Brand | Miyota (Citizen) |
Caliber Number | 8203, 8203A |
Movement Type | Automatic |
Linges | 11 1/2”’ |
Diameter | 25.6mm |
Height | 5.67mm |
Jewels | 21 |
Vibrations Per Hour | 21,600 bph |
Lift Angle | 49 degrees |
Shock System | Parashock |
Power Reserve | ~40 hours |
Rotor Winding Direction | Counterclockwise (uni-directional) |
Hacking? | No |
Hand-Windable? | Yes |
Plastic Parts? | Yes |
Hand Winding Direction | Clockwise (forward) |
Functions | Central hours, central minutes, central seconds, bi-lingual day/date calendar at 3:00 |
Country of Manufacture | Japan |
Known Brands | Citizen ProMaster (Too many to list, add more in the comments below…) |
The Miyota caliber 8203 is a 21 jewel automatic movement, first introduced in 1977 (other versions as early as 1974). This movement is from the Miyota 8200 family (aka 8 or 82 series) of movements. This 8203 has been discontinued by Miyota/Citizen and is no longer offered in their catalog of movements. It has evolved into the current Miyota caliber 8205.
Some of the topics covered in this caliber listing:
Miyota 8203 VS 8204:
There is a similar Miyota caliber 8204. These two movements are so similar that Citizen even combines them into one instruction manual. One main difference between the calibers is hacking (the second hand stops while setting the time, for precise time setting): The 8204 hacks, whereas the 8203 does not. Citizen officially refers to this as a second hand stop function.
Another difference is that the 8204 has a power reserve of 42 hours and the 8203 offers a power reserve of about 40 hours.
Accuracy of the 8203 is rated better than the 8204 at -10/+20 sec/day vs -20/+40 sec/day for the 8204.
Interesting observation: There are some Citizen watches (such as the NY0040/NY0045 divers) that are supposed to have non-hacking caliber 8203 movements inside, but some collectors are reporting that their watches are powered by the hacking 8204 despite the dial (and possibly caseback) referencing the 8203. Please comment below if you have come across a watch like this.
Time and Calendar Setting:
- You can hand wind the movement while the crown is in position 0.
- Pull the crown out one click to position 1 to set the calendar. Turn the crown clockwise to advance the day of the week. Rotate the crown counterclockwise to advance the date.
- Pull the crown out again (position 2) to set the time.
- Do not set the date while the time is between 9:00pm and 4:00am.
Note: Although the 8203 has a quickset date, this does not mean the date instantly flips over at midnight. In fact, the changeover is not instantaneous, so do not be alarmed if you see a partial date when the hands are before or after 12:00AM.
Replacement Prices:
The Miyota caliber 8203 has been discontinued, therefore replacement retail prices are not available. To find this movement, you will need to find a watch parts retailed with remaining new old stock, find a watch with this caliber inside, or possibly upgrade to a newer version.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Long history of being built on a dependable movement framework
- Affordable even when replacing with the newer version
Cons:
- Non-hacking
- Some do not like the possible hesitating seconds
- Discontinued so it’s not easy to find an exact 8203 replacement
Additional Resources:
This caliber listing is incomplete because of the lack of a high quality image. Do you have a Miyota 8203? Please donate a picture here.
Recent Comments
Is it normal to hear a clicking sound when the watch rotor turns? https://youtu.be/vy1-sqpZYmQ?si=Svt0wh1TM1HlivUc
Is there a clicking sound when the watch rotor turns?
Hello this is the same mechanism as my watch Bretling A53040.1 Transocean. Thank you very…
9f85 movement has end of life battery indicator?
I think they meant heaviest "common" metal. It is a little more dense than gold…
Bought my SBDC085 (62MAS Darth) which is 2019 model a month ago brand new (NOS).…
please can the difference of the rotors different color paint of (caliber 5 and tag…