Orient Mako II Pepsi
Manufacturer: Orient | Price: £115 GBP ($150 USD, €130 EUR approx)
The ever popular Orient Mako II showcases a slim case design, suitable for business and outdoor adventures. This stylish and sporty timepiece features a 316L stainless steel case and bracelet, blue dial and screw-down crown to maximize water resistance. The watch also sports a blue unidirectional rotating bezel with a stylish red accent, hence the Pepsi nickname. With a water resistance of 200m, the Mako II is great for snorkeling, swimming and other sports activities.
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Specifications
- Dimensions: Case Diameter – 41.5mm, Thickness – 13mm, Lug to Lug Length – 47mm, Lug Width – 22mm
- Movement: Orient F6922 Automatic, 21,600vph (3Hz), Hackable, Self Winding, 40hr Power Reserve
- Case Material: Brushed 316L Stainless Steel with Polished Accents
- Weight: 156g Extras: Nil
- Bracelet: Brushed 316L Stainless Steel, Oyster Style with Polished Accents, Pressed Signed Clasp
- Crystal: Flat Mineral
- Bezel: 120 Click Unidirectional Blue & Red, Aluminium
- Water Resistance: 20ATM / 200m / 660ft
- Lume: Orient – Applied to Hour Markers & Arabics, Hour & Minute Hands and Lume Pip
- Crown: Signed, Screw Down Caseback: Brushed & Polished, Signed, Screw Down
- Warranty: 2 Years Where to Buy: eBay or Amazon
- Options: Colour: Blue & Red Pepsi / Black / Blue
Delivery & Packaging
Ordering the Orient Mako II Pepsi from Singapore, delivery took just 3 working days to arrive here in the UK. The packaging is a no-frills affair as you’d expect from a watch at this price-point. It’s a good little sturdy box you get though, which is really all you need to be fair. Inside is the watch contained on a nice little cushion with the warranty card, registration details and an instruction manual are all contained underneath. Not much else to say really about the packaging really, it is what it is, pure & simple.
The Case
The Orient Mako II measures in at 41.5mm diameter, 47mm lug to lug, with a thickness of 13mm. The watch is incredibly wearable with these dimensions and the finishing of the case is absolutely fantastic for the price. The transition between the polishing and brushing is surprisingly sharp.
The entire case, bezel, caseback and crown are all 316L stainless steel. The topside of the case itself is brushed with only the bezel and sides being polished. As previously mentioned the watch does fit on the wrist beautifully with the slightly curved lugs. With a water resistance rating of 200m, thanks to the screw-down caseback & crown it is more than you’ll need on a day-to-day basis. Although, the WR rating is not ISO certified.
If I have any negatives, it’s got to be the crown. It’s just too small, it looks lost in the surrounding crown guards and in relation to the case size. In my opinion, it needs to be at least 1-1.5mm bigger.
Bracelet
The bracelet on the Mako II is a lot better than I thought it would be. It features oyster-style links with the tops being brushed and the sides polished. The end-links are hollow but that’s only to be expected to keep costs low. Resizing the bracelet requires removal of the links that have a push pin configuration. Easy enough.
The clasp is obviously pressed but doesn’t make it feel weak when on the wrist. It has a double locking, push button mechanism as well as micro-adjustments. The Orient logo is also stamped onto the clasp. The inner joint of the clasp is also sand blasted rather than polished which is a nice touch.
Movement
The chosen movement for the Mako II is the Orient F6922 automatic. An excellent upgrade over the original movement used in the Mako Mk1. The F6922 is a 21,600vph, 3Hz, 22 jewel movement with self winding, hacking and a day-date function. Checking the accuracy after running the Orient Mako II, mainly on my wrist and occasionally in my watch winder, I was pretty pleased with the accuracy, with it showing an average of +7.3spd!
Dial & Bezel
The Mako II has a 120 click unidirectional bezel with an aluminium insert. It is of decent quality and everything does line up perfectly unlike the Seiko SKX’s I’ve had in the past. The bezel action is very stiff when new but has zero backplay.
The dial itself has very neatly applied indices all around with arabics at 12, 6 & 9. The text is all very neatly printed and the applied logo at 12 is gorgeous. There is also a day-date complication at the 3 o’clock position. The sword style hands are also very much in proportion to the dial. They’re actually my favourite style hands.
Conclusion
A fantastic watch that is fantastically proportioned and fits extremely well on the wrist. It is very well made with great fit & finish and it is definitely worth the minuscule asking price. It is for sure, a great watch that punches well above its weight.
If you’re a beginner to watch collecting or just looking to buy that first automatic, this Mako II should definitely be on your radar.
I like this watch so much that I’m now on the hunt for the Mako USA II that has a lot of upgrades including solid end links, enhanced lume and a sapphire crystal. Obviously it’s more expensive, but if the Mako II Pepsi that I have here is anything to go by, it’ll be worth every penny.
8/10
Thank you for your review, nicely written. I have an Orient Commuter and i am impressed with the accuracy of the F6922. I also ordered mine from Singapore, bought it on Wed evening, got it on Mon morning. Impressive.