What the Mako II actually is
A 200m automatic dive watch with a unidirectional bezel, a screw-down crown, a day and date display, and Orient’s in-house F6922 caliber running roughly a 40-hour power reserve. It replaced the original Mako, and the “II” matters: the earlier version’s movement neither hacked nor hand-wound, and the F6922 does both.
That is the specification, and the reason it reads impressively is the movement line. Orient is one of a handful of companies at this price making its own calibers — it is part of the Epson group alongside Seiko’s movement operations, and it has been building automatics for decades. Almost everything else near $240 with a 200m case is running a bought-in Seiko NH35 or a Miyota, which is fine but is not the same claim.
Hacking and hand-winding, and why they are on the box
Hacking means the seconds hand stops when you pull the crown, so you can set the watch to the second against a reference. Hand-winding means the crown will wind the mainspring directly, so you can start a stopped watch without shaking it. Neither is exotic, and both were missing from the original Mako, which is why the Mako II gets talked about the way it does. Our guide on what hacking means covers both in full.
The two honest caveats
1. The crystal is mineral, not sapphire
Orient fits a Hardlex-class mineral crystal. On the Mohs hardness scale ordinary glass sits at 5.5, quartz at 7 and sapphire at 9 — and everyday grit is largely quartz. So a mineral crystal will pick up fine scratches over a few years of daily wear in a way sapphire will not.
This is a genuine limitation and it is also the single easiest one to fix, because Orient sells the fix: the Kamasu is essentially the same watch with a sapphire crystal for a modest step up. If the watch is going to be worn hard and daily, that step is worth taking. Our crystal comparison sets out what you actually gain and what you give up.
2. It wears wide
The case measures around 41mm across but reads larger, because the bezel is broad and the lugs are not short. Orient does not publish a lug-to-lug figure for this reference, so the spec table below prints “Not published” for case size rather than a number we estimated.
The practical version: if your wrist is under about 6.5 inches, try before you commit, and read our watch size guide on why lug-to-lug decides fit far more than diameter does. If it does not work, the 36mm and 38mm options in our small-wrist roundup are the honest alternative rather than talking yourself into a big watch.
Mako II versus the alternatives
Versus the Orient Kamasu
Same F6922 movement, same 200m case class, same maker. The Kamasu adds a sapphire crystal and a slightly more refined dial and bezel treatment for a modest premium. If you can afford the difference, take it — this is close to the cleanest upgrade decision on the site. If you cannot, you are not missing a better watch, just a harder window.
Versus the Orient Kanno
The Kanno is the same idea with a different personality: a bigger, more assertive case and a look that owes more to 1970s divers than to the Mako’s conventional styling. Choose on appearance, because mechanically you are in the same family.
Versus the Citizen Promaster Sea
The nearest rival from another Japanese maker with its own movements. Citizen’s automatic Promasters are excellent and generally cost a little more; the choice is largely brand preference and dial design. Our Seiko versus Orient versus Citizen comparison works through how the three makers actually differ.
Versus the Invicta Pro Diver
The Pro Diver 8926OB costs roughly a third of the Mako II and is the default answer to “cheapest automatic diver.” What you give up is the in-house movement, the finishing and, for many people, the willingness to wear a watch with Invicta on the dial. It is a lot of watch for under $100 and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise — our Seiko 5 versus Invicta comparison covers that trade at length.
Who should buy one
Buy the Mako II if you want a genuine 200m automatic diver from a maker that builds its own movements, for the least money that proposition is available, and you are not precious about crystal scratches. It is the sensible default in its price band and has been for years.
Buy the Kamasu instead if the watch will be worn every day and the sapphire matters to you — which for most daily-wear buyers it should.
Buy something else if your wrist is small, in which case the case width is a real problem no specification fixes, or if you want a dressier watch, in which case the Bambino from the same maker is the better call — see our Orient Bambino review.
