Back in 1983, a mechanical Citizen diver’s watch was found at the bottom of the sea at Long Reef Beach in Australia. The specific model was a Citizen Challenge Diver from 1977, and after examining the extent of the barnacles and other sea life that had formed on its surfaces, it became apparent that the watch had spent several years submerged below the surface of the ocean. Despite the accumulation of barnacles on its exterior, the watch itself was still running properly and remained completely water-tight the entire time. As the company that built Japan’s first water-resistant timepiece, Citizen has a long history of producing highly resilient watches, and that original barnacle-encrusted model forever stands as a testament to Citizen’s world-class capabilities as a dive watch manufacturer.
To celebrate the legendary model that successfully survived years of constant saltwater exposure, Citizen has reimagined the vintage Challenge Diver with modern materials and movement technologies as part of its ever-growing Promaster series of purpose-built professional sports watches. Nicknamed the “Fujitsubo” (meaning “barnacle” in Japanese), the new model follows the overall design of the historic original, but it is now crafted from Citizen’s proprietary surface-hardened Super Titanium alloy and powered by an antimagnetic automatic movement for true ISO-certified dive watch performance.
Measuring 41mm in diameter by 12.3mm thick, the Super Titanium case of the Citizen Promaster Diver features the company’s Duratect surface hardening treatment for superior durability and scratch resistance. A thick chamfered sapphire crystal surrounded by a unidirectional rotating timing bezel protects the dial side of the watch, while a Promaster signed screw-down winding crown and a solid titanium caseback help provide the Citizen Promaster with a dive-ready 200 meters of water resistance.
The Challenge Diver is one of the most famous designs from Citizen’s dive watch history, and we are pleased to announce that the titanium Citizen Promaster Diver is now available at the Windup Watch Shop in both classic black (ref. NB6021-17E) and blue (ref. NB6021-68L) configurations. Despite their differences in color and the type of strap or bracelet fitted to the two watches, both versions of the Promaster Diver are powered by the antimagnetic Citizen Caliber 9051 automatic movement, which is based upon the popular Miyota 9xxx series and promises reliable performance, along with magnetic resistance up to 16,000 A/m and a power reserve of approximately 42 hours.
Citizen Promaster Diver NB6021-17E - Black with Rubber Strap
The classic black version of the Citizen Promaster Diver is the reference NB6021-17E. For a similar overall appearance to the original vintage example that spent several years underwater off the coast of Australia, the ref. NB6021-17E is fitted with a black dial and a matching black bezel insert. Completing the Citizen ref. NB6021-17E is a black textured rubber strap with a raised waffle-like pattern that is fitted with a matching pin buckle made from the brand’s Super Titanium alloy.
Citizen Promaster Diver NB6021-68L - Blue with Titanium Bracelet
The reference NB6021-68L is the blue version of the Citizen Promaster Diver that offers a slightly more modern take on this classic vintage dive watch design. However, in addition to featuring a rich shade of blue for both its dial and bezel insert, the Citizen ref. NB6021-68L also comes fitted with a matching three-link bracelet with a fold-over clasp that is crafted entirely from the same surface-hardened Super Titanium alloy used for the case of the watch.
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