Thursday, June 19, 2014

ORIENT Sports 200M Automatic CEM65006D MAKO - Looks cool and capable to take a lot of abuse, A Review

Since the mid-2000s, the Orient Mako has been the most popular Orient watch series. The Orient Mako is an absolute classic and can be attributed to being the watch that started it all for collectors and enthusiasts. However, due to the popularity of the model and the similarity of a different model by Orient, a lot of watch enthusiasts commonly mistaken one for the other. I will explain more about this later in the write-up.

I was able to obtain a new Orient Mako from my favorite local internet dealer, http://Citytime.my. For just RM460 (inclusive of courier charges), the watch started its journey to my table. Slightly over 24 hours later, the package was on my table. 


What I appreciate from this particular internet dealer is the quality of packaging. May not look professional but it is complete and protects the package throughout its journey.




The Orient watch box is a flip-up style and protected by a simple white cardboard sleeve. There are no markings on the sleeve.


The main box has a rough skin-like texture with the brand and logo printed in silver on top of the box. I believe the material is PVC.


Once you flip-opened the top, you will find the manual and guarantee document (the white document as seen in the photo below) and the watch. In my case, you see the watch wrapped like a mummy!

I do have to say that my particular model, the CEM65006D comes standard with a stainless steel bracelet. I was originally keen to get the one with the rubber strap. So, I purchased a rubber strap and got my supplier to replace the bracelet with the rubber strap. 


The watch with an after-market rubber strap.


As highlighted earlier, this diver series is the most popular collection that Orient has to offer. Its ability to operate at depth of 200 meters makes it a reliable companion for scuba diving.

The dial for this watch comes with both day and date indicators located at the 3 o’clock position. The day indicator is adjusted by unscrewing the push-button, located on the 2 o’clock position, and pushing the button for the specific day. The date indicator is adjusted by the crown (time-setting mechanism) located on the 3 o’clock position.

For protection against knocks, the crown have shoulders for added protection on two sides. The official Orient logo is also engraved on the crown.

As a diver, it comes with the quintessential unidirectional bezel that moves completely in one round in 60-click increments.


The dial is dark blue and has both Arabic numerals on the North, South and West location and standard hour markers in all other positions except where the day and date window intersect. Around the chapter ring, additional minute markers are printed on. The time hands, as well as the hour indicators, are luminescent. To allow quick referencing, the tip of the seconds hand is painted red.

A quarter of the bezel is painted red while the rest is painted blue. The contrast makes it easy for divers to look at elapsed time. Arabic numberings are used for each complete 10th minute while the the rest uses standard markers. The pip at 12 o'clock is lumed to comply with the ISO6425 diving watch standard.


At the top of the watch dial you can find the logo, the "ORIENT" brand as well as the word "Automatic" printed. On the bottom-half of the dial, the words "Water Resist" and "200m". Small prints at the extreme bottom of the dial describes the country of origin for the movement as well as other key production information. In this case, it is made in Japan.


The watch is made out of 316L stainless steel and of polish finish. The dial is protected by mineral glass. In terms of dimensions, the watch is 41.5 mm across (excluding the crown) and 13 mm thick. Lug width is 22 mm.

The case-back is screwed down and has a simple logo etched in the middle of it. Other information about the watch are etched around this central logo.


The watch is powered by Orient's in-house movement, the Cal. 46943 automatic. This particular movement has 21 jewels and approximately 40 hours of power reserve in the main spring. The Cal. 46943 has been one of Orient’s longest manufactured movements, with over 100 million manufactured to date. It has been a reliable movement for over 40 years.

As highlighted earlier, this particular model come stock with a stainless steel bracelet. With solid links, it uses the fold-over with double push button safety clasp.


The size is just nice for my 7.5 inch diameter  wrist. It sits well and the weight is hardly noticeable.The colours really pops-out.


The non-excessive height of the watch is another plus point. This watch can be worn in formal functions. Just replace the rubber strap with a nice leather piece and it will look like a winner on your wrist.


Here I like to come back to one major confusion that people have regarding the Mako. In the pair of pictures below, the watch on the left is a Mako whereas the watch on the right is the Ray. The confusion comes due to the same numeric reference used for both models i.e. xxx6500xxx.  The Ray is a newer model incorporating new designs of the hands as well as a change in the bracelet design. Additional cosmetic changes are the use of hour markers only on the dial as well as larger markers on the bezel.


Some would argue it is just a refresh hence it is still a Mako but Orient deemed the changes significant to herald a new nickname for the watch i.e. Ray. As far as I could tell, the caliber used is also the same, the 46943.

Overall, get bang for your buck. Looks cool and capable to take a lot of abuse.

1 comment:

  1. Orient Sports automatic watch is absolutely fantastic, top quality of watch and perhaps it will perfectly suit on my wrist. Thanks for share.Click here for Orient sports watch

    ReplyDelete

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