First Impression : Citizen ProMaster Aqualand DepthMeter (Model no : BN2024-05E)

 

Readers would know that I pulled the trigger on the Citizen Promaster Aqualand Depth Master, otherwise known as DepthMeter on 14th December 2014; and thereafter had been waiting for the arrival of the said timepiece. Having paid for the upgraded DHL courier delivery, I was surprised that the watch was still not here after 2 weeks. Checking with the overseas boutique revealed that they had mistakenly stated the watch as having available stocks, although the model was on back-order actually. Bummer...

By January 2015, the said model started to arrive in East Malaysia boutiques (although surprisingly, was still unavailable at West Malaysia boutiques). I checked online and the watch was selling at 10% discount from RRP : RM3,190 i.e. RM2,871.

I then checked with an associate at Alternative Channels Watches, whom helped me to source for watches from overseas on a few occasions. They were supposed to get a batch of EcoZilla Depth Master in December 2014 @ Mudah Advert, but the stocks were late and I was on the waiting list before I ordered from overseas myself.

(Update : I was informed that the 1st batch had sold out and the advert for 2nd batch was at Mudah Advert 2.)

As luck would have it, they informed me that they had received some brand new DepthMeter watches and asked if I was still interested to have one. I quickly confirmed and drove over to pick up the watch.

There were 3 types of boxes as per the following :

1) This was the basic Citizen Eco-Drive watch box. Nice but plain; although easy to keep.

2) This was the rugged Citizen Pelican watch case for the EcoZilla Depth Master. Nice but bulky, and troublesome to keep.

3) This was the latest Citizen Promaster watch case. It was classy yet rugged at the same time, and beautifully-designed. The steel inserts all over the case really suited this model well. I decided to choose this case over the other two types.

Citizen first watch with depth meter under the guise of Aqualand series made its debut in 1985. Ten years later in 1995, the Company perfected its Eco-Drive movement such that battery replacement was a thing of the past. Thirty years since the 1985 debut of Aqualand i.e. now in 2015, I have in my hands the Baselworld 2014-released Aqualand with Eco-Drive movement embodied in an EcoZilla behemoth case. Just imagine, a mere 35 hours of exposure to sunlight would power this baby for 6 months at a time!

Citizen reported that the case was inspired by clamshells, and a quick glance around its 52.5mm-wide case would revealed the similarities. The 2-piece construction were rather thick at 18.5mm, and looked tougher than the average Casio G-Shock and was reminiscent of my Ball Hydrocarbon. The 6 allen keys around the bezel added a touch of rugged toughness to the overall design, which I rather liked.

The many crowns and hands adorning the watch were not just for show, and had actual functionalities as per the following :

The hands were designed in such a way that they would be still evident even when located at the same locations. The designers had clearly thought things through when they were designing this marvellous piece. Divers would appreciate the Maximum Depth Memory and Quick Ascent Alarm functionalities at a press of the respective crowns, but desk divers like myself would note these nice-to-have functions as simply novelties.

With the technicalities out of the way, let's look at more life shots of the DepthMeter and the obligatory wrist shot.

The water pressure sensor was shaped like a gun barrel or rotary phone dial, and remarkably-unique from the other Diver watches in the market.

The main crown was signed with the Promaster logo, befitting its status.

The watch has a heft of a weight to it and you would know that you have this Godzilla on your wrist without fail. And it has real wrist presence as I had a few people stopping me when I was at Ikea earlier, just to ask about the watch and marvel on with twinkles in their eyes. I duly-refered them to look at Alternative Channels' advert themselves.

'

Being an Isofrane fan, I had rather high expectations for my rubber straps and other than the vulcanised rubber on my Ball Hydrocarbon, I had yet to note another rubber strap that felt good right from box.

And having owned 2 EcoZillas of the past, I knew from experience that those 24mm Citizen rubber straps on those watches were rather hard and unwieldy. But I am glad to report that the EcoZilla DepthMeter's 22mm polyurethane strap felt soft and comfortable to the wrist, vast marked improvements since the original EcoZilla's days. And that Citizen-signed buckle was simply bold and eye-catching.

And finally, at the bead-blasted rear case, the pertinent information had been laser-etched with precision. And the important "Made in Japan" status was clearly visible for JDM-lovers.

One of my previous EcoZilla was modded with adapters for fitting aftermarket straps onto it, and I checked if Suppaparts had since designed any adapters for this DepthMeter. And woohoo, so it seemed that Suppaparts had just only designed and fabricated the adapters for this model, which was available on sale at USD105 inclusive of courier charges. Having been exposed to Suppa adapters previously, I know that its quality should be top-notch to match the top dollars.

And yes, I would be making an order towards this adapter to fit some nice Nato straps onto this great watch. Enjoy these adapter pictures from Suppa, and I would update the review on the adapters pursuant to the order and subsequent receipt of the adapters thereafter.

And finally, for a parting shot of this very macho and interesting DepthMeter. Time would tell if it would achieve cult status amongst Diver watch lovers similar to that of the original EcoZilla; but for now, I am just glad to have this piece in my collection after such a long search and wait...

Update : 

The kids went to bed earlier tonight and I thought, "Why not... missus and I go for a night ride and catch a late night movie i.e. Liam Neeson's Taken 3?". And with a macho action-packed movie like this, what better watch to wear to the cinema but this huge Godzilla.

And wow, after the lume was charged up from the bike's headlights, it was glowing like electric in the dark cinema! This baby was really a lume-maniac's wet dream really.