If you have spent any time on watch collector forums or amongst budget-minded watch collectors, Orient watches are going to come up. They are a well known brand making affordable and reliable watches for a wide range of styles competing at the Seiko/Citizen range. We previously reviewed the CEM75001B and its smaller brother the CEM65001B (in conjunction with our twitter contest), but thought the Mako XL needed the video treatment. Here is a refresher:
- Movement: Orient 46943
- Power Reserve: 40 Hours
- Crystal: Mineral
- Case: Solid stainless steel
- Size: 44.5×13.3
- Dial: Black
- Bezel: Black, 60 click uni-directional
- Lug Width: 22mm
- Water Resist: 200m/660ft
- Retail: $250 (use the promo code watchreport50 to get 50% off that)
As with other Orients we have owned or reviewed, this Mako XL sets something of a standard for value and style. The CEM75001B is a large, curvy diver that uses Orient’s in-house movement featuring a competitive power reserve and a day-date feature. Orient claims the Mako XL is 13.3mm tall but it wears much lower due to the low-profile casebook and the long and wide case.
There is a lot to like about the styling: the bezel is a glossy, inky black while the dial is a flat rich black that makes the beautiful markers really pop. These are inlaid markers not painted on with a great chrome boarder and a good amount of luminous paint. The spear style hands stand out and add a splash of modern style to a somewhat classic design. The Mako XL is classy, simple, and legible.
The case is nicely finished with brushed and polished lugs, and polished sides. The bezel action is light but precise. The crystal is made of mineral glass, and is the one thing that would be nice to see changed (sapphire would be a good addition). The bracelet is also surprising quality at this price point; it uses pins to hold the links together, and to fix the bracelet to the case. The crown on the Mako XL is screw-down, and has a very good action. The positions for date and time setting are found with an audible click, and screwing down the crown is smooth and confident.
The Orient CEM75001B Mako XL is a great example of what is available on a budget these days. Orient lists Mako XL for $250 direct from their website, but they are constantly offering deep discounts. You can use the promo-code “watchreport50” to get 50% off any Orient watch. That makes the Mako XL only $125. If you are just getting into collecting watches, or are looking for a versatile dress diver for a suit or jeans, this is a great deal.
We would like to thank Orient for the review unit and the promo-code for our readers.
By James Stacey
Pete
Thanks for a good review. It’s a good looking watch for a great price and I bought one a little over a year ago. I dropped the watch from about 2 feet (first time drop) onto a wood floor, which chipped the crystal and knocked entirely loose the date faceplate. My fault, of course, but was surprised to see the resulting damage. I don’t have the expertise of others on this website, but it’s made me wonder about Orient’s durability.