Removing a few features can change a watch more than adding another complication. The black Orient Mako 40 drops the day display, leaves the steel bezel uncoloured and dispenses with crown guards. What remains is a mechanical sports watch with less visual interruption.
The appeal is easy to understand if a conventional diver-style watch feels too busy for everyday clothes. The less obvious question is how much smaller this watch really is. Its diameter falls below 40 mm, but the case length and thickness deserve attention before you assume it will wear like a completely different category of watch.
Based on Orient’s published information. Specifications checked on 8 September 2026.
The reference at a glance
| Movement | F6722 automatic with manual winding and stop seconds |
|---|---|
| Reserve | Approximately 40 hours |
| Case | Stainless steel; 39.9 mm diameter; 12.8 mm thick |
| Lug-to-lug | 46.5 mm |
| Lug width | 20 mm |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Water resistance | 20 bar; not an ISO-standard diver’s watch |
| Weight | 165 g, according to Orient global specifications |
| Display | Hours, minutes, seconds and date |
| UK listed price | £349.99, checked 8 September 2026; listed out of stock |
Specification source: Orient UK Mako 40 specifications and price.
A 2023 rethink of an established format
Orient announced the Diver Design 40 in June 2023. Its launch document traces the brand’s diver-style watches to the 1960s and the Mako name to 2004, then describes the newer watch as a simpler option for everyday use. The changes were deliberate: a smaller case, date-only movement, no crown guards and a bezel that showed the colour of its steel.
That makes the Mako 40 an evolution of a sports-watch family rather than a miniature replica of one old reference. The visual simplification matters as much as the reduced diameter. Orient also explicitly described the new model as not an ISO-standard diver’s watch. The 2023 launch document explains both the design direction and the boundary of its intended specification.
Smaller across, almost the same length
Compare this watch with the Kamasu and the numbers tell a more useful story than either name. The Mako 40 is 39.9 mm wide against the Kamasu’s 41.8 mm, a reduction of 1.9 mm. Yet their documented case lengths are 46.5 and 46.8 mm. Most of the change is across the wrist rather than along it.
That does not make the smaller diameter meaningless. It changes the visible balance of the case and the amount of wrist showing beside it. It simply means you should not expect the same reduction in every direction. The 12.8 mm thickness also leaves the Mako 40 firmly in ordinary automatic sports-watch territory, rather than making it an especially thin dress watch.
The steel bracelet attaches at 20 mm. During a fitting, inspect the clasp position and the point at which the links turn down around your wrist. Orient’s global specification page lists 165 g for the complete watch, so a smaller case should not be confused with an extremely lightweight purchase.
What the simpler dial gives you
A date-only aperture asks less of the right-hand side of the dial than a day-date window. Whether that is an improvement depends on how often you actually consult the day. If the day display is one of your favourite things about an Orient, this is a real function to give up, not simply a tidier graphic treatment.
The uncoloured bezel makes the case outline more uniform. Someone who finds a black timing ring too sporty may prefer the quieter transition between bezel and bracelet. The trade-off is that the minute markings and steel surface rely on a different kind of contrast. Check the bezel and hands in ordinary room light rather than judging only the most flattering product image.
The exposed crown also changes the outline. Its screw-down construction is part of the specification, while the absence of guards is part of the design. Neither observation establishes how the crown will feel against your particular wrist. Move your hand through the positions you use at a keyboard before deciding.
A useful everyday specification with clear limits
The F6722 gives you automatic and manual winding plus stop seconds for setting. Its roughly 40-hour reserve is sufficient for an overnight rest from a full wind, but it does not cover every weekend off. A buyer rotating between watches should expect occasional resetting rather than assuming that regular weekday use guarantees continuous running.
Sapphire is a welcome choice at the front of a watch likely to see repeated daily wear. The bezel turns in one direction, and the stated water resistance is 20 bar. However, Orient’s explicit exclusion of ISO diver status means this should be approached as the diver-style everyday watch the manufacturer describes. Choose an expressly specified dive instrument if that is the reason for your purchase.
The date will also need correcting after shorter months. Before using the crown, learn the movement’s calendar-setting instructions supplied with the watch. A simpler display reduces the information on the dial; it does not turn a conventional mechanical calendar into one that knows the length of every month.
The UK offer and the alternative
Orient’s UK store lists the black RA-AC0Q01B at £349.99 and marked it out of stock when checked on 8 September 2026. That is a dated official listing, not an assurance that you can order immediately. If another retailer has stock, compare the exact reference, bracelet and after-sales arrangements before treating the price difference as a saving.
The Kamasu RA-AA0001B is the obvious alternative if you prefer a coloured bezel insert, broader bracelet attachment and day-date display. Choose on those differences rather than assuming one is simply a higher or lower tier. Both ideas can be useful, but they solve slightly different visual and practical preferences.
Buy the Mako 40 if you want a cleaner mechanical sports watch and the narrower case genuinely improves the proportions for you. Pass if you specifically need the day display, the lightest possible watch or a documented ISO diver. The Mako’s most persuasive feature is the restraint of the whole design, provided its almost unchanged case length still works on your wrist.
Image: AI-generated illustration. Fine details may differ from the watch.
