Citizen is criminally underappreciated in the dive watch space. From a pure performance standpoint, few brands offer a better bargain for professional-grade specs.
Despite offering better pure aquatic aptitude at the entry-level price tier, Citizen is stuck in the role of little brother to its countryman and arch rival, Seiko.
However, Citizen appears to be taking aim at the daily-wear dive watch market Seiko has dominated for decades with the new Promaster Dive 41mm. It is now the most wearable watch in the collection, both in size and aesthetics.
Dive watch fans will notice that it bears a striking resemblance to the watch it is presumably attempting to overtake: the Seiko 5 Sports diver. But before crying “dupe,” note that the resemblances go deeper into dive watch history, including other models from both brands.
As advertised, Citizen’s new daily diver has a 41mm steel case, which comes on a three-link steel bracelet. It sports a unidirectional dive bezel and applied dot-dash hour markers, both Platonic ideals in a dive watch.
The line is launching with three references, including two steel versions with blue and black matching dials and bezels, joined by a gold-toned case and bracelet with a green dial and bezel.
