Battle Of The Best $200 Automatic Legendary Divers - Seiko SKX009 vs Citizen NY0040 Promaster Duel 

The citizen is the winner because it won in the more important categories such as keeping the time accurately....

The Promaster is definitely the better choice in, yeah, in every aspect in my oppinion to be honest. Nice video by the way

So the Citizen's got a better movement, applied markers, framed day/date window, it's smaller (more preferable imo), more solid bezel, never heard or seen one with allignment issues like some SKXs, is used by an actual navy and it still loses somehow...

I bought this citizen diver 20 years ago and I am still wearing it today.no issues through all these years

I prefer the Citizen as it kept better time than my (now sold) SKX007 and just felt better built. Both are iconic timepieces but if I had to have one in the Zombie Apocalypse, it would be the Citizen. By the way...the updated version of the NY0040 has better lume and is now hackable. Thanks for the review, really enjoyed it.

I need to stop watching this channel, made me buy an SKX, I want an Orient Ray, Orient Bambino and Seiko Sarb. A while ago I didn't care much about watches and didn't know much about them, now it's like my soul is calling to buy 100s of them. I also need a submariner.

I went for the citizen, and I'm quite happy, still looks like new after 8 months, and that's usually for me, I am used to change the watch every 3 to 5 years. And I must say that I'm impressed with the precision, I have about. - 2 minutes a month, and that's quite good for a mechanical movement.

The Miyota 8203 easily beats the 7s26 in terms of reliability imo, first produced around 1976 with the code 8200, is the same caliber as all the other 82xx miyota calibers with different codes and rotor weights designs, is in service essentially 40+ years and considered one of the most tough economic movements.. People tend to forget this and think it was first released in 1997 together with the particular watch..

In my opinion moving the crown to the 8 o'clock poisition is a brilliant feature. And of course as an Italian, this watch being certified and actually used by the Marina Italiana is a bonus. I'm still enjoying my Citizen. It's my daily driver. Seiko are great quality watches, but they all look alike.

The Citizen case just feels better crafted. Especially the bezel.

I have the SKX007J and the NY0040 and honestly I like the NY0040 better. Just being honest here. The Citizen is better in the fit and finish dept. The bezel action alone is better and more precise in the NY0040. The fact that the movement on the NY0040 also has hand-wind is a plus as well. The SKX is so ubiquitous and that makes the NY0040 a little special as well. I love both watches but a slight edge in favor of the Citizen NY0040. Note: side by side, the Citizen is slightly smaller and wears smaller as well.

Citizen has a beautiful dark backround, more luminous dots and more classical appeal. A+

It took one day of wrist time to fall in love with the Promaster. Comfortable, beautiful and what a lume!

I've owned both for years, and have worn both a LOT. Love both. But I still prefer the Citizen. To me Seiko is better in two ways: 120 click bezel both looks better and operates smoother, and knurling on the Seiko crown is much more functional. Seiko is certainly the more iconic/historical of the the two. But as an actual timepiece, Citizen is better in pretty much every other way. Being able to handwind the Citizen is a HUGE advantage, because you can get it running in time more or less instantly when putting it on. Citizen is significantly more accurate; mine gains a few seconds/day and has been stable for years. Seikos usually gain/lose more than that and they're more prone to "drifting". Citizen face (IMO) is much nicer with the metallic rimmed markers and outlined window. Believe it or not, the lume on the Citizen is every bit as good as the Seiko. Location of the crown is a non-issue.

I bought a Citizen Promaster in 2001 and have made HUNDREDS of dives with it. I just looked at my dive books and I have 515 dives with it. I have used and abused it, traveled on some seriously sketchy trips with it, and it has never let me down. You will have to pry it from my cold, dead hands.

I am a lover of automatic watches and own the two models mentioned in the video, and over the months I could analyze advantages and disadvantages between the two brands. The most conservative Seiko and the most innovative Citizem. Resistance: The seiko has a more scratch-resistant case Lighting: When you wake up at dawn with the light off the Citizen's lighting is perfect lasts all night, and the Seiko will turn off in a few minutes. Precision: In the silence of the night there was the operation of the Seiko, already the one of the Citizen is not heard. Reason why the Citizen machine should be tighter and therefore more accurate. The citizem accumulates more load on the rope and lasts three days out of the wrist, since the Seiko just over 24 hours Finishing and perfecting the Citizen is most beautiful just look at the frames around the calendar numbers, then mark embossed on the trim pin. For these reasons I choose Citizen ... I am lover of both brands ... Excuses, but I think that Seiko stopped in time, had to innovate more!

I own both and my opinion is that while I feel the Seiko is a better watch, I love the Citizen more. It's so unique, so special and I think of it as a little bit of an underdog......................and I always root for the underdog!

SKX is a fantastic watch. I want to extend my gratitude for your insight into this extraordinarily simple yet elegant piece. I recently saw your video from 6 months ago about fake timepieces - I was having some financial troubles and had to sell some of my nicest pieces including my Milgauss GV :( - thought I would replace it with a fake and no one would be the wiser, Instead, after watching that video I was inspired to take the high road, maintain my dignity and buy this beautiful SKX instead. Glad I did. Great piece and Great channel!

personally I went for the promaster Titanium ecodrive. no worries no problems

Watching this years later makes me smile because the resell value of SKX is now crazy, it's definitely 10/10 of value

Its 2020..... the promaster is a skx KILLER.... AND STILL BEING MADE!!!!its not a fake collectable!!!!

I’ve been eyeing an automatic PROMASTER for awhile...I am so glad I stumbled across this video....already having an SKX 011 and loving it dearly, I have been in the market for another SKX model...this video has me re-thinking. Recently I added a quartz PROMASTER as my true beater...and I am completely amazed what 125 dollars bought me! With the end of the SKX line and the dramatic price increase in cost for finding a “new” one...I think it’s time to add a Citizen automatic to the collection...an even greater value with the end of the venerable SKX!...cheers!

I've had a Seiko for thirty years and still use it for diving.

I'm trying to decide between these 2 watches iam leaning towards the Citizen.

I ride against popular views here. I have owned both and I found the Citizen better at the key purpose, diving! I am a recreational diver and when I used it its underwater clarity was astounding. Views of desk divers and real divers need to be considered here.. From a track record point of you, I would go for both but if push comes to shove it would be the Citizen. Also, the world and his wife wears the SK, you don't see the Citizen so much . I think the Seiko is a populist choice. For me the smart money is on the Citizen

I went for the Citizen. Love it, yet still want to get the skx at some point.

Thank you for the interesting comparion between these two watches, TGV!

Great video. I'm an SKX guy for life but that Citizen grew on me the longer the video went on. Very unique and ruged look. For someone who wants to go against the grain a bit and not get most popular choice it could be a great option. God bless - Rick

I might go for the citizen, now that the skx has doubled in price... lol

Thank you for the great over content and thorough review. After watching your videos (more then once..), I decided to purchase the Citizen as my first Automatic watch. I must admit it was hard to make a choice, given how fond you are about the SKX. At the end of the day the Citizen scored better in this review in the categories that really matter to me as a regular user, who doesn't interact with watch lovers who care about brand prestige. Thank you again for your work.

I have within the last 2 weeks bought 2 Seiko SKX 7S26 Fishbone Mother of Pearl dial MODs. And I thank you for your channel over the past 3years I've been subscribed, watching and learning from you!

I'm not much of a diver, and I choose the Citizen between them because of the design. Great precision indeed! Really, I could't ask for more as for timekeeping. And I say it's well built: evethings aligns exactly. Perfect. What I love is the crown at 8 position: quite unique and so good a design, because it's never a bother, it never hurts my hand.

Nice review. The Seiko is a nice watch, but the Citizen Promaster has such a unique charm to it and it's much more rare. I bought mine from an eBay seller in Malaysia and I just love it. Try it on a perlon strap... Somehow when I first got it, it ran 5 seconds slow per day. After a month or so, it now runs + or - just a few seconds a day. Very accurate. It's also semi-hackable when it's on a low charge. Just turn the crown backwards slowly and the seconds will stop.

I love that crown on the Citizen. I'm left handed so it is actually on the proper side for me. It somewhat annoys me that I generally have to take my watch off if I want to change the time or wind it or something. They are both such great looking watches.

love your reviews...campy class with a great understanding of watches at all levels and pricepoints. kudos!

I went for the citizen and i went for the eco drive model which is more cheaper and you can leave it off for 6 month and it will still work. And it looks the same. I like the citizen look much more. The brushed steel is always more classy to me then the polished. My uncle is a diver and i was always amazed about his diver watches and he used something more citizen like. Overall both good watches but the blue dial citizen is for me. Good video thanks my friend.

The Seiko pulls out the victory but I am going to enjoy wearing the Citizen! Thanks!

Just bought the SKX, love it so far, compliments my collection nicely. Thanks

Hi TGV! I just bought my Seiko SKX today. It's just a great watch. Although I have so many watches, and this Seiko SKX wasn't in my mind particularly, but because of your regular and non stop praise of it I had to buy it. 😊😊 Cheers from Lebanon 🇱🇧

excellent duel!!! i was waiting for it! and yes i was expecting the SKX to win ;) thanks for the good work! cheers!!!

I LOVE the look of the citizen promaster(actually my 1st diver)had been eyeing it so I just pulled the trigger on one from Amazon on black Friday for 150 and they've gone up in price ranging from 225 to 280

Hi TGV, thank you for the very good comparison. I bought myself a Citizen just a month or two ago, and I have choosen it against the Seiko only for a matter of personal preference (I find the skx dial a bit too boring). I'm very pleased with the watch, and in fact it has been on my wrist every single day since I bought it. It is very comfortable, and also a bit more unique (imho) and uncommon to see than the skx. Thank you again for the video, ciao!

I have a few Rolex's, and thanks to you I have discovered the Seiko SKX. I have now added the SKX175 to my collection, and I am loving it. Keep the videos coming.

Great video TGV! I want both! 4 years passed and they still look fresh

Another nice video, TGV. Loved the intro with the chess board as a metaphor for the upcoming duel. Personally, I would have given the Citizen higher marks for design over the SKX *because* of the destro crown. This design really works on a dive watch for right handed people that wear their watch on the left wrist. It makes the watch considerably more comfortable to wear, especially with the larger crowns that dive watches have. My EZM has a destro crown, and yes, while you wind and set it "backwards", I really do prefer it on a watch. Just my dos pesos. Cheers, Stephen

Great analysis as always… I’ve owned both and overall I like the citizen better. Just seems a little more robust. Also the seiko wasn’t keeping the best time, I did drop it once so maybe that had something to do with it.

Thanks tgv for the great content. I been using an skx009 while surfing for a year, it's taken a beating and asks for more. I put a much more comfortable nato strap on and couldn't be happier!

Thanks TGV for introducing me to the great culture of watches. I became an addict of Seiko and discovered the Citizen brand.

The Citizen is great for us left handed types.

hold the NY0040 upside down and now the crown is at 2 o'clock and you can wind it, set the time and date normally.

Cheers TGV ! I've gone out and bought an Ny0040 based on your excellent reviews, and spot on you are! Just love it at +4 sec/day for a month on the wrist. ** just bought a blue one as well. Can't get enough haha!! All the best to you and Hugo.

Amazing review of the watches! Thank you!

Great overview. I have a NY2300, which looks even more similar to the SKX because it has the crown at the 3 o clock position. I agree with almost all of your points. I prefer the Citizens because they wear a bit smaller, and because of the better timekeeping and hand winding capability. In terms of heritage, the Miyota 8200 series movement was introduced in 1977. The Seiko 7S26 in 1996. Having said that, the 7S26 is the descendant of a long family line of iconic movements and divers, like the 6105, Tuna, 6306 and 7002.

Keep up the good work Tristano!

Great presentation. First time I have seen a watch show review with factors on paper. Great approach. I just bought the Citizen Eco-drive promaster diver watch for $109 dollars on Amazon. I recognize it is not an automatic but a quarts, but still believe for around one hundred dollars I got a great watch at a great deal. I have watched you presentation for other watches and enjoyed your style, sir. Theophilos Mantzanas

Thank you. Long awaited comparison is finally here.

You know when Mallory says to M, of Bond, "You're sentimental about him?' M says "I Know my agent!" TGV, I think you are sentimental about your Seiko...........................

I've had (and sold) a couple of SKXs, I found them too shiny-looking to the point they looked cheap. Never had that issue with any Citizen watch.

Great review, will be adding the skx to my collection, keep up the good work.

I don't own any Seiko diver watch but I have among others a Citizen Promaster from 2015 and I can tell you it's really tough and worth the money. I have been scuba diving around 30-40 meters deep many times and it is like the first day. The only way it could be improved is with a good sapphire crystal, mine has a small scratch, almost unnoticiable unless you are specifically looking for it but... it hurts when you love it so much. Greetings from the sunny Spain.

Now Im interested in getting the Citizen!

My wife may kill me, but I ordered the SKX175 today just so I have this historic piece. I hear it may go away. I have to stop. In the last month, I bought the Monster Dracula SRP313J1 plus another $70 for the SS bracelet, and the SNE435 Solar PADI.

Thank you T. you nailed it once again, Thanks to the review I bought both watches and i couldn't agree more with what you said. grazie

omg. I still can not decide which one to get. Both of them are just too good. Thank you for your video!

I do agree with you Tristano. The SKX is the king here. And in my opinion is the king everywhere because is the best sub that you can bring with you for every adventure and any commitment you want. You can go to the swimming pool, to vacation, to a business trip. Even on top of the K2 without any problem and if somebody stole it you can easily replace it buying another one. That said I would like to have even the Citizen. :-)

I put 200+ dives on my citizen. Also have the seiko. The crown on the odd side or at 4 o'clock is better than 3 o'clock as it prevents the crown digging into your hand or catching on you gloves when working with you hand at a weird angle. The luminescence of the citizen seems greater -which is a plus if you work in the dark or silty water... Citizen actually beat seiko to the water proof market in 1959 as opposed to seiko coming in at 1965. Seiko's history is better documented and they are easier to find. The fit and finish of the citizen is way better.. the seiko feels floppy. The old 6309 diver was actually more solid. The skx was a down grade in quality to mass produce more for cheaper. That said I wear both.

I just purchased a Citizen NY0083-14X which is a limited edition version of the NY0040, and only available in Asia. I love the eight o'clock crown, and the fact that this 42mm Watch wears like a 38mm on my smaller wrist.

Just ordered a SKX009K! I was really inspired by your SKX with that orange rubber strap and though of pulling off a similar style. Can't wait for the Aussie summer to show off my new piece! Keep up the good work and get well soon!

your chanel is so good! I will buy the seiko today, l live in Japan, thanks to your videos I refined my taste. I actually a casio MT-G S1000 BLACK and the new Mudmaster. in the future Im thinking in a rolex submariner. lets start the collection.

The lume on the Citizen is always shining, even in daylight!..

You made things so much harder after this video. They are both gorgeous, I'll probably buy the Seiko and dream about the Citizen and look at photos online with it when the Seiko is not in the room.

Great comparison as always, TGV! But I definitely have to disagree with the design score on the Citizen. It derserves at least an 8, if not a 9. Why? Well, the 'strange' position of the crown you mentioned several times in the video simply has it's occasion in the design. As you also mentioned in the video the Promaster was used by Italian Navy. The famous watch company Panerai also has a strong connection with the Italian Marine. And they made a left-handed Panerai Luminor (today the PAM 557) in the 1940's to comply with the requirements of the Italian Marine. Their frogmen used a compass and a depth gauge on their left arm so their watch has to sit on the right. Therefore it's much more useful to operate the watch with the left hand when the crown also sits on the left side. And this is the reason why the Citizen Promaster also has the crown on the left side. They also put them on the 8 o'clock position for more comfortable wear on the wrist and better handling if your right arm is stretched out to operate the watch this way. And that's why the Promaster definitely should score in this category, definitely doesn't deserve a 7 for this thoughtful design decision on the watch! Best regards from Germany, Daniel

To be honest, I've got a really expensive Breitling but I bought this Seiko as my everyday watch and it is fantastic!!!!

The Citizen is PERFECT for people who wear their watches in their right wrists, or the Schwarzkopf team!!

I have a few expensive watches, but nothing beats the Citizen titanium eco-drive I bought in Japan 10 years ago, wear it every day to work travelling the world as an engineer, the ultimate every day watch IMO

Hi TGV ,i've just received my SKX 009j and i'm very impressed by the quality of the watch. I understand now why you are so in love with this watch.This J model is more and more difficult to find. I never considered to buy one so big thank you. Best regards.

i would of been tempted to give the crown on the citizen a point due to it avoiding crown digging into your wrist for us loose strap wearers. much like some tag autavias

The Citizen is just as beautiful!

I bought the SKX009 a few weeks ago after watching your videos....I love this watch, thank you!

LOVED this video!! Please do more Battle of the Best. Would love to see price ranges from $50.00 to $5000.00. Fantastic presentation! so much so... I'm ordering an SKX009J asap! Thanks for the inspiration regarding these amazing time pieces. Cheers!

I've just ordered the Citizen to replace my Seiko as my tool watch. I love my Seiko SKX (especially its looks) but a few things bug me : not the best fit and finish, really not accurate at time keeping, not a great power reserve and the impossibility to manually wind it (wich makes it a pain when I leave the SKX in the drawer for a few days to wear the other watches).

Seiko SKX007 legacy: movies Citizen NY0040 legacy: Italian Navy "Marina Militare" Seiko is good/nice but clear winner is Citizen NY0040, better in all categories that can be measured.

Great video TGV! Like many, I also got into SKX009 thanks to you :)

Another great intro and vid TGV! I really need to add the SKX to my collection....

I have owned the SKX for years. Never went diving with it, but it's seen plenty of action. I've had nicer, more expensive, but, now with the oyster band, it's all I need. It can go anywhere.

Can you please do a series on the history of watch brands e.g. Rolex, Tag Heuer, seiko, omega

great video mate, really was looking for something like this!

I absolutely love my Citizen BN0151 in blue paired with an orange nato with brushed stainless rings to match the case. That orange colored nato really makes that orange minute hand pop! From Ohio, USA, ciao!

I think it important to note the ISO certification of both of these pieces.

Citizen is better watch and have much more passion, love everything about this watch

The citizen is a great watch but just being a seiko it has that aura, that classic heritage. The SKX just feels so cultured. Great video TGV thank you.

Both beautiful time pieces and a fantastic review! I love the iconic submariner design on the Seiko but there is something so attractive about the Citizen, it has a slight devilish feel over the Seiko and I feel a bit more intrigued when I look at the NY0040. The two are watch perfection!

Sound tells me that lume shot was done under the blanket :)

Value: Tied Design: Tied Movt: Citizen, better accuracy, windable Prestige: Seiko, more popular Quality: Citizen, better made, better QC Style: Tied Versatility: Citizen, 20mm Lug width, smaller more wearable Performance: Citizen, used by Marina Militare tested 500m WR Durability: Tied X-Factor: Citizen, rarer and harder to find, less faked Winner: Citizen Promaster NY0040 I have both watches 😊

came to find your chanel on RU-vid. I now have an Skx009 as my first watch. Thank you for videos they are wonderful and informative. Thank you.

Thanks for sharing! very honest and detailed analysis. Would be nice a review of the other Citizen diver legend: the Aqualand (nickname Pingo), or even better: a comparison between the classic ones and the new ones (with analog depth functionality) cheers!

Just found out that the skx has discontinued & increased in price so i think the decision is made for me😔

Citizen has a 100 years of history and has lots of first in the industry. I have both and I have to say the citizen is a better watch. I really like my solar model citizen the best with the crown at the 4 o'clock position. It is iso rated and more accurate than both of these.

Love these duels two great watches, nice one fratello as usual.

Very good review I just bought the SKX and i love this watch!