moeharri
July 19th, 2009, 22:13
ORIENT BLUE "Hogrider" DADDY MAKO CEM75002D AUTOMATIC
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/540/img2905.jpg
List Price: $250
Purchase Price: $125
Movement:
Dial Color: Blue
Case: Stainless Steel
Crystal: Mineral
Bezel: 60 clicks uni-directional
Back: Stainless Steel
Hacks: Sort of
Handwinds: No
Lume: Yes
Water Resistance: 20 Bar (600 feet)
Bracelet Micro Adjustments: 3
Purchased: July 2009
Purchased From: Orientwatchusa.com
DIMENSIONS
Width: 44.55 mm
With Crown: 47.35 mm
Lug Width: 22 mm, untapered
Height (lug to lug): 51.50 mm
Thickness: 13.20 mm
WHY I PURCHASED THIS WATCH
Truthfully, I wouldn't have ever considered buying a watch this large, due to my small wrist size. However, Orient's VIP discount earlier this month (50% off) allowed me to stray outside my comfort zone with less of a financial worry. Since I already had a black Mako, I decided to go with the blue Hogrider (nickname backstory here (http://forums.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=279960&p=2050473)) this time, since it gets rave reviews from Mako owners.
QUALITY (fit, crystal, lume, bracelet)
Holding the nice Orient presentation box in hand, I could tell this was a "beefy" watch. Upon opening the box, I fell in love all over again with the dial after having viewed forum member Hogrider's pictures here (http://forums.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=279960) repeatedly. Orient has a real knack for creating breathtaking dials. I thought my black Mako's dial looked awesome when I purchased it, but I like this one even more. I simply cannot get over how awesome this dial looks! The hour markers look awesome and I like the outlined date window.
The crown is NOT signed, an odd omission since the Mako's crown is signed. The day pusher is much smaller than the Mako's--I definitely prefer this smaller day pusher.
The bracelet is typical Orient fare, nice and solid, and an overall feeling of quality. It may not be the best bracelet ever created, but I've come to learn that at this price point, it is at or above all competition. It has 3 micro adjustments, which I like, but I wouldn't turn down a 4th micro adjustment. On the wrist, it feels like a very SOLID watch. This watch is as large as I'd ever (now) consider purchasing and has opened me up to a new variety of watches with less fear of them overwhelming me.
The bezel is a dream to turn. It is buttery smooth and feels very reassuring. This was (and continues to be) my number one complaint about the Mako whose bezel is very stiff and is an obvious quality control issue. I may have gotten unlucky with my Mako's bezel, but that is forgiven due to the Hogrider's awesome bezel!
The movement in this watch (the same as the Mako I believe) looks so smooth, it seems as if it is an 8 beat per second movement. While this watch doesn't officially hack, I noticed that when setting the time, if i kept my fingers on the crown, the second hand would stop. I'm not sure if this is typical, and I hope it's not causing any premature wear (?), but it is a nice surprise.
Now onto my biggest negative about this watch. The lume simply isn't up to snuff. The Mako's lume was fairly weak, but the Hogrider's lume appears even weaker. This isn't an important feature to me at all, but I'd still like it to be brighter and much longer lasting. I'm willing to overlook this minor quibble though since lume is fairly unimportant to me.
Hopefully others with a small wrist will not pass this watch up due to its size alone. It wears very nicely and doesn't look too blingy, IMHO. I look forward to looking for future purchases with a broader selection now that I know I can handle a watch this big. The price was simply unbelievable and I feel that I truly got a wonderful deal on this watch.
ACCURACY
My unscientific observation is that the watch currently runs about +/- 10 seconds per day--acceptable for an automatic in my opinion.
HIGHS
STUNNING dial
Beautiful movement
Smooth bezel
Great price/value
Smaller day pusher than Mako
LOWS
Very weak lume
Crown not signed (Mako's is)
SCORES
Fit/finish: 9/10
Crystal: 4/5
Dial/Bezel: 5/5
Lume: 2/5
Bracelet/Strap: 4/5
Accuracy: 5/5
Value: 9/10
Overall (not an average): 9/10
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/3417/img2899.jpg
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/9778/img2891.jpg
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/4360/img2897.jpg
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4647/img2890gcc.jpg
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/3711/img2900.jpg
MY BACKGROUND
Here is some background information about me. This may help clarify my point of view and what shapes my opinions. If there is anything I can do to help you with more information about the watches in my reviews, if you’d like more photos, etc, please let me know and I’ll try to help.
I am a computer programmer/analyst from a very small town in central Wisconsin. I am a husband and father to two boys, ages 3 and 1. My interests include digital photography (Canon SLR’s), watches (Japanese mainly), Apple computers, cars (Japanese and German), and LED flashlights. I am a self-professed perfectionist and appreciate an extreme attention to detail and like to have a sense of value for my money. I believe this is what draws me primarily to Japanese watches. I have written my reviews in an attempt to provide information that I found difficult myself (at least before finding WUS) to obtain. I typically research a new watch purchase for about 20 hours in an attempt to make sure I’m happy with my purchase.
TECHNICAL INFO
My measurements were all performed with a digital caliper accurate down to .01 mm and rounded to the nearest .05 mm. I believe these to be as accurate of measurements as I have seen anywhere and may differ from official specs and other websites. For reference in the photos, I have approximately a 6.5 inch wrist.
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/540/img2905.jpg
List Price: $250
Purchase Price: $125
Movement:
Dial Color: Blue
Case: Stainless Steel
Crystal: Mineral
Bezel: 60 clicks uni-directional
Back: Stainless Steel
Hacks: Sort of
Handwinds: No
Lume: Yes
Water Resistance: 20 Bar (600 feet)
Bracelet Micro Adjustments: 3
Purchased: July 2009
Purchased From: Orientwatchusa.com
DIMENSIONS
Width: 44.55 mm
With Crown: 47.35 mm
Lug Width: 22 mm, untapered
Height (lug to lug): 51.50 mm
Thickness: 13.20 mm
WHY I PURCHASED THIS WATCH
Truthfully, I wouldn't have ever considered buying a watch this large, due to my small wrist size. However, Orient's VIP discount earlier this month (50% off) allowed me to stray outside my comfort zone with less of a financial worry. Since I already had a black Mako, I decided to go with the blue Hogrider (nickname backstory here (http://forums.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=279960&p=2050473)) this time, since it gets rave reviews from Mako owners.
QUALITY (fit, crystal, lume, bracelet)
Holding the nice Orient presentation box in hand, I could tell this was a "beefy" watch. Upon opening the box, I fell in love all over again with the dial after having viewed forum member Hogrider's pictures here (http://forums.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=279960) repeatedly. Orient has a real knack for creating breathtaking dials. I thought my black Mako's dial looked awesome when I purchased it, but I like this one even more. I simply cannot get over how awesome this dial looks! The hour markers look awesome and I like the outlined date window.
The crown is NOT signed, an odd omission since the Mako's crown is signed. The day pusher is much smaller than the Mako's--I definitely prefer this smaller day pusher.
The bracelet is typical Orient fare, nice and solid, and an overall feeling of quality. It may not be the best bracelet ever created, but I've come to learn that at this price point, it is at or above all competition. It has 3 micro adjustments, which I like, but I wouldn't turn down a 4th micro adjustment. On the wrist, it feels like a very SOLID watch. This watch is as large as I'd ever (now) consider purchasing and has opened me up to a new variety of watches with less fear of them overwhelming me.
The bezel is a dream to turn. It is buttery smooth and feels very reassuring. This was (and continues to be) my number one complaint about the Mako whose bezel is very stiff and is an obvious quality control issue. I may have gotten unlucky with my Mako's bezel, but that is forgiven due to the Hogrider's awesome bezel!
The movement in this watch (the same as the Mako I believe) looks so smooth, it seems as if it is an 8 beat per second movement. While this watch doesn't officially hack, I noticed that when setting the time, if i kept my fingers on the crown, the second hand would stop. I'm not sure if this is typical, and I hope it's not causing any premature wear (?), but it is a nice surprise.
Now onto my biggest negative about this watch. The lume simply isn't up to snuff. The Mako's lume was fairly weak, but the Hogrider's lume appears even weaker. This isn't an important feature to me at all, but I'd still like it to be brighter and much longer lasting. I'm willing to overlook this minor quibble though since lume is fairly unimportant to me.
Hopefully others with a small wrist will not pass this watch up due to its size alone. It wears very nicely and doesn't look too blingy, IMHO. I look forward to looking for future purchases with a broader selection now that I know I can handle a watch this big. The price was simply unbelievable and I feel that I truly got a wonderful deal on this watch.
ACCURACY
My unscientific observation is that the watch currently runs about +/- 10 seconds per day--acceptable for an automatic in my opinion.
HIGHS
STUNNING dial
Beautiful movement
Smooth bezel
Great price/value
Smaller day pusher than Mako
LOWS
Very weak lume
Crown not signed (Mako's is)
SCORES
Fit/finish: 9/10
Crystal: 4/5
Dial/Bezel: 5/5
Lume: 2/5
Bracelet/Strap: 4/5
Accuracy: 5/5
Value: 9/10
Overall (not an average): 9/10
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/3417/img2899.jpg
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/9778/img2891.jpg
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/4360/img2897.jpg
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4647/img2890gcc.jpg
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/3711/img2900.jpg
MY BACKGROUND
Here is some background information about me. This may help clarify my point of view and what shapes my opinions. If there is anything I can do to help you with more information about the watches in my reviews, if you’d like more photos, etc, please let me know and I’ll try to help.
I am a computer programmer/analyst from a very small town in central Wisconsin. I am a husband and father to two boys, ages 3 and 1. My interests include digital photography (Canon SLR’s), watches (Japanese mainly), Apple computers, cars (Japanese and German), and LED flashlights. I am a self-professed perfectionist and appreciate an extreme attention to detail and like to have a sense of value for my money. I believe this is what draws me primarily to Japanese watches. I have written my reviews in an attempt to provide information that I found difficult myself (at least before finding WUS) to obtain. I typically research a new watch purchase for about 20 hours in an attempt to make sure I’m happy with my purchase.
TECHNICAL INFO
My measurements were all performed with a digital caliper accurate down to .01 mm and rounded to the nearest .05 mm. I believe these to be as accurate of measurements as I have seen anywhere and may differ from official specs and other websites. For reference in the photos, I have approximately a 6.5 inch wrist.