Two Great New Orient Divers: Orient Kamasu / Mako 3 Bronze & Black

This time we’re going to discuss two new and attractive watches from Orient, the Orient Automatic Dive Watch RA-AA0813R19B – also known as the Orient Kamasu Bronze, and the Orient Kamasu Mako III Diver Watch RA-AA0001B19B – the black dial one. Their shared features, enriched with authentic appearance, make them highly appealing and great additions to their original Orient families.

Before we go into detail about RA-AA0813R19B and RA-AA0001B19B, let’s shed some light on the frequent issues related to the Orient Kamasu and Mako families of watches. Suppose you’ve ever tried to find out more about Orient Kamasu and Mako watches online. You must have come against the usual problems people face when trying to learn more about Kamasu and Mako models:

• Are Kamasu and Mako the same?
• Is this an American or non-American version?
• Is this Orient Kano or Kamasu?
• Which version are they, 1, 2 or 3?

Left : Orient Kamasu RA-AA0813R19B Limited Edition and Right : Orient Kamasu RA-AA0001B19B, enhanced sporty looks with Rally racing hollow leather watch straps in matching colors

All in all, there’s utter confusion on which model belongs to which category. Untangling these dilemmas is an overwhelming task. It would take substantial research and expertise, and it’s questionable whether the outcome of such an effort would yield a definite answer or further deepen the confusion.
Unfortunately, the Orient company themselves don’t make things easier, either. Luckily, there is a way to get a hold of accurate information. You’ll find the instructions at the end of this article.

On the other hand, the right answer is in most cases irrelevant. Whatever it may be, and however the individual model is called, one thing is certain: the quality of features got these watches to where they are today, regardless of their original or fan-given name. And, that’s the most important feature of any of them, in our book.

Now that we’re clear about that let’s dive into what we came here for in the first place. We’ll start with the black dial member of the Orient Kamasu Mako family.

Orient Kamasu Mako III Diver Watch RA-AA0001B19B

Orient Kamasu Mako III in a proven match with a brushed Goma BOR stainless steel watch band

• Stainless Steel case, 41.8mm in diameter, 12.8mm thick
• Caliber F6922 Movement
• Automatic, with hand winding and hacking option
• Screw down, signed crown, guarded and positioned at 3’O clock
• Sapphire Crystal glass
• Black dial, with sunburst effect, rectangular markers, and a characteristic barracuda teeth shaped triangular 12 O’clock marker
• Screwed case back
• Sharp-edged minute hand, arrow edged hour hand, and red tip second hand, all barracuda style
• Unidirectional, 120 click black bezel with an illuminated 12 O’clock marker
• Illuminated hands and markers
• Date display
• 200m/20 bar water resistance

There are three other models in this Mako 3 series, Orient Kamasu green RA-AA0004E19B, Orient Kamasu red RA-AA0003R19B and Orient Kamasu blue RA-AA0002L19B. They all share the same fundamental features, and the only difference between them is the color of the dial.

However, the black dial Mako 3 is the most sought-after. There are two significant reasons for this:

• The black dial provides better visibility than red, blue, or green due to better contrast with the luminous hands and markers. That makes it more efficient during diving.
• The black dial makes the application of the watch more universal. It’s equally great for underwater activities and at home with both casual and formal dress codes.

Orient Kamasu black RA-AA0001B19B comes with a stainless steel bracelet with a silver-colored coating, a proven timeless elegance combo. Another neat feature of the black dial is that it allows for all kinds of different watch strap combinations in terms of colors and materials used.

Orient Kamasu Mako III Diver Watch RA-AA0001B19B improved elegance powered by a Camo pattern Italian leather tapered watch strap

Finally, a 42mm case and 22mm lug make it comfortable to wear regardless of wrist size, increasing its popularity. All in all, it’s a great watch suitable for several applications and at a very reasonable price for the features it comes with.

Orient Automatic Dive Watch RA-AA0813R19B Limited Edition

Orient Kamasu Limited Edition in earth color tones all the way

Now, we have something special here. The limited-edition Orient Kamasu Mako 3, nicknamed Bronze for its maroon gradient dial, is love at first sight. Designers from Orient made a striking blend of vintage-inspired style and contemporary technology, a great deal overall, particularly at this price range.

Everything said about the quality and reliability of the Orient Kamasu Mako III Diver Watch RA-AA0001B19B applies to its bronze brother, too. They share the main construction and technology features listed in the previous paragraph, with differences in the dial, bezel, and strap design.

• Rose Gold-tone Stainless Steel case, 41.8mm in diameter, 12.8mm thick
• Caliber F6922 Movement
• Automatic, with hand winding and hacking option
• Screw down, signed crown, guarded and positioned at 3’O clock
• Sapphire Crystal glass
• Maroon gradient dial, with sunburst effect, round markers, and a characteristic barracuda teeth shaped triangular 12 O’clock marker and rectangular 6 and 9 O’clock markers
• Screwed and numbered case back
• Sharp-edged minute hand, arrow edged hour hand, all barracuda style
• Unidirectional, 120 click brown and red bezel with an illuminated 12 O’clock marker
• Illuminated hands and markers
• Date display
• 200m/20 bar water resistance

The Orient Automatic Dive Watch RA-AA0813R19B comes with brown textured leather 22mm watch strap, making an eye-catching, elegant combo. Of course, we have prepared several alternative watch strap combinations to maximize the application potential of this lovely watch.

Orient Automatic Dive Watch RA-AA0813R19B Limited Edition colored matched by a Snoopy themed leather watch strap

Being limited to only 2000 pieces worldwide, all individually numbered on the case back, and considering the attractive design with such application potential, the Orient Kamasu Bronze has been on the fans’ radar since its announcement. Consequently, it’s safe to say that the Orient Kamasu Bronze is bound to be one of the most successful and sought-after Orient budget-friendly watches.

How to find the Correct information on Orient Kamasu and Mako watches?

When the two models that are our topic of the day are concerned, or any other Orient model, there are two efficient methods to follow when you wish to find out more about a particular watch from a reliable source. You can either use the references listed at the bottom of our blogs or undergo an online search using individual reference numbers of the watches that interest you.

Of course, as we are avid fans of attractive and quality watches, particularly those of Seiko and Orient, we love reading and writing about them, too. For example, this piece on Kamasu Mako is a handy Orient Kamasu review. In addition, there are a lot more available in our blog section, with many more to come. So, check us out regularly for current and upcoming content.

Orient Kamasu Brown and Orient Kamasu Black both looking great with complementary FKM quick release rubber watch straps

In Summary

Orient has always attracted a broad fan base thanks to its proven craftsmanship, attractive design, and highly appealing price/quality ratio. As a result, the Orient Kamasu, Mako, or Kamasu Mako watches, whatever you may call them, firmly and dominantly occupy their spot in the affordable diver watches section.

What is more, it’s a spot at the premium league affordable watches, all thanks to the reliability and durability their watches provide, at a fraction of the price of their close competitors.

The two Orient Kamasu top and bottom go great with one-piece RAF N7 style 3-D nylon watch straps, as well.

Orient has done it again. Both Bronze RA-AA0813R19B and Black RA-AA0001B19B have further secured the top spot for Orient in the budget-friendly diver section. Each with a distinct appearance, they follow in the footsteps of their elder siblings while bringing something new and exciting that makes them distinguishable from other family members.
That’s something that every successive generation should achieve. And, just the thing we expect and are used to getting from a renowned company such as Orient. They managed to meet our expectations once again successfully.

References:

• Orient Mako: Everything You Need to Know About the Affordable Diver
• Orient Kamasu: A Guide To The Expert Diver's Watch

Written by S.K. , images by Toni