Citizen Eco Drive Promaster Aqualand 2026 200m Rose Gold Limited Edition Best Review Ever!

Citizen Eco Drive Promaster Aqualand 200m Rose Gold Divers watch Limited Edition BN 2026-00E.

The watch came in a sort of waterproof/dust proof box (there is a thick "O-ring" in the lid. This box IS NOT simply for decoration. Why? Well no self respecting manufacturer is going to invest in such a box just to put your watch on the dresser when you go to bed at night*. This box is meant to transport your Aqualand in a dry pre dive condition (see manual about pre dive condition) to your dive site. The ruggedness is also to protect it from shocks and bumps. On the subject of bumps and shocks, remember a rapid movement to this BN2026 can cause the rapid alarm to be accidentally activated!

*(Citizen suggests you do not wear this watch to bed)

You can also see this Limited Edition watch here too:

https://www.citizen.com.hk/html/en/products/promaster/marine/bn2026-00e.html

https://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/pandastore/e231967273432.html

I'm not a "desk diver" or an "office diver" (Even as a SCUBA diver, I hate these stupid terms/monikers) but I can see the appeal to wearing such a watch in the office. It "means business" to me and I have never ever thought the "Gold dress watch", no matter what the brand, is anything other than woosy poser stuff in the office environs. This watch spells action and we all know what that means..........Actually I take that back what I said about the gold dress watch looking woosy, what i mean to say is that some wearers of the gold dress watch at work think they are King Billy or something like that.

However, I would personally not recommend buying this model Eco Drive (or any Aqualand model) to be worn daily (even if you are a sport diver) or worn as as some sort of statement and not actually go diving with it and here's why:

Despite being water tight until 200m, this watch only needs to get a splash of water onto the water sensor (located next to the crown), or perspiration (according to the manual), and this can start the depth function working, in other words, start to drain your battery unnecessarily!

  Now if one is using it for a purpose of SCUBA, then I would think that that person would be meticulously following the pre dive maintenance and post dive maintenance of this BN2026. If you are wearing it all the time in the office under a shirt sleeve maybe, then this will greatly affect the performance of what is essentially an "extra" tool for diving. The reason why it has the "fuel gauge" is to allow one to unambiguously determine its power status prior to a dive, because during diving, the "juice" is going to be used up faster because the battery now has to not only power the time keeping but it also needs to power for at least one hour (depending upon the dive profile) the depth sensing circuitry and mechanical movement of the depth indicator hand and also that of the maximum depth hand. 

The Largish depth sensor too will be prone to getting "fluff"and "lint" into it which could, if used for diving  prevent its proper operation.  The fact is, while this watch looks cool, it is a specific tool for sport SCUBA divers.

The Aqualand series of watches IMHO are def tools and not really a practical everyday wearer.  It is even recommended that one does not use running water on it to clean it? I mean what is going on here? If you were to wear this BN2026 into the shower or pool for instance it would activate the depth sensing (nothing would be recorded though in the case of the pool unless you ventured below 1m). In fact, Citizen recommend that the watch be fully recharged after a dive!

More on charging below but remember: one needs 90 minutes of full sunlight to sustain ONE month of operation for this particular model. If this is not a daily wearer, then having it off the wrist is no big deal.

BUT all of this is ONLY my opinion and if one wants to buy one and wear it only in the office etc, then fair play to you, as I said it IS a cool looking watch.

In fact this watch has won the Prestigious Good Design Award, see here:

 and for me this was no surprise as the design is not only aesthetic but also extremely functional in all aspects of sport diving and super robust as well, because dive watches are going to take a beating by the very nature of the activities during scuba diving or even breath holding free diving.

https://www.g-mark.org/award/describe/40715?locale=en#2

Just in case the wearer forgets (LOL as if!), the Aqualand models all feature a Depth gauge. Remember as stated many times within the body of the manual, starting right at the front of the booklet, this watch is by no means meant to be to sole device to monitor the depth during SCUBA diving. Why is that? Because it has not been certified by any agency as a reliable depth meter.

BTW that small ring thing next to the screw down crown is the water sensor which sets the watch depth reading circuitry into motion once water covers it.

The above image shows the depth sensor (black circle with holes in it) and the two screw lock "pushers" that reset the max depth indicator and function to for example: (there are many functions listed in the booklet/manual for example: on page 25 English language section), 

"Checking the Alarm"

1 Press and release the Lower left button (B)- this is the right side button in the above picture- while the crown is in position 0. The maximum water depth hand indicates  the maximum diving depth at the last measurement.

2 Press and release the upper left button (A)- this is the button seen on the left hand side of the above picture- While the maximum depth is indicated.

The alarm sounds for 10 seconds.

The maximum water depth indication ends about 10 seconds after the alarm sound stops.

Press and release the lower left button (B) to stop the alarm.

Adjusting the calendar. This is weird but......

The date must be corrected on the first day of: March, May, July, October and December. Ok these are all of 31 days duration but so has August however, it is not included in the text of the instructions.

Carefully monitor temperature during full sun window charging or better still build a charging station for full sun charging.(coming soon instructions on how to make one!).

Facts and figures about this classic "Aqualand" Diver's watch.

The Citizen Citizen Eco Drive Promaster Aqualand 200m Rose Gold Divers watch (limited Edition 2026-00E), released in 2014 with a recommended retail price of 1259 USD. It can be purchased now for as little as  (at the time of publication of this blog): $645 AUS, $495USD, 361GBP and 409 EUR, in as as new condition, including box and all papers. 

This is a very, very cool and I reckon, now iconic Citizen Aqualand Eco Drive which will no doubt work its way into the "Aqualand Hall of Fame" along with the early iconic and much sort after Aqualand watches of non rechargeable Quartz origin.

There are many reviews on YouTube about the BN2026 watch, not this specific limited Edition Rose Gold version but about the BN2026 model itself. I was alarmed to read and or hear: absolute rubbish, nonsense, inaccurate, just plain fabricated info being touted for this model as if dogma, from people speaking with such authority as if they worked or work at Citizen LOL!

Now let's hear it from BCT, the facts. BTW it doesn't take much effort to acquire these 'facts" just a little reading about the watch from reliable references (Citizen documents and people who have actually taken this watch diving). So I can only figure these big watch YouTube channels just don't bother to do that or are simply sponsored by some jewellery shop to help flog the model, because Citizen are certainly not supplying them with incorrect information.

Myth Number 1

Let's start with what people (on YouTube land) are saying about the "cutaway hands", ie the the minute hand and the hour hand. Some say with great authority that "they are cutaway because, if and when they overlap with either one another or either or the both of  the depth indicator arms (max depth and current depth), one can see the depth indicators underneath!" 

This is not exactly such, ok Citizen say this:

https://citizen.jp/news/2014/20140508.html

I say/recommend as a diver over over 30 years.

If one uses this watch for diving, then like ALL diving equipment, the user should know their equipment intimately! And that means that for this watch, you must realise that the large rectangular luminous blue markers are at key depth points and one doesn't indeed to see the hands of the depth needles, even if the minute hand was not hollowed out (which it isn't).   

At what time can't you read the fuel gauge?

Approximately 10 minutes past 9 am or 21:00, the hour hand will be over the upper quarter of the fuel gauge. During these times or the next 30 minutes around the passing hour, one must make sure the gauge needle is in fact in the upper first quarter before diving as to guarantee an adequate charge of the battery.

Ok usually getting in the water at 9am anywhere is a bit late in the day for serious diving, especially close to shorelines as the weather if not fully protected by some cove will only be getting rougher as time passes. Commencing diving at 21:00 may be more common due to aligning ones diving with evening tides etc and or daylight saving hours however you will have had all day to essentially prepare, and that means checking the charge status. So the watch is not foolproof.

Super tough 

Above 2 Images from Citizen Watch Co.

 As mentioned in the video presentation, regarding the overlapping hands being hollowed out to see the underlying hands, I was maybe a bit too strong in what I said, yes, Citizen do in fact say similar in the Japanese, however, they do so carefully by indicating that to see the depth needle behind the hour hand (which has also been hollowed out) one needs to look for the "blue tip" of the depth needle, which slightly extends past the hour hand tip (when overlapping). Let's say for example you start a dive at 10:15am and within the next 10 minutes you are at 10m depth, the hour hand would indeed be over the top of the current depth needle and the 9at that point had u not dived deeper previously) the maximum depth needle would also be occluded by the minute hand. Let's say the minute hand had not been hollowed out, well from the depth indicator luminous markings, one could still easily see what depth one was at. The watch has been designed with a lot of thought in how it can be read under any circumstances a diver might encounter. They still need to be hollowed out to allow the maximum amount of sunlight illuminate the dial when charging.

They are also hollowed out because the solar cell in this model (and also for the 300m saturation divers watch, the BN017608E) is small and if they weren't hollowed out the cell would be "shaded" too much and hence reduce the overall effectiveness of charging the cell. No other reason! 

So the logic follows:, that's why the BN0176-08E (where there are no depth marking hands present, still it has hollowed out hands, that's right-to maximise light falling on the cell; and why the ECO Zilla (BJ8050-08E) doesn't have hollowed out hands because it has less electronics and doesn't require this design.

Myth Number 2

"The BN2026 can be used as your depth gauge during scuba diving" (see above). No, it can only be used as a backup depth gauge, as this watch has NOT been certified as a depth sensing device for SCUBA diving. Citizen are right upfront in stating this at the beginning of the manual. That is one reason why this model is NOT a professional diver's watch, unlike the 300m Saturation diver's watch, which sports much chunkier luminous markers, as it's intended purpose could see this watch being worn for 8-12 hour underwater shifts.

 Warranty

 For some reason the warranty was only for one year. I think probably based upon the intended use, which by its very nature, scuba diving can be quite harsh upon equipment even if the equipment is well maintained. For instance, the pressure sensor holes can become clogged with sand particles and or particles of silt and the watch must be cleaned immediately upon dive completion, the quicker the better ie on board the boat or at the shore back at the vehicle. 

Interestingly, Citizen do not recommend cleaning the watch under running water. My guess is that the water running, if the pressure is high enough can further lodge debris and or activate the submersion sensor once the watch is wet. Whilst having dived many times in zero visibility water, I don't think my Citizen Promaster Aqualand 200m diver will accompany me on "dirty dives but I will choose to wear  my 300m BN017608E Eco Drive instead.

The Band

The band is Urethane rubber and works very well.

Unlike the 300m Saturation Diver's watch band, the BN2026 00E's band prevents the watch from laying upon its case back, therefore this watch must sit upon one side and that side to me preferentially is the depth sensor side so as any water inside of it will drain properly after the dive maintenance (there are specific instructions to follow in the Instruction booklet).

In some respects this is a good thing as it is easier to make sure all water drains from the depth sensor.

The Bezel Movement

The bezel movement is loud and with a very defined "click" at each minute. Enough said, it works perfectly.

Place / Origin of Manufacture

The BN2026-00E id fully Made in Japan as stated upon the case back and the movement (calibre J250) is also made in Japan.

Rose Gold Limited Edition Aqualand BN2026-00E

What is the Rose color from? is it real gold? The base coating more than likely is a Titanium Nitride PVD layer. This in itself produces a "gold-like color" The question is has there then been a real gold alloy coated atop of the TiN? I very much doubt it otherwise Citizen would have said so and besides that it would wear very quickly if it was a real gold alloy coating. PVD of TiN produces the same gold effect but is very hard wearing and resistant against most things (but not all)

There are two coatings applied to the metal surfaces. The bezel has a DLC coating via a PVD process (see my other very detailed blogs on this process. The second coating on the main case is also done via PVD process.

Charging the Citizen Eco Drive Promaster 200m BN2026-00E

To effect a run time of one day the watch must be exposed to full sunlight for 3 minutes! This is one more minute than my 300m Saturation diver's watch. This makes sense as there is simply "more stuff to run" inside this watch. A "full charge"  will power the watch for approximately 300-340 days ie 11 months (no diving activity).

11 minutes are required on a cloudy day for 1 days operation.

Zero cooling in full sun is going to reduce the watch's longevity over time.

Be careful, like extremely careful charging ANY Eco drive watch in full sun unless precautions are taken to prevent overheating. What is overheating?. Any temperatures approaching 60C and above! High temperatures are the number one cause for a decreased lifespan of the rechargeable lithium cell in a Eco Drive watch, OR at the opposite end of the scale, inappropriate charging regime, especially for such a watch as an Aqualand where the operation of the depth sensor circuitry will decrease the reserve power much quicker when used at a high frequency of diving unless the watch is properly maintained. This watch is really a "tool" and as such should be meticulously maintained. The instruction manual clearly states this.

With any of their diving watch range, because the hands are generally oversized and even with cutaways on this model and similar, if the watch angle to the sun is too oblique then large shadows can be cast upon the solar cell behind the dial and hence increase the charging time despite being in the full sun. The rear section of the hands is especially prone to creating large shadows.  

Note the shadowing of the watch face due to the oversize hands.

Rapid Ascent Alarm.

A Rapid Ascent Alarm will sound if you ascend at 9m/minute. The alarm will continue to sound if rapid ascent rate is continued. The alarm will sound for 10 seconds after the 9m/min rate has stopped.

Rapid moving of ones arm may cause the alarm to sound. The alarm can not be disabled as it is a safety feature.

The luminous markings-Very unusual, multi-colored phosphors!

Straightaway one notices that the depth indicators from 50-70m are not painted at all with luminous paint? Why is this? is this because most sport divers would not be making a 40m plus night dive? Citizen staff simply forgot to paint the 60m and 70m makers?, I doubt that. This model is actually Made in Japan and my experience of living and working in Japan tells me that Japanese people as a whole take great pride in their workmanship. No, I'm going to believe they are not covered in luminous phosphor for some real reason and not because of laziness. It's like this for the other 2014 models.

You will quickly notice that the phosphors are of 2 types, green and blue (CaSr4Al16O29:Eu+2,Dy+3,La+3). -Sorry about the non superscripted charges-it s PITA writing these in the HTML for me! The blue phosphor is probably a Strontium Aluminate doped with a rare earths.

A note about the dial markings for water depth.

The watch is capable of measuring depth up to 70m. From 0-40m the increments represent 1m. from 40-70m the increments are at every 2m. The watch will not record a maximum depth if the diver is under 1m. 

One can see the differences between the "Professional" model diver's watches, such as the 300m Saturation diver's watch where the luminous markers are so bright you can read a book by your watch for at least an hour in total darkness (age dependent!).

Above image, the Citizen Promaster Aqualand BN2026 and below the BN0176-08E 300m saturation Diver's watch, "chalk and cheese regarding watch face luminosity after a quick blast with the torch/flashlight.

I'm not going to simply rehash the Instruction booklet. Suffice it to say, if you choose to wear this Aqualand Promaster Eco Drive watch diving (as an auxiliary depth gauge), then you MUST read the 67page (multi-language Instruction booklet) very carefully, as the Aqualand BN2026 has some maybe not so obvious ways to operate it properly. Soon I will be presenting what I believe (from 20 plus years of successful Eco Drive operation) are safe ways to charge this and similar watches in the full sun without causing over heating and also how to successfully protect the mineral crystal from scratching during "rough" dives. (video coming on this soon, or read my previous blog on how to do this).

The Citizen Eco Drive Promaster Aqualand 2026 200m (Rose Gold Limited Edition 00-E), is a very cool watch and if your a diver or collector it might be right for you!

But READ the manual as there is a lot of what may seem obvious stuff but none the less very important info to follow in order to get the most from this time piece.

BCT