November 29th, 2023 | Words and photography by DAHTT
The other iconic Japanese diver's watch.
Impressions of the Citizen Promaster NY0040.
For decades if you were a professional diver it probably wasn't the Swiss you looked to for a dive watch, but the Japanese.
In 1996 Seiko released their SKX dive model and for decades it was the obvious choice for professional divers. It's the one we all think of thanks to numerous YouTube videos in recent years. There was however another Japanese dive watch with the same set of specifications, which actually predated the SKX.
Way back in 1959 Citizen manufactured Japan's first fully waterproof watch, the "Parawater". Thirty years later in 1989 they released the Promaster. A stainless steel automatically winding diver's watch with a rotating bezel, ISO certified to resist water ingress up to 200m.
The Promaster is a brute of a watch. The Miyota automatic movement is simple and unrefined, it forgoes hacking and the rotor is uni directional. The case does not feature any exotic materials and the finishing is utilitarian, featuring a mixture of polished sides, brushed upper and bead blasted bezel.
What this watch lacks in sophistication and finesse, it more than makes up for in purposefulness and character. The dial is highly legible in any light thanks to its simple but liberal application of lume. The bezel doesn't so much click, more it thumps home into each of its sixty notches with the reassurance of a well made car door closing.
The whole watch has a feeling of solidity. A sense that it has a job to do. A function to fulfil. It doesn't ask for your attention. It is neither there to flatter the wearer or impress the onlooker. There is a seriousness to this watch.
Whereas some watches create a sense of frivolity and fun, the Citizen Promaster gives me a sense that there is a mission to complete. It generates a sense of reassurance. Fulfil your role and it'll be there dutifully executing its task as and when you look down and require it.
Perhaps it was this sense which made the Promaster the choice of the Marina Militare (The Italian Navy) in the nineties. Or maybe it was simply the quality and value.
I know the Seiko SKX has an army of loyal fans, and I'm a Seiko lover too, I think they've possibly done more for the evolution and progression of watchmaking than perhaps any other manufacturer. Given the choice though I'd take one of these Promaster's.
Maybe it's because it's the less obvious choice. That's sometimes a factor for me. There is practically nothing to choose between the two in terms of quality and performance. They both have small pro's and small con's when compared, which results in an on paper tie. So it comes down to personal preference.
I'm a Seiko guy before I'm a Citizen guy, but for some reason I'd take the Citizen in this instance. I'm finding it incredibly hard to explain what drives that decision. Maybe it's that bezel, the action, the design of the grips. Maybe it's the invisibility of Citizen as a brand.
The brand, like the watch, seems to fly under the radar, not asking for any attention, but quietly making some extremely dependable watches for the type of person who doesn't care about clout, or hype, or vanity. Citizen are content to be Citizen, and the Promaster is content being a dependable tool.
To that point, Citizen currently makes the most accurate watch in the world, but I'd bet a lot of watch enthusiasts have no idea, and outside of enthusiast circles many people have likely never even heard of the Japanese manufacturing colossus.
That's why I like the Promaster, it manages to straddle being brutish and subtle simultaneously.
It reminds me of the idiom "speak softly and carry a big stick".
I've purchased this watch to gift to a friend. A friend who in his professional capacity used to regularly derogate his own safety in order to prioritise that of my own and my colleagues. Jerome I hope this watch serves you well for many years and that its robustness instills in you some of the confidence we all gained and continue to gain while working with you. Thank you.