Citizen Promaster Aqualand

Steeped in rich historical origins, Citizen Watch Company dates to 1924 when the Shokosha Watch Research Institute produced its first pocket watch, aptly named the "CITIZEN". Then-mayor of Tokyo, Mr. Shimpei Goto, named the watch "CITIZEN" with the hope that it, a luxury item in those days, would become widely available to ordinary citizens and be sold throughout the world. The rest is, as they say, history.

Citizen has since evolved into one of the most widely available and popular affordable watch brands, whose innovative Eco-Drive technology harnesses natural and artificial light to power their Eco-Drive timepiece line. The Citizen Aqualand line, which launched in 1985, was the world’s first watch to incorporate an electronic, digital depth gauge, making for a dive watch unparalleled in its utility and sophistication.

The particular Citizen we have here is an Aqualand Promaster Reference C028-088077 - as seen on the wrist of French actor Jean Reno in the 1998 diving film Le Grand Bleu. Housed in a 43mm titanium and rubber case with a helium escape valve, a sapphire crystal, an unsigned titanium crown, titanium pushers, and a unidirectional, dive timing bezel, it features a luminous matte black dial with gold-tone accents, a matching Aqualand handset, and a digital, multi-function LED readout at 12:00. 

In excellent condition and powered by a quartz movement, it comes paired to a black rubber strap with ‘no deco’ limits diving strap with gold-plated titanium hardware. It even includes its original Aqualand ‘scuba tank’ packaging and hangtag!

Of course, we love ourselves a good, ol’-fashioned mechanical dive watch here at Analog:Shift, but the Aqualand is part of dive watch history, beloved by professionals for its purpose-built design and no-nonsense aesthetic. 

And what could be cooler than that?

In 1918, Swiss watchmaker Rodolphe Schmid established the Shokosha Watch Research Institute with facilities in Yokohama, Japan. He received support throughout the 1920s from Count Gotō Shinpei, a Japanese politician and cabinet minister, whose aim was to offer an affordable watch for the average Japanese citizen. This aim was realized in 1924, when the company released its first pocket watch, dubbing it, fittingly, the ‘Citizen.’
In 1930, Japanese and Swiss investors took over the company, adopting the name of its beloved pocket watch as the firm’s new name. Using technology from Switzerland, they grew Citizen up until the onset of World War II. Since the mid-1990s, Citizen has continuously innovated on new timekeeping technologies, developing atomic timekeeping in 1993, perpetual calendar and world time complications in 1998, and Super Titanium for casemaking.
Perhaps most notable of all Citizen’s technological achievements is Eco-Drive, a light-powered movement technology that powers many of the brand’s core product families. (An Eco-Drive released in 2019 boasted an accuracy of +/- 1 second per year.) Alongside Eco-Drive, Citizen also develops its own mechanical movements in-house, and owns several large and notable watch companies, both historic and contemporary, including Bulova Watch Company, Frédérique Constant, Alpina, and Arnold & Son.

Our Pledge

Analog:Shift stands behind the authenticity of our products in perpetuity.

Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.