Powering the NY0040 is a Citizen in house movement, the Miyota 8200. This is a 21 jewel movement with a 21,600 BPH which many find to be more accurate than the Seiko SKX007, although this can cause quite the debate. 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.

To give an example, when I sleep say at 7pm I wake up at 4am and could tell the hour but not the minutes... 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’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. Dial face always has some green in it, so not yellow as in ripe banana yellow... I'd describe it to be milky green when the lume burst calms when indoors. However, the dial continually changes shades of milky green to grayish bland green, while obviously not appearing too sporty AT ALL. It's one of the watches that could fit any personality and still look subtly exotic.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! 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.

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’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. The second reason I bought the Citizen. I just hate the tactile feeling of unscrewing the Seiko, spinning the crown in the first position, and having nothing happen. Whether handwinding is something you need or not, it just feels, well, broken.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. 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.) 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. After looking into the watch design, quality, features, and pricing this watch received a 9/10 from us at The Watch Blog. Even if the timekeeping was less than stellar, at this writing, I feel this is a watch that I will always keep. It has that intangible factor for me. I would go so far as to say that I think the 09W could become a classic if it received more attention.

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'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.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. All is not perfect, though. The lume on both the dial and hands will last through the night but for someone like me who wears glasses, it becomes almost unusable. After a few hours, the lume between the dial and hands become rather muddled together, making it difficult to read the time in the wee hours unless you have excellent vision, but who does at 4am??? 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. The only bracelet “officially” available from Citizen for this watch is a folded link bracelet. I wanted a solid link bracelet. Thus the search began …..

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.The casing of the Citizen NY0040 has this brilliant rugged design which gives the watch this robust style and feeling. Overall, it’s easy to see why the Citizen NY0040 has been such a popular timepiece. I think it’s a shame that it isn’t as well known as its Seiko counterparts to be fair. 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. I'm almost certain that the lume quality "on the hands" is on par with Seiko's.. But the design makes Citizen's lume too vague after say 9hrs.