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Orient M-Force SEL03002M 200M Diver- Review (sort of) and Pics

38K views 27 replies 17 participants last post by  ricsif 
#1 · (Edited)
OK, This arrived in the mail a 3 or so hours ago, so I thought I would share with the forum my impressions on the watch and a few specifications.

Take away message:
Very very nice watch. Order a decent aftermarket band when you order the watch because the band is not good.

The Facts:
Description: Dive watch with 60 click unidirectional rotating bezel, power indicator, and date window
Material: Stainless Steel case and bracelet
Case Diameter: 46mm
Length lug to lug 51mm (approx)
Distance between lugs 23mm
Case Thickness: 13.3 mm
Movement: In house automatic movement, hand winding and hackable, rated at +25 -15 s/d
EDIT: observed accuracy up to Orient's usual superb standards: -1s/ d as measured over a 36 hour period
Performance criteria: Antimagnetic to 4800 A/M
Shock resistant to 5000G
ISO 6425 tested and certified
Crystal: Sapphire, no idea how thick
Crown: Screw down. Wind when unscrewed, 1st stop sets date, 2nd stop sets time

First impression:
The box the watch comes in is a pretty nice affair. Basically it's a blue cardboard outer box with a blue suede like inner box. I've seen nicer, but it's decent.

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It was pretty obvious when I opened the box that the watch had shifted in transit and ground away part of the inner lining of the box (as you can see in the lower right corner):

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The watch Itself is pretty imposing. No girly watch for sure. Surprisingly, it fits my 6.75" wrists extremely well. It's right up there with my most comfortable watches. I'm guessing the reasson is because the lugs are right up against the case, requiring only 2" of distance between one end of the watch and the other.

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The details are very nicely done. Unfortunately I didn't notice before I shot the pictures that the lining of the box that was ground off by the watch was all over the watch. The little black lines are not scratches, but the velvet box lining.

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The watch has one big flaw though: The bracelet. It has folded end links (not a big deal to me, but others care), it's thin, and doesn't have a divers extension. That's a lot of things you usually get on a watch with an MSRP of $720 (usually available for around $360 in the US). The biggest problem though is that the pins can and do fall out. If you're curious about other's experience, go over to the Orient section of the forum. Below is a picture of one of the pins coming out after I had been wearing the watch for about 2 hours (most of which I spent sitting in a doctors office waiting for a physical exam). If you buy this watch, do yourself a favor and pick up a decent aftermarket rubber, leather or nylon band. You don't want to lose it because a pin fell out.

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Pros:
Impressive looking, very comfortable and well made watch by a well respected manufacturer, with a Hackable and windable automatic movement (not typical for Orient).

Cons: The Bracelet is outclassed by the watch and frankly is only a little above junk.

Sincerely,

Will
 
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#2 ·
Great review. As much as I enjoyed my first couple of Orients the poor bracelets and lack of SEL's is a huge knock on an otherwise stellar brand. The accuracy of my Orients is freakishly dead on but every one except for the Planet Orient found it's way quickly to an aftermarket strap. I like the look of this updated Revolver but I have yet to read anything good about the bracelet. Had no idea the pins were coming out. That's pretty bad for a watch listed at over $700. Be sure to post a pic of the strap you choose. Anxious to see this thing on something other than the stock bracelet.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the pics. I looked at one of these in Kyoto back when they first came out and I was underwhelmed by the bracelet too. That is, however, probably the most awesome-looking crown I've ever seen. How's the lume? It looks like they're using Seiko-ish lume but I couldn't tell in the store. I haven't seen my Blue Revolver in about two years so I don't really remember the lume.
 
#4 ·
Lord Monocle said:
Thanks for the pics. I looked at one of these in Kyoto back when they first came out and I was underwhelmed by the bracelet too. That is, however, probably the most awesome-looking crown I've ever seen. How's the lume? It looks like they're using Seiko-ish lume but I couldn't tell in the store. I haven't seen my Blue Revolver in about two years so I don't really remember the lume.
It's Seiko ish. Could still see it clearly when I woke up this morning. It's the brightest watch I have. It's quite a bit brighter than my Seiko, but it's a dress watch.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the review, Will.

Much improved stylistically over the "revolver". Still, a $360 watch (MSRP is meaningless with Orients) should have a bracelet that doesn't fall apart. I'm not sure a watch in that price range should come with a divers extension or solid end links. I like it but I'd like it more on a divemaster 500 style rubber.

Nick
 
#6 ·
Nikos said:
Thanks for the review, Will.

Much improved stylistically over the "revolver". Still, a $360 watch (MSRP is meaningless with Orients) should have a bracelet that doesn't fall apart. I'm not sure a watch in that price range should come with a divers extension or solid end links. I like it but I'd like it more on a divemaster 500 style rubber.

Nick
Agree with all your comments. I'll post a pic when the rubber strap shows up.

Will
 
#7 ·
I used to own the orange dialed M-Force. I agree with the bracelet - it sucks, especially compared to the revolver bracelet.

I wore my M-F on a 24mm ISOFrane - a nice combo, but I prefer bracelets, so I sold it to a guy at the office, and kept the Revolver. I also think the M-F hands are too thin - they need to be fatter to fit the design better. BTW, I tried an aftermarket engineer bracelet - but then found out the lugs are 23mm wide!!! o|





I much prefer this package overall: one of the most comfortable watch/bracelet combos I've worn.

 
#8 ·
Amazing how Orient took what could have been a home run and turned it into a single by screwing up the bracelet.

None the less, I really like the watch itself. Making the lugs 24mm and putting on a high quality rubber band would have saved Orient money and made most of their customers happy. I read a thread about modifying a Watchadoo bracelet to fit and it's very easy to do. I might go that way if I decide to put it on a bracelet in the future.
 
#13 ·
I ordered a 23mm super engineer from Amazon (shipped today). Will post pics when I get back home in a couple of weeks. Frankly, the OEM bracelet kind of sucks, but it's not so bad you can't use it. It's just outclassed by the rest of the watch and you should make sure the pins are properly set in the collars.
 
#14 ·
Has anybody tried one of the shark mesh bracelets? There's some on sale on the 'bay for pretty cheap that is listed for a 24mm but it says "(fits also the hard to find 23 lug watches)". Do you think this would be true? (without the band knocking the spring bars out) Or do you think they are just trying to get increased sales and hope they don't have a lot of people try to return it?
 
#17 · (Edited)
My best bracelet solution so far: Super engineer bracelet (23mm Wide) from Tung Choy (ordered through Amazon): Screwed links, thick as hell, well made.

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On an unrelated note, I spent much of the last week in the waters of Hawaii. Not surprisingly, it worked great. More importantly, it was an effective innoculant against buying another watch when in Tourneau, Ben Bridge, and other high end watch retailers.
 
#21 ·
Thanks for the great review. This is one I am keeping on my radar screen in looking for a 'beater'. I like the looks of the watch and it certainly looks like a solid rugged watch. Congrats and happy new year!
 
#22 ·
Great watch have one too in Blue. D
Just a question did you shave your beard over the watch prior to taking the pictures? HA Ha!
 
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