I have the Bambino ver 3 Gray dial that love but only wear a few times a year but at the price, it's worth it. Did just get the Rose gold Sun and Moon for Xmas which I really love as well. And I'm wearing the Triton. Orient makes great watches for the gen pop.
Definitely nothing beats this if you are looking for a budget mechanical automatic. if you factor in the main points: 1. movement is in house and accurate for the price. the fact its in house might not mean much for some but this alone is an achievement. 2. build quality and features are excellent for the price ie. sapphire glass, finishing. bezel movement, applied markers, depth rating, hacking, hand-winding, day/date wheel ect 3. Orient is not a well known brand but it has heritage and history in watchmaking dating back over 50 years. 4. The design isn't a blatant copy or homage, its quite unique for such a low price which is extremely rare. Most watches in this range just copy a submariner/omega/blancpain ect 5. case size is spot on not too large not too small wears like a 40mm, lug to lug 47mm. Fits nearly all wrists. No micro brands or other watch brands can compete with all these factors combined based on price under $200. Yes you may find a watch in its price range that does something better but not something that does all of the above.
Thank you so much for this video! Their Mako/Kamasu lineup is confusing but that little hour hand tip you gave us is a LIFESAVER! Now I don't accidentally buy a mako with mineral glass by accident!
Nitt Mitt orient, like seiko has great lume. I had a ray raven 2 and was amazed at the lume. I was looking at another ray as a beater and found this one right before this video came out. Wanted a strap code but my oyster bracelet feels great so I’m just living it. Mine is +9 better than any seiko I’ve owned and it wears like a 40mm imo
The Kamasu came along at just the right time and its maroon dial is very nice. The sapphire crystal and the fact that the crown is screw-in keep it ahead of the new 5kx's of Seiko's.
Seiko basically gave the market to Orient. Great builds and very attractive models with Orient, so I think I'll be going that way instead of an old Seiko or newer more expensive model.
I suspect it may well be the overall direction of the whole of Seiko group. Let Orient take the entry level, Seiko in the middle, Grand Seiko in the luxury and Credor in the haute horology sector.
Hey Jody, tell Orient you sold a watch. Got the Kamasu Green as my first 200€+ watch (Orient is a bit more pricey in Germany) and I couldn't be happier. I'm relatively new to watches and I've become fan of your channel. It's just fun to watch you being so enthusiastic about this hobby, thanks for that.
I’ve had mine for almost a year (it was a pandemic lock-in purchase) and I absolutely love it. I have no complaints about the bracelet- doesn’t pinch my hairy wrist and the double lock setup is very secure. I find the power reserve is not quite the 40 hours he stated- probably 24 hours. But the lume is indeed exceptional. Overall the quality and aesthetics make this a great deal for the around $200 it costs. I don’t plan to wear it in the water- I use my $30 Timex for the beach and pool. This is, for me, a so-called “desk diver.”
Talk of "value for money" aside, that wrist shot from an angle shows why I can't get enough Orient divers (and am looking for my fourth this year). Such a practical fit for an understated everyday tool watch. Different Orient divers invoke DNA from some famous classic watches, but rarely crossing a line into outright homage territory. Cutouts on the case bottom make lots of straps fit well. We talk a lot about specs and materials in these watches, but for me the design and attention to detail in these affordable pieces is why I keep buying them.
Stellar video, I own the RayII and the Bambino 1st Generation, you are so right about the improvement on the crystal and the need for a better bracelet! I like the Kano also, it's a little more like a copy of the Black Bay.
Cracking review mate. Like the look of these! Totally agree re: the crown though. Even visually it looks was too small compared to the guards. Akin to putting an SUV on 16’s, it just looks odd.
I started doing my homework on a new watch a week or so ago - ordered a Orient Kamasu in Blue from your sponsor this past Monday. Thanks for the video - looking forward to getting this. I hope I can stop at just one.
Desk diver for sure! Rocking mine on leather strap for winter time and it's great! I'm having this watch for 5 months now and I love it! I think it is the best I could get in that price. Try this one on bond nato strap, works perfectly too!
A quick tip to anyone who cannot deal with the stock bracelet on the Kamasu. Try an SKX jubilee. I just did a little bit of bending to the end links and it fit perfectly. A much cheaper way to make this watch even better! Plus you avoid the male endlinks on the Strapcode bracelets.
I just ordered the emerald green variant. It'll be my first automatic, and I'm quite excited. I had been eyeing Seiko's SRPE and SRPD offerings, but something just didn't click with me. I feel that with the Kamasu, Orient have tastefully combined sporty and dressy aesthetics into a well rounded and cohesive whole - something that Seiko's Sports 5 line-up struggles to achieve.
Hi Jody, I bought the Kamasu Limited Edition about three months ago. It is so gorgeous and has hardly left my wrist since, especially considering I have over 20 very nice watches in my rotation. Love your work here on RU-vid! Kind Regards, Dave
I have the 812L19B version, blue sunburst dial with pepsi bezel. It's an absolute beauty. I love wearing that watch. I really recommend the kamasu line to anyone wanting to get into watch collecting.
Thank you for clearing up whether I had a Mako...that I thought I had...or a Kamasu...I have indeed got a Kamasu and I'm still very very pleased with it. Black and Gold finish originally with a black silicone strap now with an aftermarket IVP black metal deployment bracelet its a wonderful watch for the money, wearing it now, it's one of my favourites...although Seiko SRP481K (red version of the ice monster) is also a favourite when I circulate my watches around. Anyway JOMW, good review with some nice macro camera work and good listenable narration, keep em coming!⌚👍💯
That "hallooo" didn't burst my eardrums, and I am therefore disappointed. Also, Long Island Watch actually makes custom bezels for Orient Mako/Rays. They fit into the watch head, but the bezel doesn't include those cutouts (mimicking the SKX bezel) and therefore fit all aftermarket SKX bezel inserts. Edit: I was wrong about the bezels. They only fit the Mako/Ray.
I have the ray 2 which I love. The kamasu is basically the same with sapphire instead. The bezel rotation does seem a lot more smoother as compared to the Ray 2 which is quite tight.
Jomashop will be happy to know you sold me a watch that I bought from them today! It was the Orient dive LE dive watch. I can't wait for it to get here. Oh and they were the lowest price I could find and I looked EVERYWHERE.
Nice review as always Jody, just one thing: You referenced the Mako and how you can spot the difference, before explaining it's down to the hand set. Would have been a nice touch if you had included an image of the Mako to illustrate that.
I have a black dial Ray and a blue dial Mako ll USA, which looks almost identical to this, has the same movement and a sapphire crystal. It adds solid end links. The sunburst on the blue dial is really nice. I picked up a coin edge bezel and lumed ceramic insert, and it transformed the watch. Really nice. I wish Orient would lose the indentations around the outer edge of the insert, otherwise I could've gotten just the ceramic insert, rather than having to replace the bezel itself as well.
I love my Kamasu. I've had it around 5 months and wear it every day. I work in an office setting and it fits in nicely. I do agree on the bracelet. They definitely cheaped out. In my eyes though, it's a $200 everyday watch. My bracelet is all scratched up from every day use, but I do enjoy the watch so much that I will end up getting a milled clasp bracelet eventually.
Cracking review brother, very tempting so it is, would have to go with a different dial colour though, have too many black dials at the moment....keep them coming....⌚🏴⌚🏴
Beam me up Jody, Love the Trek shirt and I also love Jomashop as I have purchased not one Hamilton Khaki Mechanical, but 2 of them. Price was the best as was the delivery time and service. Thanks for your great content and keep up the great work. Brian
I just got mine last weekend. I am in LOVE with this watch. It is just awesome and is another level watch in my budget collection. It is a solid watch for sure.
I guess you are keeping the Kamasu if you are getting a strapcode for it. That's the highest praise. It is on my list for the next time I can get away with... Just One More Watch
My new Kamasu gained 1 second over 3 days and for the next 4 days of tracking stayed at 1 second fast. It was the first time that I wished that it had a window back case so I could be sure it was an auto-mechanical movement and not a quartz. Mine is from Jomashop and with the rubber strap was only $175 US. I was surprised at the comfort of that strap but have since replaced it with an navy blue Barton canvas.
I Have been wanting to buy one of these watches for a while. it is on my short list. If I had not bought a bunch of Ali Express Specials recently I would be ordering one today. Great video keep up the good work.
Just bought the blue one and received it yesterday and it's even better in person.bi have heard so many stories about a extremely wobbly crown and some crowns even falling off. I must have gotten Lucky because there is literally no play with the crown pulled out. I did order from Amazon though because I was going to send it back if the crown wobbled. Very pleased with mine 👍
That's my baby! Got a good deal on jomashop! It has become my everyday watch. Orient movement keeping super accurate time! Frankly, it is the perfect watch! However, I want a Collins next! Another perfect watch ( to me at least)
This is why I keep on buying Orients for so many decades. In South America they are assembled in Brasil in the Seiko/Orient factory for all the continent. They are all excellent. Cheers!!!
Good job Jody. I like the Orient watches, I have a large wrist, I own the Mako XL with the cream dial. The Kamasu is a handsome looking watch. I enjoy all your videos...
I have the Mako II pepsi and I love Orient, great watches, quality, great looking and value for money. Really like Kamasu too, kudos to Orient for the sapphire too.
Great review. Really like Orient watches. Have had a few and sold them chasing other 'higher end' watches only to realise these things are near perfect for me. I now have two Kamasu (Burgundy and Green) and a blue Kano. Much prefer the Orient movement due to hacking.
This watch is remarkable for all the right reasons. It spells bad news for anyone else (other than the Islander) wanting to compete in this price range. Thanks for another great review, Jody.
I picked this watch up for £180 in Novemeber last year and it hasn't left my wrist. Such a well rounded watch for the price. Fair to say it's more handsome in person.
I bought a blue Kamasu with a "rubber" strap, and I really like it except for the strap. It's comfy and easy to use, but it draws lint and cat hair like crazy. Currently it's on a slightly elastic NATO, which is great, but I've ordered a black vintage leather from Barton. Orient divers look great with vintage leather.
I have an IP black (+ gold bezel) version and it's a ripper. The watch head is very showy compared with an SKX. It comes on a rubber dive strap, I presume an IP bracelet would push the price too high. The coating conceals any wobbles in case finish, and the strap is very comfortable. I think it will look better on a low profile tropic strap, so it may get changed. i logged it for a week in November with WatchCheck: +3.5s/d. Phenomenal for the money.
Bought one of these a few months ago (the green one). I wear it 4 or 5 times a week. It's been consistently within COSC standards: loses 1-2 seconds a day on wrist, then when I let it sit dial up overnight or for a day, it catches up and is 1-2 seconds fast. Fabulous. What more can you ask for? Bracelet is what you'd expect (crap), so I bought a Strapcode, which now makes custom bracelets for this model. And I find myself looking at the dial a lot more than I do when I wear by Seamaster. It's quite cool.
Nice video work, going from fast movement to slow when you segued from hour and minute hands to the second hand! Oh, and what’s with the lower register “hellooooo”? 😂
I own a Mako USA II which is the same watch with a better bracelet (solid end links), and it does everything that both the SKX007/009 and SKX013 do and more with hacking and hand winding, and just fits like a glove. Jody is exactly right that the Orient is more dress than tool, but that makes it more versatile in my opinion. Best value in a mass production watch today.
OK, so after a month of owning this watch, I can offer something useful to the group. I love the watch in every way. Jody will give you all of the specs and such better than I can. My problem was in finding a way to make it LOOK right. It is really great looking, but the case is just too small to justify the 22mm band. Every band I tried seemed to just swallow it up and make the watch look tiny. After trying several patterns, designs and variations I found the answer. This watch needs a Ritchie black NATO with a black PVD buckle. Somehow, that strap and that color make the band appear thinner to the eye, and make the watch look like the 41mm that it is so that you can enjoy the watch. No designs. No patterns. Just black on black. Trust men this and save yourself some time and money. I tried six other bands and straps before I found the right one for this bugger.
I just received mine, set it to NISC time it gained 75 secs in 48 hours. Mine is black and is really stunning. Silicone band is comfortable, thinking of changing to nato or tropic eventually. However, on the back, along with the other expected info right there it is stamped EPSON. That combined with accuracy, other issues I've had with previous Orient....
Worth mentioning for UK watchers. Although you can buy then here there is no service centre or it would seem any parts available. I bought one on ebay just needing a stem and crown but I cant find anything for it. A decent paperweight and a reminder to steer clear of the brand.
