October « 2013 « AZ Fine Time Blog

With the release of the new Promaster Satellite Wave Air series from Citizen, came 2 new models with a totally revamped design that is insanely cool, upgraded technology making for faster reception and eliminating the need for ceramics, and instead of being an incredibly rare limited edition, is finally available as a regular production item. Today we review the DLC variation, CC1076-02E.

The similarity to the original limited edition wave from a couple of years ago is minute. The sense of a 3D hologram for the dial is really the only trait the new Wave’s have kept. This time, the uniquely fashioned dial is made to resemble turbine jet engines fan blades, using 3 separate layers giving it a tremendous 3 dimensional effect. The sub dials at 3:00 and 9:00 are fairly simple, with 3:00 being a 24 hour indicator (synced to the main time) and the 9:00 sib dial indicating day of the week, power reserve and is also used for adjustments for daylight savings. The partially skeltonized date is located at 6:00.

The roughly 50mm hollowed out case design is incredibly elaborate, and inspired by the wings of a bird and plane in the sky, signifying its usefulness in flight. The other aspect element that adds to its bird like attributes are its proprietary super-titanium case, making it as light as a birds wing. This model also has a dark gray DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating, making it very durable. The hollow aspects of the case help in eliminating weight, making it 115g, and adding comfort, especially for such a large piece. At a measurement of about 19mm thick, it surprisingly does not wear this way as most of that comes from the thick domed sapphire crystal, which allows light to pour through the dial from all angles.

The strap on this model is what Citizen calls liquid rubber. The new material is starting to make vast appearances in Citizen products this year, as it was introduced in the 2012 Concept model (the Citizen EYES). The new Satellite Wave Air takes a slightly different approach as compared to other models using the same material, utilizing DLC coated titanium links actually wrapped inside the liquid rubber. The overall comfort is incredible, very soft and durable, and just has an impressive look with the titanium inserts exposed in the 1st three “links” of the strap. The wide buckle on this model is also DLC coated Titanium, keeping everything uniform.

While the orange accents of this model give a beautiful look in the daylight, the watch is fully illuminated at night using luminova on all indexes and is also heavily applied to its large hands. Legibility is key, and nigh-time reading on the Wave will be no problem at all.

So on to the functionality… The new and improved movement (the Eco-Drive H909) is made to connect to a single GPS satellite, updating the accuracy at least once every 3 days automatically when exposed to bright light. The reception can also be manually received by holding the lower right button for more than 2 seconds, and you can see if signal was successful on your last attempt just by pushing the lower right button briefly. With the H909, reception can happen as quick as 4 seconds, which is pretty amazing, and as long as 20. The need for ceramics was also eliminated with this movement, due to a new type of antenna Citizen provided. The watch is solar powered thank to Citizen’s Eco-Drive technology, and can go a maximum of 2 years in the dark before it needs to be recharged. To change timezones, you simply pull the crown out 1 click. Your second hand will indicate which city you are currently set for and you turn the crown either clockwise or counter-clockwise to adjust. From there, the hands will set themselves, and you shouldn’t ever have to worry about date changes, as the watch also has a perpetual calendar.

This newly released Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster Satellite Wave Air CC1076-02E is now in stock and can be purchased directly through our website for $2,650 HERE. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 1-800-486-3996.

Thanks for reading!

See our video review below…

See more pictures below…

One of the hottest items to hit the market this year from Citizen is their new Promaster Altichron series. With a high quality build, impressive functions, and very cool design, it appears that Citizen has hit a home run with these models, even though they have barely started to hit the market. There a two versions, on in a titanium finish (BN5030-06E), which is still yet to deliver, and the DLC finished version (BN5035-02F), which has finally landed at AZ Fine Time.

The Altichron is a name that dates back to 1989, but today introduces a new set of functions for Citizen. There is an altimeter as well as compass which are displayed analog, and the time is not effected when either are in use. So basically, you can run the compass or altimeter and the clock will stay running and still display time, unlike other brands with similar features.

The dial, while complicates, still remains legible and displays 10,000’s of feet at the 9:00 sub dial, 1,000’s of feet with the orange hand on the inner circle of the dial from 12:00- just past 5:00, and the 100’s of feet with the yellow hand pointing to its measurement on the outer edge of the dial. The orange inner rotating bezel can be used to set a reference point where your altitude starts. You will utilizes the upper right crown to turn the inner bezel. This way if you’re hiking a mountain, the altimeter will measure the altitude continuous for the first 5 minutes, then the measurements will be updated every 3 minutes after for up to 12 hours. Using the inner bezel, you can see how high you’ve gone on your hike. The altimeter is simply started by pushing the lower left button with yellow ring. The Altichron can measure anywhere from -1,000 ft to as high as 32,000 ft.

The watches compass is also very easy to use by pushing the upper left button with orange ring. This activates the electronic compass, which will always point to magnetic north. The inner rotating bezel also comes to use with the compass feature as you can use it to see your bearings. By adjusting the upper left crown to set the upside down triangle to where the compass is pointing, you can mark your scale.

The large case on the Altichron measures out at about 50mm wide and 16mm thick, but only weighs an impressive 100g due to its titanium alloy case. The DLC coating on this model gives it a matte color somewhere in between gun metal and black, and also adds to the scratch resistance. The watch is incredibly comfortable thanks to its unique placement of crowns/buttons and its liquid rubber strap. The soft and pliable rubber is a new material Citizen just introduced this year, and is a definite upgrade from the standard polyurethane. The clasp is also DLC titanium with a large and secure design. The crystal is a hardened mineral with anti-reflective coating.

Overall the Citizen Promaster Altichron’s are truly impressive. The BN5035-02F retails for $995, but can be purchased directly through our website for $746.25 HERE. The BN5030-06E is scheduled to come in within the next couple of weeks. To see our review on this model, please click HERE.