Orient Mako

The Orient Mako has been something of an insider tip among watch enthusiasts for several years. With prices often below 200 USD, it offers world-class quality at remarkably affordable prices. Even the most popular entry-level Seiko watches can struggle to compete. Despite its low price tag, the Orient Mako is a robust diving watch that can stand up to the challenges and stressors of everyday life. It even offers practical functions like a day-date display and unidirectional rotatable diving bezel. Thanks to its 60-minute scale, you can use the bezel to measure periods of time, such as dive durations or when cooking time-sensitive recipes.

The Orient Mako is currently on its third generation. Each generation contains numerous models, from classic diving watches with a black dial and bezel to popular Pepsi editions with a blue and red bezel and blue dial. The Japanese manufacturer also outfits the current generation with a burgundy or green dial. These watches measure 41.5 mm in diameter and about 13 mm thick. Each comes on a large, three-piece link stainless steel bracelet with a lug width of 22 mm and a safety folding clasp.

Orient outfits the Mako exclusively with automatic in-house calibers. This is truly astounding since no Swiss watch manufacturer can offer timepieces with proprietary technology for such affordable prices. Furthermore, the quality of Orient movements has been constantly improving in recent years. As a result, the Mako 2 and Mako 3 are on par with similar timepieces from Seiko or Citizen.

If you're interested in a first-generation Orient Mako, you will have to search on the pre-owned market. The Tokyo-based company ceased production of these models and shifted their focus to later generations. With any luck, you'll even find well-maintained timepieces for less than 100 USD.

One of the defining characteristics of the first Mako models is the screw-down pusher at 2 o'clock, which is used to set the day display. You can set the date and time normally using the crown. This unique construction is all thanks to the caliber 46943 – a workhorse of a caliber with a balance frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour (vph), which is equal to 3 Hz. Thanks to its automatic rotor, the movement winds itself; however, the caliber 46943 lacks a stop-seconds mechanism and manual-winding option. Fully wound, the Mako 1 has a power reserve of 40 hours.

While most Mako 1 watches have a black or blue dial, you'll also find a few orange editions. Depending on the light, the blue version can appear very dark or reveal a subtle sunburst pattern. Every Mako 1 has Arabic numerals at 6, 9, and 12 o'clock and a day-date display at 3. Bar indices mark the other hours. As for the hour and minute hands, Orient went with a sword shape. Luminous material fills each hand and index, guaranteeing optimal readability under all lighting conditions.

The so-called "Pepsi" edition with a blue dial and blue and red bezel is especially popular. This particular design originated with the Rolex GMT-Master and is now used by numerous watch manufacturers. In the case of the Mako, the bezel's first 15 minutes are red, making it easier to calculate the elapsed time while diving.

The main difference between the Orient Mako 2 and its predecessor is its updated caliber, the F6922. This movement has a stop-seconds mechanism and manual-winding capability, meaning you don't have to shake the Mako 2 to get it moving again after it runs out of energy. What's more, both the day and date are set using the crown, so there is no pusher at 2 o'clock.

Otherwise, the two models are identical. Both are 41.5 mm in diameter and 13 mm thick, with a satin-brushed top and polished sides. They also share mineral glass that projects beyond the bezel, making it more susceptible to scratches and scuffs. Like the Mako 1, the Mako 2 is available on a silicone strap or a three-piece link stainless steel bracelet. Thanks to two pushers and a safety bracket, the folding clasp only ever releases when you want it to. Even though the bracelet has no diving extension system, this timepiece is extraordinarily well made for its price category. You can purchase a mint-condition Mako 2 for around 180 USD. Pre-owned pieces are even more affordable at just over 110 USD.

The Mako 3, also known as the Kamasu, represents the most recent generation of Orient Mako watches. Like its predecessors, the Mako 3 has a 41.5-mm case that is water-resistant to 200 m (20 bar, 656 ft). It also features the caliber F6922, the same movement found in the Mako 2. However, Orient has also made some significant changes. These include the use of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and the design of the dial, bezel, and hands. Instead of sword hands, these watches have arrow-shaped hands with a luminous second hand. The second hand on first and second-generation Makos doesn't glow in the dark, making it difficult to tell if your watch is working properly under poor lighting conditions like those experienced underwater. For divers, this can be a matter of life and death.

In terms of the dial and bezel color, you can choose from black, blue, or green, as well as a version with a burgundy dial and black bezel. The rotatable bezel features a minute scale, which makes telling the elapsed time even easier. Orient uses applied line indices to mark the hours. The only exceptions are an inverted triangle at 12 o'clock and the day-date display at 3 o'clock. The latest generation of Makos is about 100 USD more expensive than the previous two. If you're interested in the Orient Mako 3, be sure to have around 300 USD on hand for a mint-condition model or 220 USD for a pre-owned one.

The Orient Mako XL is the big sister of the Mako 1. At 44.5 mm in diameter, it is 3 mm larger and feels much heftier. Like the smaller version, it uses the caliber 46943 with a pusher at 2 o'clock. This also means the XL lacks a stop-seconds mechanism and manual-winding option.

All three hands are generously coated with luminous material, as are the trapezoidal indices. The first 15 minutes of the unidirectional rotatable diving bezel are marked individually. The bezel comes in your choice of black, green, orange, or blue. You can also choose from a black, blue, or white dial. The variant with a white dial is fully coated in luminous material, enabling the entire dial to glow in the dark. You can call a never-worn Orient Mako XL your own for as little as 160 USD. The same watch costs about 110 USD pre-owned.