What’s the History of Citizen’s Promaster Range?
Citizen is among Japan’s most reputable watch manufacturers, holding its own alongside the likes of Seiko, Orient, and Casio. With a history dating back to 1930, the brand has been making tough watches built for extreme conditions for decades.
In 1969, a group of Japanese mountaineers were equipped with Citizen Seven Stars on their expedition to scale the north face of Eiger in Switzerland. Despite the watch having been designed for saturation diving, it held up remarkably well in blisteringly cold temperatures at almost 2.5 miles (4 kam) above sea level.
In 1989, Citizen launched their first range of Promaster watches: a field watch, pilot’s watch, and dive watch, designed for professional exploration of land, air, and sea. They had already made dive watch history four years prior, in 1985, with the release of the Aqualand: the world’s first watch with an in-built electronic depth sensor. Ever since, the Aqualand has remained one of the most iconic Promaster offerings, even though dive computers have exceeded its functionality.
These days, the Promaster line-up includes around 30 different dive watches. The Eco-Drive Diver is one of the most affordable of the current range, but it has all the necessary diving specifications: it’s ISO-certified to 650 feet (200 m), has a very secure bezel, and the screw-down crown is guarded and super well-threaded. In keeping with early Citizen designs, like the Seven Star, the indices are chunky and highly legible blocks that stand out well in low-light conditions.
This Do-It-All Diver Might Outlive You
This watch was built to last. Very little light is needed to power the E168 movement. It uses a solar charging cell to harness the energy of the sun or even a desk lamp. Fully charged, the cell has a power reserve of a whopping six months. When it’s running low on battery, it ticks every two seconds, as a reminder to give it some wrist time or leave it on a windowsill for a day. It’s a true “set it and forget it” watch; you’ll only need to reset the time if you move between time zones, or for daylight savings.
The solar quartz technology of Eco-Drive has been known to last over three decades. Quite simply, we don’t know how long the movement will continue running, and time will be the test.
Depending on your age at the time of reading this (and your luck), there’s a strong chance that the E168 will outlive me or you, without ever needing to change the battery—most quartz watches need the battery changed every two years. And, if the battery fails to charge one day, you can send the watch to Citizen Watch Co. where they’ll replace it.
Furthermore, you’re getting all the accuracy of quartz with this watch. It vibrates at 32,876 Hz, which means that the manufacturer’s time tolerance is plus or minus 15 seconds per month. Realistically, only a watch capable of connecting with the atomic clock would be considerably more accurate (Citizen makes those too).
An added bonus is that there’s virtually no need for maintenance. An automatic movement needs servicing every five or so years. This one could keep on going without missing a beat, for a century maybe? Or for at least long enough that you might never need to think about buying a watch again!
Price/Quality Ratio
The Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive Diver is exceptional value for money. Sure, you could buy four Casio Duros for the same price, but this Citizen has far superior finishing, case construction, and an awesome solar movement that easily warrants the $200 USD price tag.
Nevertheless, it would have been great to see a sapphire crystal on this watch. Although the Promaster’s cheaper mineral crystal is less likely to shatter than sapphire, sapphire is more scratch-resistant and looks prettier in the light.
Further, in addition to the standard polyurethane strap provided, I would have loved an integrated bracelet made from solid stainless steel links as standard. But at this end of the budget, it would be unreasonable to ask for all of that. I’m being greedy. This watch is an absolute steal, especially when it’s on sale on Amazon.
Do we recommend the Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive?
Absolutely, yes. If you’re looking for a dive watch that’s ready for all of life’s adventures—in the ocean, the pool, at the gym, or exploring a city, this watch will never let you down. It’s highly accurate, waterproof, well-built, and legible.
Also, we think that everyone should own at least one solar quartz watch. Even if you’re a so-called purist and think quartz is inherently inferior to automatic, the great advantage of Eco-Drive is that as long as the watch gets occasional sunlight, you needn’t worry about it losing/gaining time or replacing the battery.
In terms of the wearing experience, the short lug-to-lug of 48 mm and the low case profile of 11.5 mm means that this watch feels smaller than its 44 mm diameter would suggest. It will suit the vast majority of wrist sizes.
Also, while the supplied strap is both durable and supple enough to conform to the wrist, the 20 mm lug width means it’s easy to pop this on a comfier NATO or silicone band. Alternatively, dress it up with an Italian hand-stitched leather strap for a more elegant look.
Specs & Features
| Case diameter | 44 mm |
|---|---|
| Case thickness | 11.5 mm |
| Lug-to-lug distance | 48 mm |
| Lug/strap width | 20 mm |
| Movement | Eco-Drive E168 solar quartz |
| Case material | Stainless steel |
| Strap material | Polyurethane with pin buckle |
| Crystal | Mineral |
| Bezel | Stainless steel, unidirectional, 60 click |
| Water resistance | 200 m (660 feet) |
Take a moment to look at this.
