The new Citizen Mechanical Day/Date NY4058 is a Perfect Example of a Gateway Mechanical Watch
Definitely a candidate to consider as an affordable gateway to the world of mechanical watches.

When you read magazines like MONOCHROME, stepping into the (absolutely fascinating) world of mechanical watchmaking can be frightening. Not only can these watches be hard to understand, filled with complications and complex mechanical devices, but the prices at which most luxury watches are offered generate a “glass ceiling” effect that’s hard to break. There is what we call accessible luxury, of course, but even here, prices are still beyond the reach of many. Enter the so-called “gateway watches,” mechanical timepieces that are genuinely affordable, the kind of watches that can get you hooked and locked in this rabbit hole that’s watch collecting.
There are so many options to consider when it comes to your first mechanical watch, to the watch you buy for yourself or your kids as the first step into the world of mechanical watchmaking. Obviously, what you can put on the table to acquire this first watch is highly personal and will depend on each individual, but let’s agree (in a highly arbitrary way, I know) that we’re talking sub-1,000 euros/dollars for most of us, mere mortals. And even that price tag can be highly divisive… Some will see it as accessible, and some will see it as the pinnacle of their future collection.
If you look at the Swiss, there are extremely attractive options from Tissot, Hamilton or Swatch. Thanks to crowd-funding, micro-brands have also captured a substantial portion of the market. But then come Japanese watchmaking companies, with Seiko and Citizen dominating the market, releasing absolute bangers in this field. What these companies have done in this specific field is nothing short of impressive, as their entry-level options combine the reassurance of a long-established company with advanced production capacities – and yes, these are more “in-house” than many luxury watches – with proven, reliable mechanical movements inside.
For a long time, the Seiko SKX007 was THE perfect gateway dive watch. Capable, robust, good looking and genuinely affordable. The Seiko 5 Sports collection took over and remains packed with fun models, modestly priced and capable enough. But Citizen has been striking very hard for some years now. Watches such as the Tsuyosa, a trendy 1970s elegant sports watch, or the Challenge Diver Automatic, reward you with much watchmaking content yet are priced under EUR 300. Recently, we took a closer look at the Urban Military NJ0190 Series, once again a true value proposition model with a fun, sporty design and excellent price/quality ratio. What if, however, you’re looking for something classic, elegant enough for a corporate life, but also suitable with weekend attire?
Enter the new Citizen Mechanical Day/Date NY4058 Series… Starting price? Under EUR 220, or what you’ll usually see attached to a China-made designer-branded quartz watch for sale at your local mall. The main difference here is that we’re talking about real mechanical watchmaking by a manufacturer with over 100 years of track record. And that is exactly the kind of watch that will get you hooked and locked.
What are we looking at here with this new Mechanical Day/Date NY4058 Series? Well, a fairly simple, rather conservative watch that is nothing fancy or extraordinary but is there to do the job and does it well. It’s a typical elegant-ish all-rounder watch – leaning perhaps more towards the dressy side than the sporty side, unlike a Tsuyosa or a Tissot Gentleman. The fully polished steel case has great contemporary proportions, with a 40mm diameter and a relatively thin profile of 10.7mm. It’s not ultra-thin, but then again, in this price range, some minor concessions are to be expected. The fit and finish are very decent and clean, and the watch is equipped with mineral crystals on both sides, with a screwed back, a push-pull crown and 50m water-resistance – a slightly limiting factor to really make it a go-anywhere, do-anything watch.
Three versions of the Mechanical Day/Date NY4058 have been released, including the black-on-leather (the dressiest) and blue-on-steel you can see here, as well as a green dial on a bracelet. The dials are fairly nice in terms of execution, with a sunray-brushed base, applied hour indexes (the larger ones even have two kinds of finishing on their surface) and a day-date window framed by a polished metal insert. I’m personally not the biggest fan of the day-date complication done in this 3 o’clock style, but it does animate the dial and adds a small layer of complexity to the watch – plus, it’s quite practical in a corporate environment. The hands are polished metal and fairly large, meaning that the legibility of the display is very good in the daytime but also decent at night with large lume inserts on the hands and small luminous hour markers on the angled inner flange – the precision track is a bit surprising in this context, and I might have preferred a simpler track… But that’s just a matter of personal opinion here.
Inside the case is the in-house calibre 8200 – I’m still questioning the need for a see-through caseback with such entry-level, unfinished movements, but in the context of a gateway watch, it might be a good way to learn about mechanical watchmaking. This movement is simple yet reliable, runs at 3Hz and stores about 42 hours of energy. It features a hand-wound capacity.
As said, the way the watch is secured to the wrist depends on the dial colour. The black edition, probably the most classic of them all, comes with a faux-crocodile leather strap with a steel pin buckle. The strap is not the best, in all fairness, and the watch might benefit from an aftermarket strap… But then again, a high-quality strap would probably cost half of the price of the entire watch, just to put things back into perspective – yes, you simply can’t have it all. As for the blue and green models, the watches are delivered on a steel bracelet closed by a folding clasp, giving them a sportier edge. But on all options, the comfort is undeniable with a fairly light watch, good proportions and pleasant, timeless looks.
So yes, once again, Citizen strikes hard with this new NY4058 Series. Truly affordable, delivering a lot for the money, good looking without being too trendy (and thus potentially going out of style). It’s undoubtedly a great option for a first step into the mechanical watch game, a great graduation watch or simply a good, solid timepiece for anyone wanting a business-capable watch that won’t break the bank. Prices start from EUR 219 for the black model and EUR 229 for the green and blue editions.
More details at CitizenWatch.eu or CitizenWatch-Global.com.
3 responses
Citizen is the new Seiko
Read through the entire article.
Besides some personal preferences and the lack of sapphire, I couldn’t find fault with it.
Great as a first and last watch.
I agree with an earlier comment of Citizen delivering what Seiko used to sell: low cost and reliable mechanical watches. We’ll see is there is still a profitable market for this. Or, has no-fuss quartz of similar or better quality taken ownership of this price category?