Sometimes, when a new watch launches, we’re able to get hands-on with it right away (sometimes even before the official release). Other times, it just takes a little patience for our number to come up. That’s what happened with the Citizen Promaster Dive E365. and you know? It’s patience that was well-reward.
Citizen Promaster Dive E365: what it is
When you see a Citizen watch, there are some key terms that you can look for that give you some very quick information. First off, when you see ‘Promaster’, it’s a watch that is designed to be ready for whatever a professional (be they a pilot or a diver, for example) would be putting the watch through. Here, it’s a diver, which means you’ve got features that you’d watch for diving. This includes a 300m WR rating, an automatic helium escape valve, a uni-directional bezel that is easy to grip in gloves, and a dial that is cleanly legible and loaded with enough luminous paint to guide the boat in by.
The other term we can see on the dial is ‘Eco-Drive’. What this means is that - in how you and I normally think about it - is that the watch is solar powered. That’s not technically, correct, however. Eco-Drive means that the cell in the watch can be charged by any light source - not just the sun. Which means the watch is always going to be topped up. Even if it’s tucked into a drawer, the watch has a 365-day power reserve. So you could come back year later and have the watch running. Combine that with the quartz movement, and you’ll have a watch that’s always running and very, very accurate.
Wearing the watch
However you slice it, there’s no disputing that when you wear a 46mm steel watch on your wrist, that is something you’re going to notice, especially when the case comes in at about 16mm thick. In terms of weight, my kitchen scale says 143g, even on the silicone strap. That said, Citizen has the strap angling down from the lugs, which means that it sticks in place pretty well.
Oh, and that strap? While it looks like that classic “wiggle wave” rubber strap, it’s actually a synthetic. Yes, that means it’s silicone, but there are two things to note on it. For one, it didn’t pick up ANY lint in our testing time, which is a downfall for many silicone straps. Secondly, this a compound that has some plant-based ingredients, making it a bio-resin. So, in a sense (especially when you add in solar power), this is an eco-friendly watch.
With that strap, you also get a divers extension. Rather than having mess around with switching out the buckle side of the strap, they just give you another length of strap that you buckle in, and then you can easily wear the watch over the top of a wetsuit sleeve.
Wrapping things up
As I mentioned at the start of this review, sometimes, you just need to be patient, and that patience is well-rewarded. I’ve always like the utility of a diver, and the aesthetic that comes with it. Do I dive? No, I sure don’t - but I also don’t mind having a tool that is overbuilt for my day-to-day.
With the sizing of the watch, that also means it wouldn’t be an everyday driver. With the yearlong battery life of the Citizen Promaster Dive E365, though, that’s not a worry either. Whether you’re wearing it once a week or once a month, the watch is going to keep ticking away.
If that sounds like just the thing you’re looking for, you’re really quite fortunate. While the watch has an MSRP set on it of $725, it’s actually on a 20% discount. So that means you could get this one in your watch box - and on your wrist - for just $580. Red dials on a diver aren’t that common, and you can check this one out in more detail over at citizenwatch.com
Citizen Promaster Dive E365 Tech Specs
Model: BN1024-01Z
Movement Technology
E365
Eco-Drive
Powered by any light source, continuously and sustainably, eliminating the need to replace watch batteries.
Case Width (mm): 46
Band Type
Strap
BENEBiOL™ PU
Clasp: Buckle
Case Material
Silver-Tone
Stainless Steel
Crystal
Anti-Reflective Sapphire Crystal
Impact and shatter resistant - anti-reflective coating deflects light
Dial: Red
Water-Resistance: 300M/30Bar [Scuba Diving]
Additional Functions
3 Hand with Date
365 day Power Reserve
