In sure very particular conditions, one’s life may very a lot depend upon a watch, particularly in terms of environments people aren’t good at surviving with out assist. And that is the place instrument watches can, actually, play a significant function. Plunging ourselves into the depths of the ocean, as an example, is a high quality instance of the place we want just a little help. All through historical past, the dive watch has advanced from a easy time-only watch to a state-of-the-art laptop. There are some although, that may be labelled iconic, such because the Citizen Aqualand. Referred to as the primary dive watch on this planet with an digital depth meter, it revolutionised diving. Now, 4 a long time on, Citizen honours that feat with the somewhat cool Aqualand Promaster fortieth Anniversary Restricted Version.
We’ve gone over the whole historical past of the Citizen Aqualand main as much as this launch, so we gained’t repeat ourselves an excessive amount of, nevertheless it serves an important function within the historical past of diving. The Citizen Aqualand was launched in 1985 with Ref. C0023, and it was the primary profitable try at merging a dive watch with an digital depth gauge. Fitted with Calibre C022, the Aqualand displayed not solely time, but additionally the depth of your dive in a digital show within the higher half of the dial. The asymmetrical watch had a depth sensor on the left aspect of the case (not possible to overlook) and an array of pushers to navigate via numerous settings. Even right now, fans and collectors hunt for authentic specimens from the early days of the Aqualand.
To commemorate this monumental watch, Citizen principally recreates the unique. In an nearly one-to-one remake, the brand new Aqualand Promaster fortieth Anniversary Restricted Version is available in that very same 50.7mm by 14.8mm asymmetrical form. The case is made in metal, with a matte gray end similar to the unique. Again within the day, it was accessible in full metal (C022), metal with gold accents (C033) or black PVD-coated titanium (C029). For this anniversary version, Citizen opted for essentially the most placing of the bunch, including a gold-plated screw-down crown, pushers, unidirectional bezel and depth sensor to the muted case, much like the Ref. C033 from the Nineteen Eighties.
Checking previous (above, left) versus new (above, proper) aspect by aspect reveals solely minute variations up entrance, principally discovered on the dial. The now sunray brushed black base dial comes with gold-outlined luminous hour markers, outsized hour and minute arms (of which the latter is shiny orange) and a central gold-coloured seconds hand. The printing on the dial additionally reads “Citizen Quartz” up high, but adjustments from “water 200m resist” to “Diver’s 200m” on the backside. Up high, there’s once more the digital display for all of the capabilities the Aqualand is able to displaying, and surrounding the dial is a really steeply sloped minute observe.
The caseback screws into the case by itself, so no pesky tiny screws wanted right here. Adorned with a particular engraving to have a good time the watch’s fortieth anniversary, it hides Calibre C520. This quartz-powered motion not solely shows operating time, but additionally has a calendar perform, a every day alarm perform, a 60-minute chronograph perform correct to 1/a hundredth of a second, an ascent alarm perform, a diving timer perform, and, in fact, the depth indication. Battery life is claimed to be 2 years, and it’s correct to ±20 seconds monthly.
Worn on a BENEBiOIL ™ biomass-based black polyurethane strap with signature wave-section, the Citizen Aqualand Promaster fortieth Anniversary Restricted Version retails for EUR 497. It’s restricted to five,800 items worldwide and accessible as of now.
For extra data, please go to CitizenWatch.com.
