I thought I would increase my post count somewhat by hopefully adding something useful to the forums by reviewing some more of my watches in my collection.
I have previously posted some reviews of the Citizen Skyhawk, Marcello C Nettuno 3 and also posted (and responded to) several for sale ads in the past. More recently I have been very quiet - choosing to read rather than interact with the forums (I’ve been the same with other forums I frequent virtually daily - reading rather than writing). However with the purchase of a new laptop which allows me to be a little more proactive on the internet whilst lying in bed, sat on the loo (c’mon don’t tell me you haven’t done that) and generally when I’m away from my lovely Imac, I now have the opportunity to get a little more active in my favorite forums again.
The Citizen Promaster Tough PMT-2731 - A Review
Design
This Promaster was released onto the market quite some time ago and has not been available new retail for many years. The case and bracelet is made from Duratect Titanium which adds a wonderful sheen to the metal and makes it surprisingly resilient to scratching under normal circumstances. Many titanium watches can have a cheap feel to them and sound wrong when handled but this watch really does have a quality feel to it weighs a little more than other ti-based watches.
The watch has a monocase construction which means that you can only access the movement via the crystal - the back doesn’t come off. I must admit I really like this touch and it makes it more unusual than most.
The crystal is a wonderful domed sapphire with what appears to be a non-reflective coating on the inside. This gives the watch a really nice rounded look to it and in many ways it reminds me of a vintage Rolex Explorer 1. I think the crystal on this watch is one of its most attractive features and makes it stand out from the crowd. So many watches these days have flat crystals which appear to attract fingerprints all the time. The domed aspect of this crystal seems to greatly reduce the effect of fingerprints and dust. I’ve noticed that I don’t find myself constantly wiping the crystal on my t-shirt like I seem to when wearing the N3 or Tissot Multi-Function.
The watch face uses painted rather than applied indices. The hour and minute hands have a generous amount of lume material and the watch has a very pleasant and effective blue glow which can last pretty much throughout the night. On initial charging with light, the Promaster glows as brightly as the Orange Monster but dims significantly after the first few minutes. Citizen don’t bother applying lume to the seconds hand as the power management of the watch stops it from moving after a couple of minutes in darkness therefore there would be little point in putting the paint on - fair enough.
The crown is screw-down with a nice machined edge which makes it really easy to grip. Whilst it doesn’t screw down quite as much as say the Marcello C Nettuno 3, it appears to work fine and doesn’t suffer with cross-threading. Once screwed down it’s as solid as a rock.
The bracelet is an oyster-style with a double safety catch mechanism which works really smoothly and feels secure. The really nice touch about the bracelet is just how well the endpieces fit to the watch case. The bracelet is an absolute cow to get off which is a real shame because the Promaster looks great on both leather straps and NATO’s.
Movement
I personally feel that the movement in this watch is really something special. Firstly the seconds hand falls precisely on the markers all the way around the dial. This is something that an awful lot of quartz watches fail to achieve - even some of the more expensive ones. The hands are electronically driven. By this I mean that the minute hand moves once every 15 seconds and the hands automatically rotate on one twist of the crown when setting the time. The Promaster is an Eco-Drive solar powered watch so the battery should never need changing. The watch features a perpetual calendar which effectively means that once set correctly it will always display the correct date - even for leap years and would never need setting again under normal circumstances. The movement in this watch is pretty accurate - I think we’re looking at about one second per month.
Bracelet
The braclelet is an oyster style with a double locking mechanism which works very effectively. Made from the same scratchproof Duratect material as the watch case, it’s nicely rounded with no sharp edges. The only real criticism I would direct at the bracelet is the fact that it uses collars and pins for removing links rather than screwed links but apart from that it’s spot on. The really nice thing about this watch though is that it looks great on just about any type of strap out there.
I love this watch. It’s quite hard to acquire one when compared to other watches out there. They have not been manufactured for some time and this increases its appeal in my opinion. It’s one of those rare watches that matches virtually anything you wear and its uses is appropriate in any situation - swimming, casual, formal dress and so on. There have been a couple of times I have thought about selling it when funds have been tight - mostly because I know it would sell very quickly indeed but I have so far resisted. If you guys ever see me advertising this watch on the forums, please post and try and persuade me to change my mind.
Comments appreciated but please bear in mind I have an eggshell personality :lol: :P
Nice review of nice watch, thanks for posting. A great "wear and forget to worry" type watch by the sounds.
I too have found the Duratect to be pretty well as amazing as advertised, my PMK65-2211 has been bashed on an aluminimum doorframe hard enough to peel off some Al but not a mark on the watch, very cool.
yes Duratect really is that impressive. In many ways I wish all my watches were made of this material. Truth is that I do like my stainless steel watches too. I rate this watch very highly and it is one of my absolute favourites.
Great review, thanks for posting! It's always interesting to read these detailed reviews from first-hand experience, since they catch all the little details that you never get from reading ads or (in many cases) fiddling with an example in a shop. The second-hand stopping in darkness (and hence, no lume) time setting and the increments in which the hands move are good examples.
Those are cool watches. If I was into quartz that would be high on my list.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Nice review. I have the earlier non-perpetual version. They are both distinctive and much sought-after models.
Good read/review almost makes me want to try one out ..
/vince ..
Wore it today at work. No worries.
Iv worn one almost daily for the last 9 years as a working watch.
Being an infanteer it has survived exceedingly well - I still love it.
Just read this review and I want one, have the AP0600 which looks the same also in Ti but minus the perpetual calender...looks and wears great
THESE ARE GREAT WATCHES. I HAD ONE A FEW YEARS BACK AND AM NOW LOOKING OUT FOR ANOTHER WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHTAND I HAVE ENOUGH POSTS TO BUY OFF THE SITE.
HI I AM STILL LOOKING FOR A PROMASTER TUFF IF ANYBODY KNOWS WHERE THERE IS ONE FOR SALE OR TRADE. GROOVYGRAMPS34
just sold the ap0600 model 2 months ago excellent watches,pity i wasnt a member then or i would have put it up for sale here.
Nice review Rick, thanks for posting. I used to have one of these in st.steel, that was a tough little watch. I have a different type of Citizen now which is also in duratec Ti and I can confirm they are very hard wearing. Very underrated watches IMHO
:)
Alan
I'm a big fan of mine - absolutely love it. Survived two watch-box major culls, so it must be good. Have mine on a NATO:
I still have this watch. Nearly sold it a couple of times - glad I didn't. I still rate the watch very highly.
Great review! The Citizen Promasters are fantastic - especially those with the Duratech coating. I own Rolexes and PAM's, but my PMT56-2732 is my favorite daily wearer - - - by far.
Lovely watch. I have been after one of these for ages! Your review has just made me even more determined to get my hands on one.
Great review! Now I want one of those ... :roll:
In my opinion the Duratect Tough range are the best adventure watches money can buy. Other watches come and go but my APO "Ray Mears" will always be by my side.
Great review Rick. I'm also the proud owner of one of these only mine's a PMU56. One of the best watches in my collection. I'm still after the bracelet for it though, so if anyone has one.................. :D
Thanks, good review & pic,s. Used to have one of these ebayed it bit of a mistake.
Great review! I have been looking for one of these for a while but then settled with the 100 quid on lookalike which unfortunately didn't kill the craving.. !! so if you do ever decide to sell... :mrgreen:
I really wish these Tough series Citizen watches were still available. Nothing else really seems to fit that same bill.
I have a confession to make. I'm afraid I sold the watch and got a Samsung Galaxy S Android smartphone. In many ways I do regret selling but I have to say that I love the phone and I have the other watches in my collection to fall back on.
I completely agree that Citizen should have continued to make this watch. It's a classic design and utterly timeless - rather like the Rolex Explorer 1.
I still have the Citizen Skyhawk and love that one. As it was a birthday gift from the wife is don't think I shall ever get rid of that one.
At the moment I'm getting into the Casio G-Shock tough solar atomics - from a purely practical point of view they really are hard to beat. I also still rate my Marcello C Nettuno 3 very highly and for quite some time now this has been my favourite watch.
Rick
Used to have one. Thank you for a great review.
Mine arived today :D
Just love the cushion shape and fantastic lume 8)
Love these on a nato, thanks for posting
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