Country of Manufacture: Japan
Purchase Price: £120 (Typical range £110 – £200)
Current price: To check out the latest prices on the Orient Mako please see: https://amzn.to/3wN19Rp
Spend any time researching automatic Diver style watches in the watch forums and you’ll struggle not to come across the Orient Mako mentioned at the budget end of the spectrum. Widely touted as a bombproof alternative to the more expensive brands here is my experience on how the Mako shapes up. And solutions to a couple of issues experienced.
Arguably an indulgence in a world where a £20 Casio digital is arguably a more accurate timepiece than any automatic watch, there is just something special about an automatic movement. And of course from a sustainability perspective the benefit of never having to change a battery, or contribute to landfill can only be a good thing.
The Mk 1. Mako features the highly rated Orient 46943 movement. This workhorse of a movement is generally considered a good advert for the Japanese watch industry. Some blog posts reference a School of Horology comparison placing the movement on the same plain as the ETA 2892 which powers a raft of automatic timepieces from watches with considerably higher price tags, including Omegas and Breitlings. So effectively on paper you are getting an automatic movement comparable with that found in watches 10+ times the price.
The case is pretty well finished, not as precisely as a high end timepiece but it is heavy, solid and withstands wear pretty well. The crystal does scratch but in 6 yrs of virtually daily usage, not to a level where i feel I would bother replacing it. The main photo in this review is my very timepiece so you can draw your own conclusions. When I do, if I do, I will post instructions for this.
The watch is comfortable and a good size, not crazy big, but not super slim. I have relatively slender wrists, and stand just under 6ft, and the sizing is good in my opinion.
The Orient strap is is pretty standard quality for the price range, but clearly not comparable to a £2k watch. However the clasp snaps shut cleanly and firmly even after years of use. I have recently decided to change to a Nato strap, as per the pic. I just fancied the change and I prefer it. Incidentally spring bar size for the Mako is 22mm. 0.8mm pips work but Seiko fat boy bars with 1.1mm pips won’t. Strong 2mm spring bars with 0.8mm pips can be readily sourced on eBay (other marketplaces are available).
In my usage the Mako hasn’t missed a beat for 6 years, working reliably even if left for a few days. In terms of out of the box accuracy it was losing around a minute a day. More on tweaking this below this later.
Overall on whether I would buy another it’s a resounding yes. It looks like a more expensive watch, it wears well and is well made, it is reliable and very solid. A watch you can be happy to wear under pretty much any circumstances without stress. It is not without flaws, as you will see below, but I still find it a miracle of the modern world that such a piece of engineering can be bought for so little.
Trouble Shooting – A few issues and fixes
I have only experienced one big issue just this year. Fixed as per the instructions below.
- Shifting Dial/ Face – As you tap the case the face spins a few degrees. In my case Clockwise.
- Adjusting the movement – Addressing that 1 minute lost per day.
For a video walkthrough of the below see the accompanying Youtube video below:
Shifting dial – (the watch face moves in the case)
The Movement: Orient automatic caliber 469 – marked 46943
A super irritating problem, and one I didn’t think I would resolve, struggling to find a clear fix online. I did eventually find a few forum posts referencing the issue which seems to stem from the watch having taken a knock, which shears the lugs/feet in the face which hold it straight. If i had to write off the watch after 6 years it would have served me well enough to not be too upset.
If the watch were a much cherished Omega or suchlike I would not have attempted this myself. However spending upwards of £70 for a watchmaker to source and fit a new dial on a 6 year old £120 watch seemed excessive.
Removing the movement is pretty straightforward and requires only a caseback tool (or equivalent, e.g. some needle nosed pliers and go with the risk of scratching the caseback) and a springbar tool (or equivalent fine pointed poking implement).
Step 1. Remove the strap. Its easier to work without the strap in the way, with less chance of damaging the movement. A precision screwdriver or spring bar tool is used to compress the spring bars. They are 22mm size with 0.8mm lugs for future reference.
Step 2. Unscrew the caseback. This unscrews anti clockwise, as standard. Once open you get a clear view of the movement.
Step 3. In order to remove the movement the crown must be removed. This is delicate but pretty straightforward (Mk1 instructions). First unscrew the crown and pull out two notches to the time setting position. If you look closely a small lever will pop out with the crown in this position. Refer to the picture. A super gentle press of this lever will release the crown pin which can be withdrawn. The crown pin is gentle re-inserted and will click into place when time comes for reassembley.
The day setting crown does not need removing.
Step 4. Turn out the movement onto a soft cloth.
Fixing the spinning dial – Once out it is decision time as to how to either repair or replace the dial. In my case the simplest options seemed to be to glue it. I thought a bit about my options here (Watchmakers look away). Something like epoxy seemed too permanent if the fix didn’t work so was the nuclear solution. Super glue i find too runny and liable to flow where i don’t want it which could be a problem. Gel style glues could resolve that.
I settled on clear silicone glue. This maintains structure, and if it fails over time is easy to pick off with tweezers. I placed 3 dabs of silicone at 120deg spacings around the face.
Re-assembly is the direct opposite of dis-assembly. (I will post a video when i got a moment to stitch it together).
adjusting the Orient 46943 movement
Conventional wisdom for adjusting automative movements is to leave this to the pros. Again though for a relatively aged £120 watch this would not seem worth the expense. I lived with 30 seconds or so a day for a few years with no real hardship although finally got around to attempting to fix this. This is a simple thing to try if the case back is removed however it should be noted that again this is not official horological advice.
Unoffical disclaimer: I am not a watch specialist, enthusiast or expert just someone who doesn’t mind “having a go” at fixing thinds. Proceed at your own peril.
The adjusment lever for “regulating” the Mako looks as per the picture below:
A very gentle nudge of the lever, in my case 1mm gave the required adjustment. Note the very fine spring below. This is a job for a steady hand and gentle touch to avoid permanently snarfing your watch.
Of note, for this movement, there are accounts of the movement consistency being affected by strong arm movements. So it is possible for the movement to change consistency over time.