# My First Citizen - Diver Model 8203-s82205



## Barryboy (Mar 21, 2006)

My first ever Citizen watch has finally arrived from Singapore, and to quote the great Oscar Wilde, I am underwhelmed.










Reasons I am not impressed:

1) It is just so light. I know that it's titanium (and it's also my first ever titanium watch) but it really seems light for a mechanical watch.

2) The winder does not inspire me with confidence - it does not seem at all substantial.

3) The bezel is not at all smooth - it is slightly notchy and there is a definite 'wobble' to it.

4) The supplied rubber strap is a piece of poo - there is no excuse for this.

None of this is too serious, I know. I will get used to the weight and I will rarely use the winder or bezel anyway but quite honestly I can't believe that this watch is as well engineered as any of my Seikos. I will probably find a better strap, too, but it's not a cheap watch - if this was a 'twenty five quid special' I wouldn't have anything to say but I was under the impression that Citizen were one of the better manufacturers.


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

Mmm sorry to hear that all is not well with your new purchase







as for the titanium thing I'm sure that will just take time. I know what I'm like when I switch from my 6309 over to O&W MP, it just feels so light.









As for the bezel, does it feel faulty? or do you think this is how it's supposed to be







I've seen this model on here before so hopefully another member will be able to give some more input into this. Can I ask how much you payed for it


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

Sorry to hear of your woes - it's never nice when an anticipated new watch doesn't live up to expectations







!

However in defence of Citizen I used to own the stainless steel version of this watch & must admit to liking it very much whilst I owned it. It wasn't as large or as weighty as the Seiko divers (007, 7002, 6309 etc) but I thought that it was equal to them otherwise in terms of build quality, finish & timekeeping. I never had a problem with the crown & liked the fact that you could manually wind it (even though starting a stopped Seiko is just as easy). The bezel had 60 clicks on my watch & felt good & precise - not as smooth as the 120 clicks of the 007's bezel but not notchy or rough at all.

Apart from my friends' Seiko Landmaster (lovely watch but beyond my budget & spoilt - I think - by the compass bezel) I've yet to find a titanium watch that feels as good on the wrist as an equivalent stainless steel one. I've owned a few Ti watches & I've always ended up selling them on pretty quickly - interestingly my friend briefly owned a titanium Seiko Samurai & I remember thinking that the bezel on that felt quite rough too. Maybe it's a feature of the titanium construction?







?


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## Barryboy (Mar 21, 2006)

PhilM said:


> Mmm sorry to hear that all is not well with your new purchase
> 
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Well the best way I can describe it is....

You know what it's like when you have been driving your boss's Mercedes all day, then you get back into your own Mondeo??? There is an obvious difference in class.

The bezel is, I'm sure, 'like that' - I don't think it's faulty, just not as good a fit as Seiko manage. The watch is a current model (NY0054) and is listed at $179 at Skywatches, reduced to $155. I got mine for Â£51 which I thought was a good price... Perhaps I was expecting too much for the money, and maybe it will grow on me.


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## quoll (Apr 20, 2006)

I am sorry you are less than happy - I'm sure we all know that sinking feeling when first getting a new watch out of the box, followed by a few hours of trying to convince yourself it's OK really. If I have the feeling it invariably gets flipped.

I have the NY2300-09 in stainless steel, and I have to say I am generally happy with it, though this model is a little small on the wrist. I can't comment on titanium (never handled one) but this has a nice weight to it. The quality, fit 'n finish is better than I expected. The bezel is nice and precise - though it is notchy. No problems with the crown either.

I absolutely echo your comment on the strap - they are a big let down and I chucked mine away within minutes. The watch is now on a metal bracelet.

One thing I strongly like over my Seikos is the ability to hand wind the Miyota movement.


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## Barryboy (Mar 21, 2006)

quoll said:


> I am sorry you are less than happy - I'm sure we all know that sinking feeling when first getting a new watch out of the box, followed by a few hours of trying to convince yourself it's OK really. If I have the feeling it invariably gets flipped.
> 
> I have the NY2300-09 in stainless steel, and I have to say I am generally happy with it, though this model is a little small on the wrist. I can't comment on titanium (never handled one) but this has a nice weight to it. The quality, fit 'n finish is better than I expected. The bezel is nice and precise - though it is notchy. No problems with the crown either.
> 
> ...


Good point about the ability to hand wind the Miyota - that's something that Seiko should have, IMHO.

The watch would probably benefit from a decent bracelet, but finding one in Ti could be difficult and/or expensive.


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## ollyming (May 12, 2004)

pauluspaolo said:


> Apart from my friends' Seiko Landmaster (lovely watch but beyond my budget & spoilt - I think - by the compass bezel) I've yet to find a titanium watch that feels as good on the wrist as an equivalent stainless steel one.


I think this one is better than it's steel equivalent:



















Even nicer to wear when it's on its bracelet but I don't have a pic for some reason









Cheers, Olly


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Sorry you`re not happy with the Ti diver









I have a couple of modern Citizen automatics and am very pleased with the construction of both I know the Blue Eagle isn`t a diver but it has the same orientation as yours and I find the crown has a nice `feel` to it.









*Citizen Blue Eagle, NH6600-54FB, Miyota cal8200 series, 21 Jewels*










Strangely even though I love the look of the Blue Eagle I`m not keen on the style of the Citizen divers (steel or titanium) with the crown at `8`









BTW I prefer also have a Seiko 007 but much prefer my `Dolphin` to it









*Citizen Dolphin Divers, NH8050-01LT, Miyota cal8200 series, 21 Jewels*


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## TimeKeeper (Jul 5, 2007)

Hi mach 0.0013137,

could you tell me how much weighs your NH8050-01L? I really like this watch.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

TimeKeeper said:


> Hi mach 0.0013137,
> 
> could you tell me how much weighs your NH8050-01L? I really like this watch.


Thanks, so do I









Anyway the weight is approx 80g, BTW the case is 40mm excluding crown, 43mm including it,depth is 12mm


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## TimeKeeper (Jul 5, 2007)

Thanks a lot! It's cool the watch is not too heavy. I know the lugs width is 19mm, if only it didn't have 19mm bracelet.









I'll try to look for a cool silicon one, and if it fits, it'll be mine.


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## grey (Apr 29, 2006)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> TimeKeeper said:
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> 
> > Hi mach 0.0013137,
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Hi mach,

Keep seeing your Blue Eagle on threads, think it looks great but can't locate one anywhere. Are they current? And....... are they expensive?









Best regards,

Graham


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

grey said:


> Hi mach,
> 
> Keep seeing your Blue Eagle on threads, think it looks great but can't locate one anywhere. Are they current? And....... are they expensive?
> 
> ...


Sorry for the delay in replying Graham, I`ve only just noticed your post









I bought the Blue Eagle a few years ago from a site based in Thailand, it cost me Â£85 but I did get hit with an extra Â£20+ for charges when it arrived









I haven`t seen it listed anywhere else on the net although if memory serves someone else on the forum did get one, mind you I`ve never seen any photo`s posted of it


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

*Citizen Dolphin Divers, NH8050-01LT, Miyota cal8200 series, 21 Jewels*












TimeKeeper said:


> Thanks a lot! It's cool the watch is not too heavy. I know the lugs width is 19mm, if only it didn't have 19mm bracelet.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The strap on mine came from Roy, see 2nd one down here... Oyster Rubber 20mm Strap with deployment clasp - OYD20

I know it`s 20mm but it does fit well


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## grey (Apr 29, 2006)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> grey said:
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> > Hi mach,
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Thanks mach.


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## Wardy (Jul 23, 2003)

Barryboy said:


> My first ever Citizen watch has finally arrived from Singapore, and to quote the great Oscar Wilde, I am underwhelmed.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I own this exact model, I picked mine up from Male airport as a momento. My bezel does have a little play but despite boucing it off a few door frames by accident it has stood firm. The crown does feel flimsy when unscrewed but mine screws down very securely and have no concerns about seepage. Time keeping is within 4 seconds a day. It is very light for sure but it can take a bashing!


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## grayman (May 25, 2006)

I also have the same watch. Some of your criticisms are well-founded: The watch is light, the crown is a bit rough to screw in, and the rubber band is junk. I haven't had any problems with the bezel on mine (which, I believe, is stainless steel on a Ti case) and the watch is accurate to about 5+ seconds/day. As for the band, I swapped mine out for a black kevlar-style one immediately. Another plus for me is the good lume for use when waking up in the middle of the night. All in all, my feeling is that the negatives are far outweighed by the positives. I think you'll grow to really like this watch. It's a great beater.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

grey said:


> mach 0.0013137 said:
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I`ve been doing a google and there seems to be very little information about it even on the SCWF









I gather it wasn`t even available in Japan or America with sales possibly limited to SE Asia, production appears to have stopped around four years ago









One contributer stated that _"They are as rare as hen's teeth"_









Anyone got a genuine pre-`69 speedy they`d like to swap for my near mint Blue Eagle?


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## grey (Apr 29, 2006)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> grey said:
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> > mach 0.0013137 said:
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Got some 1989 Speedos: any good?


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

grey said:


> mach 0.0013137 said:
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Err, tempting but may be not thanks


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