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

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However, turn off the lights and the NY0040-09W's other personality emerges. When fully charged, the luminous dial and hands glow brightly in the dark reminding me of a small green lantern. It just beams! 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. 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. 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 have had the watch for one week now and my enthusiasm is undiminished. I wanted something different and the 09W definitely meets that criteria. The watch is truly striking without going over the top. Build quality and fit/finish is very good for this price point from a major watch maker. (Note: As I continue to collect watches, my respect deepens for watch makers, especially those that make their own movements, as opposed to "brands" that are merely in the watch business, i.e., outsourcing manufacture, and sometimes even service/support.) One final thought, if others agree, I would like to propose we come up with a name for the 09W and would welcome suggestions. After all, there are Seiko "Monsters", Orient "OSD", Omega "Speedys" and the like. Based upon my earlier comments, here are my two suggestions: the "Ghost Diver" or perhaps, the "Green Lantern". I don't know how to set up a poll, but if there is sufficient interest, I will go research, or better yet, ask that another fan set one up.

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A diver’s 200m water resistance rating makes this watch suitable for scuba diving at depths not suitable for saturation diving. 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. 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.

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. Protecting the front of the timepiece is a mineral crystal glass. This is commonly found on mid range watches as well as diving timepieces. Mineral crystal glass is specially hardened to offer a good level of both scratch and shatter resistance. The shatter resistance if often a key decider for diving watches as you’d often rather have better shatter resistance than scratch resistance. This is why we don’t see sapphire crystal glass so often. Watch Movement I hear stories that Hardlex is better than mineral. It may be; I haven't gotten scratches on either. But the Citizen is a fingerprint magnet (as you can see in the above photo). Does it have A/R on the outside? I can't tell and I couldn't find that spec. But with the "belief" that Hardlex is harder, and the crazy amount of fingerprints I see on the Citizen, Seiko is the winner here. What do you think of the Promaster? Do you own one? How do you like it? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! 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.

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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. Folks have pointed out a a small, visible gap, between the day and date wheels on the Citizen. It's there, but not really noticeable on my copy. Not a problem to me. 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:

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). 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. 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. There’s no denying it’s a well made Japanese watch that’s ideal for diving with the ISO certification and high visibility display. Plus it’s what I’d class as an affordable watch which is something I love featuring on this watch blog. 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 think the watch feels like a 41.5mm watch.. It wears smaller than the SKX007 just a bit, maybe it's the crown location that gives that feeling. 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.