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 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.

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. To give an example, when I sleep say at 7pm I wake up at 4am and could tell the hour but not the minutes... In addition, I am amazed at the accuracy. The watch has varied from +/- 1-3 SPD but at the end of one week, it is dead on accurate to the second! That is a level of accuracy that exceeds many quartz watches. I don't know how long that will last but, for now, it is truly remarkable. 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.

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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. I sent the watch and bracelet to Duarte at Northeastern Watch Works for bead blasting and replacement of the flat mineral crystal with a domed mineral one. The attached photos are his fine work. Excellent results as always, Duarte is highly recommended for good reason. 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. 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???

Now the key information: the Citizen part number of the bracelet. Two versions exist as of June, 2006: an all silver tone version (part # 59-S00012) and a variant with gold tone finish on the center row of links (part # 59-S00014). The latter might look good on the NY0045-05 with gold tone accents on the bezel, dial and hands. A diver’s 200m water resistance rating makes this watch suitable for scuba diving at depths not suitable for saturation diving. 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.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.)