Orient Kamasu is one of the diver watches with an outstanding value to money proposition.
Orient is a Japanese brand well known for making affordable quality watches; one of the most popular divers watches from the brand is the Orient Mako. The Orient Kamasu is arguably the spiritual successor of the Orient Mako. But it pushes the value proposition to another level.
The Kamasu features a sapphire crystal and an in-house hackable automatic movement, all for a price below AUD$500. It will be very hard or even impossible to find an equal rival with similar specs, period.
Overall, the Kamasu is the complete package in an attainable price bracket. With a closer look, one also can see that the watch is a vast improvement than the Orient Mako. It’s available in various bezel dan dial combinations, with the red and green version is currently the most favorite.
It will also fit most wrist sizes, as the case measures 41.8mm in diameter (46.8mm from lug to lug). The watch is also quite this as its only 12.8mm thick.
Let’s start with the looks; the watch is way more good looking than the Orient Mako. The nickname, Kamasu is the Japanese name for a barracuda fish. All because of the triangular hour marker and arrow hands that resemble a barracuda’s teeth.
Plus, the new design of the hour marker and arrow hands made the watch more appealing and premium looking; it looked like a watch way above its price tag. It also made the watch more towards a dressy diver.
Adding to the look is the dial has a sunburst finish. Similar to the one in the Mako that gives different shades of color depending on the light it receives. Aside from displaying hours and minutes, the dial also features a day and date display that elevates the watch’s practicality.
Most importantly, protecting the dial is a flat sapphire crystal. Arguably the most appealing feature of the watch. It’s hard to find a watch at this price with a sapphire crystal out of the box. The sapphire crystal doesn’t have an anti-reflective coating that makes it hard to see the watch in some angles. But still, it’s a sapphire crystal that is way more scratch-resistant than a regular mineral crystal.
Nevertheless, the bezel still features a similar design to the Orient Mako; the difference is that there is a dotted minute pattern in between bold numeral. It somewhat makes the bezel looked more sophisticated than the one in the Mako. The bezel itself is a one-directional 120-click bezel. And it has a rotating click that is satisfying and better than the one in the Mako.
Powering the Kamasu is an Orient F6922 mechanical movement that is self-winding, yet able to be hand-wind, and supports hacking. It is the same movement in the Orient Mako II. But it is not a deal-breaker as it gets the job done very well.
It’s worth noting that the movement features 22 jewels and a power reserve of at least 40 hours. Winding the crown 30 times will wind the spring fully and achieve full power reserve. The movement also has respectable accuracy of within -15 seconds – +25 seconds per day.
To complement the whole package, the Kamasu comes equipped with a solid link bracelet (end links are hollow) with a push-button deployant clasp. With a 22mm lug size, it also easy to change the strap of the Orient Kamasu, as there are tons of aftermarket options.