Citizen is dialing the clock back to 1985 with a new Aquatimer that celebrates 40 years of the enigmatic diver. The Aqualand was the first watch to sport a digital depth gauge, and one that continued a long tradition of dive watch innovations from Citizen. In the intervening years, the Aqualand has gained something of a cult following thanks to its unique design, which includes an appendage at the nine o’clock side of the case to house the sensors used to ascertain the depth. It was also on the forefront of the ana-digi design trend that’s been experiencing a resurgence in recent years, so it’s got a lot going for it, even outside the context of the brand’s illustrious dive watch history.
When diving, being aware of your depth is secondarily only to the length of time you’ve been at that depth. These two details go hand in hand, and that makes the Aqualand far more useful than a watch alone. The watch uses a digital screen placed at the top of the dial to display the depth as one of a variety of modes. It was also capable of sounding an alarm at a set depth or a set time, as well as depth recording features over the length of a dive. All stuff that we might take for granted these days with the advent of quite advanced dive computers, but the Aqualand offered a simple, innovative solution for rec divers in 1985.
The Aqualand has seen a broad range of variations over the years, but the general layout and concept has remained unchanged. Some refinements to the case and proportions have brought the modern variations of the watch into perfectly manageable territory, but there’s no getting around the unique elements of the design that make it something of an oddity compared to other divers. For its 40th anniversary, Citizen is taking inspiration from its past, bringing an unseen combo of a black dial, a matte grey steel case, and gold plated accents at the bezel, pushers and crown. The result is a wonderful take on the era from which it was born.
In recent years, the Aqualand has been reserved for Japanese domestic markets, but the resurgence of popularity among the enthusiast crowd has shifted Citizen’s view to provide more broad accessibility. This 40th anniversary reference will be available globally, and my hope is that it opens the doors for additional unique references to come this way down the line.
The new Aqualand is the reference JP2008-06E, and it will be limited to 5,800 pieces at a price of $595. It will use Citizen’s caliber C520 to provide accuracy to within +/-20 seconds per month. This module features a few more bells and whistles than original references, with a dedicated dive mode that will sound an alarm if your rate of ascension exceeds a certain threshold. I’m not sure I’d use it in lieu of a dive computer, but it’d make for a more practical backup than a time-only diver. Diving with one of these is a near term goal so keep an eye out for a full report in the near future. Citizen
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