For 2022, Citizen has unveiled the Iconic Nature collection as part of their ‘The Citizen’ range of high-end watches, with a focus on seasonal colours that show the seasons through a window on the wrist. Inspired by “Shakkei” (borrowed scenery) in Japanese architecture that gives a frame to outdoor scenery for those viewing from indoors, the watches are representative of the beauty of the changing seasons in the island nation.

Two watches will be available from March 2022 – the “Spring Air” and the “Summer Azure” models. Both come in the brand’s proprietary Super Titanium case, providing a significant weight reduction in comparison to stainless steel (the material is about 40% lighter than steel), whilst being five times harder, as well as being corrosion resistant and gentle on skin. The cases are also coated in Citizen’s Duratect Platinum coating, that protects the case from scratches.

These two watches feature a dial made of Washi paper – the same type of paper used for Japan’s famous sliding screens that allow light to pass through. The Washi paper used for these models is the Tosa Tengujoshi – the thinnest Washi paper, which provides the dial with incredible texture, whilst allowing light to pass through onto the movement’s solar cells. The dial of the “Spring Air” is a lush green that is reminiscent of new leaves during the season, with a gradient effect as the eye travels to the periphery of the dial. In contrast, the “Summer Azure” features a dazzling blue dial that brings to mind the sky and the ocean.

Later on, in September of 2022, we will see the completion of the four seasons with the release of the “Autumn Fantasia” and the “Winter Serenity”. Like the Spring and Summer models, the Autumn and Winter models come in Citizen’s Super Titanium case, however, the “Autumn Fantasia” differs by being coated in Duratect Gold, giving a bright yellow gold hue to the case. The “Winter Serenity”, like its Spring and Summer cousins is coated in Duratect Platinum. These two models are further differentiated through the use of the Tosa Washi Unryu paper – its long fibres creating swirling patterns that not only add to the gradient effect of the dial, but are also reminiscent of a dragon soaring through the sky.

The “Winter Serenity” features a grey gradient dial with gold markers that bring warmth to the watch, whereas the “Autumn Fantasia” houses a reddish brown dial that evokes the texture of fallen leaves with the texture of the Washi paper.

Encased within these watches is the Citizen Calibre A060 that is regulated by a quartz crystal, and powered by the brand’s Eco Drive solar charging system. The movement is rated to +/- 5 seconds per year, with an independently adjustable hour hand for when the wearer crosses time zones, as well as a perpetual calendar that automatically accounts for shorter and longer months including leap years. The movement can also detect sudden impacts, locking itself in the event of high shock to prevent the hands from becoming misaligned. In the event that they do, however, the watch can automatically align the hands, saving a trip to the watchmaker. The watches are delivered on crocodile leather straps sourced from a tannery that is LWG (Leather Working Group) certified for sustainable production. All watches are limited to 250 pieces worldwide, and priced at SGD 5450 at the time of writing.

The watches of The Citizen Iconic Nature Collection are another leap forward in bringing the best of Japanese watchmaking to the world. With a uniquely Japanese dial, and inspirations from nature, The Citizen Iconic Nature Collection is sure to pique the interest of Japanophiles and watch collectors with their unique identities.

Technical Specifications

Models: AQ4100-06W (Spring Air), AQ4100-14L (Summer Azure), AQ4102-01X (Autumn Fantasia), AQ4100-22E (Winter Serenity)

Launch Dates: March 2022 – Spring Air and Summer Azure, September 2022 – Autumn Fantasia and Winter Serenity

Price: SGD5450

Limited Edition: 250 pieces of each model

Case/Band: Super Titanium, Duratect Platinum/Crocodile (Spring Air, Summer Azure, Winter Serenity), Super Titanium, Duratect Gold/Crocodile (Autumn Fantasia)

Crystal: Dual spherical sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating

Dial: Tosa Washi Tengujoshi – Spring Air and Summer Azure, Tosa Washi Unryu – Autumn Fantasia and Winter Serenity

Case Dimensions: 38.3mm diameter, 12.2mm thickness

Calibre: Citizen Cal. A060 – Accuracy of +/- 5 seconds per year, Eco-Drive running for 1.5 years on full charge, independently adjustable hour hand

Water Resistance: 10 Bar

It has helped that Citizen has along the way, introduced a number of variations to the original design, with various dial and bezel options, and even a black coated titanium cased with bracelet variation. 

The basic ingredients to the “Fugu” watches have always been there – 200 metres of water resistance in compliance with the ISO 6425 standard for diving watches, newly designed hour markers that were introduced in 2018, as well as the unique bezel with serrated teeth for easy gripping in wet conditions which was the basis for the series nickname – “Fugu”, given by fans of the original 1989 watch. 

Incidentally, “Fugu”, means “Pufferfish” in Japanese, and if you look at the bezel with this in mind, you might be able to see how the nickname has come about.  A key design feature of the recent generation of watches relates to this point – there is an engraving of a “Fugu”, or Japanese for “pufferfish”, on the case-back. 

This year’s new Promaster NY013 has the same new generation 44mm case that was first introduced last year with the Promaster NY011 series, as well as a sapphire crystal. Previous to this, the Fugu watches were only available in 40mm with a mineral crystal. 

Another subtle upgrade comes in the form of a brand new movement, the Cal.8204, that adds a hacking function over the previous Cal.8203. This is a feature that should please fans of the series as well, as it is a somewhat “premium” feature that has been missing from the more affordable end of the mechanical watch market. 

While there are a number of non-coated stainless steel options on bracelets offered this year, these two models, with Black-Ion Plating on a polyurethane strap are the limited edition options that should prove the most popular for fans. 

There are two dial variations offered, one with a black dial and the other with a fully lumed dial. It’s nice to see the latter variation. Citizen is one of the new brands that has always offered a fully lumed dial option in the Fugu series, and this has always been the case even with the original version.

Unlike a typical application of lume on the hands and hour markers, the lume is applied on the entire area of the dial. This contrasts with the normally lumed hands and hour markers, and is immensely more readable in the dark than the former method. With more luminescent material comes the ability of the watch to store more energy and so remain readable in the dark for linger. 

Being limited edition models (to 1989 pieces in remembrance of the year of the original’s introduction), each piece is engraved with its own series number and comes with an individual certificate card that comes in the same box as a golden commemorative coin. The watch itself is presented in a special box in the shape of a diving oxygen cylinder that is Gray in colour for a stealth look. 

Movement: Calibre 8204, automatic 40 hour power reserve

Case: 44mm wide, 200 meters water resistance, stainless steel Black Ion plated. 

Strap: Polyurethane with accessory diver extension.

Limited: 1989 pieces for each dial variation.

Citizen has long been known for their Eco-Drive movements and up until this point in time, the majority of Citizen’s watches were quartz and Eco-Drive powered models. As such, the brand’s mechanical movement manufacturing capabilities were not really considered by enthusiasts, as their sister company, Miyota, was seen in much lower-priced watches.

However, in 2012, the watch industry was given a little glimpse at the true size of this behemoth, with the acquisition of Swiss holdings group Prothor, that included module and movement manufacturer, La Joux-Perret. With this, came Swiss savoir-faire in movement design, construction and finishing – this would be combined with Japanese precision manufacturing skills to produce the new Caliber 0200, housed within The Citizen Caliber 0200 unveiled in 2021.

On the surface, The Citizen Caliber 0200 features a bold stainless steel case with a lugless design, appearing to integrate the bracelet into the case. The case has sharp facets, echoing Citizen models like the F100 Satellite Wave, and the vintage Citizen Glorious, giving a modern, advanced look. This is accentuated by the play in finishing, with mirror polishing and vertical brushing being utilised on the steel case and bracelet.

Speaking of the bracelet, it is adjustable through its screw-links – a welcome upgrade, and its finishes remind us of high-end Swiss watches in the way that they catch and play with light, giving a three-dimensional aspect to the entire watch.. The dial is made through electroforming, giving the appearance of a hammered finish, playing with light to give numerous colour variations – sometimes appearing matte like asphalt, while at other times giving a subtle shine through its reflections.

The hands also appear to be very sharp and well-defined as well as the indices, reflecting so much light that lume is not needed even in very low-light situations. On the wrist, its 40mm case fits comfortably on a range of wrists, feeling incredibly solid, whilst maintaining its sense of refinement with its case finishing.

Being manufactured in Japan, and a product that symbolises a new direction for the Citizen Watch Group, this new watch is as much a new design as it is about the movement – and it is the movement where we delve even deeper into our overview of the new collection.

Unlike its more famous cousin from Miyota, the Caliber 0200 was made to compete with the best and brightest in the industry, from manufacturing, to construction and its aesthetics. Chronometrically speaking, the movement was manufactured to timing tolerances above that of COSC standard, able to achieve a daily variation between -3/+5 seconds per day. This was achieved through improving the precision of the parts themselves – as their engineer Kenji Tsuchiya stated “… the precision of the components determines how accurately the watch keeps time. Increase the precision of the parts, and you automatically increase timekeeping accuracy. That has always been the Citizen philosophy”.

Citizen also followed conventional wisdom to increase long-term accuracy and durability by employing a free-sprung balance wheel, utilising masselottes weights at the periphery of the balance wheel to adjust timekeeping accuracy. This focus on precision manufacturing naturally extends to the escape wheel and pallet fork, where they have been manufactured using a highly-exacting LIGA process, enabling consistency amongst parts that are crucial to accuracy. 

The movement is not only manufactured to an exacting degree, but it also had aesthetics in mind. The movement design was conceived to show the flow of power from the barrel, through the gear train and finally the escapement and balance wheel. This display of architecture is further enhanced by the company’s choice to use a small seconds layout, which simplifies construction, whilst making a more direct viewing of the mechanics possible. La Joux-Perret’s knowledge was utilised to enhance the beauty of the movement even further, using techniques like satinage (satin finishing) on the surface of the bridges, perlage on the main plate, colimaçonnage (fine spiral brushing) for the gears and diamond cutting featured on the balance wheel and the outer edges of the bridges. The finishing of the watch overall is rather spartan, but clean, with smaller details inviting closer inspection to those who are curious.

We at ISOCHRONO have long been fans of Citizen’s Eco-Drive Promaster Divers watches as well as the Satellite Wave GPS watches that have put high-tech features on our wrists for decades. Indeed, as most people begin their journeys into watchmaking, Citizen often comes up first on the radar. However, as you spend more time in this hobby, your tastes naturally gravitate towards the Mechanical, and it is here that one’s perception of Citizen seems to slip – in particular, the thought “why is Citizen not on par with Seiko?”, seems to crop up in the minds of numerous watch aficionados. If we look to the past, we see Citizen and Seiko duking it out, producing an unsung rivalry in the watch industry that encompassed mechanical manufacturing prowess, as well as the wars of chronometric precision between the two companies. Models like the Citizen Chronometer and the Grand Seiko Ref. 3180 “First” give an idea of how close this rivalry was back in the day. 

In modern times, it seems like Grand Seiko has embodied the essence of Japan in its entire brand – from its marketing, all the way down to the way the watches are conceived and built. On the other hand, Citizen have combined the best of their groups from Switzerland and Japan to show that they have a coalition of manufacturing power-houses ready to produce watches equally as good as anything coming out of Japan. This now becomes a question of the philosophy of watchmaking – is one truly better than the other? What is undeniable from Citizen is that it now has a product capable of going toe-to-toe with its long-time rival, and we cannot wait to see what the future of Citizen has in store for us.

The new release from Citizen, then, is a flagbearer of what can be expected from the company in the future. With its powers combined from Japan and Switzerland, Citizen have fired a shot across the bow of watchmaking companies, signalling that they are just as capable as the rest – if not, more. The Citizen Caliber 0200 not only brings a fresh, modern design from Japan, but it shows the rest of the world that a sleeping giant has awoken.

This video was shot by a Citizen fan who owns the watch, who like other watch nerds with perpetual calendars, waited till midnight to see this rare event happen and record it for posterity. Very cool.

Ok, so its not a mechanical perpetual calendar, but it is a very attractive and technologically advanced watch.

Have a look at my article to find out why:

Citizen SATELLITE WAVE GPS F990 – Time from the Sky

While Citizen has been a reliable purveyor of affordable and well-made watches, it has only been in the past two years since the launch of the Fugu that the brand has really turned its attention to the enthusiast market.

Not only was the Fugu a well made and affordable mechanical watch, it also had a ton of character, stemming from the story of how it was used by Italian Navy divers in the 1990’s and how fans of the original watch had given it the nickname “Fugu” meaning “puffer fish” in Japanese, on account of the shape of the bezel.

These were watches that were easy to buy, mostly because of its affordable price point but also because it possessed the bulletproof quality and reliability that we’ve come to expect from Citizen, and a set of useful specifications along with a compelling story.

Which is just as well that we now have the new Kuroshio 64 collection, a watch that follows the same template as the Fugu, this time taking inspiration from one of the iconic models in Citizen’s history – the Parawater of 1959 – the first Japanese made water resistant watch.

Instead of a tough and masculine diver, the Kuroshio 64, despite its origins as a watch designed for extreme use (in an era where many watches were not made for use underwater) comes across as more dressy and vintage inspired, which is a nice contrasting option.

Iconic Parawater

1959 was the year when the Parawater was introduced to the world, and it had come about as a result of intense research into making a watch that could be used in a place where watches had previously been uncommon – underwater. Certainly while the Swiss already had the water resistant Rolex Oyster which had already been invented in the 1920s, the Japanese did not have anything that could compete.

Realising the importance of creating a tough water resistant watch that owners would not need to take off, essentially for any reason, a number of Japanese watch companies had already embarked on developing one. It was Citizen however, that came to market first, having begun their research much earlier than anyone else.

Their solution was simple – to have the vulnerable portions of the watch case be protected by O-rings. A system of O-rings was designed therefore to protect the case-back, the crown and the crown tube, and with that the Parawater was born.

The name of the new watch was derived from the Latin verb “parare,” meaning “to prepare” or to “guard against” or “protect” and “water”, and thus the watch was “protected against water.” This is very much the same way that another Citizen innovation, their proprietary anti-shock system for mechanical watches, “Parashock”, was named.

The Parawater was a revelation when it was introduced as owners could now wear it to the beach or even perform everyday tasks such as washing hands without having to take off one’s watch.

Being that water resistance was an innovation that was hitherto unheard of in a mass market domestic watch, it became imperative for Citizen to communicate the benefits to customers, as well as to prove the claims that the watch was indeed water resistant. Those familiar with watch history will know that this was exactly what Rolex did when they first released their “Oyster” cased watches, and their marketing efforts were similarly provocative. The first thing they did was putting a watch on the wrist of long distance swimmer Mercedes Gleitze in her attempt to cross the English Channel, the second was to have the new watches submerged in tanks with live fish in them, displayed in jeweller’s shop windows.

Citizen took a different approach with the Parawater, and embarked on a series of unorthodox tests that would combine scientific research, a product test and the chance of a free watch for those who came across the bright yellow buoys that were set out to sea.

In conjunction with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, scores of watches were suspended below the water line, in these specially designed buoys and let out to sea at predetermined points, with the ocean current taking them away. Because these buoys were coloured bright yellow so that people who came across them could see them, and when they picked them up, the text written on it would assure them that the buoy was safe. When opened, they would find the watch inside, and instructions on how to report the location where it was found as well as a message telling them that they could keep the watch.In fact the most famous campaign was named “Kuroshio 64”, with “Kuroshio” being Japanese for “Black or Japan Current” – which was the subject under study and research with the buoys, and 64 standing in for the year that the test was conducted – 1964.

With these campaigns heavily promoted and advertised in magazines, the fame of the Parawater watch was made, and at this point, expectations of consumers were raised enough to want what it introduced – water resistance – to become a standard feature.

The Collection

The Kuroshio 64 collection that comes to us this year, takes its look from the original Parawater of 1959. If you compare the pictures of old versus new, you’ll realize that most of the look is in tact, including the shape of the case and lugs, arrowhead markers, dauphine hands and domed crystal.

The differences are the modern case size of 40.4mm, as well as lumed hands, and an improved water resistance of 100 metres. Interestingly, the original Parawater did not have a specified depth rating on it, nor did it use the words waterproof or water resistant. Instead the name of the watch “Parawater” was enough to denote that it was sealed against water. Citizen had tested it at the time, and the true rating was about 40 metres.

Another key difference is the dial design, embossed with a pattern that is inspired by ocean waves. A point that was made by Citizen, that the colours for the initial launch collection – dark blue, black, dark green, beige and silver white – were chosen due to the fact that ocean, in its varying states, can take in these various shades. That is certainly an interesting detail, and adds a nice bit of visual storytelling into the watches.

The new Kuroshio 64 watches also comes with Citizen’s own Calibre 8310, which is a nice movement with good features, that make it competitive with many other more expensive watches out there. The key features include a power reserve of 60 hours and hacking seconds functionality, which are things that we generally don’t expect in watches of this price point.

Design wish, the watches themselves are elegantly appointed and are the kind of watches that you would buy and wear for work, play or for essentially anything. The 40mm size ensures that such versatility as it is the sweet spot for an ideal everyday watch.

Initial variations that are available include a dark blue, black and silver white dial on stainless steel bracelet, as well as a silver white dial model on black leather strap and a dark green dial model on brown leather strap.

These watches will be available in various Asian markets from April 2020 onwards, with no limitation on all of them save the the blue dial on bracelet variant, which is limited to 1959 pieces – which is obviously a call out to the year that the Parawater was introduced.

Find out more at http://citizenasialimited.com

Before today, Citizen was the only major Japanese brand left to attend Baselworld 2020, after the departure of Seiko and Casio due to business reasons. Citizen’s exit means that there will be no major Japanese presence at Baselworld, a state of affairs that seems unbelievable. Citizen’s departure however will not be a permanent one. Like Bulgari, who was the first brand to announce their departure for the same reason, it will only be for this year and only for the reason of the COVID-19 virus. 

At this point, only Citizen and Bulova are the brands that are confirmed for departure from Baselworld 2020. We have no news yet on the other brands of the Citizen Group: including Angelus, Arnold & Son, Frederique Constant, Atelier De Monaco and Alpina.

However, as I wrote in my editorial a few days ago, I don’t think that it will be likely that the watch fairs will go on this year. Today, the exit of Citizen will mark a series of defections due to the COVID-19 virus. More brands will follow, there is no reason to put people at risk.

The dominoes are starting to fall, which I think makes the concluding remarks of Michel Loris-Melikoff, Managing Director of Baselworld (see full press-release below), wishful thinking at best.

Will Watches & Wonders and Baselworld be cancelled?

Press Release from Baselworld: 

24th February 2020 – Citizen and Bulova, are with much regret, withdrawing from the 2020 Edition of Baselworld because of the Coronovirus

“We deeply regret the decision of our friends in Japan and the U.S. to withdraw from the next Baselworld due to the Coronavirus. Loyal to Baselworld for more than 30 years (since 1986), the Citizen and Bulova brands, which belong to the Japanese Citizen Watch Group, have made this painful decision not without regrets, and have assured us of their return in 2021,” said Michel Loris-Melikoff, Managing Director of Baselworld.”

Norio Takeuchi. Managing Director of Citizen Watch Co. said: “The Citizen Watch Group strongly supports Baselworld in its project and transformation. We believe in the importance of a major event bringing together the entire watch industry.” 

This year, the Citizen and Bulova brands will try to make up for this absence with several local events in their respective countries.”

Michel Loris-Melikoff, Managing Director of Baselworld added: “We remain focused on the preparation of the 2020 edition of Baselworld, the set-up schedule remains unchanged, and we are looking forward to unveiling the many new features and new formats we are preparing for the coming show. As far as the Coronavirus is concerned, we are closely monitoring developments with the health authorities. We remain extremely attentive on a daily basis. To date, I can confirm that Baselworld will take place as scheduled from 30 April to 5 May 2020.”

Dive watches are a very popular genre and it’s easy to understand why. By necessity, there are made robust and legible and so can handle day-to-day use very well. Not to mention how they tap into that feeling of adventure latent in their tough, masculine styling, which just looks so cool under many situations.

Because of their popularity, dive watches can run the gamut in price from affordable all the way to the unattainable. But let’s be real, unless you are made of money, wearing an expensive dive watch for diving can oftentimes be inadvisable.Let’s preface this discussion, since what is expensive for some might not be for others. If you’re reading this website and are thinking of taking up diving, you’ll probably be looking at a luxury level diving watch to take with you on your adventures.

Yet, if you’ve considered this before and have gone through the training to get your diving license, it would quickly be apparent that this might not be such a good idea.

First of all, most of the good diving sites are in remote places where security is lax or non-existent and where wearing a recognisable expensive watch might open one to robbery or theft. More importantly, when you’re diving, you need to manage many pieces of equipment other than your watch that are usually more critical to your survival, meaning to say that if you’re concerned about your watch too much, you could die.

Really then the way that you should be thinking about your watch is that it is a tool, which means that it should be something you can afford to lose or can afford to give a few knocks to without anxiety.

If these issues are of no concern to you then wear your luxury diver as you please. For most of us however, we’re better off with something cheaper and easily replaceable. Yet the replacement value is only one issue. The other is functionality, so here’s a watch that in my opinion fits the bill better, as something to use for real diving.

A history of professional use

The new Citizen PROMASTER Eco-Drive Aqualand (BN2036-14E) comes in at a relatively affordable price of between $400 to $600 USD depending on where you look. There is a slightly more expensive 30th Anniversary edition (BN-2037-03E) – that comes with a pink-gold tone ion plated bezel as well.Citizen has been making diving watches for many years, and is the only brand that has offered a string of affordable dive watches with a very unique feature, a depth gauge, for a long time. In fact it was the JP2000 (Aqualand 200m Depth Meter) from 1985 – that was the brand’s first quartz watch with depth meter that started everything, with this model showing the depth via a digital display in combination with analogue hands for the time.

Later models, like the one under discussion, have moved away from the Ana-digi (Analogue and digital) format, and have started utilising hands to display both the time and the depth.In fact, it comes with the typical ingredients you’d expect in a dive watch: a large 46mm sized case, with a rotating, unidirectional, 120-click bezel, lumed hands and markers for low light legibility, screw down crowns and 200m water resistance. But it goes one better in typical Citizen fashion by sporting a depth gauge.

Yes it is true that it’s not a mechanical watch, which some of you reading this might find unacceptable. However, there are advantages to this functionally that I will explore later. Also while mechanical watches with depth gauges do exist, the full featured ones that display both current and maximum depth are relatively rare and priced accordingly. Even the cheaper ones that can tell only current depth (and not maximum depth) are still above the threshold of price that many would willingly want to abuse or lose.

The best thing about the depth gauge though is how it works automatically. As long as the sensor on the side of the case detects water, the depth gauge starts working. There are no buttons to press and no need to inform the watch in any way that you are about to dive. All you need to do is to rotate the bezel to align with the minute hand, as you would normally do with any diving watch, and descend.

What happens now? Well there are two hands that move together as you descend, pointing to the depth scale starting at 3 o’clock (0 metres), and going clockwise around the dial to 2 o’clock (max depth of 70m). At the deepest point of your dive, as you start to ascend, one hand stays behind, while the other larger one continues to follow your current depth. Have a look at this video of another Citizen PROMASTER model that works the same way for a visual explanation.

Since it is an Eco-drive watch, meaning that it is charged by light, you don’t have to worry about power, and all that you need to do is to check the power reserve indicator at the 9 o’clock position before you dive. This basically works the same way that a running seconds would on a mechanical watch, to tell you that the watch is functioning. Also included in the features list is an alarm that will sound if you are ascending too fast.

Real world reasons

One of the reasons why I wrote this article is because I encountered a diving instructor with over 20 years of diving experience who wears a Citizen PROMASTER Diver (the BN 2029-01E which is functionally the same as the one under discussion), who told me that in the early part of his career, he wore an expensive diving watch (let’s just say it was an iconic one and leave it at). He turned to the Citizen PROMASTER diver in the end, after realising some of the issues I’ve mentioned, and after a long journey to find the ideal diving watch which included several diving computers.

I’ll explore what he explained to me in more detail in the future, but suffice to say, why he dives with the PROMASTER diver is simple, the easy readability (compared to the digital displays of most diving computers), the depth gauge (that is effortless to use), and the fact that is is maintenance free, (not needing charging of the battery and so exposing the gaskets to potential failure). In fact the only thing stopping the watch from being perfect is a lack of a chronograph that can be used underwater for timing decompression stops. (Maybe he can look into the TAG Heuer Aquagraph that I wrote about here that can do that.)

Turns out you can win one of these watches every month till the end of 2019 in the Citizen “Save the Beyond” campaign in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the PROMASTER line, which you can enter via this website link below.

There are other variations of this watch available as you can see here, the 30th Anniversary model on the extreme left, a red bezel one on bracelet or even a bi-coloured bezel with blue dial model.

Ultimately then, it’s your choice. Get a watch that gives you more functions when you dive, or spend most of your time underwater worrying about losing or scratching up your luxury diver. Me, I’d rather focus on my surroundings to stay alive and enjoy the scenery. Enjoy the following views of the Citizen PROMASTER Aqualand.

[ninja_tables id=”2326″]

While most watches that are released are merely retreads and subtle variations on things that have been done before, it is a rare occasion when something comes along that not only captures the imagination, but inflames a desire of ownership.

Back in 2011 as I was perusing the news about the latest watches from Baselworld, I came across such a watch, one of the coolest I had seen in a long time.

This was the then-new Citizen Eco Drive SATELLITE WAVE H990, an ultra cool watch that was billed as the world’s first light-powered satellite synchronised watch. It helped that the watch was featured on the wrist of characters from the “Appleseed XIII” anime in a trailer/commercial made in collaboration with Citizen, further enhancing the already cool, futuristic and modern feel of the watch. I mean, how much more futuristic can a watch be when it gets its time from satellites?

Furthermore, it was the design of the watch that really inflamed my desire. It had a black stainless steel and ceramic case that had a bulbous pebble like shape, with green dial accents matched to green spiral coil like things that looked like antennas, making a watch that had an organic yet technological feel.

I knew that I wanted that watch immediately after seeing that trailer, as did many other people, who were clamouring in the forums about when it would be available. My euphoria was short-lived however. It was, I was to find out later, a concept watch, that had a limitation of 990 pieces and it was quite expensive, at US$6000, which I could not afford. All I was able to do then, was to write it down on a list of watches that I wanted, and try not to think about it too much.

An upgraded surprise

Imagine what it’s like when your dream girl from a long time ago, suddenly appears before your eyes looking every bit as beautiful as before as when you remembered her, but with far more intelligence, wit and soul?

Well, that was exactly what I felt as I sat across the table from the Citizen representative at Baselworld 2018 as he handed me the new SATELLITE WAVE GPS F990, a watch that superficially looks 90% the same as the original, but comes with radical improvements.The most significant change is a technical one, and accounts for the addition of the “GPS”  in the name. In the previous watch, while the time signal is obtained from satellites in the sky, there was no location information, which required this to be manually set, in order for the watch to show the correct time. Technically speaking then, that watch was “GPS-controlled”, and it proved a bane to owners of that watch.

The new SATELLITE WAVE GPS F990 however, overcomes this limitation, with the watch able to not only get the time signal but to know in which timezone it is in, showing you both pieces of information on your wrist. In this way of course, what happens is that when you land in a new timezone, the watch automatically looks for a time signal, and sets the new time by itself. This is definitely in line with what we’ve come to expect nowadays in GPS watches and is a welcome change.

Similarities and Differences

Of course 2011 was quite some time ago, and in the interim, Citizen has been working hard to improve the performance of their GPS movements. The new GPS satellite synchronised movement F990, is an improved version of the current F900, and doubles the speed of the minute and hour hand spinning with a new high speed twin coil motor. This, coupled with the world’s fastest satellite reception – at 3 seconds – means you won’t have to wait around long to get the correct time. By comparison, other GPS watches in my experience, can take much longer to acquire a signal – up 2 minutes in some cases. It also makes switching between home time and local time much faster since it takes the hands 0.9 seconds to spin each hour.

The Eco-Drive capability, Citizen’s light charging technology means no batteries are required, and the watch can remain powered in the dark up to a year and half, with the movement maintaining an accuracy of 5 seconds a month without connecting to satellites. Lastly, the movement also adds useful functionality in the form of a chronograph and an alarm function, features that the older version did not have.

In terms of the GPS, it is, in addition to the American based GPS satellites that we all know, also compatible with all Michibiki Quasi-Zenith Satellites (QZSS). This system was created by the Japanese Government and uses three satellites, in highly inclined, slightly elliptical, geosynchronous orbits, 120° apart from each other. These satellites are not geostationary – in that they do not remain in the same place in the sky. Instead, their path on the ground traces an asymmetrical figure-8 patterns (analemmas), which is designed to ensure that one is almost directly overhead over Japan at all times.

Other changes to the watch include the date window of the original now changed to a pointer hand date in its own subdial, as well as a lighter case made of Super Titanium (Duratec DLC),  Citizen’s proprietary case hardening technology with a Vickers rating of 1400Hv compared to stainless steel at 150Hv. This certainly makes the new watch noticeably lighter compared to the old version, which came in stainless steel and ceramic, and makes the large 48.5mm size case (same size for both) much easier to wear.

Aesthetically, the new watch retains one of the best aspects of the original’s design, the spiral parts that are accented in different colours (depending on the version), a homage to the centrally mounted coil shaped antenna from Citizen’s ground-breaking release in 1993 – the world’s first multi-band radio controlled watch. Meant to represent the wavelength of radio waves of the watch as well as the wavelengths of light that are the power source of the new watches, it is a nice touch that connects to the brand’s philosophy of continually pursuing technological improvements in accurate timekeeping.

Where it departs in looks however comes in the form of the pushers, which are a design detail that comes the Satellite Wave F100 of 2014, a watch that was released after the original H990. This watch had a sensationally cool design as it was angular and faceted, very much like the F117 Stealth Fighter plane. While the design ideas introduced by this watch have gradually faded from the Satellite Wave collection, one of the best design details that it introduced – the skeletonized pushers to adjust the functions – comes to the new F990.  

Perhaps it was good that I did not acquire the original H990 after all and had to wait 7 years for the new generation F990 to appear. After-all it is better in the ways that matter – usability and performance, yet keeps the best parts of the original – the aesthetics – the same as before. Even better, the F990 comes in 3 different colour variations, green, white and gold with a less stringent limitation of 1500 pieces each.

What will it be for me then? Well, given my history with the original, it will have to be the green one of course.

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