Zelos Mako Diver | Hands On Watch Review

Zelos Mako Diver

Zelos only makes big watches! Why doesn’t Zelos put out a 40mm watch? These are some of the questions I would see on my Zelos reviews, or on Facebook groups and forums. Well, to those out there wanting a smaller Zelos, your praying and wishing is over. The Zelos Mako Diver is your answer and it comes in at 40mm with a lug to lug of 46mm. It is also available to order and will ship immediately, yet it is on pre-order pricing. At the time of this publication (The Mako went on sale March 6, 2018), this variation I have in hand is $399. Other variations are available as well, including a meteorite dial, for $569. One of the reasons it is such a good deal at this price is because it has a Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement. Not the NH35 we are so accustom to seeing, but the same movement Oris has been using for years. Matter of fact, I just reviewed the Oris Divers Sixty-Five recently, which uses this same movement. Now, at $400, you can not expect it to be in the Oris league, but as usual, Zelos puts out a lot of watch, for not a lot of money.

Zelos Mako Diver Specifications:

• 316 L Stainless Steel Case
•  40mm Diameter
• 20mm Lug width
• 46mm Lug to Lug Length
• 13.5mm thickness without crystal
• Water Resistance : 500m
• Crystal : Sapphire, 2.5mm thick vintage style ‘Box’ crystal
• Bezel : 120 Clicks, Ceramic insert with 2000 Vickers hardness
• Movement : Swiss Sellita SW200
• Dial : Textured with C3 and BGW9 lume
• Rubber and Leather Straps

Initial Price $399

https://zeloswatches.com/collections/mako-500m-diver

As you can see in the specs above, Zelos went all out again with the Mako. Two straps, a ceramic bezel insert, the SW200 movement, domed sapphire and more. From looking at their website, this price will be more at some point, so it is weird from a review perspective as far as which price do I review at. $399 or $749, which is what it will eventually be. Well, being honest, because of the movement, the $749 price tag is feasible. At $399, it is definitely a bargain, at the very least because of the movement. That does not mean I find this watch to be perfect, you guys know me better than that. I do have a few issues, so keep reading.

When it comes to build quality, that is never one of my issues with Zelos Watches. The Zelos Mako Diver is no different. The finishing is great as always; all brushed with a thin high polish chamfer to give a nice aesthetic to the case, no rough edges around the bezel or crown, or on the underside of the lugs, which is something I always check for. Zelos is at the top of the game in the microbrand world for a reason-they do not put out a sub par watch, at least not in my opinion. The bezel action is tight on my example, but I can still turn it and even though this is a smaller watch, the bezel itself is thick enough to allow my hands to get a good grip. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the crown. Between the integrated crown guard and what I consider to be a small crown, it is just hard for me to use. Actually, it is really hard. It aggravated me quite a bit actually. If you have large hands/fingers, be warned.  If you have small to medium sized hands/fingers, you should be fine.

The dial pattern of the Zelos Mako Diver is a nice touch. They could have just went with a sunburst dial, or a matte dial as so many brands do, but they wanted the Mako to stand out a little more. One thing that is a little odd is the use of the shark teeth triangle markers. As you can see, they are in addition to the large applied markers, and there are only 3 of them. I get that what they were going for here, but I wish they just used those shark teeth in place of the round markers. On a more positive note, Zelos matched the date wheel to the dial and they put the date in my favorite spot, the 6 o’clock position.

The Zelos Mako Diver wears very comfortably on the wrist, but I do find it a little small for my 7 1/2 inch wrist. I have embraced smaller watches the past few years and have worn 40mm watches in a rotation as well, but the short lug to lug length keeps me from wanting to wear this one more. For those of you out there that want a smaller watch or have small wrists, this will be perfect. The Tropic style rubber is a great strap, and the second strap, a brown leather that I show in the video, is a nice addition, but does not really go with this color combo. Black, blue and brown just does not go together.

As usual, the lume on a Zelos is fantastic. Two types of lume are used on the Mako Diver, C3 Super-Luminova and BGW9. The lume is bright and will last about 4 hours or so, but I was still able to see the time after a 6 hour slumber, but I had to wait for my eyes to adjust to the dark, but that is par for the course. This is not Seiko or Lum-tec category, but it is above average for sure.

This Zelos Mako Diver is obvioulsy not a home run for me. Not all watches are. I love the fact that Zelos listened to feedback from their customers and made a 40mm dive watch. It shows he pays attention. The type of interaction you can have with a man like Elshan is something you can not get with the bigger brands. It is one of the things that makes microbrands special, that direct contact with the owner and designer. The Mako is just too small for me, but I know many are going to love it. It has a great dial pattern, the domed sapphire, and it is 500 Meters Water resistant and a has a fully indexed bezel for the real divers. Let’s not forget about the Swiss movement for a $399 price tag. Zelos always impresses me for sure. I would love this in a 43mm with a larger crown, but I am only one guy. There are more than enough watches out there to fit the average wrist, this one is for the rest of you out there that want something more manageable. This would probably look great on a woman as well, though my girlfriend said it was a little too big for her. Go figure.

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