Orient Kamasu II review

When the original Kamasu first came out it was everything the Mako and Ray wanted to be. Basically a Sapphire glass version of the two watches with a different dial and a minutely different case, and it proved to be immensely popular.

At the time however, I wasn’t a fan of the Kamasu dial and preferred the numerals of the Mako and the round indices of the Ray. Also recognising that more than half of my collection consisted of divers, I decided that I would not be getting anymore dive watches. Then this bugger came along. Enter the Orient Kamasu II:

Specs
Case size: 41.8mm
Lug to lug: 46.8mm
Lug width: 22mm
Case material: Stainless steel
Glass: Sapphire Crystal
Caseback: Screw down, Stainless steel
Movement: F6922 (Automatic, Hacking, Hand-winding)
Complications: Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Day, Date
Power Reserve: 40 hours
VPH: 21600
Jewels: 22
Water Resistance: 200m
RRP: S$429 (S$479 for the limited edition)
Reference: RA-AA00810N

Overview
Orient launched this new line of watches as a vintage-inspired style diver utilising their signature colour gradation dials. Although the Kamasu name was never official but rather a community given nickname, the fact that this new line of divers utilise the same case, bezel, crystal, movement and bracelet of the original Kamasu only makes it fitting to be recognised as a generation 2. It should be noted that like the original, this is not an ISO diver watch.

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. 

The model I am reviewing today is the grey gradation dial variant. This piece I personally bought with my own money from BigTimeSGP. 

Case
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. 

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.

The case back is the same as before, a polished stainless steel screw down with their signature dolphin motif etched on the back. Crown guards are compact like the Mako/Ray but they do flare out away from the crown ever so slightly. The signed screw-down crown however is one of the most criticised areas of the previous model and doesn’t appear to have changed for the Gen 2. It is still lacking in size making it a noticeably harder to operate especially if you have stubbier fingers or are wearing gloves. Otherwise the crown operation feels smooth and solid.

The biggest feature of the Kamasu over the Mako and Ray is the sapphire glass that covers it. Not only is it made of sapphire, but it is also recessed below the bezel as compared to the raised crystal on the Mako/Ray. This gives it a nice touch more protection against knocks and scrapes.

All these features combine to give it 200m or 20bar of water resistance making it perfectly capable of going for a swim. 

Bezel
The Kamasu bezel is also one area that is a step up from the Mako/Ray line. While the Mako/Ray have had their bezel upgraded to 120-clicks over the 60-clicks of the Gen 1, the Kamasu matches this and goes a step further in terms of tactility. The Kamasu bezel is less sloped resulting in a more substantial surface area for the coin edge which results in a much improved grip when turning the bezel.

Again this is the same bezel design as the Gen 1 Kamasu so existing owners wouldn’t be seeing any upgrade in this area. The only change here is that the Gen 2 now sports a two tone colour bezel as compared to the single tone colour on the Gen 1. My bezel, while not off, does line up ever so slightly to the left of the marker. I have seen others that do line up perfectly though.

Dial
The dial is the most substantial change over the previous generation Kamasu with a completely different set of applied markers and a gradation dial. Gone are the rectangular indices which are now substituted by mostly circle indices with rectangles at the 6 and 9 o’clock position and a cut off triangle at the 12 o’clock position, very reminiscent of the Ray (or some would say the Submariner).

Like the original, a polished framed day/date window covers the 3 o’clock position and the signature Orient crest logo rests beneath the 12 o’clock marker. The grey gradation face is a sight to behold. On top of a textured surface, it gently transforms from a light grey in the centre to a deep black at the extreme edge of the dial. Depending on the lighting it can even appear brown, almost root beer like in colour at times.

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.

Movement
The Gen 2 features the same Orient calibre F6922 movement that was found on the original Kamasu as well as many of their other modern sports watches including the Mako II and Ray II. I’ve raved about this movement before and there’s frankly not much I can criticise about it at this price point. It hacks, hand winds, self-winds, has quickset day and date function and is accurate to -15/+25spd.

While I don’t religiously record the performance of the movement on a daily basis, I’ve spent enough time with enough of these to tell you that the 40 hour power reserve is about there and that I get a pretty good accuracy of between +6 to +12spd across the board on these movements.

Bracelet
For those not familiar, Orient’s stock bracelets have been a point of criticism especially on their entry level divers. While they aren’t by any means bad especially for the price point, they do leave a bit to be desired by the more discerning buyer. It is for this reason that I had actually prepared a third party bracelet prior to my purchase of this watch. When I put it on for the first time with the stock bracelet however, boy was I pleasantly surprised.

The Kamasu Gen 2 shares the same bracelet as the original. It features folded end links, a brushed finish with a stamped signed clasp that is polished on the sides and has 4 micro adjustments which really help you get a good fit. I had never tried one on prior to this and my past experience had been with the Makos and Rays. So you can imagine my surprise when despite having folded end links and a stamped clasp just like the Mako and Ray bracelets, it actually felt noticeably smoother and more comfortable. So much so that I eventually kept the bracelet on as I felt it would be a waste to just chuck it aside. I still can’t quite figure out what the difference is as I can’t see any major visual differences but I highly doubt it is placebo.

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.

Final thoughts
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. 

I do know however that there are many people who still prefer the previous dial over this new one as they find it to be more unique. If you are in that camp, you’ll be happy to know that those models are still available to purchase and at a slightly lower list price of S$399. Of course you’ll probably not have to pay full retail for these as generous discounts are regularly offered by the dealers of Orient watches, which makes these watches even more of a no-brainer.

For the price even pre-discount, you get a reputable brand with decades of watch making experience, incredible build quality and finishing for the price, a sapphire glass crystal and a proven in-house movement. I’d be hard pressed to find a better value than this.

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