The Orient Mako USA - A Good Mix.

There have been 2 very different schools of thought when you talk about the Orient Mako. Either you love it or you hate it.

For those who love it, they understand that the Mako despite all its flaws, is a very comfortable and discrete watch. They think that this is THE watch that you can take to the beach, to the office, to the mountain and even to that weekend getaway with your lover.  The Mako is quite robust, reliable and there is something about that curvilinear and understated design that whispers in your ear: Hey, look at me! I’m here!

For those who hate it, there’s nothing that I can say to convince them that the Mako is a great watch and a true bang for your buck.

 Those who hate the Mako will always point out its weak lumen and that the bezel is stupidly difficult to turn. They would always complaint the crystal scratches so easily, sometimes even just by looking at it. 

But you know what.. Forget about all of that. Why?

Well… because here comes the Mako USA.

Last week I was invited to meet the brand new Mako USA in Los Angeles. Nick Lew and the Orient marketing team were great and kind enough to talk to me about their new addition to the Mako family.

Nick assured me that the idea to create an improved Mako came from Orient’s customers. Orient USA is doing an extraordinary job by listening to what we, the consumers, have to say. He said that they have been taking notes all along to come up with an exceptional watch.

This watch promises to overcome all of the shortcoming that its predecessor had. The scratch magnet that Orient called a “mineral glass” is now gone, and it is replaced by a scratch resistant sapphire crystal. The wimpy aluminum end-links were replaced by solid ones and the lumen is now Nemoto LumiNova.

The Mako USA also features a very cool feature that all of you watch geeks will vastly enjoy: Drilled lug holes. Think about the endless possibilities for a minute. The drilled holes will make your bracelet and strap changing a breeze!

The design and parts used in the Mako USA come from various watch models already in production. Look at the hands, they have the same design that the Pro-Saturation has. The Bezel and the screw-back case are identical to the Ray. 

The arabic numerals at 6,9 and 12 were removed and replaced with what perhaps is the only original part of the watch.

The hour markers are pretty much from the Classic Mako, except  with higher relief and chrome accents. 

A very interesting part of the Mako USA is that the sapphire crystal now sits below the bezel. According to Nick, Orient decided to do so, to protect the sapphire from scratches.

I like that Orient USA is listening to us, the watch lovers and the ultimate consumers. At the end of the day we are the ones who make these simple mechanical watches into the legends.  We are the ones that engage in endless battles defending what we consider ours.
Great job Orient and keep it that way.

Steinhart GMT Pepsi (quick video introduction)

Orient Ray - The best $150 I've spent.

I currently reside in coastal California where the beach is just minutes away. 2 years ago on a very sunny and hot day went into the water without realizing that I had left the crown half open on my Orient Mako. Salty water invaded the inside of the case in just seconds. When I realized what happened it was already too late, my beloved Mako was full of water. I went home that night and open the back of the Mako. I had no idea how to repair a watch. I took the water out and used a bottle of compressed air to dry out the movement. The next day I picked it up and shook it around and to my surprise the second hand starting moving. Two years have passed after that horrendous day and the Mako finally decided to stop working in May 2015. Rest in peace dear Pepsi Mako, rest in peace... As a watch lover, I couldn’t pass the opportunity (or excuse) to buy another beater watch. My budget was around $150. I know 150 bucks is not much but it's enough to yield a few options. First I looked at the Seiko SKX007 series. The 007 was well positioned within my budget. With a mechanical movement, Hardlex crystal and a simple and classic design was one of my top choices. My second contender would be just another Orient Mako. Just like the 007, the Mako offers an in-house movement, a day and date display and good lume. However the Mako offers something that in my opinion the 007 lacks. I am taking about a very original dial and hand design. The positioning of the Arabic numbers in the 6,9 and 12 positions along with a second crown in the 2 o’clock position gives the Mako a very unique look. The other options were some Citizen Eco-Drive, Invictas, Bulova, Casio and Deep Blue. I am going to be truly honest with you. There was always something that disappointed me about these other options. Either because they were quartz driven, too expensive or just plain ugly. So, the battle was between the Mako and the SKX007. Which one did I get? None of them! Instead I went with Mako’s little brother: The Orient Ray. The Ray has the same DNA as his older brother. They both have the same movement and the same curvilinear case. The crystal is unfortunately still the same, and is still a magnet for scratches. Yet, the Ray manages to be more refined and more adaptive to all kinds of situations. Orient focused its improvements in the hour markers, the hands and the bezel. The numbers were removed completely from the dial and the rectangular makers on the Mako were replaced by rounded and highly polished hour markers. The skinny sword-like hour hand was improved by a big fat arrowed hand that improves on readability and aesthetics. I also noticed that the lume was greatly improved and it can now compete better with the lume on other diver watches such as SKX007. The numbers on the bezel were made bigger again for visibility and symmetry. All these subtle changes make the Orient Ray a classier watch. The Ray is so good looking and so versatile that I would dare to say that if I added a sapphire crystal to the equation, I would have a perfect watch for the summer. This is a watch that you don’t have to take off on Monday morning after that weekend getaway to the coast. This is without a doubt the only diver’s watch under $150 that you wear with a suit.

SEIKO SKA371P1 - KINETIC DIVER'S 200m

Imagine for a minute that there’s a zombie invasion. The zombies are taking over the world and you are in the middle of everything. There’s no point on going to work because your boss is now a zombie, your friends and family have been infected. Even your girlfriend has been devoured by the zombies. There’s no other option, you must flee right away. There not much time and you can only take only few things with you. But wait! Where would you go? What would you put in your backpack? And most importantly, what watch would you wear? You must remember that you cannot go back home a few days later and put another of your watches! Also, you must take into consideration that the watch has to be accurate and that the zombie war may last from a few months up to a few years. The world, like you know it, has disappeared and everything and everyone you loved has been killed. There’s no electricity, no hot water and no internet to atomically synchronize your watch. I don’t know about you, but I am taking my KINETIC DIVER SKA371P1 from SEIKO. In theory this watch gives you the liberty to go years without a battery and also gives you the accuracy of a quartz. It is a very robust yet elegant SEIKO. The lumen applied to the skeleton hands and to elevated hour markers give it a sporty look. The dial has different layers that look beautiful under the Hardlex crystal. The 120 clicks of the bezel sound like a symphony and they feel very tight but easy to manipulate. The crown could be better when you compare it to a mechanical watch, but there’s nothing wrong with it. This watch has also been nicknamed Big Freaking Kinetic or BFK. The nickname seems to be very appropriate since this is a big and mostly heavy watch. The orifices drilled into the lugs are SEIKO’s way to tell you that you must use this watch with a NATO. You can kill 2 birds with one stone when you wear it with a strap. You get rid of unwanted weight and it makes the BFK more stylish. A lot of questions will be raised after reading this post. Here are some of the predictions: Why a SEIKO and not a CASIO? Well, I have always had my reservations with Casio’s resin material and digital displays. I feel like if I end up triumphant after getting rid of all the zombies, I might as well be wearing something dressier that can go with a suit and tie or tuxedo. After all, saving the earth from a zombie invasion calls for a celebration. Why a KINETIC and not mechanical? There’s something about mechanicals that captivates me. Honestly they would be my first choice for other occasions, but over time they can become very inaccurate. It is very hard to predict sunset and sunrise with a inaccurate watch. Why even wear a watch when facing the zombie apocalypse? Well, because I couldn’t live without one.

Omega Speedmaster Date

Hello Gentlemen,
Let me introduce you to my Omega Speedmaster date.

I have had this watch with me for about 7 years. I have a very special love for this watch since it was the first fine watch that I bought with my own money. I bought this watch the day I graduated from college. While normal people get an expensive yet ugly ring to commemorate this important achievement, I myself, got me this beautiful time telling machine. This Speedmaster in particular is powered by a modified ETA/Valjoux chronograph movement that in theory is supposed to be very accurate and reliable. As you can appreciate in these photos, the watch looks like it has seen better days. case, basel and bracelet show sings of hard usage. All I can say is: I buy my watches to wear them and not to keep them at home. I swim and sleep with my watches on and I also have fun with my watches. For 7 years I have taken this watch to multiple trips to Europe, Central America and within the continental U.S. with no problems at all. It has been a faithful companion and a reason of pride for many years. At the time of this purchase, I had enough money to buy a used Rolex Submariner or a brand new Speedmaster. I have to admit that it was a tough choice, but I know it was the right one. The Omega came with 3 years international warranty , a very nice box and a great buying experience. I was paying cash and the sales person was able to knock off $400 off the asking price. Every other bank teller in my city has a Rolex Submariner -or a knockoff.- I just wouldn't feel right if I see that everybody else in the block wears the same watch. For every 1000 Submariners I see on wrists, I see maybe 1 Speedmaster. You are probably thinking that I am comparing apples to oranges. The Rolex that I should be comparing the Speedmaster to is the Daytona. You are totally right, but the Daytona was way out of my budget back then, even for a used one. Needless to say, this watch makes me feel like a million bucks every time I have it on me. This version of the speedmaster has everything that a watch-lover would want in a watch. It is a mechanical automatic watch, It was a power reserve of 44+ hours. It has a chronograph and a tachymetre that I would probably never use in my now sedentary life. Best of all the Speedmaster looks awesome! The case size is perfect. It measures 40mm wide and its complemented with the most comfortable bracelet I have ever had in watch. The crown feel sturdy and heavy. The stop, reset and go buttons feel like no other chronograph I have handled in the past. The clasp is beautifully crafted and it gives you a good sense of security. Everything about this watch just feels solid and perfectly made. The weight is distributed evenly to your wrist through the comfortable bracelet that makes you forget you are wearing a watch. One of my favorite features of this watch is the domed sapphire crystal. This is, in my opinion, the best characteristic detail of this watch. The domed crystal reflects and diffuses the light onto the mirror polished hour makers in a way that make them look like shiny diamonds. I don't wear this baby everyday but when I do, it still mesmerizes me and hypnotizes me with its beauty. It doesn't matter how long I have had this watch for, or how many dings and scratches the case has. I still stare at it for very long periods of time. It also still keeps decent time. At the moment of this writing and 7+ years since I bought it, the watch runs about 4min/week slow. Keep in mind that I have never serviced it. I also have to disclose that I do not wear the watch for more than 1 week long since I rotate it with the other watches. I tell you this because it might hold better accuracy in the long run. The face of the watch feels very busy sometimes and the hands have poor contrast against the white/silverish face. This is the only not so great thing about this watch. I do not think the black version has this problem. Thank you for reading.

SEIKO SARB035 - It doesn't impress anybody.

Hello, I would like to introduce you to my latest purchase. The SEIKO SARB035 is not my first SEIKO but this is my first JDM SEIKO and probably the most refined of them all. These particular line of SEIKOs are intended for the Japanese market only. However you can buy this watch online and it comes with 1 year international warranty. Nowadays you may also buy the 035 and the 033 via Amazon for $325 with free 2 day shipping if you have Prime. I purchased mine from ChinoWatch Japan for about $325 including shipping. I ordered the watch on a Thursday and it arrived by Tuesday (5 days including the weekend). Ordering directly from Japan was a whole new experience for me and it just added a little more of flavor to the watch knowing that comes directly from the land of the rising sun. The hardest part of the whole buying process was to choose a color. Black or white, that is the dilemma. Obviously I went for the white. There seems to be a lot of debate on what color the SARB035 really is. Some people say it’s white, some say it’s cream. I say it is both. The color changes depending on the color of the light that’s under. This version of the SARB is my favorite due to its chameleonic properties. The needles are very easy to locate and to read from every angle. The polished hour markers give the SARB some sparks with little illumination. One (bad) thing about the SARB035 is that the lume is very limited and it does not last the whole night like it does with the sport watches. To some people, this caveat might not be a bad thing, but it is for me. The sapphire crystal gives you the impression that there’s no glass between your eyes and the watch. Since the crystal is flat, it does not create any distortion either. Based solely in my observation and comparison with other watches, it seems like the SARB035 does have AR coating, at least in the inside. The sapphire also gives it that touch of finesse that you don’t get with the 5 series or with most divers. In addition, the sapphire crystal makes it virtually scratch proof. Please keep in mind that this watch will deeply disappoint you if you are looking for a big piece of metal attached to your wrist. If you are looking for attention or approval from peers and families, go look somewhere else. I have been wearing this watch exclusively for over a month and I haven’t received a single compliment on this beauty. Well, maybe one compliment… from my dad. The case design is genius and very comfortable. The movement is very accurate and very solid. The crown feels tight as a drum and the looks are to die for. So why aren’t people complimenting my purchase? Quite honestly, that makes me feel special. I am not a regular guy with an Omega or god forbids a Rolex. This watch says “I create my own paths and do not follow crowds” I know all the characteristics of this watch; I know how much I paid for it. I know its limitations and virtues and most people around don’t. As great as this watch may be, there’s one major flaw. The bracelet lacks of micro adjustment options. The first night with the SARB035 I took out 2 links, but it was too tight. The next day I put one back on, and now it is too loose. I left it loose and it makes me feel a little Gansta.