Showing posts with label Promaster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Promaster. 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.

Photo Gallery




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

Citizen Promaster Autozilla 1000m Titanium Divers Watch NH6930-09F (NH6931-06E) - Pure, Unadulterated Dive Watch, A Review

A grail watch in my view, the Citizen Promaster Autozilla 1000m Titanium Divers Watch NH6930-09F (NH6931-06E) is the epitome of design and manufacturing prowess of Citizen. The ability to design a watch that can take on an extreme environment, in this case, water pressure of 1,000 meters using titanium should be acknowledge. In this case, Citizen uses a proprietary alloy of titanium that has gone through a process called "Duratec".

There are two reference for this watch. One for Asia and the other is for North America and Europe. The NH6930 is an Asian market designation and the model with this designation has English and Japanese for the day wheel. Meanwhile, the NH6931 designation has English and Spanish for the day wheel.




The Autozilla as it is called, is due to its size and the fact that it uses an automatic mechanical movement. With a diameter of 55 mm and a thickness of 19 mm, this watch is a major presence on anyone's wrist. Made out of titanium, it is only 135 gm in weight. The choice of titanium is not only for weight savings but also to the fact that it withstands better to sea water compared to stainless steel.

This watch ISO 6425 certified for mixed-gas diving.


The Autozilla has a uni-directional bezel as well as the day and date window at the 3 o'clock position. The crown is placed at the 9 o'clock position. Hands and markets are all lumed. The broad sword minute hand has orange boarders. Although the hour hand looks a bit stumpy, it does it job.

The crystal that covers the dial is sapphire.

The bezel on the Autozilla is unique. As you can see from the photo above, the bezel has large groves at the top of the bezel instead of the sides like other typical dive watches. To use, one has to press down the bezel before turning it. The bezel has 120 click adjustments. There is a lume pip at the 0/60 minute position.

Also note that additional ring on the outside of the case which has the "Open" and "Close" words etched in black. This is the detachable bezel mechanism for easy cleaning. Engaging this mechanism will allow one to open the bezel. However, a safety measure has been incorporated by Citizen in the form of another locking level just above the crown.


This side profile (crown side) shows the large clean crown as well as the overall shape of the watch casing and the strap link. The crown in a screw-down. Just above the crown is the bezel ring clamp locking lever. Once this is open, the bezel can be taken off the watch.

Note the unique lug attachment to the rubber strap. This means, it is not possible to get third-party straps as replacement. 


In the photo above, the automatic helium escape valve. Also note the screw just below the HEV. By taking out the set of screws, one can disengage the straps from the watch case. There is a third-party lug extension which one can buy. With this extension, you can put standard straps on it.

Third party lug extension. Picture taken from the internet

The screw-down case back has a very nice etching of a diver. The information regarding the watch can be found here. "Duratec" is the technology used which involves a special treatment on existing materials like stainless steel or titanium to harden the surface. Applying this technique achieves a hardness 3 to 4 times higher by penetrating carbon from the surface in order to distort the crystal of the metal. The result is a scratch-resistant hardness for daily use.


The movement on this watch is the Miyota 8203. This movement debut in 1977. It is an automatic, unidirectional winding 21 jewels movement operating at 21,600 vph. Power reserve is approximately 45 hours. Although it has handwinding capability, it is non-hacking. It comes with hour, minute, central seconds, quickset date and quickset dual-language day (in this case English and Spanish). Accuracy is rated at -10 to +20 seconds per day. The rotor is undecorated.

As highlighted earlier, the lume of this watch is spectacular. Below is a shot of the watch after a good bath of solar sun. Bright!



The watch on my wrist. As you can see it rides high and snags on shirt cuffs. You cannot wear this watch for formal function. It will just look out of place.


The buckle and strap lead are also made out of titanium. The Promaster brand is clearly seen here.


A divers, a wetsuit band included is provided that allows the existing strap to be extended.



Due to the method to which the bezel is manipulated. There is a tendency for the spring ring to fail. As such, an extra spring ring is provided in the basic package.


Another interesting aspect of the North American version is the guarantee terms. For this model, Citizen can give 5 years warranty.


The Autozilla typifies tool watch, but with cutting-edge styling. Bottom line: For pure, unadulterated cool, the Autozilla is hard to beat.

Photo Bucket



READ MORE - Citizen Promaster Autozilla 1000m Titanium Divers Watch NH6930-09F (NH6931-06E) - Pure, Unadulterated Dive Watch, A Review