swimming in Australia. This specific watch was retrieved from the water six years later in 1983, practically absolutely lined in barnacles and different sea life, and was miraculously nonetheless in operating order. With this in thoughts, sturdiness and reliability are the first ethos behind the Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m (nicknamed “Fujitsubo,” or “barnacle” in Japanese), and Citizen brings a powerful array of rugged options to this surprisingly inexpensive platform. Extra than simply delivering a dependable dive watch, nonetheless, the brand new Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m blends fashionable supplies with old-school attraction to create some of the compelling sub-$1000 diver designs in current reminiscence.

At 41mm-wide, the Tremendous Titanium case of the Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m is a reasonably average-sized diver design on paper, however wears neatly compact on the wrist because of a handful of things. Chief amongst these is the Tremendous Titanium materials itself. The darker hue of this proprietary materials in comparison with chrome steel lends a slimming impact to the design general, which is emphasised by the tightly packaged case sides. The low general weight of this materials additionally helps the watch to really feel considerably much less cumbersome on the wrist. Though the principle case physique is uniformly brushed, Citizen offers the broad tapering lugs and the slim case sides an added sense of dimension with a gently sloping rounded contour that flows from lug tip to lug tip. Whereas most of this case design is pure basic dive watch, Citizen follows the unorthodox lead of the ‘70s Problem Diver right here and eschews crown guards in favor of an uncovered screw-down pillbox crown. With such an elemental kind, the Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m’s case might be in peril of feeling plain or oversimplified, however using a contrasting polished dive bezel works to provide the design a barely extra refined character general. This extra upscale look is undercut barely by the finer particulars of this bezel, nonetheless. The mushy ridges of the coin edge are doubtless as a result of problem of machining titanium, however the 60-click unidirectional rotation feels decidedly simplified in comparison with at this time’s extra widespread 120-click rotating bezels. Then there’s the bezel insert itself. In line with the aesthetics of its predecessor, that is old-school gloss black aluminum, however in a world the place engraved and even ceramic bezel inserts have gotten widespread at cheaper price factors this factor comes off as a deliberate and doubtlessly divisive throwback. Citizen completes the case with a stable brushed caseback and charges the look ahead to a dive-ready 200 meters of water resistance.

As with a lot of the case design, the Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m’s dial provides a faithfully classic look with a bevy of contemporary technical enhancements. Whereas black dials on dive watches are roughly the usual alternative throughout the watch trade, few manufacturers go for a gloss black base end. This deepens the classic really feel current all through the Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m’s design, whereas additionally introducing a delicate sense of flash on the wrist. This gloss floor is very reflective when seen from sure angles, but additionally provides the one trace to one among Citizen’s fashionable sturdiness enhancements. Round every of the oblong lumed indices, the black pigment reveals a delicate pooling impact, showing to collect across the bases of the polished varieties. It’s because these indices usually are not utilized to the dial floor as most watch indices are. To be able to negate the potential of a dial marker being knocked unfastened in a heavy impression, Citizen embosses the raised shapes straight into the bottom dial itself. It’s a novel answer to growing sturdiness, however the impact this has on the dial floor could show controversial with fans. The model pairs this dial with a basic Submariner-style lumed handset. Whereas that is principally consistent with the unique Problem Diver design, Citizen opts to partially skeletonize the acquainted “Mercedes” hour hand right here. It’s a small visible change, however one which makes appreciable strides in direction of giving the Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m its personal stylistic character with out harming general legibility.

Citizen makes use of its in-house Miyota 9051 computerized motion for the Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m. The 9051 is a mid-range staple in Citizen’s fashionable model lineup and provides an honest 42-hour energy reserve at a 28,800 bph beat price. The Miyota 9051 additionally proved respectable within the accuracy division throughout our testing interval, with a mean accuracy of +6 seconds per day. The place this motion actually shines, nonetheless, is in magnetic resistance. As a part of the design’s general dedication to sturdiness, the Miyota 9051 motion contained in the Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m is rated for a hefty 16,000 A/m of anti-magnetism.

The Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m is basically a simple old-school dive watch up to date with fashionable end and reliability, and this strategy is mirrored in its strap pairing. Citizen opts for a tapering, notched black rubber strap right here, with a no-frills basic pin buckle in Tremendous Titanium. Quite than the acquainted crosshatch “Tropic” strap texture that will doubtless have been fitted to the unique Problem Diver, Citizen opts for a visually less complicated set of raised dots that nonetheless introduce some welcome texture to the design. It’s a supple, snug strap pairing out of the field, nevertheless it does plant this mannequin firmly in casual-wear territory.

Via the Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m, Citizen firmly crops its flag within the fiercely contested vintage-inspired dive watch house, with a charismatic mixture of robust development, new supplies, and unapologetically old-style parts that work to make this some of the intriguing choices on this market phase. The Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m is out there now by way of licensed sellers. MSRP for the watch as examined stands at $795 USD as of press time, however a blue dial variant with an identical Tremendous Titanium bracelet can also be accessible for $995 USD. For extra info, please go to Citizen’s web site.

Obligatory Information
>Model: Citizen
>Mannequin: Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m
>Value: $795 USD ($995 USD on bracelet)
>Measurement: 41mm-wide, 12.3mm-thick
>When reviewer would personally put on it: As a daily-wear sports activities watch, or as a dependable and inexpensive trip put on.
>Pal we’d suggest it to first: Dive watch followers in search of an inexpensive titanium diver, budding collectors trying to make their first step up from the sub-$500 value level.
>Greatest attribute of watch: Light-weight, handsomely contoured Tremendous Titanium case, stable motion.
>Worst attribute of watch: Each the bezel insert and the gloss black dial really feel relatively unrefined; commonplace vintage-style diver design could fail to face out with some fans.