Can a Premium Dive Watch from a Budget Brand Stand the Pressure?

When you glance at the Citizen Promaster Dive Automatic, you see a traditional dive watch done up all in black. What you don’t see is how lightweight and comfortable it is, its enthusiast positioning or its vintage-watch backstory. None of these factors about the watch are things that Citizen is typically known for, which is all the more reason to give this brand standout some attention.

A combination of a traditional base and sleek contemporary execution gives the watch character, while its titanium construction delivers ample comfort. It’s those elements that made the biggest impression on me while wearing it on dry land almost every day for months on end — as well as taking it deep underwater, diving with sharks and exploring shipwrecks.

Citizen Promaster Dive Automatic ‘Fujitsubo’: What We Think

Aside from its stealthy garb, the Citizen Promaster Dive Automatic looks like a fairly conventional dive watch. For this reason, it stands out in Citizen’s collection, which is full of boldly sized cases, over-the-top design and relatively affordable prices, often with greater appeal to the mass market than the watch nerd community.

This watch, on the other hand, is made and priced for enthusiasts. It features a comparatively premium automatic movement, rock-solid titanium construction, sapphire crystal and thoughtful details. It’s in competitive territory, but any watch person will recognize the value — especially when they experience it on the wrist.

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CITIZEN

Citizen Promaster Dive Automatic ‘Fujitsubo’

• $896.25 at citizenwatch.com

It has a very cool backstory

Like oh so many modern watches, the Citizen Promaster Dive Automatic ‘Fujitsubo’ is a modern rendering of a vintage reference. Specifically, it recreates a model called the Challenge Diver from 1977, from its Rolex-inspired “Mercedes” hour hand design to its case diameter of 42mm. But its story doesn’t end there.

In 1983, an example of the Challenge Diver was found in the waters off the coast of Australia. Indicating that it had been submerged for years, it was heavily caked in barnacles — and yet still functional. A testament to the watches’ robustness, it became part of brand lore, with the modern reissue being nicknamed the Japanese word for barnacle: fujitsubo. I didn’t bury my example at the bottom of the ocean for a half-decade as part of my testing — time constraints, you know? — but I have little doubt this modern version is even more robust than its 1970s forebearer.

It’s lightweight and comfortable

Next to other automatic dive watches in its price range, Citizen’s use of titanium stands out. A premium but popular material in watches, titanium is strong and light, and Citizen’s proprietary surface-hardening treatment — the brand calls it “Super Titanium” — essentially means you can forget about scratching it. The black DLC coating alone contributes plenty to scratch resistance, and that’s in addition to the magic of Citizen’s proprietary coating.

KRISTIN PATERAKIS

Most important, however, is how it feels on the wrist. Titanium’s lightness, combined with a moderate case diameter and thin titanium bracelet, make for one of the most comfortable dive watches I’ve worn. That’s not something you’ll hear people say about the bulk of Citizen’s dive watch lineup, which largely skews toward massive.

It’s (almost) a pure tool watch

Citizen is most beloved for its tough tool watches, and the Promaster Dive Automatic is a great example. Rendering it in all black, as this model does, doubles down on that badass persona, while little details like polished elements among the mostly brushed surfaces contribute a sense of refinement. It’s rugged and tough: a 200m water-resistant ISO-compliant true diver’s watch powered by a bulletproof Miyota 9015 automatic. It very much lives up to the reputation of its barnacle-covered predecessor and feels like a watch you’re meant to wear while doing rugged and tough activities.

KRISTIN PATERAKIS

Well, for the most part anyway. The gradient dial feels less purposeful. It might be down to personal taste, but in my mind, watches like this are that much more compelling without such superfluous decorative elements.

Citizen Promaster Dive Automatic ‘Fujitsubo’: Alternatives

Unique brand history aside, what we’re looking at here is a moderately-sized automatic dive watch in titanium for around a thousand bucks. And there really isn’t a ton of competition in the space. The toughest likely comes from Switzerland by way of Mido, one of the lesser known brands in the mammoth Swatch Group. The 42.5mm titanium version of its Ocean Star 200 ($1,090) has 200m of water resistance and an 80-hour power reserve courtesy of its ETA movement.

Most titanium divers from Citizen’s eternal rival Seiko are on the expensive side, but the Prospex Shogun SPB189 is comparable to the Fujitsubo at $1,550. It comes in at a larger 43.5 and boasts 70 hours of power from its 6R35, and like the Citizen, has a proprietary “Super Hard” coating on its titanium case and bracelet.

Finally, for a more affordable alternative that’s also more of a wild card, there’s Singaporean microbrand RZE. Its new Aspirare diver is powered by the same movement as the Citizen but has 100m more water resistance and is cheaper at just $659. It has its own proprietary hardening treatment called UltraHex and is on the larger side at 44mm.

CITIZEN

Citizen Promaster Dive Automatic ‘Fujitsubo’

• $896.25 at citizenwatch.com

Brad Trone

A version of this story first appeared in Gear Patrol Magazine. Learn More.

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