Citizen Promaster Diver BN0150-28E Review
I am always surprised this watch doesn't get more attention than it does whenever the subject of a good budget diver's watch comes up. It's an ISO complaint diver's watch rated to 200m WR readily available for less than $200 in the US (I actually got mine for about $165), with the added benefit of being a "set it and forget it" watch.
It is a great size for a diver's watch at 44mm and having a quartz movement allows for a thinner case at 12mm. While the bezel is only a 60 click unidirectional rotating bezel and not a 120 click, it operates smoothly and does line up well. The lume is great and is at least as good as the lume on my Seiko diver's watches, and the ice blue on the hands contrasts nicely with the green of the indices and bezel pip. On the Promaster I own, the second-hand lines up with each second marker cleanly on each tick.
The eco-drive solar cell holds its charge for at least 8 months according to the owner’s manual. I cannot attest to that, as I wear mine frequently so it is constantly charging, but I will say that I have had this watch for close to 5 years and have never had an issue with the charge running out. I have not ever seen the low charge indicator on this watch.
Two small complaints would be the lack of sapphire crystal and a horrendously stiff strap that is rubber only in the loosest sense. But those are very minor issues easily forgivable given the price of this watch. I have had mine for more than a few years and it has held up well with no issues. For anyone looking for a good entry level diver's watch, I cannot recommend this watch strongly enough.
Citizen Promaster Diver BN0150-28E Review
Yes
No
- Value
- ISO Compliant
- Eco-Drive
- Aesthetic
- Mineral crystal
- Stiff strap
LúmëgaudAnar is the correct spelling, and means time machine of the sun in Quenya. I've been collecting for a few years and have a decent collection of mostly budget and entry-level watches with a few...
Yeah they do tend to get overlooked quite a lot in favour of Seiko but they're so good. Nice work with the write up as well
Yeah they do tend to get overlooked quite a lot in favour of Seiko but they're so good. Nice work with the write up as well
Thanks!
I think that for just a few dollars more, the NY00 series is a better buy. Better dial work, lower profile and smaller case.
Honestly though, having owned at least nine different Citizen dive models, you cannot go wrong with any of them.
I do agree that Citizen watches are all good value propositions, and I have looked at a NY0040 in the past, but one of the points in my review is the "set it and forget it" nature of the Eco-Drive, and the NY0040 is an automatic, so it is not quite in the same grab-it-and-go category as the BN0150. That is just a small point, because getting an automatic diver's watch for less than $200 is certainly a great value! 😀 I just really like how I can generally grab my Promaster even if I haven't worn it in a while and it is ready to go. It's like my Seiko Arnie that way. 😂
I got mine (blue dial/strap) on Amazon last year for $168.00--bargain!
Got mine from Amazon for $169, June of 2021. Definitely an overlooked piece. Prices did shoot up I think after Seiko discontinued SKX. You could pick these up back in 2020 for $105-$119. Home Run purchase even at $170 IMO.