Citizen has announced US availability of the Promaster Dive BN0167-09W, a 44mm limited-edition dive watch that first launched in Canada and China last week. It arrives at $495, the same price point as the recently released EO2023-00W, but this one is a noticeably different animal in terms of size and overall presence.
I don’t usually find myself stopping to look twice at an Eco-Drive dive watch. This one is a bit of an exception, and it comes down entirely to the dial. Citizen is calling it a structural ink finish, a pigment-free surface that shifts between deep blue, teal, and flashes of purple as the light moves across it. That’s a super interesting technical approach, and in press photos at least, it reads as one of the more compelling dials I’ve seen on an Eco-Drive dive watch in a while. Whether it delivers the same effect in person is worth finding out.
The rest of the package is straightforward and functional. The 44mm stainless steel case comes in at 96 grams, with pronounced crown guards and a grippy unidirectional bezel that includes a luminous pip at 12. A crisp white chapter ring frames the dial and keeps legibility where it should be, alongside lume-filled indices and a bold handset. The date sits at 4 o’clock. The strap is black BENEBiOL polyurethane, a plant-based material Citizen has been leaning into across the line.
It’s worth noting the crystal is mineral rather than sapphire, which is a reasonable trade-off at this price but one that’s worth flagging for anyone shopping with scratch resistance in mind. Power comes from the Eco-Drive Caliber E168, which keeps the watch charged from any light source and eliminates battery replacement entirely.
It’s ISO-compliant and rated to 200 meters, so the tool watch credentials are in order. Production sits at 8,700 unnumbered pieces worldwide, a higher run than the 3,400-unit EO2023-00W, which should make it a bit easier to track down. The BN0167-09W is available now through Citizen’s online store with a 5-year limited warranty and a 30-day return policy.
The dial is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, and my curiosity about how it actually looks on the wrist is real. That’s probably the question worth answering before anything else. Overall though, I can’t get over how gorgeous this thing looks in press photos.
Co-Founder & Senior Editor
Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.
Date at 4.
Fixed! Thank you.
Sloppy write-up. The date window is clearly at 4 o’clock.
Sometimes I move too fast