For late 2024, Citizen of Japan has released a new collection of technology-focused wristwatches that are easy to miss if you aren’t paying close attention. I was immediately intrigued by the Citizen Promaster Land with the U822 module when I saw early pictures of it. Citizen had been working on a new mid-range analog-digital (ana-digi) dial-based timepiece that appeared to bring some new things to the table while also emphasizing traditional simplicity (i.e. not a connected watch). I’ve now been able to fully play with the Citizen Promaster Land U822, and think Citizen is entering interesting territory. The U822 system improves upon more confusing and limited user interfaces of the past, but will still require a learning curve to understand how to operate it via just the three pushers and crown (which is also a pusher). While the Citizen Promaster Land U822 debuts in a few forms, the model I am reviewing is the pricier of the lot, the Citizen Promaster Land U822 JV1008-63E which was released to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Citizen Promaster product family.
Analog-digital dial watches have been popular since their debut in the 1980s. The idea was to merge the expanding universe of high-functionality digital watches with the aesthetic preference many people had of wearing analog watches with traditional hands. Both European and Japanese brands have released a number of analog-digital watches over the years – a style that is still very popular with Japanese watches but still shows up in the occasional Swiss timepiece too. I grew up with analog-digital watches, so I am always looking for novel varieties that capture the essence of a good ana-digi watch while expanding the functionality we’ve come to expect from them. Citizen very much attempts to do that with the U822 family.
Ana-digi watches make sense on paper, but are very challenging to get right on the wrist. Not only do the dials need to offer the legibility of an analog watch with the features of a digital watch, but they need to do so in a way where the features don’t overly compete with one another on the dial. Moreover, the user interface that allows you to use the features must be sufficiently straightforward, or else you end up with people who wear their watches but never use any of their deeper functionality. I must admit that I was not able to figure out how to enter the different modes on the Citizen Promaster Land U822 without referencing the instructions. I always like to gauge what elements of a system are intuitive and which require investing some time with the manual. In an ideal world, most users would be able to intuit the interface, which rarely is the case for Citizen’s high-functionality watches. However, once you get the hang of how their system works, it is rather straightforward. How then do you switch modes on the Promaster Land U822? I was stumped until I looked at the instructions (which you must access online and which are not included with the watch).
The answer is that you need to first press in the crown, and then you need to press the lower pusher (which normally activates the backlight) to switch between modes. Pressing in the crown is also how to adjust the settings, which is not normally how you’d proceed to change modes. Thus, rather than being able to switch modes on the fly, you need to enter a mode-switching state, and then switch modes. The available modes on this watch are 1) settings (to adjust the data), 2) the default calendar mode, 3) alarm, 4) countdown timer, 5) chronograph, and 6) world time. This is important because unlike some competitor watches from companies such as Casio, the Citizen Promaster Land U822 is a totally unconnected watch. That means it does not rely on connecting to Bluetooth or anything like that. Other than receiving light through the dial to power the Citizen Eco-Drive movement, everything this watch does is self-contained – and a lot of people like it that way. Many people who are against the connected nature of smartwatches and the various hybrid devices out there, will like the “autonomy” offered by Citizen in this new product – though you will need to be connected to read the necessary manual to understand how to use the device (just a slight irony there).
The most notable new piece of technology in the Promaster Land U822 is the move away from an LCD screen to a MIPS (memory in pixel screen). These use low power but have a much higher resolution and thus the ability to display more data than a standard LCD screen. This means the screen now features a more advanced menu system and the ability to move through settings and screens more clearly. The screen isn’t huge, so good eyesight is necessary. That said, I think Citizen did a nice job of assorting the information on the dial, allowing space for the rectangular MIP screen, two analog subdials, and the three central hands. The main hands are even designed to move out of the way when you are trying to access deeper information in the screen part of the dial. Looking into the dial is a glare-free experience as Citizen uses a flat, AR-coated sapphire crystal over the face of the watch.
One of the more interesting new features I liked in the U822 module is a light exposure meter that Citizen calls “light level.” I’ve noticed systems like this on some of the newer solar-powered Garmin smartwatches and wrote at length when recommending a system like it for the newer Tissot T-Touch Connect Sport hybrid smartwatches. In essence, the system tracks the watch’s current exposure to light, as well as over time. This is important because as an Eco-Drive quartz-powered module, the U822 relies on regular exposure to light for power. The dial of the watch even has a default battery power reserve indicator, and according to Citizen, the U822’s rechargeable battery will last for eight months to one year when fully charged. Going back to the light level system, it offers three screens of information. The first screen indicates the current light level using a scoring system to indicate light strength. The other two screens are graphs, and based on the watch’s daily as well as weekly light exposure rate. The goal is to make sure you are exposing the watch dial to enough lumens (ideally sunlight) to keep the system powered. As a “Land exploration” watch, the light level system can also be roughly used to determine how much sunlight the wearer has been exposed to (since humans also need some – but not too much – sunlight to survive).
Analog-digital dial systems like this always have some drawbacks. That means that none of the features are as robust or clear to use as on a full analog or a full digital dial. A great example is the chronograph system. When activated, the analog hands track the running minutes, seconds, and hours (up to 40 hours). There is no running digital counter. However, when you stop the chronograph, the read-out (with more precision) is indicated digitally. Why is there no running digital elapsed stopwatch information? Probably to save on power, but it also seems like an odd omission, and it shows how something as simple as a chronograph is made more complicated because of how both analog and digital elements combine together for this piece of traditional functionality. Also, while the overall luminant on the dial is excellent, the orange-colored backlight system for the screen (not a new light system) is relatively weak, but it still allows you to read the data for its scant two seconds of on time.
There isn’t space in a watch review like this to fully discuss all the functionality or the nuances of the Citizen U822 system. As I said, it is a general improvement both on Citizen operating systems of the past, as well as expanded with new features and functionality thanks in part to the MIP screen. I will however say that the world time feature, once you understand how to use it, is pretty effective and I like how you can easily see two timezones (along with information about what zones those are) on the screen. But if you want to know more than just the time, you will be looking at the screen on a watch like this so much that you’ll probably end up wishing it were bigger.
Having said that, reading the time using the analog hands on the dial of the Citizen Promaster Land U822 is a breeze. The dial is both attractive and easy to read given the high contrast and the excellent amount of luminous material applied to both the hands and hour markers. Adding an additional analog element, the dial of the watch has an inner rotating timing bezel that also has some compass markings on it. I don’t know how often this feature will get used by wearers, or if it merits the existence of the extra crown on the left side of the case, but it does show how Citizen’s core consumer for a watch like this appreciates bold style, outdoor autonomy, and features galore.
What about the watch itself? This reference JV1008-63E version of the Promaster Land U822 is more decorative and expensive than the core models. With that said, all the Promaster Land U822 watches will have the same case and dial design. The case here is in gunmetal-colored steel (sorry, no Super Titanium for these watches – yet), water resistant to 200 meters, and is 43.9mm wide and about 15mm thick. The lugs are 22mm wide, and this model of the watch comes with both a matching steel metal bracelet as well as a gray camo-style fabric strap (which is pretty cool actually). We see more gray camo decoration on the dial of the watch, and the bezel has the interesting texture of polished layered steel similar to Damascus-style steel. The non-35th anniversary versions of the Promaster Land 822 (so far) do not have the dial graphics, textured bezel, or interesting strap options, though they do cost significantly less.
As someone who likes vaguely military-style timepieces with lots of gadget-style functionality, it is hard for me to resist wearing a watch like the Citizen Promaster Land. The watch is by no means perfect and some of its quirks are apparent. It isn’t a traditionally pretty watch either, but it makes up for that in terms of its eagerness to have you go outside and explore with it on. I would love to see an extension of the U822 system in a watch without the inner rotating bezel and with a Citizen Super Titanium case. Citizen doesn’t develop new hardware without the intention of placing them in a number of future timepiece models – so perhaps my wish will come true in the years to come. This watch will be especially interesting for people who want the functionality offered, in a decidedly “non-connected” package (there is a very real market for that). Retail price for the reference JV1008-63E Citizen Promaster Land U822 “Promaster 35th Anniversary” watch is $795 USD. Learn more at the Citizen watch website.
Necessary Information:
>Brand: Citizen
>Model: JV1008-63E Citizen Promaster Land U822 “Promaster 35th Anniversary”
>Price: $795 USD
>Size: 43.9mm wide, ~15mm thick, ~51mm long lug-to-lug distance
>When reviewer would personally wear it: When an unpretentious macho watch is in order.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Outdoor or adventure watch lover who equally has a penchant for analog-digital watches from Japan.
>Best characteristic of watch: Real improvement on past systems, especially given the use of MIP screen. Lots of features. Ideal for those who don’t want (or can’t use) connected watches.
>Worst characteristic of watch: User interface fluency requires consulting with the instruction manual. Smallish screen and text not ideal for poorer eyesight (even though the analog dial is very legible). Questionable need for the analog inner rotating bezel. Weak backlight for the screen.
