Better than the Mako II, still not perfect
By Kenji Watanabe, Osaka ยท
Orient's Mako line has always been the quiet friend of the Seiko diver crowd, less famous and usually a little cheaper. The Mako III is the most grown-up version so far, with a cleaner bezel, a better bracelet and a dial that looks less like a toy.
It is 41.8 mm by 12.7 mm, 200 m, with the in-house F6922 automatic (hacking, hand-winding, 40 hours), day and date, a blue dial and a steel bracelet. Orient makes its own movements, now within the Seiko Epson group, and this caliber has a long record of simply working.
Here is my hesitation. The crystal is mineral. On a 200 to 260 dollar watch that is understandable, but the Kamasu sits next to it on the same shelf with sapphire for a little more money, and the two share the same case dimensions and movement. For a watch I might knock against the ticket gate at Yodoyabashi every morning, I would pay the difference.
So: buy the Mako III if this particular blue is the one you want and none of the Kamasu colours speak to you. It is a cheerful watch, and it would look right at the beach in Shirahama.