Citizen Promaster Diver, After Action Review

Long post incoming

As you may know, every "SWISS MADE" male citizen has to undergo his military service. For my case, I ended up in the Swiss Air Force (SAF).  

After finishing SAF NCO school. It was time to get rid of my G-Shock, which I considered too bulky on my 16.5 cm [6.5"] wrist. The idea of having a mechanical dive watch had already occurred to me when I was an ignorant rookie.

My first picture of the watch, no cap.

Through  an abusive use of YT during the little free time I had. I came across a video mentioning this Citizen in such a way that I ended up ordering it. I had no hesitation in ordering a timepiece from outside the Vaterland. Just as some of the equipment comes from NATO member countries (our SAF F/ A-18, AS332 Super Puma etc.) Why not try to experience a great Japanese timepiece ? I’ll be honest with you dear Crunchers, I can't stand these "swiss military" watches.

Since then, this Promaster has accompanied me through my life as the Platoon Sergeant to my 105 days at SAF Officer Training School, which has to be the toughest challenge of my life to date.  This watch took just as much as I did, leaving several markings and scars on it. But after all, such marks on a tool only show that its use has been pushed to its very reaches.

Specs :

OG picture of my online watch dealer.

The watch features a Destro Screw down crown at 0800, 20 atm, an ISO6425 certified 42mm case for less than 100g, a Day/Date complication (ENG and DE languages), as well as a diving  20mm strap with decompression time indication and a total of 40 hours of power reserve. Who would argue that these specs don't go with military activities ? (we all know G-shock is better lol)

Only by deepening the passion we have in common for watches, have I discovered that this piece possesses an inescapable heritage within military watches. Which in a way made me feel more “military certified” when I put it on my wrist. [Compared to dudes having an Apple Watch & complaining that it runs out of battery lol]

Lume & low light environment :

I have my share of night experience, whether it's nocturnal exercises, guards, patrols or open-air bivouac sectors.

I've frequently used the Promaster's unidirectional bezel as a time marker, both day and night. The intensity with which the markers shone on the dial of this Promaster has always impressed me and continues to do so. Especially when it comes to comparing my other timepieces, the Citizen stands out as being the most functional and demonstrating the best longevity in a low-light environment. I went from a G-shock with a simple and small lighting to literally a small contellation of bright and clear full moons on my wrist. And I can’t even imagine what the FULL LUME model looks like. During moments of mental difficulty, I remember dissociating completely and letting myself be bewitched by the watch in the dark.

Promaster (bezel indicator at 0800) VS a certain Seiko Alpinist

@bakunawa808 had written a post on the subject of wearing one's watch during sleeping hours, and put forward motivations and reasons concerning the desire to preserve discretion thanks to a good, prominent lume.

In the dormitory, there were 10 sergeants, belonging to different platoons. We all had different missions and of course different timetables. And there was always some dumba$$ who managed to set an alarm clock two hours early and not turn it off. Sleep was short and sacred, and I slept with this watch as if it were my girlfriend or my rifle or my gun (my other girlfriends). I was always ready, and kept a close eye on my personal and mission plans.

Accuracy :

"If you arrive on time, you are late"

Common Swiss Army quote a recruit will hear.

It is clear that when we spend $250 in a mechanical piece, we should not expect performaces of exceptional precision. However I remember three times, where this citizen had fallen way behind the our Zulu Time (UTC) digital clocks we had in some rooms. There was even a moment when the delay in terms of minutes had brought me my share of remarks from a chief sergeant major. After that whipping I then started to readjust the time, and take this habit later in order to always comparing and correction it to universal time. It is clear that this watch was never meant for a great purpose in chronometry, but its performance remains sufficient for the use I made of it.

I therefore question this watch's ability to maintain a reliable degree of precision over a long period of time. There's no other solution but to adapt and live with it.

As I explained earlier, I used to spend my nights with my citizen on my wrist, and it's worth pointing out that this movement is extremely noisy when I make a fairly brief movement with my arm. I can't hide from you the fact that, during some beautiful nights after beautiful days tinged with stress and SNAFU moments : this damn oscillating weight would wake me up.  Shattering my dreams where every mission / task was truly performed on time :)

To this day, when I wear this watch, this noisy old rotation stuns me. But that's the charm of this Promaster, whether it's the lume, the sound or the stylish design. You're quickly reminded that you're wearing a tool on your wrist, and that you're ready for anything (if it's accurate).

AD OMNIA PARATUS

Haven't found better pictures, but I cropped and extra-zoomed these ones cuz I find them cool and to point out how the Promaster merges in a Military background. Thx to it's Marina Militare heritage.

Sig 550 and the P220 - standard issued weapons in the army. BTW i'm sure that I was posing on the pics to do some publications on watches.

Hardware :

It's easy enough to make an initial criticism of the fact that the glass is mineral and scratches more easily. However, I think it's the use in question that needs to be pointed out, as my watch is covered in micro scratches and it's not its composition that's responsible.

In my opinion, the most frequent scratches are due to just wearing in the military, carrying  equipement, or scraping against a wall, assault rifle, equipment pallet, a G-Wagon etc. And I'm in the SAF, I wonder how this watch would look after an Infantry or Panzergrenadier lifestyle.

The strap :

The decompression marks that I consider useless and which, due to a multitude of rubbings combined with my sweating, have started to disappear. What's more, on hot days, I remember this bracelet burning and damaging my wrist at times (poor me). Today, I wonder why I didn't think of replacing this bracelet. After all, there are a multitude of possibilities and pissible choices for a 20mm lug to lug. Just laziness, I guess.

The crown at 0800 :

Although I like to wear my watches on my right hand, which is one of the reasons I chose this model, I thought I'd be able to manipulate the crown with my left hand. But in reality I find it more uncomfortable and inaccessible, given that the crown is quite small in my opinion.

Closing toughts :

This watch soon became indispensable in the army, but """"useless"""" in my civilian life. In everyday life, I only wear it in cases of heavy duty or when I go to the sea or lake (if I loose / damage it, I'll be sad but not pissed). Now, the Promaster fulfills its original function as a sports watch when I'm on holiday abroad, swapping the uniform for a swimsuit.

In all honesty, this watch is steeped in military memories, and that's its problem. In my eyes, this watch is part of my uniform. And if it's any news to any of you, my homeland has a militia service. When I returned to the army last year for a month, the Promaster quickly went into the drawer. Why? Because I now associate this timepiece in my collection with making a considerable effort, and only put it on during field exercises or major logistical tasks. In my daily life as an officer, my biggest problems are solved around a table or with my pencil and paper. As long as I don't have to be on site with my platoon in the terrain, whether it's for a mission or a big drill, the Citizen isn't the tool I need to have at hand.

It pisses me off to damage another watch, but on this one, it beautifies it. After all, we're not going to complain about the charm of these vintage watches, scratched by time and adventure. ( I'm romanticizing too much here.) If I knew, I would have considered a Promaster with an ecodrive movement and changed the strap. Regrets - I don't have any, this Citizen is in my heart.

After Action, over.

Your Cruncher, Bad_storage.

PS. In the future, I'll maybe shorten the review, less blabla more facts & I have to improve my pictures