Hands-On Shining A Light On Citizen's Darkest Diver

But it's also peaceful and serene. The 95-degree water lulls you into a hyper-relaxed state. There's no wildlife to look at and no strong currents to worry about. And on a recent Monday afternoon, the only thing I have to work out is how to keep my watch lumed up. Armed with a Sofirn SD02B diving light, I test out the new Citizen "Fugu" Promaster diver, and its bright full-lume dial has me under a Lumos-like spell.

The Citizen Promaster Dive Automatic NY0155-58X is stealthy. There's a black ion-plated coating on the 44mm case and bracelet and a full lume dial. Inside is the steadfast, hand-winding automatic Citizen (or Miyota) 8204. The most unusual thing about the watch is the left-hand crown placement, which has somehow eluded the "destro" label, probably because of the placement at eight o'clock.

It's the dial that makes this watch so interesting. There are a few modern watches that feature full-lume dials, like TAG's Aquaracer Night Diver, but that's in another price category entirely. For $695, I can say with confidence that the Citizen is a sweet deal. Gone are the days of brand-new Japanese workhorse watches under $500; in this brave new world of Seiko Luxe and slightly upmarket Citizens, $695 is a completely fair asking price. And the best thing about it is that you might be able to go down to your local Macy's and snag one, and I'm not being sarcastic. There's something romantic about the days when Americans bought just about everything from department stores and if you can take a trip down memory lane and leave with a new watch, why not?

The watch wears like an SKX diver, and that's not really a surprise because the case profile is quite similar. The bezel grip doesn't wrap around the entire bezel, instead, there are sections with deeply cut grooves that resemble the serrated edge of a Benchmade or Spyderco knife. It's easy to operate, but I think the contrast of the numerals on the bezel could be improved. They're hard to see even in full daylight. It's hard to see in pictures, but they're actually slightly tinted and greyed-out, making them hard to read. The bracelet has a zero jank quotient, and the clasp design is excellent.

I absolutely love the funky and out-there design language of the Orca and the Eco-Zilla for diving and water recreation, but those aren't the kind of watches I'd wear every day. What I enjoy most about the NY0155-58X (someone's got to come up with a nickname for the all-black model; Fugu applies to the whole range) is that it can pull double duty as a casual watch and a proper piece of the dive kit. To my mind, this is Citizen's direct answer to the SKX007. Specs, including the 200M WR, are right in line with the discontinued classic. If you're a fan of the legendary Seiko, then you'll enjoy the whole package of the NY0155-58X. Ignore the tribalism and appreciate Star Wars and Star Trek for what they each offer. Same with Citizen and Seiko.

And the best part about the watch, besides the dial? The fantastic pufferfish engraving on the caseback. The flesh of the fish contains tetrodotoxin and can easily kill a human if not prepared properly before consumption. In Japan, it's called fugu and considered a delicacy. Special training is required to serve it.

I chose The Crater as a testbed for the watch because I wanted to take in the full glory of the lume in a dark environment. Once we were in the water, the plan was simple: descend straight down to 65 ft. and just hang out and play with flashlights and watches underwater where it was darkest, and then circle the perimeter of the cave as we ascended. To anyone outside this world, it might sound incredibly nerdy and strange, but I have to say, hanging out in the darkness and training the beam of the dive light on the dial of the watch for 20 seconds and then shutting it off and watching the dial just light up the blackness is almost therapeutic. It delivers a child-like sense of joy that I'm not sure I've had in the water before. It's kind of like experiencing the soothing nature of a sensory deprivation tank while also activating that primal infatuation with a bright campfire.

My dive buddy (and real-life buddy) Will and I used up about 1500psi worth of air just hanging out on the bottom and messing around with the watch and the Sofirn SD02B light, while James Roh, who shot this piece, eked out some great shots in really low light. Three fellows in their 30s, all having way more fun than they should be messing around with glowing watches and other gadgets at the bottom of a spring.

That's the beauty of the Citizen NY0155-58X. The watch is just fun as hell for a reasonable sum of money. Citizen is en fuego lately with their new releases, and to me, the NY0155-58X shines brightest.