My favourite watch in my collection. History, originality, simplicity, durability, wears well, and so affordable most people could own two.

I owned this watch for several years and it is still one of my favourites!

@qp6563

3 ай бұрын

I've only had my black model a couple months but i still enjoy it. it's a great piece especially for the money.

@luismasanchez9367

3 ай бұрын

Here 2 the uníte with blue iridiscente dial released a year ago IS plain gorgeous

@_o__o_

3 ай бұрын

i farted

@OscarOSullivan

3 ай бұрын

I have the one Ben showed in the video. Great lume, superb bezel, sublime movement with decent accuracy mine runs +10 seconds a day, beautiful dial and finishing all I did was put it on a CWC green grey G10 strap Bobs your uncle and Fanny your aunt. I do love the history of their Diver’s watches being issued to naval divers in different countries.

Promaster in full lume dial is just such an icon looking watch. In Germany it is called "leuchtkeks" and that translates to "glow cookie" , and who does not like cookies... :)

The watches were adopted in the mid to late ‘90s by the Italian Navy or Marina Militare. A modified version of these watches was worn by the military divers. Some decommissioned pieces still make their way to the second-hand market today, but they are extremely rare. You can easily recognize them as the Citizen logo at 12 o’clock has been replaced by “Marina Militare” and the water-resistance rating is 500m instead of 200. It was actually regular production watches that were tested by Citizen to 500m for military purposes

@bert2530

3 ай бұрын

They were tested to 500 meter by the Italian Navy. And the tests were positive. They were also used by the Danish Marines by the way.

@IlDiavolo2515

3 ай бұрын

​@@bert2530So you're an expert, yeah? I mean, since you felt the need to chime in.

@bert2530

3 ай бұрын

@@IlDiavolo2515 sure mate

@OscarOSullivan

3 ай бұрын

Royal Navy still use a Citizen diver and the Australian naval divers used the original aqualand.

@kutter_ttl6786

2 ай бұрын

​@@IlDiavolo2515Imagine being so offended by someone using the KZread comment section to spread pertinent information.

These are sleeper hit watches. I have this same blue model. Purchased from Jomashop a few months ago. I wear it nearly every day. It’s just a no nonsense watch with a diving heritage and carries the ISO dive rating, so it’s a legit diver.

@OscarOSullivan

3 ай бұрын

Same one as yourself. What strap do you use?

@brantisonfire

3 ай бұрын

@@OscarOSullivan I wear it with the rubber strap it came with.

I have a quartz Promaster diver from the late 80s. It worked great for many years and many dives. It died and I sent it in to Citizen many years later after finding it in a drawer. For $80 it got a new movement and re-certified to 200m WR. I like that it is 10-11 mm thick and 40 mm diameter for everyday wear. It has the crown at 9 o’clock. I believe that was to make it less likely to be damaged or loosened when in use, especially diving. One of my favorite watches.

I had mine for 10 years or so.. great watch, solid movement too.

Also worth mentioning that you can now buy a fitted steel bracelet for this model from long island watches. Bought one a while back and the fit is literally perfect

I love mine, have had it for years. Shame Citizen doesn't get its due.

@OscarOSullivan

3 ай бұрын

Especially since Seiko fell off

Yes, yes, yes, although Orient and Casio deserve great respect of course for the Kamasu and Duro, respectively. I have the traditional black NY0040 right now on a NATO strap. Absolutely wonderful watch with rich history.

@Daniel-bv2wc

3 ай бұрын

I don't know how he can put a Casio or Orient in the same bracket as a Citizen NY0040. As you say the Citizen NY0040 has history and is very well made for its price point. The Orient or Casio pale in comparison. Orient has little brand cache and has always been viewed as the lesser brother to Citizen or Seiko. The Casio Duro whilst being an excellent cheap beater quartz diver is not on the same level and I would not put it in comparison.

@TheGrenadier97

3 ай бұрын

I wouldn't say so against Orient. The business relation with Seiko is recent. It's a very solid brand too, with decades of honest watchmaking and the Kamasu II, which i own one and i think is the brand's affordable divers' flagship, is a fine watch on its own. The point is that as far as the concept of a dive watch goes, at its price range and availability the Citizen NY0040 is . Citizen and Orient are en par on my opinion, doing the game of relevant releases at fair prices - unlike Seiko. Casio is indeed on a different field.

I got mine from Amazon a couple of years back for around £175, I've since regulated it and it's crazy accurate, a very fine watch.

Once you owned a promaster yourself, you know how incredible.they are. It is one of those semi hidden gems.

I have this watch and many others but this is my favourite because it was my first automatic. I'll always have it

I have the NY in black, as well as the new Challenge/Barnacle. I like them equally. I also like them as much as my Turtle and SKX. Citizen has won me over !

This was my first watch, took ages deciding between this and the Seiko SKX, but this just had the unique edge. Mine came in an impressive bright yellow diving tank presentation case.

@johnhoke6055

3 ай бұрын

Same story for me!

@OscarOSullivan

3 ай бұрын

Same here I have the blue dialled variant. It lines up properly.

Got the black one on a NDC strap. My every day driver, looks very good for a utility watch and comes with a story. And the combo is that comfortable and easy in use I grab it most of the mornings from my drawer with watches.

Citizen Promaster BN0150-10E is the model you need or even the Excalibur... glad Citizen now gets the praise and coverage it deserves

I own the NY0086 and is one of my best and favorites in a collection of many Seiko divers 👍🏻

Citizen rules! 💪

I have the Eco-Drive version and would prefer this to any contemporary Seiko 5. For the price I think you get better overall value.

@e28forever30

3 ай бұрын

It is a different watch, not an other “version”

I’ve got the new ProMaster. I’ve had it for about a year. This thing is a fucking tank. Really, extremely impressive.

Nice to see that someone still cares for this watch in 2024. My first mechanical watch that I bought was the SKX009 back in 2016 - the second one was the Promaster Fugu (because I liked the design better than the standard one). I love both and for the money I think you can't go wrong although I'm not a diver or practicing any other water sports. Yes, it seems a little old school but in my opinion that's an advantage - simple, rugged, robust, reliable: it's your companion that you can count on no matter what your everyday life may throw at you (unless you have to wear a suit). In my opinion the best watch for a careless holiday on the beach because it's more relaxed than an awfully accurate and powerful 5610 G-Shock. 😉

The old caliber 8203 had no hacking and hand winding, and the current 8404 has.

@qp6563

3 ай бұрын

8203 wound but didn't hack,8204 hacks and handwinds making it basically equivalent to a SII (Seiko) NH35. Accuracy is about the same as I've gotten from nh35s to about +10 +15 ish a day.

@howwemakeitepicthings7002

3 ай бұрын

nah, NH35 is superior due to bi-directional winding and no stuttering second had issue caused by indirect drive.@@qp6563

@OscarOSullivan

3 ай бұрын

Mine has the 8204 but 8204 on the dial guaranteed collectors item.

I've had the eco drive pro master for years now. Always on my rotation... Really enjoy wearing it.

I can really recommend the Promaster NY0141-10L which offers a Saphire crystal, 120 clicks at almost the same price as the "original" Promaster here. I know it is 44mm but still wears also a bit smaller like this one.

Great piece. Definitely my favorite mechanical dive watch in budget category. Aside from good reliability, comfort and feature set, it has definitely its own original design language. It's so refreshing in sea of various cheap knockoffs and homages. I also like its smaller sizing and proportions compared to more recent 44mm Citizen diver watches.

I own the Eco-Drive Promaster BN0158-18X. Not only is the build quality rock-solid but quality control is also top-notch: the seconds hand hits every marker with pinpoint accuracy, dial alignment is excellent and there really is zero backplay on the bezel. Last but not least the lume is absolutely amazing. My only (minor) quibble is the oversized crown which tends to dig into my wrist on rare occasions.

I'm very happy with my ny0085-86. Love everything about it. When i was a kid, the local divers very often wore promasters. You can be sure that it is a very capable watch.

Wearing my 2 weeks old Citizen NY0085-86E coke bezel version while watching your review. Thanks for doing this video. It is my first ever Citizen and has been liking the 90's charm at good pricing offered by Jomashop. Great price vs look, specifications, heritage. In my country only the fugu dial versions in 42mm and 44mm diameters (bigger, squarish markers and hand sets) is sold. Price is a bit higher than Jomashop and comes with 3 years warranty. Not seeing this SKX reminiscent dial at local watch shops. There's many variants launched at different time. Variaty of dial/bezel colour (standard or full lume dial) PVD or standard stainless steel, stainless steel bracelet or rubber straps, very limited full titanium - too many variants, in all 42mm and 44mm models. Most are still housing 8203 non hacking module, 42mm limited editions could come with sapphire crystal. 44mm of course is 120 bezel clicks with sapphire crystals. Mine is 8204 module and has been running about +10s daily on wrist, 45 hours power reserve when tested. Wish the hands are longer to the edge like my Seiko Monster and Orient Kamasu. Lume is bright bluish on hands, greenish at bezel pip. Those can stay visibly bright, readable the whole night, perfectly aligned bezel and markers and seems no defect with good QC under enlarged phone photo. The main quirk is the very high resistance to change day wheel. Best i feel not to break the mechanism is turn half way and reverse for it to jump to the next day. Tested other watches and observed less resistance on 8203 module ans definitely higher resistance on 8204 module. It is now one of my favourite automatic diver watch line up alomg side black Seiko Monster, green Orient Kamasu.

Bought it last week and put it on a mesh bracelet. Love it

These Citizens are cool. My dad was presented an engraved one when he retired.

I love my BJ7128-59E. It's my go to travelling/swimming watch

I have the black with the older mvmt inside, still one of my favourites and one my wife approves of !

I was waiting for you to review this watch and from my personal experience, I have and had many watches over the years Seiko's original 5's, prospex divers , G shock and other more expensive models, but when I bit the bullet on the this watch about three years ago, it turned my watch journey on it's head. I love this watch and have sold or given away most of my others and now have four, I have also had more interest and conversations about the Promaster NY0040 than my other watches.

I love the NY0040, I own the blue dial and the full lume version. The watch has such a unique design, it stands out in my watch box and I appreciate it as the tool watch it was created to be. I wear it and knock it around without fear and the watch performs amazingly well.

Recently i bought the coke Citizen Promaster NY0085-86E (the one with 8203 written on the dial, but with the 8204 movement inside) new an unused for a very, very good price on the second hand market. And i love this great little tool watch, it's already one of my favorites in the Collection. What i don't love: the bracelet. I immediately put a rubber strap on it.

Have a look at the Promaster NY0141-10LE: it comes with sapphire OOTB, and I've seen it for € 265

Whenever I need to get things done, a.k.a. physical labour, this one ends up on my wrist. The perfect tool watch, especially in titanium. Not fond of the movement, it sounds and feels "meh" but it's super easy to regulate: mine now runs at -2''/+2'' per day after a couple of minutes of tinkering. An absolute recommendation!

I got this one with the older movement and it arrived with their signature yellow diving tank, it was a few years ago, I wasn't able to decide between this and the SKX so I got that one too, with time, I got the Citizen Aqualand jp2000, Promaster BN0150 the Promaster NY0120 you showed at the end (the orange one, I think it's the best of the bunch) and since I was never able to decide between Citizen and Seiko I got the monster, the turtle, the samurai and the arnie. I've always thought these two brands were almost battling each other and making kind of opposite designs but with cool looks and good quality regardless.

Got one myself and it’s great.

Love the Promaster currently have the full lume dial on a Long Island bracelet

I bought the NY0085-86E "coke" about 12 months ago and absolutely love it. I personally don't compare it with my beloved Duro's, as even though they're both dive watches they are very different and give me a very different wearing experience.

That was a fantastic review. I have owned all three of those. And your summary is spot on. Interesting and informative, great report. I also own Tissot and Tudor, but Seiko citizen and orient are actually unbeatable value, and much better for every day wear..

These are the best value ISO divers period. I have the NY0085 and 86. Pepsi and coke bezels. I had to have two considering how well they wear on my wrist. Also i have fitted them with the oyster and Jubilee bracelets from long island watch. FYI, the lume has been upgraded along with the movement on the newer models with a signed crown.

Im wearing the BNO 150, been on my wrist every day for 5 months. It came on that rubber polyurethane strap, very uncomfortable. I bought a stainless steel bracelet, oyster style from Long Island Watch. LIW makes two types of bracelet specifically for these Citizen Promasters, the 150 and the 151. Really dresses up the watch nicely, makes it wearable for almost any occasion. I really enjoy wearing my watch. Citizen is criminally under rated.

The full lume version is in my daily rotation. Love this watch!

I appreciated the accuracy of your description of a 90s sensibility.

I had the slightly updated 50th Anniversary edition NY0087-13EE. Cracking little watch, especially when I changed the strap out for a silicone copy of the stock plastic one. Rotor noise/wobble not too bad. Kinda missing it now

I bought my NY0040 on eBay for £60 years ago, a 2006 model, made in Japan with a properly engraved back (not laser etched). I would never get rid of it, works perfectly and feels very comfortable on the wrist. The watch has a real tool-ish feel about it, the only thing I would say is a negative is that the day/date is tiny.

Having 193k subscribers with a watch channel, knowing basically anything about watches, for sure it is a huge achievement!

Nice review. In my experience, the NY-0040 is a must have at the price. It looks great, it has a great history, it's robust, and it's better built than any Seiko I've owned under $1,000. I has it's flaws, but it happily resides in my watch box beside a Submariner and a couple of Omega divers. I had the blue version, sold it a couple of years ago, and instantly regretted it. I rebought- this time in black- and I doubt this one will go anywhere :)

I have one and I love it

Nice video I have had a few over the years , since the 90s. Can't beat them really,never been serviced and worn them diving for 20 + years. Stood the test of time. Just sold my old full lume few months back. Big mistake.

Nice review !

Have the full lume version of this watch, very unique and cool looking watch! Cheapest automatic iso certified diver you can get, with excellent history too.

I own the Black Model and enjoy it a great deal. Mine is a newer model with the hacking 8004 movement. I replaced the strap with a nice Uncle Seiko GL831, the stock one is fine but a little stiff for my tastes. The case is well machined and finished,the Bezel action is great and seems well-aligned. Some might not be perfect in this regard but it's a fairly cheap watch so honestly not a huge deal. I think mine was $170ish. Which is a good deal for a fairly well made diver from a big Japanese Powerhouse. The Unique design surely makes it way more interesting to me than the wave of Ali Specials which are all mostly just rips of well known designs imao.

I had a black face one of these about 10yrs ago, it ran fast, about 1min+/per day, and had numerous bits of dust under the crystal, Citizen's QC was truly bad!! It also had the movement you could wind, but not hack, which was a little strange. Luckily they ran out of stock in the UK, and someone was glad to buy it off me, with the aforementioned issues, for about the price i bought it.

Sounds like some smelly person bought the watch wore it a bit and returned it... Got the one with the red 15min quarter beezle and only white markers and a glossy dial last summer on amazon The hand makers had some darker spots of the lume towards the innerpart of the indicatorts when charged up, asked the seller and he said they all were like that, I went around the city and found the watch in many stores, and they all were the same, so seems to have been a batch at the very least with some thin lume application, otherwise, its no less bright or long-lasting than my Prospex Seiko. It came on a on the fly adjust bracelet, but sadly the linkes on the bracelet are folded, so I just took it off right when I got it. This citizen has also been tested to way over 20 bar, my version only says Diver's 200 m, like my seiko, as they both are have achived the same ISO criteria I've always seen this model as the budget well-built diver watch for that a majority of accual divers prefer using. Or as the slightly less tooly and more premium looking SKX. I'm also a fan of the movement, as its designed to protect itself from shock with disconnecting the secound hand during shock, it's also made to be resilient towards cold tempratures, something I enjoy as a Norwegian

@OscarOSullivan

3 ай бұрын

If you see a diver be it civvy street recreational, civvy commercial or naval diving wearing a Diver’s watch as a back up chances are it is a Citizen Promaster Diver.

Legendary piece, the black one was my first watch,wore it religiously and it still runs like on day one, ive taken it to sauna, bath, sea, mountains.. Pondering to snag the blue for 150 on discount i found this week and then just complete the collection with the lume. Yellow is hard to find though. For me better than an SKX.

I have the NY0040-17L 8203 on dial but with the 8204 inside. Great lume, movement (+ 10 seconds a day), bezel, finishing and dial with superb QC. Mine is on a CWC green grey G10 NATO. I got mine in the yellow dive tank. The 8 o’ clock crown is very comfortable. It wears like a 38mm diver on my wrist. The 60 click bezel has far less to go wrong with it and the aluminium insert is less likely to shatter than ceramic. Unlike your San Martins it is a proper diver. It is an ISO diver. And the bare minimum for water resistance for a Diver’s is 100 metres or 10 bar. The lume has lasted all night for me. Miyota 8203/8204 tend to be more accurate then Seiko 4R36 and with better shock resistance after all Citizen made the first shock resistant and water resistant Japanese watches. A 1977 Citizen Challenge diver washed up covered in a barnacle on an Australian beach in 1982 in working order. Citizen Diver’s have a long since the 1980’s history of being used by naval divers.

This was the watch of choice for the Marina Militaré (Italian Navy). They have been known to handle way over 200m underwater and with latest model being the same but with a better movement with hacking and a few different colors I think more people should give it a try.

@kutter_ttl6786

2 ай бұрын

They tested them down all the way down to 500m, and it survived. A big factor why it was officially adopted.

Yes, absolutely and objectively yes,it literally beats just about anything else on the market. In fact,it's a sapphire crystal away from being probably the best dive watch ever made.

It's been my daily driver for years and I've honestly had no complaints it's just a decent watch for a pretty ok price.

cool video, perhaps you can also review the new Citizen Promaster Mini EO2020-08E and compare both of them.

solid workhorse. no fancy gimmicks, just a simple and durable watch...

I still quite like Citizen to be honest.. I currently have two. This one is nice, but these coloured ones, wow!

Maybe it was an Amazon return and the original buyer put the sticker back on?

My son likes Seiko divers. I prefer Citizen and Orient. Citizen's bezel lines up, fit and finish is tops. I've never heard the rotor spin like others say, maybe I'm lucky. Pay crazy high prices for Seiko and enjoy their lack of quality control....your money. I also never experienced a smell from any Citizen. My son would take Seiko all day...I'd take Citizen or Orient. Tomato...Tamaato

The only true diver in sub 200-250 USD category, and that's brand new. So there's that. Comparing it to a see-through 100m wr Seiko 5 without a screw down crown is a joke.

I think this model is finally being retired. It wasn't on the US Citizen website. The "replacement" is larger. I bought the NY-0086 recently. Very nice.

How much does it cost to overhaul one of these? Is it gonna be 1/2 the price of the actual watch or budget watches are cheaper to maintain? if it does cost that much, isnt it much better to go with quartz variant for cheaper watches?

I always liked this more than my SKX. It's thinner and the movement is more accurate when on low charge. also; the bezel construction is kinda floaty so that sand and other stuff has a chance to escape. only caveat is the crown threading. at least on mine it will strip sooner or later.

@dustycups

3 ай бұрын

What have you noticed about the crown threading on yours? Mine seems fine so far, although I haven't looked closely at it.

@dmks2146

3 ай бұрын

​@@dustycups It has gotten more difficult to get a clean connection when screwing back down with occasional lock ups. I always found it kinda hard to operate though. It's pretty tiny and doesn't have the best grip.

@dustycups

3 ай бұрын

⁠​⁠​⁠@@dmks2146That’s no good. Do you use the reverse wind method to get it engaged cleanly onto the threads? If you wind it backwards first while pressing down until it clicks on then you can screw it down without risk of cross threading. I wonder if a competent watchmaker could restore it by running a die over it.

I have the fugu white dial pro master it's a great watch

I sold my NY004 and bought me the Asia Limited Fugu version with a pepsi bezel while traveling to Hong Kong. Absolutely love it. Hands are much nicer than the NY004 Models. + Saphire glas, 120 click bezel, fugu engraving on backplate etc. Paid just 50€ more. But if anyone is interested, you have to watch out, If you need/want hacking. The older fugus don’t have it but are still sold.

@discountmorty213

2 ай бұрын

The rubber strap for the fugu is hell alot better than the ny one.Mine is all black lol and I luv how they come in oxygen tank

Thanks.

Great watch, proper divers watch, which that Seiko is not. Like all promasters very well made.

2 items: 1) Why not an Eco-Drive diver? Those are the ones to get for best value from Citizen :) Amazon (USA) lists the BN0150-28E as ISO compliant, so it apparently uses child-friendly and non-toxic finger-paint ... or something ... no mention of what ISO it complies to? 2) Can we have some reviews of the MoD W10 homages, that exist for both the Hamilton/CWC mid 70s tonneau version, and the earlier Smiths round case? I received a Tandorio 36mm "pilot" watch on a khaki strap (had to wash it to lose mil-spec chem stench and soften it up, but now it's lovely!), which is a spitting image of a Hamilton W10, and totally love it :)

It's an excellent watch for the price, but I prefer the Ecodrive Citizen quartz diver models (more expensive though).

Maybe 90s styling is becoming retro rather than just old fashioned because I actually really like that. Almost never say that about anything from the 90s: I'm definitely more of a 60s-80s kind of guy. But I really do quite like the look of this, as hackneyed as it may be - it's just very functional. That 8 o'clock crown is really cool as well. It seems like a really good option as a daily beater or travel watch where perhaps you want something solid and robust, but that maybe won't draw too much attention. Hmm.

You're pretty late to the party for this one! The watch retains relevance because it's well built and cool.... End of story. This watch is for the true enthusiasts, not for the spec junkies 🙂

I would love to see the Casio Duro in Automatic .

@brantisonfire

3 ай бұрын

You could probably figure out how to get a mechanical movement in a Duro case. Might need a custom movement holder and you could get a NH35 if it will fit.

I had mine for almost a year now and the only "problem" i have is the bezel becomes easier to turn with time. Dose anyone know how to tighten it?

The most recognizable Citizen (diver) ever. Wear mine on a blue nato.

I have this one in the white dial variant and I don’t know, but you must have got a dud with the lume as mine easily is on par with, or better than my Seiko 5’s, maybe not quite as good as my monster or king samurai

I say it all the time - best SKX is Citizen Promaster, hahaha. I have a "Coke" version, and love the watch. Design of bezel is so much better than on Seiko imho.

Ben can you do a review on Venezianico Watches? Another Filippo Loretti type 😅😂

I have the quartz eco drive model. It is the apocalypse watch. Tough, cheap, may last longer than me.😂

There is an updated version that uses the 9051, the proprietary version of the 9015. It is expensive though.

@e28forever30

3 ай бұрын

This does not use a “9” series movement.

Ben!...glaring omissions in your home work...no mention of 'marine national' (well perhaps a wee inclusion of 'military'...not good enough!.. boys love there mil references) no underpants no going home early... your in detention...(have a look at your mate tgvs notes)🧐😁

Divers seem like the IPA of watches. I like them, but can I have some other options?

@e28forever30

3 ай бұрын

Did anyone force you to watch this video?

2:09 Ben giving the fans what they want.

The SKX of Citizen . Looking very monk like coincidentally in that pooh brown hoodie there.

I've had 2 of the full lume versions. One I sold a few years ago for quite a profit when they briefly discontinued them and more recently the upgraded 8204. They're great tool watches but ultimately I find them too small. The day/date is practically unreadable and the lumed version soon fades out after dark. I'd still take one over the Seiko 5 and the mako 3 though. Incidentally, they are genuine ISO rated and one of the cheapest available with that certification. I can't see citizen slapping 200m diver's on the dial and hoping that nobody finds out to the contrary.

@e28forever30

3 ай бұрын

For a dive watch, these are indeed on the smaller side.

Regarding the weird smell... did you not try washing it?

Cityzen number one ❤

I believe the Italian Marina Militare tested this watch down to 500m before including as standard issue equipment for their Teseo Tesei in the 1990's

I waited so long to buy one that it wasn't an option anymore 😅

My grail watch which I bought at a decent price is the orient triton Neptune with the power meter in blue. I think it'll be a new classic.

@e28forever30

3 ай бұрын

That’s an actual dive watch from Orient. Like it a lot, but I’ve read a lot of horror stories about the crown breaking off..

Why is the crown on the left?

60 click bezel for the win