
Citizen’s Promaster collection is celebrating its 35th anniversary, having been created in 1989 to accommodate a wide range of professionals across land, sea and air. Citizen have released three limited edition watches that span those areas to showcase the full range. The land and air editions are eco-drive models with ana-digi displays, meaning they don’t fall under the remit of watches we cover here on Oracle Time. However, the new Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m 35th Anniversary Limited Edition is worth a closer look.
This limited edition diver has a very classic dive watch aesthetic with a 41mm diameter case made from Citizen’s Super Titanium with Duratect Platinum coating. The shape of the case is relatively understated with curving flanks and slightly faceted lugs, akin to the dive watches that were popular in the seventies. Which is entirely the point because it’s based on the 1977 Challenge Diver (aka Fujitsubo Diver), a heritage model that finds itself at the centre of a miraculous story.
As the story goes, the watch was lost at sea but was found years later washed up on Long Reef Beach in Australia, covered in barnacles but still working. I personally cannot verify such a story but that’s what Citizen tells us and regardless of it’s true, it makes for a good story and it’s at the centre of the 35th Anniversary Limited Edition.

The limited edition Promaster has a light blue dial, which is the main difference between this and the dark blue model currently in the range, inspired by the vibrant blue waters of Long Reef Beach. As a partner to that, the Duratext Platinum coating that boosts the lustre and scratch resistance of the titanium case is designed to conjure images of the white sand.
The Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m 35th Anniversary Limited Edition is limited to 4,500 pieces worldwide at an accessible price of £795. Sometimes you don’t need a watch to change the face of horology, you just need it to have a nice story that makes it fun to talk about or own.
Price and Specs:
More details at Citizen.