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The newer kamasu watches with the faded dial look good but for me the Red or the green sunburst all day. All these features combine to give it 200m or 20bar of water resistance making it perfectly capable of going for a swim. ref. RA-AA0002L with a blue dial. Even though it is technologically identical to the previous model, this watch costs slightly more at 280 USD. The The lume used throughout is all in matching green. While it may not be the same luminescent formula, Orient could have fooled me into thinking I was looking at a Seiko with C3 at first glance. Longevity is acceptable with the lume, and although it's not going to win any lume wars, it is miles better than many other, lesser watches you could find at this price point. I learned that Kamasu is the Japanese word for Barracuda. Both, bezel and minute hand, give a corresponding impression. Looking at the bezel it looks like a barracuda took a bite. The minute hand comes to a very sharp point, like the teeth of a barracuda.
Godzilla has type 1 magnetic resistance and is waterproof certified for 200m diving. It originally comes with a Polyurethane watch band. We have a previous Citizen Godzilla Watch Review, which you may interested to read too. Now obviously, I wouldn't classify Orient as a micro brand. Being a subsidiary of the Seiko Epson Corporation, Orient avoids this issue, which often occurs when there is a frenzy for a particular model. They've also enjoyed a long watchmaking history of over 75 years, offering a wide variety of watches for all tastes and wrist sizes, which I'm sure allows their tooling and production to continue at full throttle. Orient also produces its movements in-house; more on that later.
The Orient Kamasu — a fish for all seasons
These are regular editions, which differ in dial and bezel color and watch bends. A limited-edition RA-AA0007A09A completes the Orient Kamasu family. The most intriguing characteristic of the blue dial is its sunburst pattern. It is functional, uncluttered, clean and visually pleasing. Readability in a glance is warranted, same is valid for day and date. Because of the folded end links however it does rattle a bit which could be off putting to some. I do however like the sound of the rattle as it reminds me of the sound of armour clinking about when worn. I know many people have swapped them out for a Strapcode bracelet with custom solid end links and I do intend to try one out and compare them in the near future. Keep a lookout for that review.
It's the first time I am reviewing a watch made by Orient but it is not the first Orient watch I own. My first Orient was an Orient Star GMT I bought in 2002. I really loved this watch but it got stolen in London in 2011. If someone is looking for an entry watch, he will not be disappointed pulling the trigger on a Kamasu. Kamasu is the Japanese word for barracuda. The Tokyo-based company likely chose this name since these watches have hands that resemble a barracuda's sharp teeth. However, the Kamasu collection also goes by another name – Mako 3. This is because it is the direct successor to two models known as the Mako 1 and Mako 2. While the case is identical to the original, they have changed up the finishing a tiny bit. Instead of a dual finished brushed top with polished sides, it now sports a brushed top, brushed sides and a polished edge in between. While not at the level of the higher end Orient Stars, the polished edge does add a little bit of refinement over the previous model. There are a few common features across all Kamasu watches: a 41.8-mm case, screw-down crown, unidirectional diving bezel, and a depth rating of 200 m (20 bar, 656 ft). The dials have a beautiful sunburst pattern that appears to change color depending on how the light hits it. The bar indices boast a generous coating of luminous material, which guarantees optimal readability under all lighting conditions. While the refs. RA-AA0005B and RA-AA0006L come on rubber straps, the rest of the collection is outfitted with three-piece link stainless steel bracelets. The straps and bracelets are each 22 mm wide.Movement info is stowed away at the bottom, with 'Movt Japan' plus the F6922 movement coding. Again, this is minimally printed in white. Hi there folks! My blue Kamasu has finally arrived, so for those of you wondering which of Orient's budget divers is for you I thought I'd record my initial impressions and make a few comparisons to the standard at the price point, the Seiko SKX 007. I will also make a few remarks regarding the original Orient Ray. I gave my blue Ray to my father and two years later came to miss the blue beater. The Kamasu is the replacement, and a bit of an upgrade. Well needless to say, I absolutely love this watch. So much so that it has actually taken over my Orient Defender II as my go to daily watch, the one that I grab whenever I can’t or don’t have time to decide on what to wear. The dial refresh really did it for me and has caused my diver collection to expand beyond what I had originally limited it to.
Dial/hands/bezel/glass: SKX has a marginally more legible dial, but the indices are misaligned. Lume is even. Bezel on the SKX also misaligned and has slop. No such on the Kamasu. Hands are a toss up. SKX has mineral glass, Kamasu sapphire. Winner: Orient Kamasu by a score of 2 wins (bezel and glass), and 3 draws. The SKX legibility still only warrants a draw due to persistent alignment issues.
Decision points: When originally looking for a Ray replacement, I was considering the Triton/Neptune, the Ray II, the Kamasu and the Kanno. The Ray II got ruled out because my dad has my original Ray and I didn't want just the upgraded movement. The Kanno got ruled out on case size over 43mm, so it was down to the Triton/Neptune or the Kamasu. I REALLY like the Triton/Neptune, but I was looking for a desk diver/beater. The Neptune's height meant it'd difficult with shirt cuffs (I have similar height divers and its a pain with long sleeves. Kamasu it was! To me the blue dial looked the best in whatever lighting. Depending on the light and its angle the dial color changes from silverblue to dark blue. Readability in whatsoever lighting is ensured. The combination of case diameter, height and bezel might cause the watch looking smaller as it really is. However this may be, with a L2L of 46,5mm it is a perfect fit on my wrist. The Kamasu wears very comfortably on my 6.25” wrist much the same way the Mako and Ray did but somewhat nicer. I believe it’s due to the lug design on the Kamasu that gives it a slightly more spread out feel compared to the Mako/Ray. It looks and feels a little bit more refined as well. Nope! No bad points for this price range! It's an excellent value! This is an ideal, versatile gift watch.
The bracelet is not that bad and lest we forget rolex used to use stamped clasps and hollow end links. Dimensions: Hard to tell in the picture, but my SKX007K2 is wider at 43mm, although it appears shorter lug to lug. the SKX is a smidge taller, and the short L2L makes it wear "fat". Winner: Orient Kamasu. Lume is plentiful and very visible in the dark, much like how the dial is also highly visible in the day. This is hands down a tool watch through and through. This lovely watch is undoubtedly one of the reasons behind the Orient Kamasu series rising popularity. And, for a good reason. It comes in 4 designs, 3 standard models in grey, blue-green and blue gradation dials and a 2000pc limited edition burgundy dial in a copper plated case. The 3 standard models come on a metal bracelet while the limited edition comes on a vintage style leather strap.Starting with the most iconic watch among budget-friendly divers and more seems like the most natural thing to do. It’s one of my cheapist auto watches but it’s the one that gets the most compliments from the ladies. The model I am reviewing today is the grey gradation dial variant. This piece I personally bought with my own money from BigTimeSGP.
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