Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Fashion & Style

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Every Reason Why the Citizen Promaster Is the Perfect Watch for the Outdoors

Briley Kenney
By
Citizen Aqualand watch at sea.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Air. Land. Sea. Space? It’s difficult to find a wristwatch that can seamlessly move between all of those environments, survive the varying conditions, and still offer everything you’d need to get by. Well, beyond keeping track of the time, anyway. And maybe you’ll never find a watch that can handle all of those places — the cold and vacuous reaches of zero gravity are not a likely candidate here — but you can certainly find something durable, stylish, and valuable. That’s precisely the concept behind Citizen’s Promaster watch collection, which has been around for more than 30 years. That’s right, for over 3 decades, Promaster watches have accompanied adventurers and explorers on many thrilling journeys all over the world. Thanks to Citizen’s proprietary, and absolutely fantastic, Eco-Drive technology, the watches are powered merely by light and never need a battery. Imagine never needing to replace a watch battery ever again?

With a full-charge, Eco-Drive equipped watches can last for months at a time, and there’s no need to replace any batteries or conduct any maintenance, except for maybe cleaning the face — they just work. They can charge with a host of light sources too, not just sunlight. For example, indoor fluorescent lighting, desk lights, lamps, you name it!

Recommended Videos

Of course, functionality is important in a wristwatch, no argument there, but style is also a huge consideration. All variants of the Promaster series look stunning, with a unique take on form and function. The Promaster Sea collection is designed from the seabed-up for divers. The Promaster Land series is designed from the soil-up for terrain-based explorers. Finally, the Promaster Air series is designed from the clouds-down — but hopefully not all the way down — for aviators and frequent flyers. For each of those collections, there are multiple models available, as well, to showcase your personal style. Praise aside, these watches are fantastic for outdoors folk, who dabble in a variety of activities from hiking to swimming and beyond. We’re going to take a closer look at why some of these models are the best option for resourceful adventurers, like you!

Why Citizen Promaster Watches Are Perfect for the Great Outdoors?

Each model is different, as there are some for racing, others for hiking, and even watches for pilots and flying high in the sky! Ultimately, though, a lot of the Promaster models have similar features that make them so great for outdoor use and adventurers! Some of those features are:

  1. They’re durable with scratch-resistant and tough designs.
  2. Promaster watches are water-resistant.
  3. They include functionality to match the activity like a tachymeter for measuring speed or a depth meter.
  4. With Eco-Drive technology they remain powered indefinitely by ambient light, artificial or natural.
  5. Masterful time-keeping technology and designs like atomic clocks or horizon line-style faces.
  6. Many aesthetically pleasing and feature-rich models so you can find your style!

To get a grasp of just how awesome these watches are, you need to take a closer look at some of the designs Citizen offers.

Citizen Promaster Sea Collection

Citizen Promaster Aqualand BJ2167-03E watch product image.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There are many places that comparable watches can go, but the deepest depths are not commonly one of them. Even most waterproof watches must stay in the shallows. The Promaster Sea line makes use of Eco-Drive technology to power internal components, eliminating the need to open up the watch, break the seal, and expose it to water leaks. They’re also rated for much deeper depths than other wristwear.

Examples of sea-friendly Promasters include Aqualand, Aqualand 200M Depth Meter, Diver, and GMT.

Spotlight Model: Promaster Aqualand (BJ2167-03E)

One of Citizen’s newest diver-friendly watches, the Aqualand is ISO-compliant for water resistance and is safe to use up to a depth of 200-meters — nearly 657-feet. It has a built-in depth meter with a gauge that measures up to 50-meters. Additional features include a sapphire crystal face, screw-down crown, illuminated hands and markers, and Eco-Drive technology.

Citizen Promaster Major Features:

  • 50mm case with 200-meter water-resistance
  • Sapphire crystal watch face
  • Auto-start dive mode with depth display up to 50-meters
  • Screw-down crown and pushers
  • Illuminated hands and markers
  • Eco-Drive technology with power reserve indicator

Citizen Promaster Land Series

Citizen Promaster MX BL5570-01E watch product image.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Meant for those traversing tough terrain, the Promaster Land series is best-suited to mountain climbers, hikers, backpackers, and even racers. They’re made more durable than most comparable devices to withstand the extreme conditions of the outdoors, with scratch-resistant glass, and untreated stainless steel chassis’. Anti-shock, anti-magnetic, and Duretect™ coating treatments vastly improve durability, too.

Promaster Land models worth mentioning include the Altichron, Promaster SST, Tsuno Chrono Racer, and Promaster MX.

Spotlight Model: Promaster MX (BL5570-01E)

While Promaster Land models come with a host of functions, the MX has the need for speed, and is the perfect companion for racers. The 1/20-second chronograph measures up to 60-minutes, with a tachymeter to discern speed over distance. Bold red accents mesh with the leather straps reminiscent of motocross styling.

Features:

  • 43mm case with 200-meter water-resistance
  • Sapphire crystal watch face
  • Tachymeter to measure speed over distance with 1/20 second chronograph
  • Perpetual calendar, alarm, and date display
  • Dual time zones with 12/24-hour time display
  • Eco-Drive technology for sustainable power

Citizen Promaster Air Collection

Citizen Promaster Navihawk A-T AT8227-56X watch product image.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Pilot-inspired, the Promaster Air series are timepieces for those who spend most of their time in the skies, well above the surface of the Earth. Most of the watches also include functionality for air travel, like navigation, multiple time zone displays, related measurements, and so on.

Some notable Promaster Air models including the Navihawk A-T, Nighthawk, Skyhawk A-T, and Blue Angels Skyhawk A-T.

Spotlight Model: Navihawk A-T (AT8227-56X)

During flight, no matter where you are, you want an accurate time reading, which can be surprisingly tough when you’re crossing time zones. The Navihawk offers atomic timekeeping with full synchronization across 26 time zones, so you always know exactly what time it is. It features a horizon line through the center of the dial, with an hourglass shape for the top and bottom sub-dials. This makes the watch face look an awful lot like a runway when landing. A perpetual calendar makes it easier to keep track of what’s happening at all times, too.

Features:

  • 48mm case with 200-meter water-resistance
  • Sapphire crystal watch face with anti-shock design
  • Atomic timekeeping synchronized across 26 time zones
  • Rotating 2-way bezel with navigational compass
  • Tachymeter to measure speed over distance
  • Eco-Drive technology for sustainable power

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Briley Kenney
Briley Kenney
Senior SEO Copywriter
Briley has been writing about consumer electronics and technology for over a decade. When he's not writing about deals for…
Chelsea boots are the official men’s footwear this fall – how to style your look
Why men's Chelsea boots are having a moment in the fall
brown dress chelseas pushing pedal

In the long list of must-haves men need for their closet, one of the most important to pick up is Chelsea boots. From wearing them with suits to wearing them with jeans and flannels, these will be some of the most valuable shoes in your closet, especially in the fall. Men's Chelsea boots are versatile and necessary, and these are the ones that will work with everything you already have in your collection, simply taking the place of some of your favorite shoes and extending the life of each.

A brief history of Chelsea boots
Chelsea boots get their name from the fashionable Chelsea district of London. Chelsea was the epicenter of fashion and music during the 1960s. It was here that fashion designers resurrected a style of ankle boot first worn by Queen Victoria in the 1840s. Shoemaker Joseph Sparks Hall adapted a traditional English riding boot for everyday use by the Queen. To make them more comfortable, he lowered the shaft to ankle height, and to make them easier to get on and off, he added elastic gussets on each side. The style became popular during the late 1800s but disappeared during WWI.

Read more
The new Tudor black Pelagos FXD watch has a throwback ’60s design inspired by the U.S. Navy
This new dive watch has a retro feel
Tudor’s Black Pelagos FXD

Rolex may have spent the last century as the biggest name in the watch game, but founder Hans Wilsdorf recognized in the mid-1920s that his beloved timepieces were out of reach for the everyman. His solution was to create a new brand of affordable luxury watches, bringing the same beautiful aesthetics and Swiss construction; Tudor was born in 1946.

While Tudor watches bring with them the same quality design and reliability as their older brother, they developed their own distinct identity by capturing the attention and the loyalty of explorers and military organizations the world over. In 2012, the brand developed a line as a throwback to its diving history. Pelagos watches became one of its most popular lines. Its newest iteration, the FXD, comes with a black face and nods to the brand's naval history.

Read more
All new Rolex 1908 men’s watch leans into timeless Rolex styling and we can’t get enough of it
You won't stop staring at it, but that has nothing to do with what time it is
The Rolex Perpetual 1908

The world’s most desirable watch brand, Rolex, is paying homage to its long and storied history with a new series of watches. The new Rolex watch takes inspiration from the vintage timepieces that made the luxury brand what it is today. So expect an almost impossibly slim profile, smaller dimensions than modern men’s watches, and large numbers. Another nice vintage touch is the lack of a central seconds hand, with a dedicated sub-dial being used instead.

Rolex’s main inspiration when creating the Perpetual 1908 is the original Oyster Perpetual from 1931. While its 39mm diameter may be a little more petit than the 45+ mm dive watches that have been in vogue over the last few decades, it’s actually somewhat of a compromise. Many classic men’s watches are rocking 34mm or 36mm cases.

Read more