Citizen Drops New Promaster Dive 200M Models With Smaller Cases, Eco-Friendly Straps

Citizen Watch Co., which made Japan’s first water-resistant wristwatch back in 1959, continues to build upon its Promaster collection of “land, sea, and air” tool watches, particularly its popular and famously value-oriented Promaster Dive series, which welcomes a trio of new models this week, all with new, reduced case sizes, a selection of vintage-inspired straps made from eco-friendly rubber, and fronted by a new dial color specially designed to enhance the efficiency of the Eco-Drive movement inside.

The stainless steel cases of the new Promaster Dive 200M watches measure a compact 40.6mm in diameter and 11.5mm thick, a size many might consider a more widely wearable alternative to the 44mm size of the existing core models, not to mention the voluminous dimensions of more “extreme” Promasters like the 46mm “Orca” and 48mm “Eco-Zilla.” Otherwise, the classic Promaster aesthetic elements are all present in these new models, including the 60-click rotating dive scale bezel, screw-down crown (here at a more traditional 3 o’clock position), and antireflective sapphire crystal over the dial. The geometric hour indexes and prominent shaped hands are lumed for underwater visibility. 

The three dial options include a gradient blue and black (both with color-matched bezels for a monochromatic look) and a third option that matches a white dial (with a high-contrast orange seconds hand) with a black bezel. According to Citizen, the white dial on that model is the result of continued technical innovation that allows for more light penetration through the dial, to the solar cell that charges the Eco-Drive Caliber E168 inside. This in-house movement, a mainstay in Promaster Dive watches, can run for up to six months on a single charge and maintains an accuracy of +/- 15 seconds per month. 

As their name suggests, the cases are water-resistant to 200 meters, helping the Promaster Dive to achieve its exalted status as an ISO-approved divers’ watch. For these new models, Citizen has attached these cases to straps made of BENEBioL, a plant-derived PCD (polycarbonate diol) material, developed by Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemical Group, which is prized for being more durable and flexible than petroleum-based rubbers as well as more sustainable in nature. The strap colors are black for the black-dial model, blue for the blue-dial, and military green for the white-dial watch with black bezel.

The new Citizen Promaster Dive 200M watches are available at retail now, priced at $450. You can discover more about the Promaster collection on citizenwatch.com.