Citizen Promaster Blue Angels Skyhawk JY8101-52L Review

[@raymondleung9271]

That watch band is one of the nicest I've seen from Citizen. The watch is so light because it's titanium. This is also why it cost more.

[@spirg]

Got one last weekend, and while I don’t disagree with you , ( had mine set up , including professional band sizing , in store ) , the watch is absolutely Stunning , on wrist !!!! Buying watches almost 40 years , this one is one of my top 2-3

[@degenerateWA]

Wow, a true watch master! I have been collecting for 5 years. Very excited to see what awesome pieces I will have at 40 years. I agree, it is a very stunning watch. Personally I prefer a simpler interface but that's just me. Overall it's light, tough, and cool. What else do you need.

[@johnathin79]

Durability 10/10. Sapphire crystal, titanium tougher & 40% lighter, automatic perpetual calendar (no need to set calendar every month), atomic time synchronization 43 world cities (always precise time), 2 alarms, timer, 99 min countdown, 2 schedules, dial fuel calculations, power reserve indicator (no more guessing), great illumination & backlight, digital & analog time, 24 hr 1/100 sec chronograph, 200 meter water resistance, anti reflective glass... so much to list. 9.8/10 overall. Size is a slight drawback. A little too tall.

[@degenerateWA]

I agree. As I said in the review it really is almost the perfect everyday watch.

[@johnathin79]

@@degenerateWA agreed it's plenty for everyday use, but imho u skipped selling points like perpetual calendar & was too harsh on criticizing things like price... sapphire & titanium are expensive, not to mention that there are far more expensive watches with WAY less features & quality material. Just want to say thanks again for the review. It was probably the best one I've seen on this watch.

[@degenerateWA]

@@johnathin79 I agree that titanium should increase the price but not at all for sapphire. If you look at the cost of sapphire, watch companies over value their watches based on sapphire crystals because it used to be a special feature in the early 2000's but now it's very common and does not warrant an increased price tag. This is why microbrands and Chinese companies are able to make similar level quality watches at a fraction on the cost.

[@johnathin79]

@@degenerateWA then u should look up "SEIKO ASTRON GPS SOLAR SSE005" or "SEIKO ASTRON GPS SOLAR WORLD TIME TITANIUM SSE109", compare features, materials & prices. I think you'll understand where I coming from.

[@renemartinez5164]

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[@termit520]

Very nice watch,this is not just a watch,this is very complicated and very serious measuring tool,beatiful thing...it is expensive but hey...sapphire,very good illumination,titanium,20bar WR....it's not easy,simple or cheap to make this watch. Great review Simucom

[@degenerateWA]

Thanks man!

[@176pav]

I own one but five more from the promaster sky family, this one is amazing...

[@billrympalski1712]

As far as I am concerned: This is my DREAM watch…nothing compares to it! Functionality is awesome! This watch screams: I MEAN BUSINESS!!!

[@adamle8878]

CITIZEN IS MAKING SERIOUS WATCHES UNLIKE SEIKO. ITS UPPER CLASS. THIS WATCH IS A BOMB BRO.

[@degenerateWA]

This one is a definite superstar. It really does have all of the things people want in a watch.

[@joestriker2100]

I agree about scrolling through the functions. I used to have a Navisail Ani/Digi, that was not solar, and it was much easier to scroll through the functions with the button, then with the crown.

[@slayerrules70]

Agree with you 💯 on the bracelet sizing! Pin and collars suck! Went to size mine without knowing,thought it was just friction pins. Nope. Ended up taking to a jeweler to fix my f up,lol. Badass watch nonetheless!

[@degenerateWA]

My feelings have changed over time. I've grown to appreciate pin and collars so long as they're executed properly. If the collar is in the center link then it is much easier to deal with.

[@eldestotador]

I have one, at first is kinda complicated to set the digital time and paired with the analog time...

[@billrympalski1712]

I’m adding another comment. The watch is Blue Angels “inspired,” as you pointed out. I don’t think Citizen’s overall, prime objective was selling to the military. Your 3 should be a 5. Also, if you pull down the manual PDF as I did, the instructions were clear to me. Your difficulty/dislike reading manuals should NOT be a factor/reason to reduce (indirectly - I felt) the rating. This IS a magnificent watch and, I maintain, WELL WORTH the price. Guys, if you can pull it off, get it! YOU WILL LOVE IT!

[@degenerateWA]

Appreciate your insight, and it makes sense. My grade remains the same simply because user intuity is something that I feel is an important part of design. I recognize that there will inevitbably be some complexity just from the sheer volume of functions this watch holds, however my goal was to let the viewer know that it is not a "beginner's" watch; it will in fact require some reading. It's a fantastic watch, and I believe my overall score for it reflects as such.

[@billrympalski1712]

@@degenerateWA I see your view. Thanks for responding.

[@DavidLee-uf5sb]

I bought my Titanium Skyhawk straight from the source, the Navy Exchange online.. Caught it for $572 with no tax on the V-Day sale ending 2-15-23.. Lolol

[@degenerateWA]

Hey that's not a bad deal. The NEX has some great sales every once in a while. The rest of the time their deals are trash lol.

[@MrJonreed7]

Thank you for your review, I just purchased this watch & I love it. When I saw it online it's described as having a blue face but it looks really black to me. Is it just me?

[@degenerateWA]

This one specifically has a blue face. In person there is no mistake that it's blue

[@MrJonreed7]

@@degenerateWA Thank you. I'm sending it back. I want the blue face.

[@BobMarley-be1vz]

Great review. I bought 1 yesterday.

[@degenerateWA]

Good choice!

[@ArniesTech]

Does this watch offer day of the week Display? I absolutely have to have day date.

[@degenerateWA]

It does have calendar mode which displays the day and date on the display

[@ArniesTech]

@@degenerateWA amazing, thanks for the quick reply! 💪

[@tarasmathers7423]

I'm a big fan of military inspired/tribute pieces, such as this. I'm really liking the basic "Nighthawk,"bj7000-52e. Have you owned that one prior???

[@degenerateWA]

I'd honestly say this is a great military watch period. A lot of watches try to be tacticool or cater to some military fantasy style, but this one is straight up an excellent performer in any field. I have not owned the Nighthawk, but I've been tempted many a time to order one.

[@tarasmathers7423]

@@degenerateWA LOL. I'm so tempted bro but the Rmalti RM001 is calling my name, and I don't think I could reasonably buy anything but that at this point, given my fixation on the Grand Seiko "White Birch," and short of hitting the lottery, it's probably as close as I will be to getting one anytime soon.

[@RampartPh]

seiko should create a line having the thunderbirds as their theme for their flightmaster. although the blue angels do have a better color scheme than the air force's thunderbirds.

[@degenerateWA]

That would be awesome. Personally I think anything military-themed is cool.

[@qualitylife5350]

Citizen eco drive sky hawk? :- 1) Which colour is the watch light? 2) What is the reason for night light showing red colour? 3) Does it automatically change 1 hour forward or backward automatically without manually setting?

[@BGRUBBIN]

1) orange 2) easy to see in the dark 3) no still to do that manually

[@Agency822]

Good review. I had bought the watch. May I know what is the band width?

[@jahciple]

Its 22mm

[@kenmalm6859]

Top Gun son. What about the alarm sound?

[@degenerateWA]

Typical digital watch alarm sound. I always forget to share that.

[@kenmalm6859]

@@degenerateWA Thank you. I'm getting one chrono24 at payday

[@phantomdracula]

Crème de le Crème messieur= Blue Angels🤙🇺🇸⚡️

[@degenerateWA]

A man of fine tastes👌

[@phantomdracula]

poupon grey lol

[@darlen7580]

Whatbis the digferwnce between s JY8101-52L vs JY8108-52L?

[@degenerateWA]

I looked up both of them and I can't tell the difference. They look identical to me. Maybe it's annotating which country they were manufactured but that's just me guessing. I would go for whichever is cheaper.

[@13sky19]

Since you claim there are Citizen watches of the same caliber in the 300 dollar range "easy", give me an example including a real time hyperlink. Titanium, sapphire crystal, new, and similar functionality. I doubt it will bring the same characteristics and functionality to the table.

[@degenerateWA]

CB5921-59E. Not titanium but that's okay.

[@austennight9041]

Man... Pin and collar again... why? I would take 3 points on the band for that alone Edit: I take that back. Just minus one point for the pin and collar setup on links. I was able to adjust the bracelet quite easily. You don’t need a second tool to push the collar against the Pin. The bracelet design does that you unlike the seiko prospex diver.

[@degenerateWA]

I used to hate the pin and collar system, but now that I am more experienced with bracelet adjustments it's not that bad. I think the biggest thing is knowing that the bracelet has a p&c system so that you don't lose any of the components.

[@austennight9041]

@@degenerateWA I forgot to thank you for your video. Normally I dont pay attention while removing links, but you mentioned the p&c so I was careful and at first could not find the collar, I thought I received a different model from the one in your video. Then it dropped from the link, almost lost the first one. Thank you, great video!

[@thomaslinton5765]

"epitome " or "apex" of cool.

[@degenerateWA]

Facts.

[@qualitylife5350]

Gg

[@traviswalker8933]

This is one of the most complicated watches I have seen.

[@degenerateWA]

It's actually not too bad once you follow the instructional video/read the manual. But they definitely could have made it more user friendly.

[@bluechip17]

If you follow the instructions it basically sets itself.

[@traviswalker8933]

@@bluechip17 if you sync it. But you have to manually set it the first time you get it and that is a pain.

[@lawrencefleischer1414]

@@traviswalker8933 There's no need to set it manually the first time. If you have an iPhone (or maybe an android phone) you can download an app called Clock Wave which simulates the signal from the atomic clock. All you do is place the watches antenna an inch or two from the phone's speaker, turn up the volume and run the app. Your watch will set itself as if it received the actual radio signal. It takes about 5-10 minutes to work in my experience. Try it. It's free.

[@traviswalker8933]

@@lawrencefleischer1414 I already try it on my Casio watches with Multi Band 6. But the thing is that the other features are also complicated to use besides normal time keeping.