Hi there folks! My blue Kamasu has finally arrived, so for those of you wondering which of Orient's budget divers is for you I thought I'd record my initial impressions and make a few comparisons to the standard at the price point, the Seiko SKX 007. I will also make a few remarks regarding the original Orient Ray. I gave my blue Ray to my father and two years later came to miss the blue beater. The Kamasu is the replacement, and a bit of an upgrade. The most intriguing characteristic of the blue dial is its sunburst pattern. It is functional, uncluttered, clean and visually pleasing. Readability in a glance is warranted, same is valid for day and date.

ref. RA-AA0002L with a blue dial. Even though it is technologically identical to the previous model, this watch costs slightly more at 280 USD. The Dial/hands/bezel/glass: SKX has a marginally more legible dial, but the indices are misaligned. Lume is even. Bezel on the SKX also misaligned and has slop. No such on the Kamasu. Hands are a toss up. SKX has mineral glass, Kamasu sapphire. Winner: Orient Kamasu by a score of 2 wins (bezel and glass), and 3 draws. The SKX legibility still only warrants a draw due to persistent alignment issues.It comes equipped with either steel or rubber watch band. Both provide comfortable and secure wear in both everyday and diving use. Of course, there are also additional ones available, this Super-O Boyer, among others.

When I first got the watch I was very worried about afters ales parts as they don’t exist but now when mine goes bad I can just get a replacement movement but keep the Kanji date wheel.The combination of case diameter, height and bezel might cause the watch looking smaller as it really is. However this may be, with a L2L of 46,5mm it is a perfect fit on my wrist. 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. The bracelet is not that bad and lest we forget rolex used to use stamped clasps and hollow end links.

Starting with the most iconic watch among budget-friendly divers and more seems like the most natural thing to do.

Seiko SKX Vs Citizen Vs Orient Kamasu

It’s one of my cheapist auto watches but it’s the one that gets the most compliments from the ladies. Fibaly orient is selling this caliber aftermarket as the S. Epson YN56A the movements are the same size and are interchangeable with the nh35/36 but they are made in Japan and cost less, even If you don’t do anything you don’t need to wind it.

Dimensions: Hard to tell in the picture, but my SKX007K2 is wider at 43mm, although it appears shorter lug to lug. the SKX is a smidge taller, and the short L2L makes it wear "fat". Winner: Orient Kamasu. 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. Decision points: When originally looking for a Ray replacement, I was considering the Triton/Neptune, the Ray II, the Kamasu and the Kanno. The Ray II got ruled out because my dad has my original Ray and I didn't want just the upgraded movement. The Kanno got ruled out on case size over 43mm, so it was down to the Triton/Neptune or the Kamasu. I REALLY like the Triton/Neptune, but I was looking for a desk diver/beater. The Neptune's height meant it'd difficult with shirt cuffs (I have similar height divers and its a pain with long sleeves. Kamasu it was! There are a few common features across all Kamasu watches: a 41.8-mm case, screw-down crown, unidirectional diving bezel, and a depth rating of 200 m (20 bar, 656 ft). The dials have a beautiful sunburst pattern that appears to change color depending on how the light hits it. The bar indices boast a generous coating of luminous material, which guarantees optimal readability under all lighting conditions. While the refs. RA-AA0005B and RA-AA0006L come on rubber straps, the rest of the collection is outfitted with three-piece link stainless steel bracelets. The straps and bracelets are each 22 mm wide.

Now that we're acquainted with all three series in general, it's time to move onto the centerpiece of the article: the battle of their three individual representatives for the title of the budget-friendly deep dive watches. 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.