Citizen Aqualand will it work for freediving

[cigarlung]

I like the price on the Aqualand watch I know this not a freedive watch however has anyone had any experience with the Citizen Aqualand. Please note I have no interest in any more expensive freedive model watch I am a cheap freediver and hate the idea of freediving being expensive. Thanks cigarlung should change my moniker to cheapdiver

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Years ago I used one for freediving and it was better than nothing, but barely. For instance, it treats a day of freedive spearfishing as one long scuba dive with surface intervals. Say your first dive is 1:20. It will show a time of 1:20 after the first dive, but then stop counting time when you surface. Then on your second dive, it starts counting again from 1:20. After your second dive, it might read 2:15. You have to do the math to find out how long that second dive was.

And for one of the most important functions of a freedive watch, surface interval, its also almost useless.

 

[Don Paul]

I used the first model for 10 years, I never missed my swim back to the boat for lunch ever. On dives I would just use the Max Depth alarm and the stop watch for surface interval, as long as a big fish didn't swim under me, then I promised myself to time the ''next'' dive for sure.

Cheers, Don

 

[cigarlung]

Thankyou Bill and Don. Bill I must say I get a kick out of you on Spearboard and how you stir things up for thought and how crazy the right wingers get. Hope you continue to stir Thanks again guys, Rob Bowen

 

[sross]

has anyone had any experience with the Citizen Aqualand

Which Aqualand model were you thinking of, CL?

I use an older model that is no longer manufactured (the "Duplex" C500 movement)

works nicely for me.

I had a look at the newer analogue/digital model, couldn't figure out how it could actually be used for freediving, so took a pass on that model.

My son has an all-digital Hyper Aqualand which is a great SCUBA watch, impossible to use for freediving.

The Cyber Aqualand is all-digital, has a freediving mode, costs a fortune.

I personally find analogue/digital combo watches are best for my style, so I just keep on using my trusty old Duplex.

Steve

 

[Jon]

Rob,

I bought one when they first came out to use as a back up for scuba diving. When I freedove with it it worked out OK as a small depth gauge, but it has no real surface interval calculations. Still, it saved my but on some long deco dives when my computer died on me- which proves why table back-ups are essential.

Around the time that it died Aqualung came out with the Sunnto Spyder (which was eventually upgraded to a Stinger, and is now a D4) and I switched over to that model. The Spyder was useless, as it went through batteries at a ferocious pace, but the Stinger worked OK.

If you found one cheap, and did the surface interval counting on your own, it should work for you for now.

Jon

 

[cigarlung]

The watch model I have been looking at is Promaster Eco Drive JV00000-28 E. I like the look and price hope the watch would last r/t my typical watch costing 20 bucks and lasting 2 or 3 years I have Seiko currently bought it for 140 bucks has lasted for 7 years. This is pure want I can not justify it thanks S Ross thanks Jon Cheap Diver

 

[sross]

Rob,

I bought one when they first came out to use as a back up for scuba diving. When I freedove with it it worked out OK as a small depth gauge, but it has no real surface interval calculations. Still, it saved my but on some long deco dives when my computer died on me- which proves why table back-ups are essential.
Jon

Hi Jon,

My Aqualand Duplex can be used to do depth & time logging, plus it has a depth alarm, and there are 2 ways to time surface interval with it:

i) you can manually switch it to the chrono function & use the digital chronograph to time your surface time, or

ii) the lazy way is to use the rotating bezel to manually time your surface interval.

I personally use the rotating elapsed time bezel to keep track of my total time out & use the chrono for surface intervals.

As far as I know, this ability to manually switch to the chrono while you're at the surface is a quirk of the C500 dive watch movement. All the other Aqualands I've looked, including the JV0000 series, at force you to stay in dive mode when the watch is in the water, even at the surface.

Having said all that. The JV0000-28E is a really cool watch with a lot of great features, especially the fact that it doesn't need periodic battery replacement. I've played with that watch a few times, and would say that it is well-built, has a quality look and feel, and if you want a standout watch that doesn't look boring, you couldn't get a better item. Since the JV0000-28E doesn't even have an elapsed time bezel, though, and can't be put into chrono mode while it's in the water, it can't be used at all for surface interval timing.

 

[Jon]

I'm not up to date on the latest models. The on I had I bought 20 years ago and died 10 years ago. I remember that a replacement wrist band for it was $50 back then and I couldn't believe the price.

The batteries did last longer than my sunnto Spyder, Sunnto Stinger, and Sunnto D3. These days I'm using a Cressi Edy II and I can change my own batteries. I wanted to buy an F10, but they took so long to come out that I went ahead and bought the Cressi to use in the meantime. That watch has been serving me well and I'm not about to upgrade anytime soon.

Jon

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I guess I should say that my impressions are not exactly current either. I think mine was called a HyperAqualand II. It was completely digital.

But then the Suunto D3 came along, and I've had mine for 7 years now. I dread the day that it dies, because there doesn't seem to be a good current replacement. The D4 is way more expensive and has scuba features that I don't need, and that other new freedive-only watch (the name escapes me right now) seems to have a lot of problems if we can believe the threads on it.

 

[sross]

My son has the Hyper Aqualand II. It's Citizen's old style digital dive watch. As far as I can tell, because of programming limitations on sample rate, and lack of ability to time surface intervals, it's not really useful for freediving.

The newer digital dive model is the Cyber Aqualand, though, and it has a very nice freediving mode. IT also has the nifty feature of having rechargeable internal batteries, and they can be recharged through the computer interface module. No battery changing issues.

Cost is another matter, though. Cost for a new watch is $800-$1100, and even on eBay people are asking & getting $400 for used ones in good condition. You also have to buy the computer interface separately. So you'll spend way more than you would for a conventional dive computer unit, but where else can you get a cool-looking real digital watch with all the watch stuff like chrono, world time, etc., but that also does every kind of diving from freediving through to nitrox?

 

[Bill McIntyre]

The newer digital dive model is the Cyber Aqualand, though, and it has a very nice freediving mode. IT also has the nifty feature of having rechargeable internal batteries, and they can be recharged through the computer interface module. No battery changing issues.

Cost is another matter, though. Cost for a new watch is $800-$1100, and even on eBay people are asking & getting $400 for used ones in good condition. You also have to buy the computer interface separately. So you'll spend way more than you would for a conventional dive computer unit, but where else can you get a cool-looking real digital watch with all the watch stuff like chrono, world time, etc., but that also does every kind of diving from freediving through to nitrox?

Sounds interesting. Is this it?

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Citizen-MG1010-08E-Promaster-Cyber-Aqualand/dp/B000EQS1W4]Amazon.com: Citizen Men's MG1010-08E Promaster Cyber Aqualand NX Watch: Citizen: Watches[/ame]

What about the strap? Will it fit over a wetsuit?

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Oh hell! I researched a bit more, and a site that sold the docking unit said

"Compatable with Windows OS only"

I'm on a Mac, so I guess that saves me from an impulse purchase.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Now I've read more, and I'm confused. Sorry to be a bother.

Amazon.com Product Description
Compatible with Windows OS, the Cyber Aqualand NX Communication Unit #CTZ0328-NX from Citizen can also function as a charger. It includes four alkaline batteries and one USB cable. Sporting a buckle clasp and stationary bezel, this unit works efficiently and comes with a five-year warranty.

I've never cared about downloading dive history to a computer. All I do is freedive, and I'd just be embarrassed having a record of my short breath holds.

So if all I want to is charge the watch, will this thing do it in spite of the fact that I can't connect to my Mac?

 

[beconfly]

Last year I bought a Citizen Aqualand Titanium eco-drive watch. It is my go-to watch for general purposes, and overall I really like it. Lightweight, durable, looks nice, and I never have to change a battery. As a bonus it measures current depth and deepest depth of the last dive session.

This year I got more serious about freediving and bought a suunto D4 on ebay. As far as functionality for freediving they are hardly comparable. The automatic surface interval timer (the most valuable feature) of the dedicated dive watch is infinitely easier and more reliable than trying to remember to look at the clock time of my citizen. The recall of all my previous dives, with dive time, max depths, and even temperature and the depth-per-time graphical recall is valuable to me as well. If you're going to use it for freediving regularly, I definitely recommend a freediving watch like the D4 or Aeris F10.

On a regular day to day basis, i still wear my Citizen Aqualand regularly and really like the watch... but i don't consider it worthy of being a freediving watch.

 

[Phil C]

I recall diving with someone using one of these years ago. Maybe he didn't know how to operate it, but it had a rate of ascent alarm he said he couldn't disable. Naturally it went off continually on every ascent. It was rather loud and annoying.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I recall diving with someone using one of these years ago. Maybe he didn't know how to operate it, but it had a rate of ascent alarm he said he couldn't disable. Naturally it went off continually on every ascent. It was rather loud and annoying.

Mine had a rate of ascent alarm, but I had Citizen disable it. However, that disabled all other alarms too.

When I bought the watch, maybe 11 years ago, Citizen had a service center in Los Angeles, and I was able to drive by, wait 30 minutes while they disabled the alarms, changed the battery, and pressure tested the watch. Then later when I went by for another battery change, they had moved to another location and wouldn't accept walk-ins. I had to mail the watch to them.

But of course the rechargeable battery would solve that. I would like to know more about the freedive mode though, as well as getting answers to my previous questions about being able to use that charger even though I have a Mac.

 

[sross]

I've never cared about downloading dive history to a computer. All I do is freedive, and I'd just be embarrassed having a record of my short breath holds.

So if all I want to is charge the watch, will this thing do it in spite of the fact that I can't connect to my Mac?

Hi Bill,

Been away for a while, but I'd like to address your questions.

Yes, the Amazon listing you linked to is the Cyber Aqualand NX. As far as I know, it was discontinued from production recently. There was also a lower-cost model called the Cyber Aqualand that doesn't do nitrox calculations. It was discontinued several years ago.

Since you aren't interested in computer analysis, you can just use the watch with its charging unit, and don't need the optional charging/communications unit used to hook the watch up to your computer.

Even though Amazon can't supply it, since it is discontinued, there are lots of stores still selling stocked units, and people sell them used sometimes too. You almost always can find a few for sale on eBay, for example:

[ame=http://cgi.ebay.com/CITIZEN-PROMASTER-Cyber-Aqualand-Nx-PMC67-2051-/390171445244?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item5ad807c7fc]CITIZEN PROMASTER Cyber Aqualand Nx PMC67-2051 - eBay (item 390171445244 end time Dec-12-10 18:18:20 PST)[/ame]

Note that this listing includes the charging/communications docking unit. You could look for a lower priced listin with just the charger Watch out, though, for people who try to sell the watch without the charger.

The watch charges whenever it is in the charging or charging/docking unit, irrespective of whether the charging unit is connected to a computer or not.

A really neat feature of this watch is that its charger runs on 4 AA batteries, not AC power, which means you can charge the watch up even when you are in a location with no AC, such as a boat or campsite.

The watch is beautiful, one of the nicest digital watches I've ever seen, and every review I've looked at has been positive.

If you're really interested in this watch, you could download its instruction manual from this address:

http://www.citizenwatch.jp/support/pdf/d710/e.pdf

and go through it step-by-step, visualizing how you would use the features when diving.

 

[Pursuit]

My experience with the Citizen Aqualand was about three years ago. I got it off ebay relatively cheap. I needed it to tell time and see what depth I was achieving occasionally. I didn't explore the other functions of the watch. The constant alarm was annoying so I opened the watch, this is not hard to do when you have the right tool which sells for about $15 on ebay, and removed the little speaker. Of course this disabled any sounds from the watch but I didn't need them anyways. Changing the battery is as easy as unscrewing the back plate. For the function that I required from the Aqualand and the price I'd buy it again.

 

[sross]

I use the max depth alarm sometimes on my old aqualand duplex. It's not very loud, and so you can't rely on it. You can usually hear it when you're freediving. Scuba diving is way too noisy, you usually don't hear the alarm at all when there's bubble noise.

The watch is designed to sound its alarm whenever you ascend faster than 1 m/sec, and there's no way to disable that function. This means that usually when I'm freediving the alarm goes off for 10 seconds soon after I start coming up. It's so weak, though, that it doesn't bother me, and I just put up with the noise when I'm ascending.