Citizen Promaster Diver (BN0150-28E) Watch Review
The Promaster Diver by Citizen is one of the most popular diving watches ever. And if you’re thinking about getting it, I can help you make up your mind! I will tell you everything worth knowing about this awesome watch in this detailed review.
I’ll be talking about the original Promaster Diver, which was (and still is) a best seller. The price tag is so attractive that it’s really hard to resist this watch, so it’s the perfect option if you’re looking for a budget Citizen watch!
Read this detailed review to learn about the features of this awesome diving watch.
Citizen Promaster Diver BN0150-28E Specifications
The Promaster Diver is a very popular diving watch. Especially the model I will be talking about in this review – BN0150-28E. Even though it’s been around for several years, this is still the most popular version of the Promaster Diver watch. Here are some of its basic specs:
- Analog quartz movement, caliber E168
- Anti-reflective mineral crystal glass
- 44mm wide stainless steel case
- Polyurethane strap with buckle
- 200m / 660ft water resistance
- Date window at 4 o’clock position
- 12-hour time markings filled with lume
- Screw down crown at 4 o’clock
There is also a newer version of this watch – the BN0195-54E. I won’t compare them in detail, because they are very similar. Both are solar-powered analog quartz watches with a stainless-steel case.
The newer version also features a stainless-steel bracelet, with the crown and date at the 3 o’clock position, as opposed to the 4 o’clock position of the old Promaster. It is a little bigger than the old Promaster Diver, and a lot more expensive.
Anyway, the devil is always in the details, so let’s talk more about the original Promaster Diver!
The Dial
This watch has a black dial. The face of the watch is actually about 30mm wide, and the rest is the diver’s bezel.
The dial is pretty basic, but in a good way. The time markings are all white, and they contrast really well against the black dial. In addition to that, the outer rims of the indices, the edge of the date window and the hands are all polished, so they are super easy to notice even in direct sunlight.
There are 12 time markings on the dial, and there is a date window at the 4 o’clock position. One thing I really like is that Citizen included half a marking (with lume) right next to the date window. Most brands don’t bother to do that, and just skip the whole marking at the date window.
There are three hands on the dial, which is pretty standard – the hour hand, the minute hand and the second hand. All of them are very wide, to accommodate for the lume, including the second hand. The minute hand stands out the most – the arrow shaped tip is quite a nice detail. And this is the only hand that has red edges, which looks pretty good. It makes it super easy to spot even if you just quickly glance down at your watch.
There is not too much writing on the dial. There’s the Citizen logo below the 12 o’clock hour marking, and the model name and water resistance indicator above the 6 o’clock position. This is pretty standard, so no surprises there.
One thing I want to mention is the unique shape of the 12 hour index. It looks different than all the other indices, and because of that it is really easy to spot. Maybe your watch is upside down on your nightstand or something – because of the unique shape of this marking, you’ll always be able to tell which way is up and which is down.
There’s also an outer bevelled ring, with markings for every minute of the hour. This looks pretty good – it just fits nicely into the design of the dial and it’s not too in your face.
In general, the dial of the Promaster Diver is quite simple, in a good way. If you don’t care too much about intricate detailing on the dial and hands, you will like this watch.
The Analog Quartz Movement
The Promaster Diver (both the original and the new one) is a solar powered watch. It features analog quartz movement, which is the most accurate type of movement you can have. If you’re really into your watch being accurate, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Whenever you’re wearing it outside, the battery of the watch will charge up a little. And it has an insane power reserve – about 6 moths I think. Basically, what that means is that the Promaster Diver will always keep ticking. And that’s insane!
Then again, it also means that you have the boring ticking second hand. If you’re looking for something smoother and a bit fancier, I suggest you check out the Seiko Save The Ocean Samurai – it’s larger, a little bit prettier and it has mechanical movement. But it also costs a lot more money.
Another thing worth noting is that the specific caliber in this watch is the E168. The accuracy of this caliber is +-15 seconds per month at normal temperatures (5-35 ˚C), which is pretty great. And you’ll rarely get to that margin of error – I’d say you can expect to lose or gain about 5 seconds per month.
Water Resistance And Dive Watch Specs
You know, some people actually use these diving watches for scuba diving. I don’t, and I’m pretty sure most of you don’t either. But, we still need to talk about all those cool specs that make this an amazing diving watch.
The first and the most important one is water resistance. The Promaster Diver is water resistant up to 200 meters (660 feet), which is pretty cool. It’s usually what you see in diving watches, so no surprises there.
The crown screws down, which means that you can’t accidentally bump it underwater and ruin your watch. Additionally, it also has guards, so that even if you were to bump it enough to unscrew it, the guards will keep it protected.
Then there’s the lume – as you can see in the photo above, this watch shines incredibly bright. All the hands, the indices and even the circle on the rotating bezel are filled with lume.
I especially like that even the second hand is filled with lume, because that’s not always the case with diving watches. Take the newer Promaster Diver for example – that one does not feature lume in the second hand. You can easily charge up the lume with a bright flashlight, or just by wearing the watch in the sunlight.
And then there’s the unidirectional rotating bezel – a staple on diving watches. It’s pretty standard – you can only turn it counter clockwise, so you can’t accidentally add time under water. Which means that you can’t run out of air. And there are markings for every minute on the bezel – a baton for every five minutes and circles for everything in between, with numbers at every 10-minute mark. The bezel black and the indices are white, giving this watch a very uniformed look.
Final Impressions Of The Citizen Promaster Diver
So, what’s my overall impression of the original Promaster Diver? Well, I actually really like it. It has a very simple look, and I’m a fan of that. It’s super easy to read, thanks to all the little details that help the hands and the indices stand out. And it is a solar powered watch, which I just adore – it will keep on ticking for years.
Plus, this is actually a pretty good diving watch. It has great water resistance, the standard unidirectional rotating bezel and bright lume in the hands and time indices.
The one thing I’m not crazy about is the PU band. It’s a bit boring, and it’s not the most durable option. But hey, for the price point of this watch I can totally get behind the PU band.
And that’s one of the main reasons to get the watch – if you’re looking for an insanely durable and unbelievably affordable diving watch, then definitely pick up the Promaster Diver BN0150-28E.
And if you want something a bit fancier, go check out the Seiko Prospex Shogun or the newer Promaster Diver.
