Photo: ShopGoodwill listing (seller: True North Goodwill)
The gold puck at 9 is a depth sensor — an Aqualand-era Citizen diver, head-only and as-is, closed at $176.
Verdict
| What it is | Citizen C023 Aqualand-era diver — ref. C023-089235, ~40mm, 200M, day-date window at 12, depth sensor at 9, Japan-made, head only |
| Price | $100, 3 bids when spotted Tue Nov 10, 2026, 2:12 PM PT; closed at $176.00, 10 bids |
| Where | ShopGoodwill item 283287293, True North Goodwill, Duluth — closed Wed Nov 11, 2026, 6:04 PM PT |
| The angle | An ana-digi dive instrument from before dive computers, sold explicitly as-is for parts, repair, restoration or collection |
| Verdict | Buy it as an object and a project, in that order — the listing never promised a working watch, and the hammer says the room knew it. |
What it is
The gold puck at 9 o'clock is a depth sensor. Citizen's C023 is an Aqualand-era diver: a day-date window at 12, a 200-metre rating, roughly 40mm across the bezel, made in Japan — an ana-digi dive instrument from the years when a sensor on the case side was how a watch measured the water. The listing's case-back markings give the full reference, C023-089235, with serial 2011581 recorded in the seller's description.
True North Goodwill in Duluth listed it head-only — no strap, exposed spring bars — and sold it, in their wording, "as-is for parts, repair, restoration, or collection." Operational condition was not verified, the battery condition is unknown, and water resistance was not tested. The dial is black with gold-tone accents and orange-accented hands, in pre-owned vintage condition with the scratches, scuffs and finish wear the seller describes. Matthew approved the post on Nov 11, ahead of that evening's close.
Why it matters
The Aqualand line is where Citizen turned the dive watch into an instrument — depth measured at the case, not guessed from a bezel. The C023 carries that idea in its most legible form: the sensor is the design. As a Goodwill Pick it is also the honest end of the format: a watch whose listing states, in full, that it may not work at all — and which still drew ten bids, because the object itself is the value.
Specs
| Brand | Citizen |
| Model | C023 Aqualand-era diver, ref. C023-089235 (case-back marking, per seller) |
| Case | Approximately 40mm across the bezel, excluding crown and side controls (per seller); black and gold-tone, base metal (per case-back marking) |
| Dial | Black, gold-tone accents, orange-accented hands, day/date-style display window at 12 (per seller) |
| Depth sensor | Gold-tone sensor at 9 (per caption record) |
| Water resistance | Marked Water 200M Resist; not tested and not guaranteed (per seller) |
| Condition | Pre-owned vintage; visible scratches, scuffs, finish wear and discoloration (per seller) |
| Running condition | Not verified; battery unknown; sold as-is for parts, repair, restoration or collection (per seller) |
| Included | Head only — no strap or band |
What to check before bidding
- Running is not verified — full stop. The seller states it plainly. Any bid is a bid on a project, not a watch.
- The battery is unknown. On an ana-digi of this era, a dead cell can also mean leaked-cell damage inside. A watchmaker's opening is the first cost.
- 200M is a dial marking, not a promise. The seller states water resistance was not tested and is not guaranteed. Do not dive it on the strength of the text.
- It is head-only. Exposed spring bars, no strap — a small cost, but part of the real total.
Price record
| Spotted | Tue Nov 10, 2026, 2:12 PM PT — $100, 3 bids (ShopGoodwill item 283287293) |
| Seller | True North Goodwill, Duluth — sold as-is, running not verified, battery unknown |
| Hammer price | Wed Nov 11, 2026, 6:04 PM PT — $176.00, 10 bids |
| Also spotted | Seiko 5 7019-8060 automatic, $9.99, 1 bid, ends Thu Nov 12, 8:26 PM PT; Seiko 5, working per seller, crystal scratched, $15.98, 2 bids, ends Thu Nov 12, 6:37 PM PT (per the day's caption) |
Want one?
- In the shop: browse current stock — one-off pieces, and they turn over fast.
- Hunting one? Join the Want List — tell us the maker and the budget; pieces like this surface in our trawl most weeks.
- This one: at the source — See it at ShopGoodwill — item 283287293. Not our listing. See Disclosure.
Related picks
- Citizen Promaster Aqualand JV0030-01E on ShopGoodwill — a dive computer before dive computers, at $100
- Seiko World Time 6117-6400 on eBay — a 1971 automatic GMT, at $34
- Seiko Navigator Timer 6117-6419 on eBay — Seiko's GMT listed as a plain 70M watch, at $31
Spotted, not sold by us — this piece lived at a ShopGoodwill auction by a third-party seller. Prices are a snapshot from when we spotted it; auctions move. Disclosure
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Shop the pick
Citizen C023 Aqualand
$100, 3 bids — ShopGoodwill auction, spotted Tue Nov 10, 2026; closed Wed Nov 11, 6:04 PM PT at $176.00, 10 bids
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