Wednesday, December 11, 2013

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




3 comments:

  1. I too have this watch, but on a stainless bracelet with ratchet divers extension. my only gripe is the hands on a lume face, my eye sight is not what it once was and lume on lume does not make it easy to read without my glasses, but other than that an awesome watch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same problem that I have. A pity isn't it. When it becomes possible for us to indulge in the hobby our eyesight is not up to the mark to enjoy the details....

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    2. Plese do you now where I can by this Citizen ny0040 model wih green or yelow zipfer ?

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