Orient CEM65002D (Blue Mako) Reviews

[Librarian6]

Authored by Yogi18
 
Late last year I purchased an Orient CEM65002D AKA Blue Mako. When I first opened the box I was completely blown away by its deep beautiful blue color of the dial. The polished area on the case and bracelet were flawless. I took it out of the box and was amazed by the weight of this watch, a rock solid watch that is built like a tank.






The dial

The dial is absolutely breath taking. It is coated with lacquer or plastic coating that is adding shimmer to it change the color in different color. In certain lighting conditions it could get really deep bright blue to almost black in dimmed light conditions. The dial is very easy to read since the indices are chromed and filled with almost white illumination material. The hands are also chromed and filled with illuminating material. However, the hands have a larger chrome area which your eyes catch in any angle you look at the watch.





Bezel

The bezel is 60 clicks unidirectional with a blue insert and a PIP. I find it difficult to turn sometimes however, using a fingernail helps.





Crown / Pusher

The crown has the Orient symbol, and it is well protected by the case. It has three positions.

• Screwed down which is locked.
• First pull which will change the date.
• Second pull which will set the time.

It is solid in operation and very smooth. The pusher is very solid as well. With a screw housing once opened, when pushing on the pusher it will change the day with very smooth operation.





Case back

Not much to say about it but here is a photo of it.





Bracelet

The links for this bracelet are solid and uses split pins to connect the links. It is very sturdy yet extremely easy to size on you own. The links are brushed finished with polished sides. It adds a nice contrast and blends nicely with the case. The deployment closure is as smooth as it can get with a double locking feature and three micro adjustment places. Very easy to release and lock.









Lume,

The lume is not something I am excited about. Having said that I still find it legible in complete darkness, but I wish it was brighter. It will glow for the night after a little bit of charging but I wish it was brighter, much brighter.





In conclusion,

This watch is worth every penny. The quality is superb, and the build is solid. The time keeping is surprisingly accurate at -3 sec/day which for an automatic is extremely good.

I hope you enjoy the little review.

Yogev

[Librarian6]

Authored by whitestripes
 
Overview

I bought this pretty-much-new Mako off a member over at SCWF, and it's everything it's cracked up to be. Honestly, I knew it was a good looking watch, but for under $100 this is, hands down, the best deal around on a "do anything" watch. Not too tool-watchy, you can wear this to work, but it'll look good with shorts and a t shirt. They used to be very easy to find on eBay, but now it's mostly black or pepsi makos (the other variants), sometimes with rubber strap, so keep a look out on the sales corner if you want to snag one at a good price.

Movement information

The movement is an in-house Orient automatic movement. It does not wind or hack, but the winding system is very efficient, a la Seiko's 7s26--just pick it up and it'll start! Some Swiss movements need a little handwinding to get them going. I don't know too much about it, but I've read that it is more accurate out of the box than the 7s26, and as far as I can see, it's true. This thing runs about +6/day, which is very good for an unregulated watch, and certainly good enough for me. This movement, together with the 7s26, are commonly said to be able to run many years without servicing. Don't know how true that is, will know 10 years down the line.

Case

The fit and finish are exceptional at this price point: <$100, which is pretty much the lowest price you can get for a mechanical watch. Polished sides, brushed lugs. It's 41-42mm wide (not exact, no ruler), and fairly thin, I'd say 13mm (again, no ruler) with 22mm lugs. It is a nice, modern size dive watch. Compared to my SKX007, it wears smaller. It might be a little wider, not sure, but it is much thinner. The low profile makes it easy to slip under a cuff, or at least not to catch it on things like doorjambs. The caseback is nothing special, no deep engravings just a laser-etched logo and model number, but what do you expect? It's definitely functional and comfortable on the wrist.

Now, a special touch on the watch: the crown is signed! The roughly $1800 Seiko Marine Master, flagship non-Spring Drive diver, doesn't have a signed crown, and Orient is putting it on a sub $100 watch? It is nicely signed and is almost vertically aligned when fully screwed in. The threads are a nice quality, screws in extremely smoothly (no gritty feeling for those of you who know). There are Rolex-esque crown guards to protect it.

An interesting feature about the Mako is the day pusher located at 2. It has a screw-down lock so you don't accidentally push it in the water or with the back of your hand. Again, the lock screws down extremely smoothly. The day pusher looks pretty cool, but why would I want to switch the day when they always go in the same order and never skip days of the week? If it changed the date for 30 day months, then it'd be kind of useful. But it's clearly not because every other movement can handle day/date changes with the crown. It looks cool and is uniquely Orient, but it should be changing the days. Doesn't matter too much to me, but fairly useless.

Crystal

The Mako has a mineral crystal, which can scratch and probably will over its lifetime. Can't expect sapphire at this price point, but it's clear. It's flat, so will have that mirror effect in the water and reflects at the right angles in the day, too. No AR coating, of course, but it does the job. Fairly hard, keeps water out, and showcases the dial!

Dial/Hands

The blue is amazing. This is the Mako to get for your first. It has a shimmery, inky quality that changes color depending on the lighting. It looks like it belongs on an expensive watch. The indices are applied, and the lume application is very consistent. The Arabic 6, 9, and 12 look great with the lume inside, which is very white. The day/date windows are bordered in polished steel, a classy touch. The Orient logo of two lions is applied nicely. Fairly non-cluttered text, just Orient Automatic, Water Resist 200m.

No minute markers on the dial, but they can be found on the chapter ring, common on Japanese watches. The hands are in the sword style, like the Omega 2254. They can hold lots of lume, are chromed out and look GOOD. The seconds hand is tipped in red, but one complaint I have is the lack of lume on the seconds hand to tell if it's running, which is one reason why it's not a real ISO rated diver. Looks nice though.

Bracelet

The bracelet, man oh man. It's quality--solid links joined by split pins, machined double-push button fliplock clap. Notice I said the clasp is machined. $5000 Rolex Submariners have cheap stamped steel clasps. If you've ever felt one, they feel CHEAP. None of that rubbish on this fine $100 watch. The only thing that could be better is solid endlinks, but those are non-existant at the <$100 price level. Besides, when fit well they don't rattle at all. The clasp is signed with the Orient Logo and Orient quite nicely. It is easy to adjust and feels nice and heavy... a wonderful bracelet on a watch of any price. Definitely get the bracelet and not the rubber strap.

Bezel

This is another thing that contributes to the Mako being a "dive-style" watch instead of a true diver, like the Seiko SKX007. It is 60 clicks, unidirectional, so what's the problem? It is hard to grip. I've tried it wet and damn near impossible. The lume pip at 12 works. The bezel is ever so slightly off to the left (about 10 seconds' worth). It can't be adjusted because there are indentations at 5, 15, 25... and the bezel insert is cut to fit the indentations. It doesn't really bother me, just being a bit anal (but I know a lot of you guys are the same way!)

The bezel on the SKX007 is one of the best I've ever tried, but this is definitely functional and looks good, just hard to grip.

Closing remarks

My SKX007 is my tool diver, this is my casual/nice diver. Get yourself a blue mako. It's a great watch and deal!

[Librarian6]

Authored by gdpeck
 
I've wanted a Blue Mako for a while, so when it was up as an Orient Deal of the Day, on Saturday night, I decided to grab it. The watch came in today, which is pretty dang good considering the shipping cost of $0.00.

Here are my first impressions after wearing the watch for a few hours. First of all the face of this watch is just incredible. The blue is as amazing as everyone says it is, and then some. I'm also a sucker for Arabic numbers on a watch, and so I like the lume filled, applied numerals and markers a lot. I think that the day setting button gives the watch a unique look as well.

The signed crown is very nice and screws in and out decently. My only other watches with a screw down crown are an Accutron VX-200 and a Ball Moonphase. It probably isn't fair to compare fit and finish with these watches, since they cost a lot more than the Mako, but it does seem that they both have smoother screw down actions than the Mako. I was a little surprised at how light and almost plasticky the screw out day pusher feels, but it definitely works and seems to serve it's purpose.



The bracelet on this watch seems to get a few rave reviews, and again I'll go with the unfair comparison to the Accutron and Ball, both of which have beastly amazing bracelets. In comparison, the Orient bracelet seems light and a little flimsy. I think that what makes it seem that way, are the end links and the foldover clasp. The clasp works well, and seems very secure, but it also seems a little light, and it rattles more than I'd like, especially when closed. I do like the looks of the bracelet however, as it seems very reminiscent of a Rolex bracelet.

I have the same issue with turning the bezel as has been documented elsewhere. Sometimes it moves easily, especially when I first start turning it, but then it seems to bind up. Not a big deal for me, really. I'll probably get by without turning it at all for the most part. The lume pip does not exactly line up at the 12 o' clock position. This is a nit that I probably shouldn't pick on a sub $100 watch, but it bugs me a little.

My first impression of the lume is that it is decent, but not spectacular. I haven't gone through the night with it yet, so can't talk about how long lasting it is, but it is very sharp and bright at least at first. My best non-tritium tube lume watch is a Citizen San Remo Eco-Drive model, and the Orient is easily as sharp and readable as that watch, but I don't know if it will have the staying power of the Citizen lume.



Overall, I'm very pleased with this watch. I definitely feel I got my money's worth, and can also now see firsthand, why there is so much love for this watch. I mentioned that the bracelet is Rolex-like, and I personally believe that it is pretty difficult for a dive watch not to take some styling cues from Rolex, but the Blue Mako is definitely not a replica or an homage. It has it's own look, and some very unique design elements. I realize I've made a couple of comparisons to some more expensive watches in my impressions. The differences I saw were pretty minor, which is amazing considering the price of those watchs. I believe you get what you pay for most of the time, but in the world of watches, price doesn't always equal value. The Orient Mako is definitely a watch with a lot of value for a very good price. It's not just a great bang for the buck watch, it's a great watch. If you ever have a chance to grab one of these don't hesitate.

[Librarian6]

Authored by King Gainer
 
CEM65002D - Orient Blue Mako - Review

Hey guys, this is my first watch review. It’s probably not going to be the best review of this watch, but I’m hoping this review will at the very least give you the info you need to decide whether you want to take a chance and buy this watch or throw it to the side.

I bought the CEM54002D about three months ago. After receiving it, I found I actually didn’t really like this watch as much as when I saw it online. The bracelet didn’t fit well, no matter how I adjusted it. And, I didn’t like how the watch didn’t come with a sapphire crystal. So, I had a few alterations done. I changed the band and the crystal. Now, I can’t seem take my eyes off it or keep it off my wrist.

Here’s a pic of what it looks like now:



Here’s a close up of the watch face:



Crystal

The crystal was initially a mineral crystal. I wanted something a little sturdier, so I went to my watch repairman and had him replace the mineral crystal with a sapphire one. It doesn’t have any AR coating, but it gets the job done. This cost me about $70.00.

Dial

The dial is one thing I loved about the watch the moment I saw it. The deep blue of the face itself is just stunning. The numbers at 6, 9, and 12 O’clock, along with the other hour indices are large and easy to see. If you can’t read the time, what’s the point of a watch, right?

The watch also has the day and date at the 3 O’clock position. They are also clear and easy to read. The one problem I have with the day and date display is that there are times when the date doesn’t seem to be correctly aligned. I have no idea why this happens. However, I didn’t feel this was worth having my watch repairman bust open the movement to adjust the date wheel.

Lume



Here’s a pic of the lume after powering it up with my desk lamp. To be honest, it doesn’t normally glow this brightly. After wearing it all day, it usually has a dimmer lume that last for about 4 to 6 hours. However, it’s really dim by the time I get up in the morning.

Case & Case back



The case itself is 41mm Diameter and 13mm Thickness according to internet sources. It feels sturdy to me. This was the first Diver watch I had ever bought. Moreover, I bought it online, and so I never had the chance to try it on before purchasing it. I thought it was going to feel over-sized, but it was great (except for the bracelet which I will address later).

The case back is screw down. According to the documentation, the watch is water resistant up to 200m. Personally, I have no intention of testing it out. However, I think it’s good enough to go swimming in a pool with.

Crown & Pusher



The crown is large and protected by one lug on each side. Of course, it has the orient logo imprinted on it. It unscrews and screws back in well. However, when it first unscrews, it feels like it might just pop out of the case. I’m not sure why, but the connection the stem has with the movement doesn’t feel sturdy.

The pusher screws in and out, as well. The problem with the pusher is that it is practically useless. For one, the pusher changes the day. Unlike the date, the day will never change once you set it. Second, you can change the day with the crown as well. So, when the watch dies from lack of charge, it feels like a waste of time to unscrew the pusher just to change the date, when you can already change it with the crown while setting the time. As another member who reviewed this watch said, it would have made more sense to give the pusher the function of changing the date.

Bezel

The bezel is unidirectional. It feels very durable. However, it’s pretty tough to turn. But honestly, I don’t have any intentions of using this watch to dive. So, this isn’t really a turn off for me. I feel that the fact that it’s tough to turn may be good. It makes me feel like it’ll be tougher to break or accidentally move out of position.

Movement

Now, for me, this is the most important part of the watch – It’s ability to tell time accurately. The CEM65002D employs a 21 Jewels Orient Japan Automatic Movement that’s made in-house. What does this mean? Honestly not much to me. I don’t care where it’s made as long as it can keep time well.

When on my wrist and lying flat with the face up (when I’m not wearing it), this watch appears to gain only about 6-8 seconds a day or less. But, when I don’t wear it and it sits in my winder, in a vertical position; the watch can end up with the crown up or down. Thus, at times like this, it can gain from 8-12 seconds a day.

Additionally, I feel this watch tends to gain more time the more it’s wound. I don’t know if this is a pattern for automatic watches, but it is for my CEM65002D. Also, when the watch is low on power, you can hack the movement by holding the crown in place or turning it slightly backwards when setting the time. However, once the watch is fully wound, you can no longer hack the time. The movement is innately Non-Hacking.

In a nut shell, I realize this is not a chronometer and so I no longer hold it such high standards. As longs as it’s only about 8 to 10 seconds fast a day, I can live with it.

Band



The original band for this watch was a solid steel (SS) bracelet that fit between in the 22 millimeters Width lug space on the case. However, as the bracelet felt very awkward on my 7 inch wrist (either too loose or too tight) despite my adjustments, I decided to switch it out. My friend helped me pick out and purchase a leather band that was water proof. It also came with a butterfly deployment. I purchased it on eBay for about $54.99. Even after the purchase of this leather band, the watch still had an awkward fit. So, I used my dremel to drill a hole in it to give the watch a more individual fit. Personally, I feel the black on the band matches the watch pretty well, especially with the blue stitching. It also feels great!

Spring Bars

Okay, I know people don’t usually review spring bars, but I feel I have to in this case. The spring bars used in this watch are terrible. They are very thin and fragile. First of all, when I removed the SS bracelet, the ends of the spring bars were slightly bent. When I put an Omega Mesh band on this watch, they bent even more. I bought a new set of spring bars that were exactly the same size as the originals from my watch repairman so that I could put the original SS bracelet back on. My watch repairman looked at the bracelet and the bars and just said “Poor design, poor design.”

When I put on the leather band, I used a size 24mm set of spring bars that were thicker and sturdier than the original 22mm bars. My watch repairman said the only way you’ll get them off would be to bust them out in the middle with a screw driver. This may be a problem one day if I decide to change the band or the band gets old. But, I guess this is the price I’ll have to pay. I can live with this decision, though.


Overall



Out of the box, the Blue Mako just didn’t do it for me. But after switching out the crystal and picking up a different band, I just love this watch. It keeps time well for a non-chronometer rated automatic watch. It also fits very well. From what I’ve read, this watch appears to be pretty popular at the moment. So, if you want to pick it up, I’d go for it. And, if you’re like me and don’t like it out of the box, it’s very simple to modify. Altogether, the modifications I had done cost about $125.00 added onto the original price I paid.