Friday, November 23, 2007

Citizen NY2300 Automatic Diver Review


On an aftermarket Hadley Roma bracelet



On an aftermarket nylon Rhino band



On the stock rubber diver's band



Profile showing the short lugs



Profile showing the tapered case



The relatively unadorned caseback



Citizen is the world’s largest watch manufacturer and looking at their NY2300 diver’s watch, it’s not hard to see why. This model features an excellent combination of features for a really absurdly low price. There are several different versions of the NY2300. They differ in style and color in that some have a white face or gold lettering on the dial or an all black bezel. Mechanically, they are all identical however.

The NY2300 is a classic looking diver whose bezel (in this example) is another of the “Pepsi” type. (See the earlier reviewed Seiko diver). The watch measures 42mm in width (including the crown) 43mm lug to lug, 12m in thickness and has a 20mm band lug width. I was actually a bit surprised at these dimensions as the Citizen really looks and wears smaller than it is. I think this is because the lugs are short and taper in towards the body of the case. Additionally, the case itself narrows in width towards the caseback. The overall effect is to make the watch more compact in design and quite comfortable on the wrist.

In terms of specs, the NY2300 is powered by a Miyota 8200 21 jewel automatic movement (Miyota is to Citizen as ETA is to the Swatch Group. They make movements for Citizen’s line but also sell movements to third party manufacturers). The 8200 has been around since the 1970's and is quite well thought of. The movement can be hand wound but not hacked and includes both a day and date function. Accuracy on my example seems to be at about +20 seconds a day (which is not bad for a mechanical watch with no pretensions of chronometer level accuracy) but I have read that this movement can settle down in a few months with better accuracy. The NY2300 has a mineral glass crystal and is water resistant to 200 meters. The lume isn’t quite at a Seiko Monster’s level but it is very good nonetheless and remained clearly visible in darkness after a few hours. The stock band is a rubber diver’s model that is reasonably soft and comfortable. Lastly, the bezel has a very firm and precise action and will turn in only a counter clockwise direction like most good diver watches.

The NY2300 is in most respects very similar to many other automatic divers. Where it excels in comparison with other such watches, however, is in its price. The example seen here was new for well under $100.00 on the world wide tag sale. That is easily 1/3 less coin than similarly featured Seiko diver and a fraction of the cost of a Swiss automatic diver. The only obvious concession to economy is the choice of a rubber band, which realistically will need to be replaced after a few years of wear and tear. That being said, an after market bracelet or even a nylon nato style band can be gotten for very little money when the time comes.

To sum up, the Citizen NY2300 is an exceptionally good value that should give years of trouble free service. If you are looking for a solid water sports watch or just a good daily wearer or beater, but want to avoid a battery driven quartz watch, the NY2300 is a hard choice to argue with. It would also make an excellent introductory piece for someone interested in a quality mechanical watch who isn't prepared to commit to a large purchase at the outset.
--

56 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Ed,

Great review.
Did you have any problems fitting the Rhino to the Citizen NY2300 Auto? I presume it was the 20mm size?

Thanks.
Jeremy
Australia

8:37 AM  
Blogger Ed said...

20mm is correct. No problems at all. The stock springbars on the Citizen are very strong and easily held the Rhino band.

9:26 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great - thanks Ed for the reply!

Jeremy

3:31 AM  
Blogger Speedmaster said...

Nice review Ed, and sharp watch!

8:50 PM  
Blogger Ed said...

Thanks again. I think this one will be worn quite a bit.

11:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Ed,

After your review I went out (that is to say on the bay) and bought one, albeit the black bezel type.
Great watch indeed, and a bargain as well.
I also own a Seiko diver, and sure, the finishing of the Seiko is slightly more refined, but I don't know if it justifies the price difference.
I'm Dutch you know. And we Dutch know a good buy when we see one.
Even if I really don't need another watch, but hey...

Greetings,

JP
Netherlands

3:51 PM  
Blogger Ed said...

Pretty much sums up how I feel about this one too :)

4:13 PM  
Blogger Ed said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

4:13 PM  
Blogger Neticola said...

I have it and i like it very much; but mine it seems so noisely when move the wrist near to the ear, is this ok?

Thanks!

Raúl.-
(Spain)
Neticola@gmail.com

6:19 AM  
Blogger Ed said...

Exactly how it should sound. The Miyota movement uses a unidirectional winding action on its automatic system. When it is spinning the non-winding way, like when you flick your wrist, it spins very quickly. Nothing to be concerned about.

6:22 AM  
Blogger Neticola said...

Thank you very much Ed,...a very quick response to!

Raúl.-

7:45 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for a great review. I live in Sweden and will probably get one of these on ebay but don't know which one to get. There are a number of models ending with -09E, -09G or similar, and I've seen some with day indigation with asian idiograms. Do you know what the ending signifies or if there's a description of each one. I've tried Citizen's website to no avail. I couln't even find the NY2300. I'd like to order one that has indications that I can read.

4:33 AM  
Blogger Ed said...

I don't know that but if you google Seiko Citizen Watch Forum and ask that question there, its likely someone would know the correct answer. Very knowledgeable folks on that forum.

6:26 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for you help Ed,

I got the white NY2300 on eBay and it's absolutely beautiful. It has both english and asian date indications. I didn't however get an instruction manual, but I'll ask in the forum about that. By trial I found how to set date and time but am unsure about the crown. Mine sound like it's winding up while I screw the crown in. Is it supposed to do that? I have an auto Omega and it doesn't sound like that. Also I could not find a way to arrest the seconds hand in order to measure accuracy. Do you know how to do that?

Thanks again,

Ivan

5:56 AM  
Blogger Ed said...

The crown is supposed to feel that way on a Miyota automatic. It isn't a problem. As for hacking the second hand, this movement doesn't hack. It's like the Seiko 7s26 in that regard.

8:40 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello Ed
Maybe you can answer a question for me.
I have this exact watch but for some reason I can't seem to get the calander and day working in the proper sync. I know the manual says not to set the calander between a specific time but It doesn't seem to matter what time of day I set the day of the week or month. the following day one of the 2 is wrong. Arrrg

10:46 AM  
Blogger Ed said...

That doesn't sound good. Try setting them a day in advance and then rolling them forward manually using the crown in the set position and see what happens.

9:03 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Ed, i know you posted this blog a few years ago. But i like the watch but realize that i cant seem to find the watch here in united states. very wary of buying even a cheap watch from an overseas seller. can you suggest a site or a dealer that still sells this watch that i can trust buying it from them...thanks

1:25 PM  
Blogger Ed said...

This ebay seller seems to a have a few in stock


http://stores.ebay.com/WATCHES-LIMITED

Looks legit to my eye.

Ed

2:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

thanks ed. does the pepsi bezel watch also come in black face and blue face? or only black face

3:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

and last question ed. why does this watch only seem to be sold overseas. was this particular model not made for u.s. consumers?

3:06 PM  
Blogger Ed said...

I think that Citizen is pushing its Eco Drive models here in the US. No idea why. I'm pretty sure there are black and dark blue models of this one.

3:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ed,

Thinking of getting this watch based on your review. One question: does this model come with the rubber strap with the ND Limits chart on it?

-CMCM

3:54 PM  
Blogger Ed said...

Mine had only a plain rubber strap. No ND Limits chart I'm afraid.

3:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hello Ed

do you know of the casing and the crown are made of stainless steel or is it base metal?

Marc

5:38 PM  
Blogger Ed said...

It all appears to be stainless steel. I'm pretty sure Citizen doesn't us base metal on its divers.

10:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Ed
Thank you for a great review.
I have the NY2300 in black and I am very pleased with it both aesthetically and functionally.
I think it looks just swell with a nut-brown leather strap.
Do you know when this watch was first produced and if its still in production?

Thomas
Denmark

9:03 PM  
Blogger Ed said...

I don't know when this entered production but I see new examples online pretty often.

9:18 PM  
Blogger michaelvk said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

7:02 AM  
Blogger Ed said...

I feel the same way. Great watch for the $.

9:50 AM  
Anonymous 3D Animated Movies said...

I didn't however get an instruction manual, but I'll ask in the forum about that. By trial I found how to set date and time but am unsure about the crown.

2:15 AM  
Blogger Ed said...

What about the crown concerns you?

5:48 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Hi Ed,
Can you please tell me if the Hadley Roma bracelet fits without any alteration to it?

Thanks
Tony
UK

8:36 PM  
Blogger Ed said...

No modifications. It fit without any issues

9:10 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks Ed,top man!

I also seen a pic of this watch on a Hadley Roma oyster bracelet with curved end links which was very nice.Do you think Ed that this would fit without any modifications?

Thanks,
Tony
UK

9:48 AM  
Blogger Ed said...

Probably wouldn't fit. The lugs on the NY2300 are relatively short for size of the watchcase. A curved end link would be too large.

2:45 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Once again Ed,thanks.

I think the watch in the pic wih the straight ends looks great anyway and I'll probably go down that road.

Cheers again,
Tony
UK

3:07 PM  
Anonymous SEO services said...

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5:04 AM  
Anonymous Company Logo Design said...

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3:07 AM  
Blogger Andrew Douglas said...

What model Hadley Roma bracelet is it?

9:21 PM  
Blogger Ed said...

All I can tell you is that it is commonly called a Breitling bracelet

11:01 PM  
Blogger Andrew Douglas said...

Received my NY2300-09L and it has an uneven bezel insert paint job. Oh well.

8:54 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...


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Anonymous USA IT COMPANY said...

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4:06 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

8:11 AM  
Blogger Varun said...

quick question: I have pepsi bezel version and absolutely love it, but when manually setting the DAY function; the clicks doesn't feel confident, feels more fidgety, but for DATE function it feels nice and confident; I wasn't sure if this is on my watch only or on all of their miyota 8200 movements, would appreciate your reply, Thanks

6:11 PM  
Blogger Ed said...

Try manually rolling the day/date forward with just the time adjustment. That might set things right.

8:08 PM  
Blogger Varun said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

10:32 PM  
Blogger Varun said...

Hi, I did give it a short, it seems that DAY function is still jittery but it seems not to jitter after locking in , while DATE function clicks in solid and does not have jittery movement,.
By the way, how does DAY function fel on your watch ?

Thanks,

10:42 PM  
Blogger Ed said...

I actually wound up selling this one to finance a new purchase. In the time I owned it though, it worked flawlessly

10:55 PM  
Anonymous Fauzy (Singapore) said...

Had this watch for more than five years. Still keeping excellent time!!! Review is spot on. Thumbs up!!

4:55 AM  
Anonymous Rahul saini said...

I think the watch in the pic wih the straight ends looks great anyway and I'll probably go down that road.

1:15 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Do you know when the watch was introduced on the market?

9:01 PM  
Blogger seni said...

Before this I used to have 3 pieces like this, but now there is only one left

1:52 PM  
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