Let’s just get this out of the way.
You can always count on that one smartass friend to say “nobody needs a watch these days”. Sigh.
One swift judo chop to the throat later, and you’ll say, “you just don’t understand” over your shoulder as you walk away. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.
Of course, you don’t need a watch. And you really don’t need a dive watch, not really. If you’re an actual diver, you have a wrist computer to tell you how long you can stay below the surface. Like all wristwatches, it’s an archaic way of doing something in these screen-drenched days of always-on tech.
But you need not concern yourself with these no-fun-having naysayers and their annoying practicality. Personally, I enjoy glancing down at this outmoded little machine on my wrist, without having to fish the glass and aluminum rectangle out of my jacket pocket. Let them call you a Neanderthal, as they stare down at their smartphones. Unlike those chumps, there’s no chance you’ll be fishing your watch out of a public toilet anytime soon.
Let me just say this: a dive watch is as close to perfect a timekeeping device as you’ll ever need. You can beat it up, drown it, knock it upside the head, even time your eggs, and it’ll continue to tick away without complaint, no OS update needed. It’s pure overkill for the majority of us, but that’s what I find so reassuring.
Not that long ago, if you wanted a reliable dive watch that didn’t empty your treasure chest of doubloons, you bought a Seiko. Usually, a Seiko SKX series, the gateway drug to all things dive watch. Sure, you could go with a Samurai, a Turtle, a Sumo, or any number of creatively nicknamed Seikos, but the SKX was the Official Dive Watch Starter Kit. They were cheap, reliable, and durable as all get out.
Unfortunately, Seiko has started an upmarket creep, discontinuing the SKX series recently. They’ve replaced it with the similar-looking-but-not-really Seiko 5 Sport series, with an upgraded movement, downgraded water resistance, and updated price points. You can still find the SKX model, but they now go for about double what they used to, which is kind of a dumb buy when higher-spec Seikos go for less.
So when someone asks me for my recommendation in the entry-level diver category (and they always ask), I have a new answer.
A contemporary classic since its release in 2017, the criminally underrated Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster Diver, shown here on a Marathon rubber strap, is all the watch you need in this post-apocalyptic landscape known as 2021. It has become the watch I grab first when I don’t want to worry about my watch if that makes sense. It’s the perfect watch for someone who’s into watches, but not that into watches. And it’s widely available, usually at a shade over $200.
“But, it’s not mechanical!”, you cry. “I thought you were a watch guy!”
Easy there, hoss. I’m still one of us.
Now, I love mechanical movements in all their forms. I’m just fascinated that a tiny collection of springs, gears, screws, and jewels can do what they do, and my admiration for the watchmakers that dream them up and keep them ticking is on the same level as if they were a surgeon or a research scientist. The heavy hitters in my collection are evidence of that appreciation.
But with the Promaster Diver, the Eco-Drive solar movement is precisely the reason why this is the bugout watch for me. When I’ve got other things on my mind, I’m not checking to see if it’s a wound, or if it’s lost or gained time. As far as I’m concerned, Citizen’s Eco-Drive quartz movement was as big an innovation as the Seiko Spring Drive, and certainly, it has way more market penetration. There are millions of them out there, giving their owners one less thing to worry about. Leave it on a windowsill for a day, and it’ll go for six months, whether or not you see the sun. It’s the best-performing solar movement I’ve seen in terms of reliability, and the only thing you’ll have to concern yourself with is a date change at month’s end. It’s the Toyota Camry of the watch world. It just keeps going and going.
So with that out of the way, let’s get to the specs.
CASE DIAMETER – 44mm, excluding crown
LUG TO LUG – 48mm
LUG WIDTH – 20mm
CASE THICKNESS – 12mm
MOVEMENT – Citizen Eco-Drive Caliber E168
CRYSTAL – Anti-reflective mineral crystal
CASE – Stainless steel, with screw-down caseback and crown
WATER RESISTANCE – 200 meters, ISO Certified
RETAIL PRICE – $350 USD
The BN0150-28E has a 44mm diameter stainless steel case, with a lug width of 20mm, and a 12mm thick case. This is not a petite watch. It’s a burly, reassuringly solid chunk of stainless. But with a lug-to-lug measurement of about 48mm, the Promaster fits on a wide variety of wrists. The lugs are short, stout, and have a decent curve to them, further enhancing wearability. And 12mm is a very reasonable measurement for case thickness on a diver with an ISO-certified 200 meters of water resistance. Like the doors on a classic S-Class Mercedes, the whole affair feels, as they say, “of a piece.”
The bezel is unidirectional, with 120 solid, satisfying clicks, an anodized aluminum insert, and a lumed pip at 12. The flat mineral crystal has an anti-reflective coating, the better to see what’s going on with the basic black dial.
You will not have a problem reading this dial. Applied indices are well lumed, as are the fat, highly visible hands (reminiscent of a Grand Seiko diver), and they glow a cool blue. Oddly enough, the bezel pip glows green, but the whole effect is highly legible. The date window is thankfully small at 4 o’clock, lining up with the screw-down crown. The crown at 4 works well on bigger watches, lessening the chance of digging into your wrist as some 3 o’clock crowns tend to.
The caseback screws down, and is etched with a globe and the Citizen branding, along with a very stern warning that YOU ARE NOT TO MONKEY WITH THE CASEBACK, GENIUS. There is literally no maintenance that you need to do, apart from possibly replacing the capacitor module in ten years (or longer).
The strap is a black polyurethane Seiko-style accordion design, with “no decompression” limits helpfully printed. It’s fine and seems durable enough, but this is a watch that begs for a little experimentation. The right strap can really elevate this watch to another level. I found that level with an Italian rubber model from Marathon. It’s perfect. They were made for each other. I’m not going to say that ‘it sings on rubber’, as some might, but it most definitely slaps.
When this model was launched, it was available in black and a very dark blue, which is quite attractive.
Recently, Citizen launched the same watch in a fetching emerald green.
Although my preference would be for a more tactical flat olive green, the emerald dial and bezel insert will surely find a lot of new fans. Y’know, for those Rolex ‘Hulk’ Submariner vibes on a budget.
As far as price, the Promaster Diver definitely nails my qualifications for ‘budget baller’ status. The materials and build quality are above most watches you’ll find in this range, and Citizen’s QC is on point…no bezel misalignment issues here. It’s a solid value at the list price of $350, but there’s no need to pay that. Typically available at $200 – $250, it frequently can be found on sale for $150 – $180, and if you’re patient, you can make out like a bandit. My lovely and very smart wife got it on Black Friday for under $100!
To sum up, The Promaster Diver is a screaming value, and (as 2020 proved) a trusted companion for when things go really sideways. It’s impervious to water, gallons of hand sanitizer, or pretty much anything else you might throw at it, and I recommend it without hesitation.
Further info: https://www.citizenwatch.com/us/en/product/BN0150-28E.html
D.C. Hannay is a writer, commercial producer, voiceover artist, musician, and advertising copywriter from New York, writing professionally for over 20 years. He’s been fascinated with watches his whole life, beginning with his father’s 1970 Breitling Navitimer, and will always have a soft spot for anything Casio.
https://www.instagram.com/dchannay/
