In August of 2022, Citizen launched the NB6021 series of dive watches under the Promaster line. This series is a revival of a 4 decade old mechanical dive watch design by the brand. The Citizen 62-6198 Challenge Diver series which was made from the late 1960s up until the early 1980s was the inspiration. Although there were many sub-variants, the vast majority of the models look perilously similar. It was ruggedly built with typical concepts and lines of contemporary dive watches of that period. What makes it noteworthy was a discovery of one of the watches that washed up on Long Reef Beach in Australia in 1983 coated with barnacles. Despite being lost at sea for a long time (that particular example was made in 1977), it was still working diligently when found. This fact sealed the legendary reliability of the design.
In the middle of 2021, Citizen launched a more basic revival of the Citizen 62-6198 Challenge Diver in the form of the NY0125 series. With stainless steel and mineral glass as core materials for the series, it was powered by the basic Miyota 8204 movement. I was immediately intrigued by this model. What caught my interest was the completeness of the design - a dive watch that is not as large as contemporary models found in the market right now.
Due to some other commitments, I delayed the decision to purchase one of the NY0125 series. This was a blessing as it turns out Citizen launched a higher grade version in the form of the NB6021 series. Built using Super Titanium, sapphire crystal and incorporating the latest Calibre 9051 automatic movement, this newer series is much more desirable.
There were two options available. I took the blue dial with bracelet model with the end-prefix '-68L'.
The History
The Citizen 62-6198 Challenge Diver is the basis for this modern interpretation. Note that the Citizen 62-6198 Challenge Diver is not just a dive watch but a cluster of series made from the late 1960s up until the early 1980s. To make things extra complicated, the vast majority of the models look very similar to each other. Citizen made a watch that ticked all the positives for a good dive watch. It was well liked and has a huge following.
Modern manufacturing techniques and modern materials allowed Citizen to focus on technical updates while preserving the look of the original design.
The Series
There are two models under the series; the blue NB6021-68L with bracelet and the black NB6021-17E with polyurethane strap.
 NB6021-68L |  NB6021-17E |
The tapering strap on the 17E looks elegant. I bought the 68L because it is better to get the bracelet and replace with a strap of your choice (cheaper) instead of the the other way around (buying the bracelet as a standalone will be expensive).
The Watch
The new Promaster NB6021-68L has a width of 41.0 mm across. Its lug-to-lug length is 50.0 mm and it has a thickness of 12.3 mm. Made out of Super Titanium, its a titanium material that has undergone Citizen’s proprietary Duratect surface-hardening treatment. It is said to not only be five times harder and 40% lighter than stainless steel, but it is also scratch-resistant, luster-prolonging, and hypoallergenic.
As this watch is part of the Promaster line, it is made for the professional market. In this case, it is for diving hence it is certified under the ISO6425 standard as a professional dive watch.
The blue dial has the typical analogue arrangement with minute markers in white lines at the edge of the dial, applied metal framed hour markers filled with luminous paint and a date aperture at 3:00. There are four lines for texts; "CITIZEN' and "AUTOMATIC" at the upper quadrant, and; "DIVER'S 200m" and "TITANIUM" at the lower quadrant. There is also a small Promaster logo at the lower quadrant.
The date window partially reduced the hour marker at 3:00. Framed with white paint, it doesn't disrupt too much the symmetry of the dial.
Protecting the dial is the sapphire glass which has a flat top, a domed underside, and a beveled edge. The surface of the sapphire has been given the anti-reflective treatment.
Unlike the original, the rotating bezel on the NB6021 is unidirectional. It has a 60-click incremental movement to complete a full rotation. Compared to Seiko's Prospex dive watches, the bezel action on the BN6021 appears weaker. The aluminum rotating bezel has markings every five minutes, with Arabic numerals at the 10-minute marks and a downward-pointing arrow with a luminous pip at 12:00.
On the side of the casing at 3:00 sits the unguarded screw-down crown. The crown is signed with the Promaster logo. Although staying true to the original, I would have preferred it to be slightly larger. Also, the number of twists needed to completely screw-down the crown is rather small which sometime makes one wonder whether the crown has been screwed-down correctly.
The lugs extend out quite a bit. Although the watch casing only has a width of 41.0 mm, due to the extended lugs, the overall length is 50.0 mm. With my 6.75 inch wrist, there is visible lug overhang when I am wearing it. Meanwhile, the lugs is 20.0 mm wide with no pass-through lug holes.
The 68L comes standard with a 'H' link Super Titanium bracelet with fold-over clasp, push button release, safety latch and ratcheting diver extender. There are solid end-links that connects to the lugs. As the clasp has no micro-adjustment points, the bracelet comes with a few half-links for better resizing. The addition of the ratcheting diver extender mechanism on the clasp is a pleasant surprise considering the price point this watch is sold at. There are a lot of machined parts.
The solid screw-down case-back is devoid of any graphics. Just information about the dive rating, the materials used, the serial number, the anti-magnetic protection level and a reminder that the watch should only be serviced by an authorized service center. The watch is capable up to 200 meter underwater. Meanwhile, underneath the case-back is the automatic Calibre 9051.
The caliber 9051 operates at 28,800 BPH or 4 Hertz and features hacking and hand-winding capabilities. It incorporates the use of anti-magnetic materials for the balance spring and other components. As such, the 9051 can resist against smartphones or any device with a magnetic field of up to 16,000 A/m within a 1.0 cm radius. It has an average daily accuracy of between +20 second and -10 seconds when stationary. It also has approximately 42 hours of power reserve.
Comparison Between the Original 62-6198 and the NB6021
Below is a comparison table between the original Challenge Diver and the new Fujitsubo. I only added areas where they differ.
| Model | 62-6198 Challenge Diver | NB6021 Fujitsubo |
| Material | Stainless steel | Super Titanium |
| Crystal | Mineral | Sapphire |
| Width | 40.0 mm | 41.0 mm |
| Height | 13.0 mm | 12.3 mm |
| Length | 47.0 mm | 50.0 mm |
| Movement | Citizen Cal. 6000 automatic, 21-jewels, 21,600 BPH hand winding, quick set date | Citizen Cal. 9051 automatic, 24-jewels, 28,800 BPH hand winding, quick set date |
| Water Rating | 150 m | 200 m |
| Production | 1970s | 2022 |
The Wearing Experience
I have a number of automatic Citizen watches in the collection. By far the NB6021 is the most comfortable of all of them. The size and weight (I was able to weigh the watch after resizing - minus 3 links - 102 gm) put it in a sweet spot that tick all the right boxes. Using more expensive materials and a higher frequency movement bumped up the selling price of the NB6021, but in reality, major changes needed to be made to differentiate this series from the NY0125.
The only gripe I have on the watch is its crown. It could just be slightly wider. I don't think this would be an issue as Citizen has already up-sized the watch by 1.0 mm from the original. The dimensions are not strictly 'original' anyway.
Below is a video of the watch on my wrist.
In conclusion, this is an excellent watch to have.
The Buying Experience
Bought the watch at the 10:10 watch shop in Mid Valley. If you bought in in KL, you will get the basic black watch-box. However, it you were to buy the watch in other jurisdictions, you may be given a display scuba tank watch-box. I just wish Citizen can just be consistent with this.
Specifications
Case & Bracelet Material: Super Titanium with proprietary Duratect surface hardening treatment
Crystal: Bevelled flat-top sapphire crystal with domed underside & anti-reflective coating
Band: H-link bracelet with fold over clasp, push button release, safety latch & ratcheting diver extender
Case-Back: Solid screw-down plate
Feature: Rotating uni-directional bezel
Diameter: 41.0 mm
Length: 50.0 mm
Height: 12.3 mm
Lug Width: 20.0 mm
Weight: 102 gm (after taking off 3-links during resizing)
Water Rating: 200 meters (rated for scuba diving; ISO6425 compliant)
Movement: Calibre 9051, automatic movement with optional hand-winding
Type: Analogue with three-hands, date function and hacking capability
Jewel: 24
Frequency: 28,800 BPH or 4 Hertz
Power Reserve: Approximately 42 hours
Accuracy: Between +20 / -10 seconds per day
Anti-Magnetic: Up to 16,000 a/m (approximately 200 Gauss)
Availability: 15 August 2022
MSRP: RM4,340; USD995; YEN121,000
Purchase Date: 8 December 2022
Vendor: 10:10, Mid Valley Megamall
Purchase Price: RM3,255
Serial Number: 282051279
Warranty: 1 years
Photo Gallery
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This is a very nice piece and the black variant looks even better. Warranty should be 3 years.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the post
ReplyDelete