Citizen Nighthawk Review: The Military-Style Pilots' Watch From Japan

Citizen's fleet of Promaster Pilot watches offer an array of styles and complications for the aviation-watch enthusiast, and the Nighthawk models occupy a specific niche within the overall collection thanks to their bold, no-nonsense design drawn from military helicopter cockpits. Here is what you should know about the Citizen Nighthawk, and a showcase of the models that have most resonated with enthusiasts.

The flight of the Nighthawk begins with the Promaster. In fact, Citizen’s Promaster collection — established in 1989 and built around the concept of rugged yet stylish, multifunctional timepieces aimed at sea, air, and land professionals — could be described as the massive aircraft carrier from which many Citizen pilots’ watches have been launched. From this now-emblematic collection emerged many of the famous Citizen tool watches we’re familiar with today, categorized under Promaster Marine (dive watches including the Eco-Drive and Mechanical Professional Divers as well as the high-tech Aqualand); Promaster Land (including the altimeter-equipped Altichron and ana-digi Combination Watch) and Promaster Sky, which includes GMTs like the Eco-Drive Geo-Trekker and the now-familiar “Hawk” watches with multiple aviation-centric functions, like the Skyhawk, Navihawk, and Nighthawk.

What makes the Nighthawk models stand out from their high-flying peers? It is the most military in its aesthetic, with a dial design inspired by the instruments found in the cockpits of U.S. military helicopters. Most every Nighthawk watch is equipped with Citizen’s signature invention, a light-powered Eco-Drive movement, to power its multiple functions (as opposed to, say, the Promaster Dive models, which can contain either an Eco-Drive or a self-winding mechanical movement). These functions can include (but are not limited to) chronographs, dual-time/GMT indications, and date displays. Most all Nighthawks feature an inner rotating slide-rule bezel ring, a calculation scale used by pilots and most closely associated, in the world of watches, with Breitling’s iconic Navitimer. Cases are generally on the large size — a characteristic of most Citizen pilot watches — around 42mm or slightly larger, with knurled, screw-down crowns to help ensure a stout 200-meter water resistance. 

The first Nighthawk models joined the collection in the mid-2000s — probably 2004 or 2005, though the exact release date is vague — and the Nighthawk has been a stalwart of the “Sky” subfamily ever since. Here we take a look at some of the most notable Nighthawk models over the years and what each of them brings to the table in terms of functionality, aesthetics, and enthusiast appeal.

Citizen Nighthawk Blue Angels BJ7006-56L

One of several pilot watches dedicated to the U.S. Navy’s elite flight demonstration squadron, aka the Blue Angels (others can be found in the Skyhawk and World Chronograph A-T collections), the Nighthawk Blue Angels edition features not only a navy blue dial but a blue IP coating on the bezel of its 42mm stainless steel case. The watch contains the Eco-Drive Caliber B877 and features a Blue Angels logo in the lower right corner of the dial in bright yellow. White and yellow are employed for various dial details, including the two concentric semicircular scales for the 24-hour display and the airplane-tipped GMT hands. The case is 12mm thick and resists water pressure to 200 meters, secured by a knurled screw-down crown. 

Citizen Promaster Nighthawk x Sikorsky BJ7004-43H

Citizen introduced the Promaster Nighthawk x Sikorsky limited edition in 2024 as a tribute to the Sikorsky S-70, an all-weather helicopter widely known as a variant of the UH-60 Black Hawk and flown used by military units, including the U.S. Army and Navy, for search-and-rescue and transport missions. The watch features a slightly larger case than most of the Nighthawk line — 42.40mm in stainless steel case — with a fixed, blackened bezel. Its gray dial uses an assortment of white and yellow accents to convey its bevy of information, including the time, date, and dual-time indication on the left-hand semicircular scale. The extra knurled crown at 8 o’clock controls the bidirectional, inner slide-rule bezel, and a Sikorsky logo sits across from it at 5 o’clock, accompanying the “S-70” inscription on the 12 o’clock orientation triangle. 

Citizen Blackout Nighthawk CA0295-58E

This most stealthy of the Nighthawk references has a 42mm case and three-link bracelet made of black ion-plated stainless steel. The dial beneath the impact-resistant sapphire crystal is also black, with a set of dark gray markers combining Arabic numerals at the cardinal points of 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock and thick indexes at the others. A date window (white numeral on black background) appears at 3 o’clock. This “Blackout” version of the Nighthawk relies on a ⅕-second chronograph as its signature complication rather than a 24-hour/GMT function, though it does include a discreet 24-hour counter in the sundial at 9 ‘clock; the remaining subdials, at 12 and 6, are counters for the running seconds and 60 elapsed minutes of chronograph time. Inside the watch is the Eco-Drive Caliber B612. 

Citizen Nighthawk CA4377-53H 

Launched in 2017, this sleek-looking Nighthawk features a granite-colored, ion-plated steel case at a slightly expanded 43mm diameter and 23.3mm lug width. The charcoal gray dial continues the monochromatic aesthetic, with three tone-on-tone subdials, a white-printed tachymeter scale, and a splash of contrasting red courtesy of the central chronograph seconds hand. The slide-rule bezel is absent from this model, and the subdials are arranged at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock rather than the 12-9-6 arrangement of the Blackout model. The date has been bumped from 3 o’clock to 4:30 and the 24-hour display occupies the 3 o’clock subdial.  The Eco-Drive movement inside is Caliber B620, and the chronograph pushers have the same knurled surface as the screw-down crown.

Promaster Nighthawk BJ7138-04E 

This Citizen Promaster Nighthawk reference, which combines a brushed-and-polished stainless steel case with a black IP-coated bezel, adds another layer of mission-ready, military character, mounted on a robust olive-green leather strap. In most other details it resembles the Sikorsky and Blue Angels models above: its 42-mm case is water-resistant to 200 meters and its black dial is packed with scales in contrasting white type that are of particular use to aviators and navigators, including the circular slide rule printed on the rotating bezel. Two luminous central hands display the current time, while an airplane-tipped smaller hand shows the time in another time zone on a 24-hour scale; the date appears in a rectangular window at 3 o’clock. The movement inside the case, Citizen’s quartz-powered Caliber B877, runs on the Japanese brand’s proprietary Eco-Drive technology, enabling constant recharging of power via any light source. Citizen hasn’t launched a new Nighthawk in a while, but I have it on good authority that you may see some new ones rolling down the runway soon. You can learn more at citizenwatch.com