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Citizen’s Underrated Sports Watches Are Extra Affordable Right Now

Don’t sleep on the Promaster collection.

Citizen Eco-Drive diver's watch with blue and red bezel and blue rubber strap on a wrist.Citizen
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By Brad Lanphear

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Within the watch community, Citizen doesn’t command the same respect as fellow Japanese horological titan Seiko, but it does dominate one category: affordable sports watches.

When it comes to practical performance, I’ll take Citizen’s Promaster collection over Seiko 5 Sports any day. Not only are the cases built with stronger durability and better water resistance across the board, but Citizen’s Eco-Drive quartz movements are far more reliable than Seiko’s 4R movement family.

a silver chronograph watch on a man's wrist
The Promaster collection features a ton of pilot’s chronographs, but the Navihawk is by far the best.
Citizen

Granted, comparing the reliability of a quartz movement to an entry-level automatic is apples to, well, rocks. But a quartz movement makes more sense in an affordable sports watch anyway because it offers exponentially better shock resistance.

While Seiko spent the past few decades focusing on making automatic movements as affordable as possible, Citizen prioritized the Eco-Drive movement family and has basically perfected light-powered quartz movements.

Citizen Eco-Drive professional diver's watch with black dial and rubber strap on a wrist.
Citizen’s Promaster line offers a collection of professional-level dive watches with 300m water resistance.
Citizen

From the 1960s pilot’s chronograph vibes of the Navihawk to the funky deep-diving “Ecozilla,” Citizen’s Promaster line is packed with fun, highly capable sports watches priced well under $1,000.

During Citizen’s Presidents’ Day sale, the bang-for-your-buck is even better thanks to a 25-percent discount on a ton of Promaster references. No promo codes necessary, each watch is priced as marked and reflected in the shopping cart.

Here are eight of the best discounted Citizen Promaster watches to get you started.

Dive in!

Blue Citizen Eco-Drive diver's watch with red and blue bezel and blue rubber strap.Citizen

Citizen Promaster Dive “Pepsi”

Citizen’s flagship dive watch features the type of bold, colorful, geometric dial that made the genre so fun in the 1970s and has come back strong over the past decade. It comes in a range of colors, but the “Pepsi” is the quintessential iteration. One of the best design features is how the date window blends in with the 4:00 hour marker.

Specs

Case Size 44mm
Movement Citizen Caliber E168 solar-quartz
Water Resistance 200m
Black dial Citizen Eco-Drive professional diver's watch with silver bezel and black rubber strap.Citizen

Citizen Promaster Dive “Ecozilla”

It’s easy to dismiss a 38mm watch as a wrist-eating monster, but the “Ecozilla” is a beautiful diving instrument that sits comfortably on the wrist. The lug-less, integrated rubber flex strap gently hugs the wrist, and it comes with a brilliantly simple pin buckle dive extension. Meanwhile, the over-the-top, pip-quipped steel bezel and geometric dial optimize visibility with style.

Specs

Case Size 48mm
Movement Citizen Caliber B973 solar-quartz
Water Resistance 300m
a silver Citizen chronograph watch with steel bandCitizen

Citizen Promaster Navihawk

The updated Promaster Navihawk features a case and dial redesign inspired by classic chronographs from Breitling and TAG Heuer, at a fraction of the price. Along with the sleek stainless steel dial, there is a military green dial and a polished bronze “salmon” dial. It has a slide rule bezel, with a liters scale that aligns with a kilometers scale on the chapter ring to calculate fuel usage (in theory).

Specs

Case Size 40mm
Movement Citizen B620 Eco-Drive
Water Resistance 200m
a citizen dive watchCitizen

Citizen Promaster Dive Professional 300m

The leveled-up version of the standard Promaster Dive line features a hulking 46mm case with 300m water resistance and a helium escape valve. It is fitted with a chamfered bezel that functions like a rehaut for enhanced legibility underwater. Most impressive of all is Citizen’s Caliber E365 Eco-Drive movement, which the brand claims can run for 365 days on a single full charge of the solar-powered battery.

Specs

Case Size 46mm
Movement Citizen Caliver E365 solar-quartz
Water Resistance 300m
Silver stainless steel Citizen Eco-Drive diver's watch with a red dial and luminous markers.Citizen

Citizen Promaster Dive 36mm

While it is marketed as a women’s watch, many men prefer a 36mm case to Citizen’s massive 44mm divers these days. What’s more, the steel bezel paired with a steel three-link bracelet is one of the best executions of the classic Promaster Dive blueprint available. There is a slightly pink tone to the seconds hand, but it is barely noticeable against the solid red dial.
Black stainless steel Citizen Eco-Drive radio-controlled watch with white dial and multiple subdials.Citizen

Citizen Promaster Navihawk A-T

This update to the Navihawk features a similar dial with an internal-rotating slide-rule bezel, but now packs a 1/20th-second chronograph function — displayed on the 6:00 subdial — and uses Citizen’s Caliber H800 Eco-Drive movement, which is regulated by an atomic clock via radio signals to stay accurate across 26 time zones. On top of that, it has a black PVD-coated steel case and bezel, and 200m water resistance.

Specs

Case Size 41mm
Movement Citizen Caliber H800 radio-synched quartz
Water Resistance 200m
Silver stainless steel Citizen Eco-Drive diver's watch with black bezel and black dial showing date.Citizen

Citizen Promaster Dive 41mm

Citizen’s Promaster Dive collection has always been sporty and optimized for the water, but this 41mm design has a more classic look that lends itself to year-round daily wear. It is the smallest case in the men’s line and comes on a three-link steel bracelet. It runs on an Eco-Drive quartz and has a 200m water resistance, so it is still a true dive watch.

Specs

Case Size 41mm
Movement Citizen Caliber E168 solar-quartz
Water Resistance 200m
Stainless steel Citizen automatic GMT watch with black dial, white markers, red GMT hand, and date window at 3 o'clock.Citizen

Citizen Promaster Air GMT

Citizen’s caliber 9075/9054 “true” GMT movements lead the industry in providing affordable access to the once-luxury-only traveler’s complication. The Promaster Air GMT showcases Citizen’s expertise in crafting large, functional pilot’s watches by incorporating an internal rotating slide rule, a feature typically found in much more expensive watches.

Specs

Case Size 44mm
Movement Citizen Caliber 9054 automatic
Water Resistance 200m
About the Author: Brad Lanphear is an associate editor at Gear Patrol covering watches and style. Before joining the publication, he previously wrote for Heddels and Men’s Health. Now, he’s on a never-ending quest to find the perfect pair of Japanese denim.

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