Citizen Promaster Diver 200 mt Automatico NY0040-09W Men's Watch Beige/Black Strap, Beige/Black, Bracelet

Product Information

Both have their pluses and minuses, and your preferences might be different than mine. Because aesthetics are important in this race, I'd buy the Citizen again, if given the choice between it and the 007. But there's room for both in a collection (particularly if you buy a 009 or the SKXA35, with their considerably different aesthetics, or if you're up for modding an 007, which is much easier to do with a plethora of off-the-shelf parts available). But the real win, to me is that the Citizen really contends. Every time we recommend an 007, we really should be also recommending the NY0040. Sure, maybe it's a little hard to find, and maybe it is or will soon be discontinued, but as long as it's around, it's a competitor, and a viable alternative, for folks wanting that inky dial and chrome-lined indices.

A diver’s 200m water resistance rating makes this watch suitable for scuba diving at depths not suitable for saturation diving. Sorry for the out-of-focus Citizen on the top. I was shooting in macro, in fairly low light, and the depth-of-field was killer! I didn't notice until I was done taking pictures.) So what is the water resistance rating of the Citizen NY0040? For anyone skim reading through you may not have found this out just yet. This Citizen NY0040 has an impressive diver’s 200m water resistance rating which makes it a proper ISO certified diving watch. The preceding is coming from a recently converted shameless fanboy of the NY0040-09W. Although it is still a NY0040, the design decisions made using the luminous dial make the 09W something completely different from the other NY0040's and your typical dive watch. I've probably drank too much of the "kool-aid", but believe the 09W is an overlooked gem that should be in everyone's collection. I currently prefer to wear the 09W over the SKX009 any day. I started a thread to discuss the 09W in more detail for those interested.I’m sure that when this is the case, the Promaster will get its chance to shine once again. Let’s take a closer look at this wonderfully underrated dive watch, which I feel makes for the perfect entry-level mechanical watch, or even a perfect weekend beater. Whether you wear it on the jangly OEM bracelet with its handy diver’s extension, on a vented rubber strap, or on a humble Nato strap, you really can’t go wrong. Believe it or not, good Citizen divers are vanishing from market even while been in demand,, even in this day of modern marketing! But there are problems. I'd prefer the 22mm lug width on the Seiko (the Citizen's included rubber strap is severely notched, and it's easy to see why... 22mm just feels more proportional for this type of watch). And while the Citizen's all-brushed bezel looks really great straight on (on top of the brushed top of its case) it looks quite odd from a side view when looking at its sleek polished sides. I'll have to go for a tie. Whereas both the Seiko SKX007 and the Citizen NY0040 feature day and date functions, the Citizen is the only model which also features hand winding which is something many people look for in an automatic watch. I do have a Z22 from Seiko, that I don't show in my pics. It feels just a little more plasticy than the Citizen, which has a nice underside texture and is nicely pliable. The bummer is that the citizen's strap is smaller, and tapers more. I'm also not a fan of the diving table on it-- it looks like it's trying too hard to be legitimate (even though it is a legitimate diver).

Lume is mesmerizing.. I'd say it could stay readable for at least 7 hours in darkness... after that it gets confusing, because both the dial and the hands lume is very good but after time they get mixed up. I agree that that the NY0040 is under-rated and very competitive with the Seiko SKX line on a point by point comparison. From a QC perspective, NY0040 is better. You rarely hear of the bezel, chapter ring, dial face misalignment problems that are common with the SKX (and I wonder why). Also, as you pointed out, the out-of-the-box accuracy of the Miyota 8203a movement trounces the Seiko 7S26. My 09W is typically within +/- 3 spd while my SKX009 is very "positional" sensitive and can gain 20+ spd. Personally, I’d have preferred a coin edged bezel design but that’s more down to my personal taste than anything else. That being said, a lot of other people obviously seem to like it. To give an example, when I sleep say at 7pm I wake up at 4am and could tell the hour but not the minutes... Both the hands and the hour markers have a good coating of lume to make reading in dim lit conditions much easier. Most decent diving watches are expected to come with sufficient lume.For those unfamiliar with the NY0040 line of divers, it has been around for some time, introduced originally in 1997. I think it is fair to say that it does not get a lot of attention nowadays. It is a conventional sized diver with a vintage look. Here is a summary of the key features that I have been able to glean: This Citizen diver may not be the most iconic dive watch out there, but it does have quite an impressive history, as well as the specs to make it a thoroughbred diver. I can freely admit that this watch was never on my radar. As you might have read in my previous article on the Seiko 7002, it was the Seiko SKX line that firmly held my novice watch collector’s attention. However, being a student at the time the price was not one that I could even think about paying. I did know one thing — I wanted a proper automatic dive watch.

To get things started we’re going to be taking a look at the general design of the dial. As is common practice for diving watches, the Citizen NY0040 has a high visibility design making it easy to read at a glance and in dim conditions. I also prefer the aethetics of the Citizen bezel. I like the brushed metal surrounding the bezel, and the grooves make for a cool line (though one more toolish than the Seiko, which is slightly incongruous since the Citizen dial appears dressier). I also prefer the font on the Citizen's bezel to the Seikos, but not by much. It's a bit bolder, and I like the round rectangles for the 5/15/25... markings on the bezel. Regarding comparing the NY0040 to Orient Divers, it is another example of comparing "apples to oranges". The Orients may carry the 200M rating but are really "dressy" dive style watches. With the NY0040 (or SKX), you are getting the real thing: a rugged and dependable working watch. I've heard reports that the Citizen is better regulated out of the box, but to be honest, I haven't even timed the accuracy of mine yet. I'll accept that as true, but not greatly different from the Seiko. Yes, the Seiko has a direct drive second hand, but I haven't noticed the oft-reported "second hand stutter" on my Citizen.

I’m sure many people would be well aware having already seen the ISO diving certification but it’s worth mentioning that the Citizen NY0040 does have a screw down crown function. If you haven’t used a screw down crown before I’d have a read of this useful forum thread. I posted the information below some months ago. Due to the renewed interest in the subject I’ll post the text again here. It should be available via the search function, possibly with the photos.

As you can tell by now, like the earlier poster, I too have become passionate about this watch. Indeed, I finally put up an avatar, and sure enough, it is an 09W lume shot that I captured. If you also like this watch and want to "join the club", please feel free to copy the image and use it as your avatar, too. Whether you are looking to dip your toe into the world of mechanical watches and are looking for a solid starting point, or you are in the market for a quality beater, the Citizen Promaster NY0040 definitely holds its own. Despite having flown under the radar for a long time, I think it’s a watch that deserves more recognition and consideration. With a retail price of around €190, it’s a true value proposition. With a military past for added credibility, these Citizens are a perfect care-free companion for any situation you might find yourself in. In addition, I am amazed at the accuracy. The watch has varied from +/- 1-3 SPD but at the end of one week, it is dead on accurate to the second! That is a level of accuracy that exceeds many quartz watches. I don't know how long that will last but, for now, it is truly remarkable. A number of subsequent commenters opine that the Citizen wears smaller (even "women's watch" small.) The Seiko has a slightly more octagonal shape, and, as discussed below, a much bigger, protruding crown. Because of that, I would agree that it wears larger. But in my experience, not extremely so. They’ve gone for both a brushed and polished finish which is something I’ve always been quite a fan of. The top of the casing is finished in a brushed style, however, the sides of the casing have a polished shiny finish. I tend to find this sort of design gives a watch a high-quality look.I don't have a good comparison, since I don't in fact own the 007. But my understanding is that neither will shine for what seems like, or what is, forever (tritium, or a Monster), neither will peter out in 2 hours, so let's call it a draw. The first thing I noticed as soon as I ripped up the handbrake and looked out of the car window was that directly across the street from the Air BNB was a dive shop. I looked down at my wrist and felt butterflies in my stomach. My mind was already made up. After a couple of days snorkeling the crystalline waters of Playa Chica I worked up the courage to walk into the dive shop. The people there were a band of incredibly friendly Brits, who immediately let me know all about the PADI discover scuba dive. The almost symbolic price of €50 got you a 30-minute dive, where you would learn how to gear up, equalize, and breathe underwater using a regulator. We agreed upon a time and date and just like that, it was in the books.