why did I swap my Blue Mako for a Seiko SKX007?

[flauntboy]

what's up guys,
turns out i have a tendency to change my opinion on my watch. I saw the Casio mdv-102 on a forum here and it got into me, i ordered one and put a beautiful NATO band on it and then I came across the Blue Mako. Awesome watch ,great built quality for the bucks and certainly great looks, the thing for me was the Bezel font. it kills the beauty of the watch.
any hows I sent back ma Mako and got a Seiko SKX007k and i have promised myself not to change my mind on the Seiko (good luck with that huh).
for those tempted by the Blue Mako out there, i wanna share some thoughts:

-personally I love the handles, i like how they are full-lentgh-all the way meeting the markers.
-i went for blue mako just based on the internet photos, its a beautiful blue but go to a shop and put both the blue and the black on and see which one you like better in real.
- the watch started ticking right out of the box after like 2-3 times shaking
-lume is not very impressive
-there is a japan mov, printed on the dial but there are no 'Made in Japan' or 'Cased in somewhere' to be found no where, i know orient is located in Japan and they do everything in-house. but still a made in japan would be comforting.
- Bezel is tough to turn out of the box, but give it some love and it will be all good, remember not to push the bezel trying to rotate it, you gotta go gentel on the bezel.
- Bezel is kindda flat, you can't get a good grip on the bezal.

i had this watch on my hands for a few days and then I saw the Seiko SKX007 and the Mako looked boring at the very moment, i tried to fight the temptation but like i said Seiko won my heart, make sure to have a look on comparison reviews of Blue Mako and other watches and you might find something that fits your taste better.
one good thing that i appreciate is that you can find Mako almost anywhere, the skx007 on the other hand needs a real hunt!

[FM7]

Thanks for the comparison flauntboy, I like all three of the watches you mentioned, and lean toward your logic on the Seiko vs the Orient. What do you mean when you say "its a beautiful blue but go to a shop and put both the blue and the black on and see which one you like better in real."? What didn't you like about the blue in person? Also, the bracelet on the Orient is something everyone seems to agree is good quality, the Seiko bracelet looks a little cheaper imo. Does it look better in person, does it look like the shiny, middle links in the bracelet will wear off?

[Tzimisces]

The mako bracelet is nice and solid, but it has fold-over end links that rattle quite a bit.

[alexp215]

I was between the Mako and SKX007 myself, bought the SKX007 a few months ago and just ordered a Blue Mako to add to that yesterday. I can't rate the Mako yet, but the 007 is SUPERB.

[FM7]

Well a black Mako came in the mail today. At first I thought the rattling might have been fixed, but then there it was, the fold-over catch doesn't quite snap tight over the closure. It appears to stay put fortunately, just a shame for an otherwise very nice looking ss bracelet. She's a bit of a hair puller though isn't she. The lume seems pretty good though, charges fast and stays brighter than I had expected. It was already ticking out of the box from transit, and seems to keep excellent time since. Looks better than pictures, until it gets the usual abuse.. Very pleased, but since since I don't own a SKX007 I guess I'll leave it at that.

[Highlander123]

I had a SKX007 for 5 years. Nice watch although the original bracelet was very flimsy compared to the solid feel of the watch head. The lume was fantastic, of course. Timekeeping was another matter. The best achieved was +15 to +20 seconds a day. I changed out the original bracelet to a more substantial Oyster one from Yokobies. As for my Mako, I have absolutely no end link rattle...all nice and tight. The timekeeping for the past 5 months has been a constant -2 seconds a day...on par with my UN 1846 Chronometer and the lume, though nowhere near as good as the Seiko, is still readable during the early hours. In all, for the cost, the Mako is a great timepiece.

[flauntboy]

What didn't you like about the blue in person? Also, the bracelet on the Orient is something everyone seems to agree is good quality, the Seiko bracelet looks a little cheaper imo. Does it look better in person, does it look like the shiny, middle links in the bracelet will wear off?

to be honest i dont like the blue in Mako, I just got a Blue Mako II a.k.a Hogrider a.k.a. Mako Xl and thats a darker more serious blue, a diver's blue.
most pictures you see on the internet have a high contrast (take the one in this very post for example, it is totally NOT what the real watch is).
again the whole shade preference is a personal matter, i get it, but if i was a watch maker and i was making divers, i would go with darker range of blue.
The dial on mako is really really amazing, i miss looking at the arabic numbers and the watch hands.
and, i think i have to say this, i got bored od the seiko 007's chuncky bulky existance shortly after and i sold it on ebay too.
it is true what they say about a watch, some watches have that one "thing" that you get never tired of, and these ones just didnt have that element, hopefully my new mako xl does.

Photo from flicker that made me go crazy for a blue mako xl on these leather straps.