Showing posts with label 200M. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 200M. Show all posts

Monday

Citizen NY0040 200m Promaster Diver - The Perfect Diving Tool For The Scuba Hobbyist, A Review

It is very seldom that you get to come across a dive watch from Citizen that is pure mechanical. The Citizen auto scuba diver watch with yellow luminous dial NY0040-09WB Promaster is just one such rare gem. The suggested retail price was RM1,260 but I was able to get it via the internet for just RM499.

It has a dive rating of 200m and comes with a rubber strap.


Interestingly, the screw down crown is set on the left at the 8 o'clock position of the stainless steel case. Does this imply that this watch should only be worn on the right hand? Actually no. In this position, the crown is not only protected against hits and smashes, it also does not poke into the back of the hand. This is very important since the crown is a huge one.



It comes with both date and day display at the 3 o'clock position.

The interesting aspect of this watch is the luminosity. Instead of putting the paint on the markers and other parts of a dial commonly associated with luminous paint, Citizen covered the whole dial with the paint. From the photo above, you would guess that the paint is of one colour but in reality, the paint on the hands is different than on the dial. A yellow greenish tint for the dial and a light blue tint to the hands.


Meanwhile, the bezel rotates unidirectionally with a 120 clicks with a lume pip set at the 0/60 minute point.

The dimensions of the watch is typical of this type of tool watches. Case diameter is 42 mm without the crown and 13 mm thick. The lug width is 20 mm. It has a smooth steel finish with looks nice and the bezel has nice grip to it. Total weight is approximately 96 gm.


The watch face is scratch resistant mineral glass. The flat crystal lies fractions of a millimeter deeper than the divers' bezel and is protected somewhat against damages.

The watch comes with the Citizen Movement 8203. The caliber 8203 is produced by Citizen's subsidiary Miyota. An in-house movement, this 23 jewel engine has a unidirectional rotor winding mechanism which can be hand-wound. Its main springs is capable of retaining more than 36 hour power reserve.


The manufacturer offered strap is a woven strengthened rubber strap. In case of rubber failure, the strap should not break-off that easily. Citizen has taken the pain to print important diving information on the straps (see above).

The screw-down stainless steel back has simple graphics on it.


The strap is solid and grabs your wrist confidently. Although comfortable in the long-run, the rubber does give a slight discomfort at the start as it adjust to the wrist.


Simple buckle with a single hook. The Promaster logo can be seen at the top of the buckle.

Below is a short video showing the motion of the second hand on the watch.



Overall, this Promaster is a perfect divers' watch, a tool watch. With an in-house movement and a perfectly crafted case at a price point that is close to unbelievable, more watch makers should look as this winning recipe for inspiration.

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READ MORE - Citizen NY0040 200m Promaster Diver - The Perfect Diving Tool For The Scuba Hobbyist, A Review

Citizen NY2300-09G 200m Diver - Good Value-for-money wristwatch That Should Give Years Of Trouble Free Service, A Review

Citizen is one of the biggest watch manufacturers in the world. The brand has been associated much with solar technology and there is seldom any mentioned about their mechanical engined watches. One model under their army of watches in their portfolio is this small and humble NY2300-09G 200m Diver. I got this watch a number of years ago.


The NY2300 is a classic looking diver whose bezel is along the lines of a “Pepsi” type. Not a true sense of the word "Pepsi" as the red color is only along one third of the bezel while the rest is blue.



The dial is grey and all the markers as well as the hands are lumed.

The watch measures 39 mm in width when you exclude the crown and 43 mm lug to lug. Its thickness is 12 mm and it has the standard 20 mm band lug width. With shorter lugs that taper towards the body of the case, it created a very compact design.


The crown is clean without any symbols and only a few deep grooves were gouged into it to provide traction to twist it. A screw-down that easily engages the screw thread when you want to screw it back down. 

The NY2300 uses mineral glass crystal and is water resistant to 200 meters.  The standard strap is a rubber diver’s model that is soft and comfortable.

The bezel has a very firm with little play and clicks into 60 position corresponding to the minutes. It is uni-directional as required of any diver's watches.


The case-back is solid and screwed-down. The metal is polished and is clear from any graphics or art. Key information on the watch is sand-blasted on the case back.


The NY2300 is powered by a Miyota 8200 21 jewel automatic movement. The 8200 has been around since the 1970's and is quite a robust movement. The movement can be hand wound but not hacked and includes both a day and date function. In my particular unit, I got the option of Japanese or English for the day function.

The lume isn’t quite as good as a Seiko’s level but is sufficient.


Its price point, is its call to fame. I got it below MYR300 or USD100. For that price you get an in-house movement that has been proven for years as well as a watch that has been designed to take some punishment. To top it all, it looks good too.

The Citizen NY2300 is a good value-for-money wristwatch that should give years of trouble free service.

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READ MORE - Citizen NY2300-09G 200m Diver - Good Value-for-money wristwatch That Should Give Years Of Trouble Free Service, A Review