Citizen Promaster BN0150 Review & Complete Guide
Citizen is a watch brand that is widely appreciated for its affordable yet durable and long-lasting timepieces. Amongst watch enthusiasts, it is particularly their dive watches that see the most popularity.
And this doesn’t really come as a surprise when you study Citizen’s dive watch offerings in detail and compare that in relation to their price.
Citizen’s dive watches are rugged and will never let you down. And because many of them have been around for several decades, they have established a more or less iconic status.
In this article, we are looking closer at one of them, specifically the Citizen Promaster BN0150.
Citizen Promaster BN0150 Review
Already at first impression, it is evident that the Citizen Promaster BN0150 is a sporty and rugged timepiece with great performance. And what a performance you get for less than 300 USD.
The watch will be able to handle virtually any hardship you subject it to. It’s a watch that is built to last.
The Promaster BN0150 is also appreciated because it has a design that makes it instantly recognized as a dive watch, but at the same time, Citizen has developed its own twist and design features of this model which makes it distinct and unique from many other dive watches out there.
Without further ado, in this article, we are reviewing the Citizen Promaster BN0150.
Citizen Promaster BN0150 case
The Citizen Promaster BN0150 is presented with a stainless steel case with a diameter of 44m.
Positioned at 4 o’clock, we have a screw-down crown that sits protected between two crown guards. The crown guards do not provide full protection, as the crown extends further, but its design would be too bulky and clumsy if the crown guards would be made larger.
The case design is distinct in the way that the case, dial, and bezel are what take up most of the property. The lugs are relatively short and don’t extend from the case a whole lot. The benefit of this is that it keeps the lugs from sticking out from the edges of your wrist, making it wear too large. The lug-to-lug measures 48mm.
In terms of finish, the whole case is satin-finished, which adds to the sporty nature of this timepiece.
Since this is a dive watch, it needs at least 200m of water resistance, and that is exactly what it has. With a water resistance of 200m/660 feet, it means that you can go swimming and scuba diving, and wear it for most water activities. The watch is also ISO 6425 certified.
As a dive watch should, the BN0150 features a unidirectional rotating bezel with 60-minute graduation markers. The bezel is made of solid stainless steel and has edges for improved grips on some parts. The bezel has a black aluminum insert with the markers printed in silver. At 12 o’clock, it has a luminous dot for legibility in the dark.
Sitting on top of the case, we have a mineral crystal, and whilst it is always nice with sapphire crystal, it’s certainly not something we can expect in this price range.
Citizen Promaster BN0150 dial
Looking at the dial, it has a very distinct design that is typical of many dive watches. This means a matte black dial with large hour markers and hands for excellent legibility.
The matte dial gives it texture and makes it appear as more of a tool watch. The dial has large applied hour markers with polished metal frames and luminescent material applied to them.
The markings and hands have a blue luminescent glow, whilst the bezel glows in green color.
The dial is monochrome apart from one detail which is the minutes hand. This has been made in orange and has a broad arrow tip. It’s a subtle touch that does a lot to the overall look of the watch.
Around the outer edge of the dial, we have an angled chapter ring on which the seconds markers are printed in white. The dial doesn’t have a lot of printing on it which keeps it clean, with only 3 lines of text, including the logo.
There are things that you can complain about when it comes to the BN0150, but legibility certainly isn’t one of them.
Overall, it’s just a clean, classic, and well-executed dial design.
Citizen Promaster BN0150 movement
The watch is powered by the quartz Caliber E168.
Some people, in particular enthusiasts, may be scared away by the fact that this is a quartz watch. But this does have some practical benefits. It also incorporates some interesting technology, which we will go into detail about.
The benefit of a quartz watch is that it keeps the accuracy much better than mechanical watches. They are also much more affordable to maintain and service.
Speaking of which, this watch uses Citizen’s Eco-Drive solar charging system which generates power for the movement via solar energy and ambient light. With that said, you won’t have to change batteries on this watch, which is good both for your convenience but also for the environment.
The accuracy of this timepiece is specified to about 15 seconds per month, but in practice, the accuracy is closer to +-5 seconds per month.
Citizen Promaster BN0150 strap
The watch is presented on a polyurethane rubber strap. Rubber straps go very well with dive watches not only because of their sporty nature but also because of their water-resistant properties. It also helps the watch to be worn on top of wetsuits without having to deal with diver’s extensions.
The strap has received rather good reviews as it is quite comfortable on the wrist.
Specifications
- Diameter: 44
- Lug-to-lug: 48mm
- Water resistance: 200m/660 feet
- Movement: Quartz solar caliber E168
- Crystal: Mineral crystal
- Conclusion
All in all, the Citizen Promaster BN0150 Review is a sporty dive watch with a distinct design that stands out from the crowd of dive watches. The Promaster design has been around for decades and has established an almost iconic status.
And with all of the mentioned specifications, it’s easy to see why this watch is so popular, and also why it offers such great value for money.
Despite its sportiness, it is surprisingly versatile and works just as great for casual wear as with more formal attire. Especially if you put it on a different strap, such as a stainless steel bracelet.
In this price range of dive watches, this watch really is one of the best options out there.
The Citizen Promaster BN0150 is available to order on Amazon.
