The Orange Mako

Following up on the recent announcement of new watches from Orient, I received a nice bunch of samples to review. And while I guess the more intriguing ones are new models – such as the Mako GMT and the 36mm no-date Bambino – those releases will also require a bit more attention.

So, why don't we kick things off with the simpler, yet no less handsome, Mako! Specifically - reference RA-AA0826Y and its lovely orange face. 

Mechanically, this is not a new watch – in fact, it is identical to the "Kamasu" reviewed on the blog more than seven years ago in almost everything except the dial. So what has changed?

Well, first of all, it seems Orient has completely abandoned the Kamasu name in favor of the good old Mako. That has, in fact, been going on for a while now. Makes sense – it's one of the brand's most familiar names, and for a watchmaker that spends way less on advertising and branding compared to the likes of Seiko and Citizen, there's little point coming up with new names. Actually, it's wise even for wealthy manufacturers, just think how many years, models, and generations Volkswagen's been using the name "Golf"…

The dial is mostly the same here too – the markers, hands and overall dial design were useful and legible when it first came out, and they still are.

There are subtle changes in the dial text: the word "automatic" is now larger, and wider than the logo. The term "water resist" at the bottom was replaced with "water resistant" – proper English- to better fill the empty space and achieve a slightly better balance or symmetry between the top and bottom halves of the dial.

And of course – the dial color itself. All new Mako references seem to be nicely colored; and this orange is no exception. It features the smooth, subtle sunburst that Orient seems to be very consistently good at producing. If you like a standout color on your watch, you can't go wrong with this one.

Overall, there nothing new here, just more of what's mostly a good thing. It's not perfect – the bracelet is still the weak link (pun intended) here, luckily it is the part that is easiest to replace. This one, like other Mako versions now in production, are still the same old trusty watches, not professional divers but workhorse beaters for daily wear.

And what about the GMT…? Hold your horses! That one's up for review next, so stay tuned!

The blog would like to thank Orient – Epson Europe for providing us with this orange Mako for review. 

Orient AC0F European Collection

Orient's AC0F models have been around since 2019. A few variations were added in later years, but the original design – known in some markets as the "Symphony III" and part of the brand's contemporary collection – remained largely unchanged. This means sticking with classic dress-watch color schemes, like black, blue, and white dials, with gold-colored case versions as well.

Now, Orient introduces a collection of five new AC0F references, exclusive to the European market. Not surprisingly, these come in a selection of trendy dial colors, suitable to consumer preferences in 2025.

The new references include: RA-AC0F13E (Green dial), RA-AC0F14L (Blue), RA-AC0F15R (Red), RA-AC0F16S (Ivory), and RA-AC0F17Y (Brown).

The technical specifications are the same as older references of this model. The watch features Orient's automatic caliber F6722, which displays the time and date, and also offers hand-winding and second-hand hacking capabilities.

The case is 41.6mm wide, 11.7mm thick, and 49mm lug to lug. Lug width is 22mm. The watches offer 50m of water resistance, feature mineral glass, and come with a brown leather strap – for all dial colors. The price is listed as 259.99 GBP (let's call it 260 shall we).

Having seen these in person, I can testify that, as with most Orient watches, the colors are really deep and vibrant, and the watches are lovely – a decent alternative to the Bambino for anyone looking for something a bit sharper and less "classic".

Orient Star Contemporary Standard Watch Review

Orient's "Contemporary Standard" model was introduced in 2018. Originally presented in either black, blue, or white dial version, its design was almost identical to that of the 2015 "Urban Standard" titanium model.

Up until recently, the model's production continued to feature the same references. However, earlier this year Orient Star caught up with the popular trend of offering more playful, colorful versions of serious watches, a trend given the stamp of approval by Rolex with its Oyster Perpetual models a few years back.

I often get to review new models provided to me on loan by Orient, but this time it was different. The announcement of new Orient Star models for 2025, and particularly the new Contemporary Standard watches, caught my eye. While waiting for the new model to hit the stores I was contemplating hard on which color to pick, finally deciding on the green one – reference RE-AU0107E – and eventually purchasing the identical Japanese reference RK-AU0107E.

How It Looks

Orient's "Contemporary" models are characterized by sharp, well-crafted metalwork, the sort that often gets referred to as "poor man's Grand Seiko" (although with current prices, a middle-class Grand Seiko would be more appropriate) and this one is no exception. The case and bracelet impress with a precise, well balanced look that manages to be neither too elaborate nor over-simplified.

The dial of the Contemporary Standard is a bit more controversial, particularly because of the endless battle between proponents and haters of Roman numerals. I personally like Roman numerals and I even appreciate mixing those with simple hour markers to create a more interesting dial, so for me – this design works. Of course, if you don't like it then you don't, there is no wrong or right here.

For those who are fond of the design, this green dial is a great match. It is a metallic olive hue with a subtle sunburst effect that is emphasized around the hour track. This choice of color suits the watch very well, as it retains the "professional", dressy look, making the watch look livelier but not childish or too glitzy.

When looking more closely at the dial elements, the level of finishing is somewhat inconsistent. The hands and power-reserve gauge, for instance, are very finely cut; the markers are not as sharp, and lack the high-end precision that I found on the Modern Skeleton. Still it is all relative; nothing is coarse or badly made, and even under the macro lens you won't find the sort of rough edges that are revealed when examining cheap watches.

Overall, it's a really good-looking watch. The design elements that some might call controversial, in my opinion, add character, ensuring this Orient Star is not mundane or bland. The dial color elevates it from "cute" to "pretty," and the visual impact of the case and bracelet, with their alternating brushed and polished surfaces, makes sure it's "pretty and smart."

 

How It Wears

The Contemporary Standard is one of the smaller models among Orient's range of men's watches. The case is 38.5mm wide, without the crown, 46.9mm lug to lug, and 12.3mm thick.

A thinner watch of similar diameter on a leather strap might have looked undersized on large wrists, but at the given thickness, combined with the robust 20mm-wide steel bracelet, it does not. So the wearer can enjoy the comfort of a modestly sized watch without compromising on wrist presence.

Indeed, the watch wears well, although at 153g you couldn't call it a featherweight. As always with smaller watches attached to hefty bracelets, you get a good weight distribution that helps the watch feel balanced on the wrist and at times, one can almost forget it's there.

The bracelet itself is good, as Orient Star bracelets usually are. It is easy to adjust to size, and on the wrist feels solid, smooth and does not pull hairs or any such thing.

 

How It Functions

The movement inside the Contemporary Standard is Orient's caliber F6N43, same as in the larger Orient Star "Basic Date" – and honestly it fits better in this, smaller case, enabling the hands and power reserve indicator to fill the dial space better.

This caliber is automatic and hand-winding, with hacking. Its specified accuracy is between +25 and -15 seconds per day. The watch I got was doing +9 seconds per day; not exceptional but decent and within range. It is definitely good enough for owners like myself who rotate (and therefore set the time) almost every day.

Despite the watch's small dimensions, its crown is large enough and quite grippy. It's easy to pull and turn, so winding the movement and setting the time and date are effortless.

Daytime legibility is as good as it gets: the markers reflect light from every angle, the hands stand out well against the dial color, and the little bits of white color also help. And while I would love to see a date disc that's green like the dial, black on white is undoubtedly much clearer. The whole thing is covered by sapphire glass, with Orient's very effective anti-glare coating applied to it.

In the dark, those white bits become luminescent but don't expect a dive-watch level of nighttime visibility here. You get thin lines for hands and tiny dots for the hours. Better than no-lume you'd get on pure dress watches, I guess.

Another advantage of not being a real dress watch is water resistance: here, you're getting a fairly adequate 100m. Not a beater, then, with this pretty face, but not a slouch either. You can take this one with you on most daily chores.

 

Bottom Line

Orient Star's Contemporary Standard is one of those watches that's more than the sum of its parts. Its good looks, practicality, and appreciable quality combine to produce a very capable and attractive package.

Indeed there are elements here that might deter some buyers, such as the Roman numerals and PR gauge. Fair enough, not every design can please everyone, nor should it. But if these elements do not put you off (or perhaps you find them appealing) you will find very little here that will.

The pricing of this model is fair. The list price for the JDM reference is about 500 USD at the moment; the global market version appears to sell for about 30-50% higher in most stores. Whether shipping and paying taxes on imports from Japan makes sense or not is up to each buyer to do the math. For me, it did make sense.

Bottom line, this is one of the finer, reasonably priced offerings from the Orient brand. Choose the right color and get yourself a Contemporary Standard!

The Chronoace and Caliber 42

In 1969 Orient ended the reign of caliber 49 and the "AAA" moniker that was associated with it, and introduced a new family of watches and movements. The "Chronoace" (also sometimes referred to as Chrono Ace) equipped with caliber 42 ushered in an era of upgraded case designs, materials and colors that would become characteristic of the brand in the 1970s.

The Movement

Caliber 42 movements were mostly exclusive to the Chronoace line, although some were used in certain other models. Caliber 42 variants were automatic, often equipped with hand winding (although exceptions were noted), and operated at 18,000 BPH. They all shared the main architecture and features, including the day and date discs and (with one exception) the date quick-set button at 2 o'clock.

The main members of the family were:

·         Calibers 42940, 42950, 42960, 42970 with 21, 23, 25 and 27 jewels, respectively, were the common variants used in most Chronoace models.

·         A particular variant of 42950 that did not have the quickset button – presumably to improve water resistance – used in the Orient King Diver "Depth Gauge".

·         Caliber 42925 and 42972 with 17 and 27 jewels, respectively – as far as I know, these were variants not used in "Chronoace" watches, instead running models like the early 1970s "Crystal".

·         Caliber 42990 with 33 jewels, which must have been highly exclusive as I've yet to see photos of one!

Caliber 42 continued the evolution in Orient's movement engineering. For instance, the introduction of a "fine movement" speed adjustment device, the shift to a "star wheel" type switching wheel, and the transition to a "two-story third wheel and pinion system" from the traditional "three-needle system" marked a significant step in improving the movement's efficiency and stability.

Orient Chronoace

Early Chronoace models continued in typical 1960s style of late AAA models. Such were the "College" models – so these too would soon be updated and receive smoother cases and more

Over the next few years, the Chronoace range exploded with new versions and designs, some which were already discussed on the blog, under various topics. The 1969 "Special" model, for instance, whose photo appears at the top of this article, still looks like it has taken just a small step beyond the College. Shortly afterwards, new designs appeared.

Chronoace models took on various case shapes – including oval, round, triangular, and all sorts of more complex designs. This was typical of the era, as the 1960s style morphed into the 1970s.

A significant part of that development happened in the materials department. Besides color taking a much more prominent place in dial design (a trend that already began in the late 1960s), Orient began experimenting with various new materials.

Pretty soon, Chronoace models appeared that made use of stone cases, non-scratch steel and other elements. Some Chronoace dials featured Jaguar Focus paint schemes, and later - Mexican Mother-of-Pearl.

Dive watches were an important segment of Orient's product range, and here too – caliber 42 and the Chronoace name were included.

A number of Chronoace King Diver models were presented between 1969 and 1971. Most had been variations on Orient's familiar internal bezel design. The obvious exception was the King Diver Depth Gauge, a unique watch that probably deserves a separate post.

Honestly, much more can be written about the Chronoace lineage; Indeed much has already been told of these watches in this blog, and probably more mentions will be added in the future. This post, however, should serve as a hub page for the Chronoace models.

 

The picture of the Chronoace Special that appears at the top of this post is copyright of the blog. Other pictures that appear in this post were taken from old Orient catalogs and sale ads. 

Orients With Yellow Dials

A watch with a yellow dial. How does that make you feel? Clearly, not a color for every occasion – and not one for every watch. Which is why yellow is far from being the most popular or trendy shade of dials. But, put it on a sports watch and suddenly it fits.

Yellow is bright. It has to be; there is no dark yellow, really. Yellow conveys a sense of energy, zest, and liveliness. It reminds us of the warmth of the Sun. It makes us think of bananas, that provide us vitamins and minerals.

Orient was never shy of dishing out yellow versions of its watches, particularly divers – but not just. Today, however, you can browse the brand's entire range of models currently in production, and you won't find a single yellow piece.

I'm not talking about muted yellow dials that are really crème or beige. Yes, you have some watches with a little splash of yellow here and there, but I'm not talking about any of those either. I'm talking about a properly bright, unashamedly yellow dial.

Let's take a look at some past yellow models from the brand.

Perhaps the most celebrated yellow watch from Orient was the 300m Saturation Diver, shown here in Orient Star guise alongside its little brother, the 200m Air Diver, aka "Revolver".

Orient released the yellow Orient Star Saturation Diver in both the 1st and 2nd generation of the watch, as references WZ0271FD and WZ0191EL. It also released the yellow Revolver with both a steel bracelet and a rubber band, as references WZ0391FD and WZ0371FD, respectively.

Another famed lineage of sports watches from Orient was (and still is) the M-Force. Many past generations bearing this name had proper yellow dial versions. Such as the EX04 shown above – or the two versions seen below, belonging to the EX07 family (on the left) and the EL family (on the right, very similar to the Revolver).

Yellow also popped up on various other product lines from time to time. Below you can see some random examples of that: a yellow semi-skeleton model; a Racer; and one of the early divers preceding the Mako.

By the way, you might be wondering why that Racer looks so similar to the EX01 M-Force, and you would be absolutely right – it is in fact a re-branded M-Force! Why and how this happened is the topic for another story…

Orient also applied yellow to its uniquely sporty yet elegant Somes series, in the form of reference WZ0051FR, seen above. You can check out my old review of the black-dial variant of this watch to see what a huge difference this color makes.

Last but not least is the yellow Mako below. Orient released this baby in 2014, to mark the 10^th anniversary of the popular diver.

This makes one think… 2024 is coming up and it will soon be the Mako's 20^th anniversary. I wonder if we are going to see a new yellow Mako next year, either the 42mm or the newer 40mm version…?

What other current production model would you like to see Orient fire up with yellow? 

Pictures that appear in this post were taken from old Orient catalogs and sale ads. Pictures of the 10th anniversary Mako are from Monochrome Watches. The Yellow Mako 40 is, of course, a mock-up prepared by the blog.

New Bambinos

Last week Orient got us excited with the flashy new "M Collection" of high-end Orient Star watches, now it's back to basics – and nothing is more basic (in a good way, like T-shirt and jeans) than a Bambino.

First, there's a new model – though with a familiar movement. The "Bambino Sun and Moon" is a new variation on Orient's well-known (and likeable) adaptation of the "24 hour sub-dial" concept.

This model is larger than most Bambinos but smaller than the V4, having a 41.5mm wide case. It's also smaller than the classic sun-and-moon that comes at 42.5mm. Other dimensions are 47mm lug to lug, 14.2mm thickness, and 21mm lug width.

The crystal here is mineral glass – unlike the sapphire used for the classic model. It also comes with a simple buckle, unlike the three-fold one in the classic model. Water resistance is 3atm. These are all standard Bambino features – part of the model's charm (and relatively low price).

Four references were announced today:

·         RA-AK0801S with a rose-gold color case and markers, and white dial (also available as JDM ref. RN-AK0801S, limited to 500 units)

·         RA-AK0802S with a steel case and white dial

·         RA-AK0803Y with a steel case and ivory dial (also available as JDM ref. RN-AK0803Y)

·         RA-AK0804Y with a steel case and brown dial

All references come with a matching leather strap, and feature a transparent case-back where you can see the F6B24 automatic movement. Price is around 340 USD, which is higher than most Bambinos – but lower than Orient's other automatic sun-and-moon models.

In addition, Orient also present some new dial color options for the 38mm Bambino. Whereas the first batch of this watch included classic dress-watch colors (white, black and ivory) the newly announced variants are more vibrant and warm hues.

The new references are RA-AC0M05G (cream-yellow dial), RA-AC0M06L (light blue), RA-AC0M07N (dove grey – a kind of warm beige-grey shade), and RA-AC0M08Y (copper). These are all limited to 360 pieces, for some reason; there are also equivalent JDM models with similar colors, each limited to 30 pieces and exclusive to Orient's online store.

The models all come with a grey nubuck leather strap. They are technically identical (and similarly priced) to the previous 38mm Bambino.

 

Orient Dipping Its Toes into the Customization Game

Orient announces a new line of "iO" watches today, but more than just a bunch of new models, this a new step for Orient – into the space of watch customization, which is growing in popularity.

From tiny micro-brands to the mighty Rolex, it seems like everyone is looking to offer watch buyers the experience of customization. A few manufacturers really present a choice of components, such as different bezel inserts, markers, hands, and so on; most, and particularly larger watch brands, simply let you combine a few dial colors, band styles, and maybe decorations like adding some diamonds etc. This limited form of customization seems to satisfy most buyers – and it's the path Orient has taken.

This also comes as a logical next step following Orient's recent launch of its online store. While currently limited to local buyers in Japan, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if the store would soon open to more markets along with more customization options. There are plenty of regions in the world where Orient is not present, or is represented by distributors who only offer a limited selection of models. Allowing buyers in such locations to shop online, directly from the brand instead of unofficial shops or private sellers on eBay, would definitely be a wise business move.

Anyway, let's look at the new watches now. The iO line was originally launched as a range of fashion watches for women, but is now being re-positioned by Orient as a unisex collection. All new iO watches are solar (light-powered) quartz movements, and the models announced today all feature sapphire crystal.

The new collection includes two chronographs and four time-and-date models – and nine different leather straps. The chronographs are 38mm wide while the non-chronos are 36mm; however, all have the same 18mm lug width, so all straps fit all watches.

It's interesting to see Orient chose very calm and neutral colors for the watch dials, and a choice of both neutral and brighter shades for the straps. On one hand, this minimizes color clashes, allowing most of the available combinations to be viable choices; on the other hand, it does not provide much room for really "crazy" combos, which is something I do like to see in custom watch building – particularly when looking at what's essentially a fashion watch.

The new iO watches are around USD 100 plus tax for just the case, plus around USD 20 per strap. If you're not in Japan, you'll probably also need to pay for international shipping and service fees to one of the numerous services offering global delivery of JDM items.