Citizen, Japanese manufacturer of watches of virtually all styles and for every conceivable purpose, have just bolstered their formidable Promaster collection with an addition to their feature-packed pilot’s watch line, the Skyhawk A-T. With some notable updates for the more premium Promaster designation, the new Citizen Promaster Skyhawk A-T Limited Edition now features a lightweight titanium case, blue highlights throughout, as well as the familiar bevy of complications of its predecessor.
For those who enjoy a technologically driven pilot’s watch experience, the new Citizen Promaster Skyhawk A-T does not disappoint. Citizen’s light-powered Eco-Drive U680 movement, shared by both the Skyhawk A-T and the new Promaster Skyhawk A-T, is equipped with radio-controlled atomic timekeeping, a perpetual calendar, a second time zone sub dial (theoretically for UTC, an aviation necessity), and a power reserve indicator. An anti-reflective sapphire crystal is an upgrade over the non-Promaster models, and an impressive 200m of water resistance (double that of the standard Skyhawk) rounds out the list of features.
Where the limited edition Citizen Promaster Skyhawk A-T markedly differentiates itself from the regular model is in the inclusion of titanium in the case and bracelet, which makes for much lighter overall weight in a watch that could otherwise prove to be quite the wrist anchor given its hefty 47mm diameter. The bezel is in titanium as well, albeit with a DLC coating. Bright blue is used for the highlights on the crowded but surprisingly legible dial, including the seconds hand, and is in keeping with the model’s predecessors which each have a bright pop of color for accent.
Citizen’s new limited edition Promaster Skyhawk A-T is a perfect example of Citizen doing what they do well. They’ve taken a popular, capable, and practical pilot’s watch and improved it by boosting some key specs with materials like titanium and sapphire crystal as a limited edition. The Citizen Promaster Skyhawk A-T offers a lot of functionality and convenience, and comes in at a reasonable price of $895, not a significant amount more than the $775 for the standard stainless steel version considering the upgrades offered by the Promaster. While the Citizen Promaster Skyhawk A-T Limited Edition could be seen as a budget alternative to technical, professional aviation-oriented offerings from Breitling, for example, it equally has its own appeal and seems like it will present a solid value when it becomes available at the end of August 2017. citizenwatch.com