Orient Mako II FAA02002D9 Review & Complete Guide

Orient Mako II FAA02002D9 Review & Complete Guide

The Orient Mako II is one of the most popular affordable dive watches on the market. In fact, looking closer at this watch will reveal that it offers exceptional value for money and that there are few other dive watches in the same price range that have robust in-house movements, great finish, solid build quality, and great attention to detail.

The name Mako II or 2 is the second generation of the Mako. This means that it is an upgraded and revised version. The biggest change to this watch relates to the movement, which has been greatly improved with a completely new movement. In addition to this, it has gotten a few visual tweaks.

This is a beautiful and appealing blue dive watch with a classic design that is easy to love and appreciate. Orient focuses on quality and minimalism and incorporates that into a classic, iconic dive watch case.

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Case

Orient has done a great job with the execution of the watch. It is beautifully finished and has a classic dive watch design which you will be able to recognize very easily.

The case has a diameter of 41.5mm, a thickness of 13mm, and a lug-to-lug of 47mm. This is a rather classic size of a dive watch and isn’t too big, or too small for most wrists. With that said, many people will be able to enjoy the Orient Mako II on the wrist.

When it comes to the finishing, Orient has done a great job which makes it appear more expensive than it actually is. The top of the case is satin-brushed on the top and has a circular finish. The sides, however, have a beautiful polished contrasting finish which shows that Orient has really paid attention to the details. In addition, the way the polished meets the brushed surface is done to perfection with a perfect transition.

As many sporty dive watches have, it features a crown at 3 o’clock which sits protected between crown guards. This ensures the water resistance is not compromised as a result of knocks and bangs. To further ensure the water-resistance, the crown is a screw-down.

On top of the case, it has a flat crystal that sits close to the bezel and creates a seamless look. We have seen some sources that state that it has a sapphire crystal, but this is not correct. In fact, the FAA02002D9 uses mineral glass. This is not as tough as sapphire, but it does the job, and considering the watch’s price point, a sapphire crystal is not something we can take for granted.

As a dive watch should, it features a unidirectional rotating bezel with 60-minute graduation markers. The bezel rotates with 120 clicks for greater accuracy and has teeth around the edges to improve the grip. The bezel has a beautiful blue aluminum insert that matches the dial of the watch nicely. At 12 o’clock it has a luminous pip that helps with reading the bezel in low-lit conditions. The bezel has a sloping coin edge which is nicely executed.

The watch is presented on a sporty three-link bracelet which matches the design of the watch perfectly. The bracelet has a satin finish and a folding clasp with a safety lock push-button mechanism. The bracelet is surprisingly good. But at the same time, when it comes to affordable watches, the bracelet is usually the part that is compromised with the most.

And with that said, there is some room for improvement for the bracelet of the Orient Mako II FAA02002D9, but if you consider its price, it’s not something that doesn’t come as a surprise. One of those things is the fact that the bracelet has hollow end links. This affects the feeling of robustness and rigidity in a negative way, but the bracelet isn’t terrible in any way and does the job.

The FAA02002D9 is of course water-resistant. In fact to 200m/660 feet. This means it is suitable for both diving and swimming.

Dial

The watch is presented with a beautiful blue dial with a sunburst finish that matches the color of the bezel perfectly. The dial reflects the light in a beautiful way and is very vibrant when the sunlight hits it. It’s difficult to get bored of this dial.

Orient has done a great job with the finishing and the details of this timepiece as well. It has applied hour markers with metal frames and luminescent material, and at 6, 9, and 12 o’clock, it has Arabic markers. The hands are sword-shaped and also have luminescence applied to it. The hands and hour markers provide great contrast against the dial and help with great legibility. The luminescence has also been improved from the previous generation and glows more brightly and for a longer period of time.

Around the outer edge of the dial, it has an angled chapter ring on which the seconds markers are printed which is blue as well.

At 3 o’clock, we have a day and date window with a metal frame around it. Some may think that the dial harms the symmetry of the dial, which it does in a way, but it is also practical for everyday wear.

For a touch of color, Orient has made the arrow tip on the seconds hand red which is a subtle yet beautiful detail.

Movement

Inside the watch sits the in-house Automatic Orient Caliber F6922. This is a huge improvement from the 46943 Caliber that was used in the previous version. Two great improvements to the movement are that it now features both a hacking and manual-winding function. The previous movement also had accuracy issues. The new movement also has a new quickset day function.

The benefit of the hacking function is that it allows you to achieve better accuracy and set the time perfectly down to the second. The manual-winding function is a bonus that allows you to charge the watch with power. Both when you are not wearing it, but also when you are not wearing it enough for it to be charged with enough energy to last when you take it off your wrist.

The movement in the Mako II operates at a frequency of 21600 BPH and has an accuracy of -15/+15 seconds. The power reserve is approximately 40 hours.

Specifications

• Jewels: 22
• Power reserve: 40 hours
• Frequency: 21600 BPH
• Accuracy: -15/+15 sec
• Movement: Orient in-house Automatic caliber F6922 with hacking seconds and manual-winding functions
• Diameter: 41.5mm
• Lug-to-lug: 47mm
• Thickness: 13mm
• Crystal: mineral glass

Conclusion

All in all, it’s safe to say that the Orient Mako II FAA02002D9 is a classic dive watch that offers superb value for money. With all of the things above in mind, this is one of the most competitive dive watches in its price range.

It has a great finish, a high-performing in-house automatic movement, a classic dive watch design, and great attention to detail.

If you want a stylish and classic dive watch at an affordable price, there are few, if any, better alternatives to choose from.

Whilst this is a dive watch, it works exceptionally well as an everyday watch suitable for essentially any occasion, both formal and casual.

The Orient Mako II FAA02002D9 is available to order on Amazon.