CITIZEN INTRODUCES AUTOZILLA THE ECO-DRIVE PROFESSIONAL DIVER 1000M…FIRST IN THE WORLD

PERLA ---PROMASTER has taken a step into unexplored territory. PROMASTER Eco-Drive Professional Diver 1000m is the world's first* watch to combine CITIZEN's proprietary Eco-Drive technology with 1,000 meter saturation diving performance Powered by light, the watch is built to withstand the relentless water pressure experienced by saturation divers at 1,000 meters beneath the sea. It's an example of CITIZEN's techniques and technology opening up new frontiers.

Saturation diving is a special type of diving that enables divers to conduct long-term operations at depths where air diving (scuba etc.) is no longer possible. Going into a large high-pressure tank on the surface, the divers absorb a mixture of oxygen and helium until their bodies are “saturated” with the two gases; they then transfer to a capsule. The capsule is lowered deep into the sea and the divers, dressed in atmospheric diving suits, conduct operations with the capsule serving as their base. Professional saturation divers can spend several weeks living in the pressured capsule.

Helium is the greatest obstacle when designing a light-powered watch for saturation diving environments. Helium gas molecules are so small that they can easily penetrate the inside of a water-resistant watch. The helium then drives up the interior pressure of the case, risking damage to the glass and to the movement. The watch must be sealed to keep helium penetration to a minimum. We exhaustively performance-tested every aspect of the Eco-Drive Professional Diver 1000m—its structure, materials, assembly technique and so on—to achieve both water resistance and helium resistance (mixed-gas resistance) at a depth of 1,000 meters.
This is a world first for a light-powered watch.