The Citizen Promaster Thirty fifth Anniversary “Fujitsubo” Titanium Diver

For those who’re an avid diver and watch fanatic, the identify Promaster must be greater than acquainted. Created by Japanese watchmaker Citizen in 1989 as a model to satisfy the wants of pros working in essentially the most difficult environments of the land, sea, and sky, Promaster has grown to a set that features over 30 completely different watches, all created with particular skilled purposes in thoughts. Celebrating its Thirty fifth anniversary this yr, the Citizen Promaster assortment welcomes three particular restricted editions… One for the sky, one for land and the current mannequin, a brand new version of the acclaimed Problem Diver or Fujitsubo watch now dressed up in Tremendous Titanium with Duratect Platinum remedy and blue accents to remind the oceans the place it belongs. 

Earlier than we dive into the specificities of this good-looking new model of the Fujitsubo Titanium diver, let’s return in time and perceive what Promaster is all about. We now have to return to earlier than the creation of the model in 1989 as a result of Citizen was producing skilled instrument watches manner earlier than that. Already again within the Nineteen Sixties, Citizen was manufacturing watches that would deal with the challenges related to underwater exploration, such because the acclaimed Citizen Seven Star – which has confirmed greater than succesful on the wrists of Japanese mountaineers climbing the north face of Eiger within the Swiss Alps in 1969. The next decade noticed the introduction of one more vital watch, the Problem Diver, a watch favoured by army personnel and divers. We’ll come again to this in just a few, because it has its significance relating to the watch we’ll overview at this time.

All the time according to improvements, Citizen embraced quartz know-how fairly shortly and, in 1985, launched considered one of its most vital fashions ever, the Aqualand, a quartz diving software outfitted with an digital depth sensor. This extremely succesful and ultra-resilient watch left its mark on the diving group and have become the bottom for what would change into, in 1989, the Promaster model. The idea was to create watches round three pillars – land, sky and sea – to reply the precise wants of all explorers, with a lineup comprising the Altichron, the Aerochron, and the Aqualand. Thirty-five years later, every continues to be a supply of inspiration for the present assortment, together with the Problem Diver Fujitsubo.

Again to this particular watch, created manner earlier than the Promaster model. In 1977, Citizen launched the Problem Diver, a reasonably basic but solidly constructed and succesful dive watch of 41mm, with an exterior rotating bezel and generously lume-filled dial. A watch able to withstanding depths of 150m, it grew to become well-liked amongst army personnel and leisure divers, together with members of the Royal Australian Navy. However the perfect testomony to this watch’s sturdiness is a narrative that couldn’t have been made up. In 1983, a Citizen Problem Diver from 1977 was recovered from an Australian seaside. The watch was lined in barnacles, indicating it had been underwater for a number of years, as these slowly construct up over time. Surprisingly, it was nonetheless in working situation because the motion was shielded from water and grime by its case.

The Thirty fifth Anniversary Promaster

This particular Problem Diver was utilized by Citizen to create a contemporary model, the Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m, nicknamed Fujitsubo and, as you’d anticipate from the model that pioneered the usage of titanium in watchmaking, made out of this light-weight and sturdy materials. First launched in 2022, rock-solid in its development and but pretty priced, this base is now used to create a Thirty fifth-anniversary restricted version that sticks to the identical system however provides some nice touches of color.

Although the Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m Fujitsubo, whether or not this Thirty fifth-anniversary mannequin or the basic variations, retains many of the design cues of the unique 1977 watch, we’re taking a look at a modernized software that includes the entire model’s experience, beginning with the usage of Tremendous Titanium for the case. As the primary model to supply a commercially out there titanium watch in 1970, it’s no shock to see this light-weight materials used right here. What makes this particular version distinctive is that it options Duratect Platinum remedy. Not solely do the case and bracelet profit from the Duratect floor hardening course of, however this remedy right here brings a gleaming, nearly clear silver hue – slightly unusual for a matte-finished titanium watch and fairly interesting on the wrist.

What stays is the general basic design of the watch with critical high quality throughout. Fairly sized at 41mm in diameter and 12.3mm in thickness, we’re speaking about an ISO-certified dive watch with 200m water-resistance and all of the options you want on this context: bevelled sapphire crystal, screw-down crown, and screwed again. What units this particular 35-year Promaster version aside is the usage of a blue coating on the bezel with a shiny floor. It’s a pleasant contact of color that is still pretty discreet and provides some depth to this in any other case timelessly designed mannequin. The bezel is unidirectional and fitted with a black aluminium insert, with the important 60-minute diving scale.

Similar to the blue-coated bezel, the dial depends on a brand new color – which is claimed to be impressed by the attractive blue ocean and white sand of Lengthy Reef Seaside in Australia, the place the 1983 watch was discovered. A distinct blue tone than what’s used on the mannequin from the everlasting assortment, it retains nice distinction with the big raised luminous markers and outsized fingers, offering sturdy legibility evening and day, with a inexperienced glow at evening. There’s a date window at 3 o’clock paired with a luminous plot subsequent to it.

Below a caseback engraved with the Promaster Thirty fifth anniversary brand is the in-house, computerized calibre 9051. Working at a frequency of 28,800vph and utilizing 24 jewels, it affords an honest 42h energy reserve and is regulated to run inside -10 to +20 seconds of deviation per day (however ought to carry out higher…). This motion is anti-magnetic to fields as much as 16,000A/m (approx. 200 Gauss) as shut as 1cm away, which is actually reassuring, even for day by day use in an surroundings stuffed with cell telephones and magnets.

This Promaster Thirty fifth Anniversary “Fujitsubo” Titanium Diver 200m is secured to the wrist by a three-link Tremendous-Titanium bracelet with the identical Duratect Platinum floor remedy because the case. It’s closed by a folding clasp with a number of tips: a safety loop, safety-release pushers and a sliding diving extension that may act as each a micro-adjustment and whenever you need to put on this watch over a wetsuit.

Launched as a restricted version of 4,500 items, the Citizen Mechanical Diver 200m Promaster Thirty fifth Anniversary (reference NB6026-56L) is now out there and priced at EUR 845 or USD 1,100. Like the 2 basic variations right here, it’s a really spectacular look ahead to the value. It feels strong, extraordinarily comfy on the wrist due to the usage of titanium, extremely resistant due to the Duratect coating and comes totally outfitted. This particular 35-year version provides a contact of coolness with its blue accents and the shine of the Duratect Platinum that makes it really feel particular… Not a lot so as to add, it’s a winner.

For extra particulars, please go to CitizenWatch-World.com.