New to WUS and the Orient brand.

[Kepler]

Hi everyone, and nice to be here.

Got my Black Mako yesterday from Orient watch USA, and overall it seems like a nice watch, accurate so far, and the exterior finishing is very nice especially for its $95 price. Really glad too that my XXL hand was barely able to squeeze through the factory max sized bracelet that fits my 8.25" wrist well. One big niggle however, is the underside of the crystal has a thin film/coating/haze of what looks like out-gassing or lube vapor, and actual streaking in some places.

Wish I could supply a nice glamor shot of my watch, but will have to instead demonstrate an issue it has that causes this:





Seems others have had this problem as well:

Orange Mako - smudges under crystal

And I'm torn between me correcting the situation, or having Orient fix it. Experience has taught me to usually deal with some cosmetic issues or remedy them yourself; as it seems upon return from "repair", the issue is worse, never dealt with, or is repaired but suffers damage from careless repair and becomes a MAJOR pain to deal with. Something must be done, as this defect really hinders viewing, and obviously looks terrible.

Would really appreciate feedback from folks who had this same issue and how you handled it (fixed it yourself), or if you went the factory route, how well Orient USA took care of it.

Thanks a lot for your help, and looking forward to your replies.

[PeGe]

Bad luck, sorry I can't help you, but after reading the link you posted there should be someone here that can help you.
Since this is a "Official" forum maybe the Orientwatch guy will comment?
Looks like the guys at Orient should wash their dust cloths more often.

[nhoJ]

I had this problem with a different Orient, except mine was a lot worse. I sent it back to the AD (not Orient USA). They did clean it, but about 1 year later it either came back or I just started to notice it again. The second time I just removed the movement and cleaned it myself. It only took a few minutes time and it is completely spotless.

[kew]

This problem is known to occur in even the most expensive watches. It is minor but annoying. Agreeing with John (nhoJ), the skills to remove the case back and movement are are on the low end. Maybe this is the opportunity to buy a case back opener (if you don't already have one) and fix it yourself. There is plenty of info out there on how easy it is to remove the movement - you just have to be careful.

Although it is probably "recommended" you send it to an authorised service centre for repair".

[lookelu]

Hi everyone, and nice to be here.

Got my Black Mako yesterday from Orient watch USA, and overall it seems like a nice watch, accurate so far, and the exterior finishing is very nice especially for its $95 price. Really glad too that my XXL hand was barely able to squeeze through the factory max sized bracelet that fits my 8.25" wrist well. One big niggle however, is the underside of the crystal has a thin film/coating/haze of what looks like out-gassing or lube vapor, and actual streaking in some places.

Wish I could supply a nice glamor shot of my watch, but will have to instead demonstrate an issue it has that causes this:





Seems others have had this problem as well:

Orange Mako - smudges under crystal

And I'm torn between me correcting the situation, or having Orient fix it. Experience has taught me to usually deal with some cosmetic issues or remedy them yourself; as it seems upon return from "repair", the issue is worse, never dealt with, or is repaired but suffers damage from careless repair and becomes a MAJOR pain to deal with. Something must be done, as this defect really hinders viewing, and obviously looks terrible.

Would really appreciate feedback from folks who had this same issue and how you handled it (fixed it yourself), or if you went the factory route, how well Orient USA took care of it.

Thanks a lot for your help, and looking forward to your replies.

I am sure Orient would be glad to remedy that . It is rare but has been seen in many different brands. Trying to guess what actually causes this is going to be your guess. You are correct out-gassing or lube vapor could be the cause along with many other things. I will tell you that if you go the return route to Orient they are not going to pay your return postage. They do not consider this to be a DOA thing and they are only going to pay if it had been a DOA. I do not know how your skill level is but it is very easy to uncase the movement and clean on your own. After removing the back look close at the stem just as it enters the movement ,,and this is with the stem fully pulled out, you will see a small tab come up from the movement towards the crown, gently push down on this tab and pull out on the crown and the stem will come out easily. Just turn the watch over now and the movement will fall in your hand, I would place it face up and cover it with a small glass to keep out any dust.
We have found one of the best ways to clean the class is use hot water and any soap that does not leave a film. Lay the case down face up and it will dry quickly and then use the canned air to remove any residual . Also I often use Razzel Dazzel or some other eye glass cleaner that does not fog. Easy task depending on your skill level and guts lol. I would encourage all watch collectors to learn this as it will happen to you one day and it is a good skill to have.
Hope this helps and one of the Orient dudes will chime in I am sure.
Good Luck

[lookelu]

This problem is known to occur in even the most expensive watches. It is minor but annoying. Agreeing with John (nhoJ), the skills to remove the case back and movement are are on the low end. Maybe this is the opportunity to buy a case back opener (if you don't already have one) and fix it yourself. There is plenty of info out there on how easy it is to remove the movement - you just have to be careful.

Although it is probably "recommended" you send it to an authorised service centre for repair".

Well said Nathan lol this is something we all need to know how to do. Are you having fun yet :) OK I am out of here.

[DoctorC]

You know, I've noticed this with both my makos and just assumed it had something to do with the cut of the crystal and refraction of the light. The acrylic crystal on my Memovox has a similar repeating curved reflection as well at certain angles in the sunlight but I know it is clean. I'll have to give the Makos a light cleaning and see if it clears them up.

[OldeCrow]

Many Orients like the Seikos have beveled edges on the crystals that cause interesting refractions of light on the dial, my guess would be that is what these pictures show even if there is a haze on the inside of the glass which can be easily corrected you can't undo the beveled edge of the crystal!

[Kepler]

Thanks everyone, appreciate the help. I'm very familiar and comfortable with precision repair, and also do a lot of lens care with Pec-Pads and Eclipse on lenses/sensors costing many times more than this watch... Perhaps a self service is in order.

The streaks and haze are pretty thin, and if you look closely you can see a "ghost" image of the day/date window caused by its reflection just out of phase. Regardless of how this crud gets gone, I can't wait til it is so I can start enjoying my brand new watch, with a "crystal clear" view.

[Wachulookingat]

Here is a link to a previous thread with a picture of the stem release lever extened

http://forums2.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=338634