The world of dive watches has been dominated of 42-45mm watches for quite some time now. I do feel that the watch world is finally changing towards smaller watches in general, and I could not be happier about it. I have a 18cm circumference wrist which I think falls in the “medium wrist size” category. But let’s face facts: smaller watches are WAY more comfortable on the wrist. When I saw Citizen’s new release of the 37mm Promaster diver, I just knew I had to get one.
Citizen categorizes this watch as a women’s watch on their website. A better way to describe it is probably unisex, as I feel a lot of guys won’t even venture into the normally “bedazzled” category of Women’s watches and therefore misses out on these.
With an actual case size of 36,5mm and a thickness of only 11,6mm this watch wears like a dream on the wrist. The lug width is 18mm and there is plenty of options to choose from if you don’t like the accordion rubber strap like me. The lug-to-lug measurement of this little diver is only 42mm which is quite compact. The 60 click uni-directional bezel has no back-play and has one of the more satisfying “clicks” I’ve heard. And it lines up! Take notes Seiko. The lume is bright enough to bother most people in the cinema so wear a long sleeve. It’s not Lumibrite, but somebody will probably still smack you in the back of the head.
The movement inside is a Eco-Drive E168, which of course is light powered. This watch will keep on ticking for 6 months in the dark before it needs more of those glorious rays, and it will do so with an accuracy of +/- 15 seconds a month. The watch features a mineral crystal, which I know is a turnoff for many watch collectors and I get that. But come on guys… This is a 36,5mm light powered tank of a watch that can even withstand the power of your shower! And it can do so for less than the cost of actually taking a shower these days. That’s why it’s a mineral crystal to keep it cheaper than a 10 minute hot shower.
All joking aside, I really feel that Citizen is taking a step in the right direction when making their diver watches more available for those of us that prefer the old standards of watch sizes. Yes, we are labelled as women in the process, but that really doesn’t bother me at all. I’ll gladly wear a 37mm women’s watch any day of the week!
If you like smaller sized watches and want a solid diver that sits fantastic on the wrist and keeps good time, I really recommend you check out the Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster EO2020-08E.
