Orient Men's 'Mako II' Japanese Automatic Stainless Steel Diving Watch, Diving Watch

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Also, the way in which the bracelet’s endlinks meet the case is done so well to the point where the bracelet becomes an organic expression of the case and vice versa. I’ve handled other pieces before when the bracelet was nice and the case was nice – but when they were together they just weren’t jiving. That’s not what’s happening here with the Orient Mako II – there’s magic where case and bracelet meet. Its 200-meter water resistance rating, day-date display, and luminescent markers make it a highly functional watch suitable for everyday wear and diving. Its classic design and versatile style make it a great choice for anyone looking for a reliable and stylish dive watch. More than a decade later, Orient finally granted our wishes and came out with the Mako II – a similar watch to the original, but with an upgraded movement. With so much ubiquity and variety in the world of budget-friendly divers, I can see how it would be easy to gloss over the Orient Mako. The newer models bring sexier features with big visual upgrades and really offer great value any way you look at it. Still, there’s something charming about the older Orient Makos and I find that I enjoy wearing this one even if there are nicer, more expensive watches calling to me from the box.

There is not a lot of differences between the two – the USA version uses a sapphire crystal, as opposed to the mineral crystal on the plain Mako II watch. But more on that later. Overall, the F6922 is a reliable and accurate movement that provides good value for money. It is a key reason why the Mako II has gained a reputation for being one of the best affordable mechanical watches on the market. The Case: Stainless Steel 41.5 mm The watch is presented with a beautiful blue dial with a sunburst finish that matches the color of the bezel perfectly. The dial reflects the light in a beautiful way and is very vibrant when the sunlight hits it. It’s difficult to get bored of this dial.One thing that did not impress me, however, was the finishing on the sides of the case. I would describe the finishing as “semi-polished”– it’s not highly polished to the point where you can see your reflection, but it’s definitely not brushed either like the top of the lugs.

Here are some points to consider that will help you decide whether you should buy the Orient Mako II or not. Movement Right off the bat, there’s already a huge difference with the way the Mako III and Kamasu look. The Orient Mako III is a bit bigger at 43.6 mm while the Kamasu is around 41.8 mm in diameter. The Mako III’s coin-edge bezel also begs for a strong difference against Kamasu’s sub-bezel. The Mako was on wrist the night I danced with my wife for the first time, by my side when I lost the picture in radar training, held close on my honeymoon, and even with me the day I met my partner in watch snobbery. Through triumph and failure, from one side of the country to the other, the Orient Mako was there and after three years, I think it’s time to give it a closer look and reflect on what makes this such a special watch. The dial of the Mako II is everything you’d expect it to be. It features applied markings that are lined in thin metal, and are filled with lume. Which performs really well, considering the price point. The Orient Mako II features the Orient Caliber F6922 automatic movement, which is an in-house movement developed and produced by Orient Watch Co., Ltd. This movement is highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability, as well as for its value for money.Orient actually has a couple of different versions of this watch – the regular Mako II, and the Mako USA II. We will focus on the regular Mako II watch in this review. The original Orient Mako had an Orient 46943 automatic movement which was notorious for having inaccurate movement and weak functionality. Picturesque as it may sound however, I kept finding myself preoccupied as the watch on my wrist would pull my gaze in and away from the sights again and again. Its sunburst blue dial, chipped crystal, all of it led me to think of where we had been together and how we got here. I never expected to form such an endearing relationship with the Orient Mako but as they say—you never forget your first. The case has a unidirectional rotating bezel that is used to measure elapsed time, which is a crucial feature for a diver. The bezel has a coin-edge design that provides a firm grip and is easy to turn.

Orient’s Mako II is also more accurate than its predecessor. The original had an accuracy with -25/+35 seconds of variation per day, which was largely considered unacceptable. The Mako II, however, has an accuracy of -15/+15 seconds of variation – a huge improvement. And actually great accuracy for a mechanical watch, especially one with such an affordable price tag. Surely, you’ve heard of Orient. The brand — often deemed as one of the most affordable automatic watches — offers timepieces that are worth every penny. Safe to say that Orient is every collector’s entry-level automatic. The brand offers a bunch of choices that overall almost never disappoints. You will always end up with a trusty mechanical watch without spending a fortune. And one of the most celebrated Orient watches should be the Mako. Every collector, old or new, recognises the Orient Mako as an affordable choice for a diving watch. Around the outer edge of the dial, it has an angled chapter ring on which the seconds markers are printed which is blue as well. But is that really enough? Is it just sugar-coating the reality that you can’t have everything for such a low price? Or is the upgraded movement exactly what the Mako II needed to win our hearts and become a staple on our wrists? Let’s find out! The Orient Mako II Features This new model, though…I wish I'd remembered to turn my mic on when unboxing. The words that came out of my mouth were "this is FIT!". I like Orient watches; they are great value, some of them already look decent, but this is the first one I've seen that I think truly looks sexy. Orient is now a sexy watch brand! This is the first Orient I've seen that I think would undoubtedly upgrade your style and I truly hope this comes across properly on camera. If you're not convinced, I'd urge you to try and see one of these in the flesh as this version at least is absolutely stunning.To me, the end result looks like Orient was going for a polished look but decided to cheap out halfway. I would have just preferred that the entirety of the case was brushed. It would also help to bring out the dial by keeping the case more subtle. My favorite aspect of the case is how well the Orient Mako II transitions surface changes. For example the case sides are high polished, but the top of the case/lugs are matte brushed. The line between the two surface finishes is almost indistinguishable, the transition just seamlessly occurs without a harsh, sharp-line transition point. It’s a note of refinement that I feel like doesn’t always get mentioned when folks are talking about the Orient Mako series. That sound of “grains of sand poured down the tube” is the normal sound any automatic movement with hand-winding capabilities will make if it has the hand winding feature capability. It is a shame the shop/owner did not tell you that. I have watches from Longines, TAG Heuer, Rolex, Bulova, Omega, Mido, some old Seiko, and many other brands that do the same sound when wound. This sound means the ratchet and the mainspring are in excellent conditions, and in no way the movement is defective. If you do not have this sound it is either not-a-hand-windable automatic watch, or there is some parts missing/broken. After all, this feature was re-incorporated just for the people who wants to wind it by hand instead of shaking it. But think about this- Unscrewing and screwing the watch again on a frequent basis, just to wind it makes the crown gasket to wear faster compared to when you just shake the watch. So my advice is for you to use and enjoy this watch as it is and to forget those mind phantoms……… Reply Yes, the Orient Mako II is made in Japan by Orient Watch Co., Ltd., which is known for its high-quality and reliable watches. How often does the Orient Mako II need to be serviced? But Yoshida pushed forward to revive his business and in 1950, he established Tama Keiki Company. It continued what Toyo Tokei Manufacturing couldn’t finish. Yoshida utilised the same Hino factory in producing watches. A year later, Tama Keiko Co. changed its name to Orient Watch Company, Ltd. In the same year, the company launched the Orient Star. This very watch became known even overseas. The Orient Star stood out for its small case size and timeless design. This only began the many feats Orient achieved such as the Royal Orient, Grand Prix 100, and Fineness. At the time, the Fineness was the world’s thinnest automatic wristwatch with a day-date calendar function. Orient Mako 10th Anniversary Watches The Orient Mako

In terms of the practicality of the watch, I also noticed that the bezel was very difficult to turn. While this is a good thing for using the watch when diving, as it’s less likely that the bezel is rotated accidentally, perhaps this could have been compensated for with deeper grooves in the bezel for better grip.

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What’s even better is that the case and the bracelet go together perfectly. I bet you’ve had a watch where you felt like the bracelet just didn’t fit the case like they were pieced together from separate watches. That’s definitely not the case here (pun intended) – everything fits together well, and overall, it looks very classy. Orient suggests that deviations from the accuracy claims should not be regarded within one day but within a one week period of results.