I found this watch for over a year… It’s still wins wrist time Every week… The best value for money in my collection of over 30 watches...Sits between my Rolex and my Omega...The bracelet, although cheap, has a certain charm to it and it’s very comfortable. If it’s not your thing that’s no problem because it looks great on a Nato. It’s +4 to 5 seconds a day (check when I got it and just checked it again)...this watch is the reason I have added to other Orients to my collection...If you are a 2 watch guy or a 30 watch guy...buy this one with confidence!
Thanks for sharing that John - it’s a great watch indeed, and worth of a place in any collection! For $130 there is pretty much nothing else that holistically compares. Cheers :)
I just compulsively bought it on Amazon for $115. I'm glad my purchase is justified. Can you please explain it to my wife though when she finds out? Please and thank you.
Just like Invicta, this Orient timepiece shows that you can have a very nice watch without devastating you bank balance. Just my cup of tea! Thanks Ivan.
Mate, I pulled the trigger and got the Orient Ray 2 shipped for AUD 228 and absolutely love it. It is so amazingly beautiful on the risk and the our is captivating. I think this diver will be hard to beat in terms of overall value. Design, build quality, finishing, like, in-house movement.
I bought this exact same watch just under 12 months or so ago. I love it! That blue dial is stunning in the sun. Elegant, beautiful, accurate & just functional. Nice review Ivan👍🏼
Bought that blue ray 2 more than a year ago as my first automatic watch for about 150$. It didn't disappoint, it's a classy looking dive watch that works so well with different outfits. Sure it cut some corners to fit the price but it still looks more expensive than it actually costs. Overall just a reliable, great looking, respected brand watch that many can afford and enjoy.
Yes, early this year I got myself a nice seiko sary055. Currently checking out some of the nice entry level seiko diver offerings like the turtle and samurai
In your review, you focus on small details such as measuring the dimension by yourself. That is so amazing! Lots of reviewers out there just directly read the brochure without thinking (Sometimes there is a miss measurements, just a few milimiters, however that few millimeters really matters for a detail oriented person like me before choosing to buy the watch LOL) Thanks so much for the review!!!
Most welcome - glad you find it helpful! I started measuring myself after seeing errors on retail sites like Amazon and even in manufacture sites sometimes!
Actually, I think even the sapphire crystal Kamasu price is going down heaps now. I think you can even get it for around 200 USD now. But if you're in the USA and you want a white dial, get the Mako USA 2. I believe Long Island watch is having a special.
@@PerthWAtch And I think the Mako 2 lume is better than the Kamasu. I've seen some macro shot of the Kamasu dial and looks like Orient did some cost cutting and didn't fill up the entire indices. Other than that, they should be almost identical to each other. Too bad they don't have Mako USA 2 with red dial.
Outstanding review yet again. Been wearing one of my g shocks for a while but after watching the review I grabbed my invicta 8926 just to have an automatic with the metal braclet Lol. Would love an orient
Thanks for the complete review which made me decide to purchase this watch over other different Orient models. The dial is really eye catching and makes it neatly wearable either dressed up for casual or formal occasions. For sure my daily watch specially for work, but I can't even help not wearing it around at home. I found it for 139 EUR in Amazon Spain over a month ago and price seems to go around +/-15 EUR so definitely Orient is keeping a great price value on this watch. I did find a couple of differences on my unit: 1- An upgraded (if I may say so) clasp which is now a bit longer with 4 micro adjustment holes and a polished finish on the foldable metal parts. The indent in front of the security clasp is now brushed instead of the lined finishing I see on your review. This makes it a less cheap looking clasp in my opinion. 2- On the contrary, all the bracelet links have push pins, unfortunately giving them a less solid look compared to what I've seen on your review. Overall a great looking watch which has set my preferences on automatic dive watches. Hopefully my next purchase would be the Seiko Prospex SaveTheOcean King Turtle Manta Ray, model SRPE39K1 if I save enough cash before it's discontinued. Best regards from Madrid, Spain!
Thanks for sharing that, and glad to hear you're enjoying the watch! Not too surprised to hear some of those subtle differences, which don't affect watch overall, but do seem to occur from time to time (sometimes region to region). Cheers from Australia! :)
First, great and accurate review. I've had the "Blue Ray II" (BRII) for a month now and she's just a beauty. The way she sits on my wrist, 7.4 inches, is perfect. I find the bracelet to be very comfortable. So much so in fact that I ordered another one to replace the bracelet on my Kamasu. The folding clasp on the Kamasu is longer than on the BRIIs and doesn't allow the links on the bracelet to mold to the wrist. But the star of this show is the blue dial. What a treat to watch the blue, silver hues roll within and around the inside of the dial. It draws you into a comforting place within. Let's not forget a small but excellent detail, the red arrowed tip of the seconds hand. I think it's the perfect amount of color sweeping through the blue space of the dial. The BRII is 119.00 on now. It has to be a steal for this fabulous watch. Again, great review and thank you.
Thank you for sharing your experience with this, your words are almost poetic and I appreciate the time you took to put that down. Glad you enjoyed the video :)
The reason I bought the Red Kamasu was because I was so impressed with the Ray. The kamasu was just about the same size, it has a sapphire crystal and there are tons of good reviews so, how could I go wrong with the upgrade???? Well...I found the bracelet on the Kamasu to be very uncomfortable and the the dial colors are to me, moody. It shifts between black and burgundy. The BR2 dances with silver and blue in the sunlight. Very cheerful if you ask me. Lasty, for some reason, the Kamasu sits higher on the wrist. The BR2 sits down more flush to the wrist as if it were custom made for me. IMPORTANT - The bezel and bezel action on the Kamasu are superior to the BR2. It's really difficult to turn the bezel on the BR2. It's gotten better with time..but it still isn't close. Enjoy whichever you go with.
Thanks for the informative and helpful review! I just recently picked up the black one (I've worn the blue one for the past 2 years), and really appreciate the matte black face - very wearable in a lot of situations. I don't have any luxury watches but have tried on some friends and stores' Rolexes, Patek's, Omega's, etc., and I can truly say that Orient's overall quality and QC is remarkable and satisfies my itch for a very handsome, wearable, and reliable diver.
For those that want an even better bargain (or those that don't like bracelets), you can get this watch on a rubber strap for $20-30 less again. I own the black variant and have it on a black/grey bond style nato strap. Really great value watch for the money.
I have this version and can vouch for its absolute quality. My bezel is a bit hard to move at first but quality feel. Alignment is absolutely perfect. Love the sunburst. Very very good affordable diver. Highly recommend.
Junior Johnson It was a bit stiff at first but it’s all good now. Better than being loose with a lot of play. You just need to “wear it in” by moving it a bit and now it’s good. Definitely a quality watch and would recommend.
My son and I shop at a local grocery store and there’s a cashier who is always wearing this watch . After seeing it in person this is a awesome watch . I already own three Orients. The new 2020 Mforce, the Mforce Bravo and a Orient Triton. Orient is amazing 🤩 watch company 👍🏻💯
@@PerthWAtchI just recently purchased this new Orient Ray 2 lol 😂. I always enjoy watching your videos and hearing your perspective. I most often agree with your assessment 👍🏻💯
Love this watch! I have it in the navy blue as well! I have the orient mako 2 in black and the Kamasu in navy. My personal favorite is the Kamasu for diver under 200 now but this one is next in line. Such a fantastic value and such a beautiful watch. Can’t get enough of orient
I got a 2nd hand mint in box one for £80 it was running +16 spd, I regulated it and on the 1st attempt got it to -2 spd, a stunning value for money everyday watch.
Hi. I have owned this watch for just over a year now. Still love it. Perfect size and that blue dial, just wow. Mine is running a good accuracy too at about +5 sec / day.
I have two Orient timepieces, the Ray II and the Open Heart Automatic Blue Dial Men's Watch FAG03001D0. I got the latter for Christmas and I've only had to adjust the time three times, so about once a month. The Ray II I've had for a week and haven't had to adjust it yet. They might as well be quartz watches. Maybe I just got lucky, but wow am I impressed.
Thanks for sharing. Probably better to just quote the accuracy in seconds/day deviation as in actuality you’ve not truly had to adjust them at all, you just wanted to ;)
Thanks Ivan. The orient ray and mako are excellent value for the money. I’m partial to the mako because the dial is unique to orient and explorer-esque in appearance. In my opinion the ray bracelet mid-link looks a bit too narrow with the addition of the polished sections.
After a lot of reading and research, I ordered my Orient Ray II yesterday, blue dial & bezel... A little treat for having survived Hurricane Ida, LoL. Enjoyed your review, and eagerly looking forward to my new watch.
@@PerthWAtch Thanks ! Hoping to have it by this time next week. A nice GMT of similar price and quality is in my "bucket list". What is your opinion on the Stuhrling (Japanese Movt.) or Pagani GMTs ? I've always had a fascination with the craftsmanship of watch making. Even with modern technology, human hands, to varying degrees, made these... Best regards !
Just bought the Ray ii black dial version with rubber strap. Solid cheap mechanical dive watch! Cant wait to swap the band with Nato strap. Btw, greetings from Malaysia 👌🏻
Hit the nail on the head Ivan. Really good watch for a really good value. I would love to get this, but first...have to have the red dial Kamasu! That is my next purchase.
Oh man have I! Yes, feel deep in the hole. Current collection is Squale atmos 60, 1545, Steinhart ovm 39, STO turtle, sarb 035, San Martin 62 mas, and an alpinist should be here by Saturday. I reviewed all my watches on my channel. They are not as good as yours but you can see the collection.
I have the back version, which was my first automatic watch. I installed a Blue AR crystal from Crystaltimes, then installed a coin edge bezel with a ceramic Batman insert. Wearing mine on a blue Barton Elite strap. One of my all time favorites.
I was gifted the watch by my son, I modified it to what I thought would add improvements, the coin edge bezel is easier to actuate the Batman insert was a personal preference and the sapphire crystal was a no brainer, if you like stock watches which I do also that’s great.
If you have really small wrists there is really not much more that compete with this in its price range. Taking into account the fact it's an in house movement, I think it presents great value. Even if you double the price of this watch I still think it's hard to find better value. A great modification is the strap code tapering oyster bracelet and then a domed sapphire which really makes the dial pop more. I still search for something that beats this for my tiny wrists apart from the skx which is double the price of this now. The other great feature of this watch is how well it keeps time. If I wear the watch then rest crown up at night it barely gains or loses much time. I also like the fact it's not a blatant submariner replica or even homage. Has ques from Seiko, omega and Rolex but nothing so obvious. My only negatives are the mineral crystal scratches easily but this is easily replaceable with a sapphire. The bezel is very tight at first but loosens up by about 50% after you wear it in. Great automatic diver on a budget.
Thank you very much for taking the to me to share those thoughts and insights! I would generally have agree with pretty much all you said there... at $150 it is nigh on impossible to find a competitor with original design, in-house movement, dive capability, and sheer style. We are pretty much limited to Seiko, Citizen, and Vostok!
This is one of my favourite watch. About the bezel, it's not hard to rotate, you just have to press down on the bezel as you rotate it. Ironically, the bezel insert is both the best part of the design and also a weakness. The aluminium insert is easy to scratch, but because of the indentations, it's impossible to get a replacement aftermarket ceramic insert.
I have a black ray2 and a mako usa ii. The ray 2 is easy to rotate, no need to press down. For some unknown reason the mako usa ii white the bezel gets stuck. It's so hard to turn. I have to drench it in water, dry it then it's fine. Once it dries, its stuck again! I dont know what to do...
Thanks - I've always liked this watch - I would LOVE one of the Orient Mako USA II watches that are available for USA buyers only at the moment from Long Island Watches for just $199!! atb snack.
Yeah at $199 that would indeed be a very good deal... usually it is more like double the price of the Ray II and how frustrating they are not shipping it elsewhere! Grrr!
Ive owned this watch almost exactly a year now. Love it; has served me so well, and ive decided itll be the first watch i do any modding to! new bezel and ceramic insert + sapphire crystal on the way. Hoping it brings things to a whole new level
@@PerthWAtch I forget that it came with a bracelet sometimes! Have had it on a nato since about a month after getting it haha. But maybe someday I can grab the endmill bracelet too
I have this in black. Switched out the crystal fro a double dome sapphire. Looks awesome. Next mod is to replace the hollow end links bracelet. Great review.
Hi Ivan, great video, I have the Raven, and I also own the Mako ll, they cannot be beat at price point, or higher, great reliable dive watches,thanks and be well 👍
I got mine in June, 2019. Mine is Ray 2 Raven, all black for $162USD from Amazon.com It is my top 2 favorite affordable watches in my collections. I occasionally would swap the bracelets with a black NATO or a black silicone strap for different looks. Great quality for the price!
You have GREAT taste. I pass by the Longines boutique everyday and have been looking at the Hydroconquest Chronograph which you reviewed. I click on your videos and lo and behold you review the Ray II which I'm looking at too! Hope you enjoyed the makan in Malaysia!
@@RedForceRising Yeah, check out my video on regulating automatics, I may have put links there: ua-cam.com/video/nZgI-3kgbZg/v-deo.html If not, a similar kit like the one I used can be found on eBay very easily.
Good review. I have the Orient Mako USA II which I got due to the sapphire crystal and solid end link bracelet. Mine runs OK at +15 spd as well. Great little watch that is the perfect size. Have to admit the Ray II is the best looking model overall in my opinion between the Mako, Mako USA and Kamasu.
Thanks for that comment - would love to be able to get the Mako II USA for sale at $200 but alas they are not shopping that to us overseas. Cheers, Ivan.
Just purchased an SKX013 ummed and ahhed between that and the 007 but thought the latter would be too big for my wrist. Guess what? The 013 is a lovely watch but too small! I'll keep it though, as I'll eventually pass it on to my Son. Thought I'd go for the 007 but have been reading/watching a lot on the Orient's so have ordered one of these exact watches. Love the blue dial and at 41.5mm should be perfect on my wrist. Can't wait for it to arrive. Great review by the way!
I have Been eyeing this and the new seiko sport blue diver for a long time. Tried the seiko first and I didn't like the bracelet at all although it is about 100 $ more than the orient. Regarding the orient's bezel the dealer indicated that many had stiff bezel which with some lube and rotation will be very quickly loosened. Ended up getting the orient after all and I don't regret it :)
Hi everyone I'm in the uk and I purchased this watch for £128 from Amazon i love the watch but I don't like it on the bracelet I much prefer it on the rubber divers strap with the dolphin logo it looks way better in my opinion i managed to get the rubber strap from ebay for £20 as for the crown i have no problems with it at all with my fat fingers! This is my favourite watch but not the one I wear the most which is a Tevise t801a Chinese special from Ali Express £19 delivered and I really like the stainless bracelet what it comes with I wear it the most because i can wear it at work because if it gets scratched it doesn't matter it's only cheap i wear the Ray 2 for best even though it's on a divers strap haha
@@PerthWAtch I am a home delivery driver for a supermarket it's very easy to scratch a watch going up and down narrow paths I definitely recommend the divers strap if you can get hold of one!
Have you ever seen the lume dial of the Lorus sports lumibrite it has the same lume as seiko use "parent company" full dial Lume it's nuclear rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F303177169754
Great review as always! 👍 I'd like to share my thoughts: 2 of my favorite watches are the blue dial omega seamaster 300m and the black dial Rolex submariner, but unfortunately, cannot afford them... If i did, I would storm out the door and go buy them! But, let's be honest, they both cost way to much!! Instead, I think you can still get a taste of both, by buying 1) the blue orient Ray for the Omega seamaster vibe/homage, currently sold on Amazon for 129$ and 2) the black Invicta pro diver , for the Rolex submariner vibe/homage, sold on Amazon for about 70$! Both, value for money divers, offering all that you need basically, robust feel & quality, 200m WR, 120 click unidirectional bezel, screwdown crown, reliable & accurate Japanese automatic movement, good looks/size overall. Anywhere on UA-cam, I always read good reviews for both and the best of comments! So, I'm pretty convinced these two are the ones to buy if you are looking for affordable divers, suitable for any circumstance, that you can alternate to match your clothing! My Invicta pro diver is arriving tomorrow and can't wait to give it some wrist time! 🤗 Next one up, is this orient Ray, definitely! 🙏
Thanks for sharing those thoughts, I always appreciate hearing perspectives like this! :) For budget Rolex sub-homages, do take a look at the 5 watch comparison video I did recently - quite a number of options in this space for sure, but Invicta is always up there. There are few direct homage of the Omega SMP 300m but I believe Pagani might do one that is most direct? Doesn't have the credentials and company provenance of Orient of course. About buying Rolex... well if I could go and buy a Sub now, I probably would. But ironically if I could actually do that it also wouldn't have the allure it does. The experience would be more like this at the dealer: Me: "Hi there, I would like to buy a black dial Submariner Date please!" Dealer: "Em... ok.... and who are you sir?" Me: "Me? Just a guy wanting to buy a Sub!" Dealer: "And you've never bought a watch from us before?" Me: "Er... no. Is that a problem?" Dealer: "Well... yes. We have a (very long) wait list for any sports models, and you can't get on it because we don't know you" (Possibly goes on to imply that I have to buy 1 to 3 Rolex dress models before "qualifying" to be even considered for wait listing for a sports model)
@@PerthWAtch Wow! Really?? It's so sad to be treated that way... Unfortunately, i guess most of the Rolex clients kinda look for this kind of discrimination, making them feel " special" & "privileged"... Not being available for "everybody" tends to build up the "myth" around the brand...at least that's my opinion! Anyway, just received my Invicta pro diver 8926OB and feeling excited as hell! No, questions asked here! Haha ;) Keep up the good reviews! 👍
@@PerthWAtch Hey Ivan, hope you're well! After a month wearing my Invicta 8926OB I'm really pleased with this watch, as it looks amazing, feels good and quite accurate (gains around 1 minute and a half per week). So, I would like to buy a blue dial dive watch to match my clothing accordingly. Although, at first I had really made up my mind getting ready to buy the Orient Ray 2 in blue, the Invicta pro diver 9094 has really got into my mind and i seem to be liking it more, especially since my really good impressions from the Invicta I already own. I know that it's really a matter of personal taste, but, can I have your objective opinion on which one to go for? Do you think the Orient is a "better" watch? I appreciate it!
@@PerthWAtch Yeah, you're probably right...that could be the solidest reason to go for the Orient. I have to think about it more...🤔 Thanks for the advice!
Basically the new SKX, in terms of value... good solid watch. Prefer if they changed the logo, and made a slight taper on bracelet down to 20mm... but i guess you can't complain for the price.
I've had the same watch for 2 years now and love it though I wish the polished bits were brushed instead. Recieved my defender gen2 in black/grey 2 days ago, another awesome watch from Orient.
This is a great watch mine keeps to plus 4 seconds a day, I'm blown away by that for a hundred and 24 British sterling. In my opinion as well its very well finished looks a lot more expensive. Only problem with mine is in bright sunlight around the 2 o'clock position just above day window, theirs a speck of dust or something else on dial, you can only see it when sun hits face from opposite side, this is annoying, but I've read about rolex with same issues, I'd be alot more annoyed if it had cost me thousands of pounds
Haha yes dust on the dial happens with Rolex even! You got one with good accuracy but I would say that’s touch and go… the next one off the shelf certainly may not be anywhere near that, but will be within the stages tolerances.
Just said (tearful) goodbye to my original Ray after nearly a decade of reliable use. Was so depressed I picked up one of these in black for $125 new from JomaShop. Can't wait till it arrives. I got my new one on a rubber strap, as I already have an aftermarket Miltat endmill bracelet waiting to be installed along with a sapphire crystal... both salvaged from my original Ray I. Will still miss the extra pusher at the one o'clock position for setting the day of the week, but I suppose at some point we need to move on!
@@PerthWAtch Stupidity... mostly my own... partly Orient's for not making parts available for these beauties. Installed an aftermarket bezel and insert after many years of struggling with the OEM. Tight fit, but worked well. Tried to remove it... got into a "tug of war". Even used my dremel to cut through 95% of new bezel. Bezel won. Case bent! End of story... : (
@@PerthWAtch I was wearing this as a daily beater for the past several weeks when I started noticing the crown coming loose. I suspected the threads on the tube and crown were stripped. I had the entire watch disassembled in preparation to remove both, (wasn't sure if the tube was pressed in or screwed in). Upon closer inspection only the crown was stripped. Wanting to restore it back to original condition I had planned on purchasing a used model I found on eBay for parts. I had removed the crown from the stem and only needed to remove my recently purchased bezel. That's when all this happened. I still have the movement (runs strong), black dial (very good... I think the feet may have broken free), hands (mint), and case back (good w/ brushing where logo used to be). If you are ever in need of parts drop me a line and I will gladly hook you up free of charge.
Perth WAtch The Citizen NY0040 is still in production. It’s sold in several European countries including Italy and Greece. The newest models have mid-2019 serial numbers. Not sure why everyone thinks they’re discontinued because they’re still being produced and widely available in Europe. They’re still listed on the country specific Citizen websites and you can get them from dealers like “Holland Watch Group” or “Masters In Time” in Europe.
@@dustinr16 That's good to know... I guess people think that because they don't show up when we search in the usual places. Are they obtainable by people living outside those zones??
Perth WAtch I’m in Canada and have ordered Citizen watches from “Masters In Time” that weren’t available in North America. So yes they do ship internationally, though there are sometimes funny restrictions to certain countries. So I can’t say for certain about Australia or New Zealand.
Here’s the blue: www.mastersintime.com/ca/en/citizen-promaster-sea-automatic-blue-20-atm-day-date-diver-with-rubber-strap-ny0040-17le.htm And black: www.mastersintime.com/ca/en/citizen-promaster-sea-automatic-black-20-atm-day-date-diver-with-rubber-strap-ny0040-09ee.htm Both almost always in stock. I’ve seen tons of these with 2019 serial numbers on the forums.
I found the notion of comparing this Orient to a Vostok interesting Ivan. You could buy a Vostok along with a Chinese Loreo diver for what you paid for the Orient and both cheap watches can beat the Orient on some specs. But for me, that misses the point and shows that a little bit of magic that cannot readily be quantified is required to yield a truly good watch. Your Orient is very attractive, partly because of its balanced design and accessible virtues. I suspect that these facets make it highly desirable outside the watch community as well as within it. So the Orient seems to me to be the watch to be seen wearing, out and about, by all and sundry. It's simply a good looking watch that needs no justification for ownership. Somehow, when I wear either of the other two watches I mentioned whilst out socially, I go about feeling that sooner or later I will be making excuses for the obscure geeky values that justify my owning them and as a result, excuses for my acquisitive hobby.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment David... I really just brought up Vostok as that is the ONLY other in-house manufacture dive watch at these prices AFAIK. With regards to everyday wear, I don't have any experience of Loreo but I can comfortably wear a Vostok without feeling any need to explain myself whatsoever, but I guess YMMV. Cheers, Ivan ;)
how come my mako 2 didn't come in that kind of classy box? hehe last year when i was aiming to buy this ray 2, i ended up w/ a mako 2. i haven't looked back since. the arabic numerals makes it a wee bit more attractive for me. and the sunburst blue it has is also a showstopper.
Mako 2 is a solid watch that one can be perfectly happy with... it’s mostly aesthetics that differentiate the models. As for the box, put it down to retailer inconsistency... “classy” ain’t the word though ;)
@@PerthWAtch you're right. i chould've used another word. but that box definitely looks better than the 2 boxes my orients came with. season's greetings bro!
These watches are great. Water resistant to 200 meters, BUT NOT ISO 6425 certified. The booklet that came with mine says it is perfectly okay to free dive or "Snorkel" with it, but diving with "Air Tanks" is not recommended or approved. My take is that many Recreational Scuba divers likely use it all the time with no trouble! But if it is damaged by Sea water, no warentee!
Yeah that’s right, these are not ISO compliance tested but would likely work fine for scuba diving. Orient do have Divers tested watches but obviously at higher price points.
@@PerthWAtch My MECHANCAL watch arrived :D No complaints so far. You covered it very well in your video. There is one small difference. The one I got, the pressed metal clasp folding parts are not made from that dodgy grey material like in your video (7:59). It's actually proper shiny stainless steel, polished like the rest of the clasp. Ordered mine via CreationWatches, so it's coming from Eastern market.
I purchase the same watch about a couple months ago for $127 delivered. I figure if I scratch the crystal I will replace it with a domed sapphire with ar coating. If the end links start to loosen I will replace them with solid as well, they are about $22, the Domed sapphire crystal is about $40. Or you can just purchase one from Long Island watch for $199 with the same mods Plus drilled lugs.
Thanks for sharing that - wow I didn't realize that you can get that from Long Island with those great mods... that makes this on par with the Mako II USA in that case!
Received mine from Creation Watches about a month ago ($134). Very bad option if you have some other automatics. They just run down and sit in the drawer because I loath taking my Blue Ray of my wrist.
Nice content as always. A good watch, but my only gripe is the font used for 'Automatic'and'Water Resist' on the dial, it's just too tacky IMO, same with the new 5KX
You could... and for the strap you can swap it out, and for the glass you could replace with sapphire, and if you didn’t like the movement you could swap in a Swiss made one, etc etc ;)
Just wanted to get back to you since I've had mine Ray II for a month or so....and I told you how crazy accurate it was. ... Now, after breaking in, it loses about 15 seconds a day. I'm still happy with that for $130.
@@PerthWAtch Hi Perth watch, I've been looking for a replacement for my 18-year-old Citizen Titanium Ecodrive, as the band broke recently and can't be fixed/replaced. Initially I was looking exclusively at Ecodrive, discounting automatics as most of the cheaper ones are heavy and accuracy questionable. However I've heard that the Citizen capacitor has an expected life of about 20 years... As mentioned earlier in the comments, Citizen do have an automatic, but face too big for my liking, 41mm being about my limit (considered the 39mm Longines Hydroconquest, but too expensive for moi!). How can the accuracy of an automatic be "easily improved", as you mention above? Cheers from Perth
Nice video. In your knowledge and experience, what level or quality of scratch resistance does the mineral crystal offer? Does it fall short in quality compared to Seiko's Hardlex crystal?
In my experience quality hardened mineral glass is not distinguishable from Seiko's Hardlex, which seems mostly a marketing gimmick. Poorly quality glass however will fall short, e.g. in some Chinese watches, and scratch a lot easier.
I think Orient is slightly more suitable, but in reality I would choose neither, and would rather go with a non-diver with water resistance (eg. My recently acquired Ball Fireman).
@zVasiful I bought the watch recently. Beautiful peice, but the bracelet is clunky and ugly. I swapped it for the original bracelet from my Orient Neo 70s panda, it actually fits. Whereas the original bracelet only tapers from 22 to 20, this bracelet tapers from 22 to 18, it looks much better and more refined.
@@PerthWAtch Just received it. First impression, it looks really nice. Definitely looks better than my Invicta 8926ob, and it looks better in person, too. Only complaint, the crown has very little grip, making it difficult to screw/unscrew. But aside from that, I am definitely liking this watch. Question regarding the crown. How tight should I screw down the crown?
Glad you like it! The crown only needs to be screwed down with moderate finger pressure, definitely don’t force it… if you’re getting marks on your fingertips from tightening the crown, you’re using too much force.
Lume is very good, lasts all night (I thought I said that in video?). Dude it's a diver's watch - why are you asking if you can swim with it? As stated in the title, this is an automatic watch.
I'm looking at buying this as my first watch, so I'm new to watches and all the functions and things around it. It might be a stupid question, but the unidirectional style bezel you're talking about at around 6:20 in the video, what's its function? Why does it turn? I assumed the numbers on it would be the seconds, but why would i want to be able to turn it? Thanks a lot already!
It’s a timing bezel - rotate the zero to where the minute hand points, and from then on the bezel indicates minutes elapsed. With diving you don’t want the bezel turning clockwise accidentally and misleading one to think less time has passed (ie. make you think you have more air left than you really do). Hope that’s clear enough an explanation!
@@PerthWAtch Oh i see, thanks for the clear explanation! Maybe one more question before i order one, is it not weird in some way that i'll be wearing a diving watch for everyday use? The chances i'll actually use it for diving are slim to none. Thanks again!
Not weird at all - now that you know what constitutes a dive watch (or dive style watch), you will not stop seeing this on the wrists of people all around you.
Do you think this watch will look tacky or large on my wrist? Been thinking to buy this one but kinda hesitant because of my wrist size BTW my wrist size is like 6inch or 6 and a quarter maximum
Depends on the profile (whether it’s flatter on top, etc)... it may look too large but then again people don’t tend to look at wrists and think about appropriate watch sizing these days!
I think the deletion of my comment must have been because I mentioned that I got mine from Am..on Australia and auto-correct automatically inserted a hyperlink. Sorry, didn't intentionally try to sabotage your marketing...
On the Fence whether or not I'm keeping this one due to the 👑. I opted for the flat 🍊 Dial .Had I went for the blue it would be gone already. The Orange has virtually no reflections and the marker surrounds & Hands are blacked out . Chapter Ring appears enameled slightly shiny. I like Orient but, these similar case styled pieces from them even higher priced editions have that same Crown configuration . As much of a value it is I won't buy another.
@@PerthWAtch Yes, I foresee a needed new Crown Tube replacement upcoming at some point due to the difficulty of operation . Just a slightly more elongated Crown might have alleviated this functionality problem .
I found this watch for over a year… It’s still wins wrist time Every week… The best value for money in my collection of over 30 watches...Sits between my Rolex and my Omega...The bracelet, although cheap, has a certain charm to it and it’s very comfortable. If it’s not your thing that’s no problem because it looks great on a Nato. It’s +4 to 5 seconds a day (check when I got it and just checked it again)...this watch is the reason I have added to other Orients to my collection...If you are a 2 watch guy or a 30 watch guy...buy this one with confidence!
Thanks for sharing that John - it’s a great watch indeed, and worth of a place in any collection! For $130 there is pretty much nothing else that holistically compares. Cheers :)
I just compulsively bought it on Amazon for $115. I'm glad my purchase is justified. Can you please explain it to my wife though when she finds out? Please and thank you.
No need to explain, just send her the video link ;)
@@JustAdude93 ...poor man.....
The bezel is made of ceramic or PVD? Thanks!
Just like Invicta, this Orient timepiece shows that you can have a very nice watch without devastating you bank balance. Just my cup of tea! Thanks Ivan.
Thanks man - totally agree, and oh how I have been enjoying this piece. It is simply excellent value and gives you worry free use! :)
I gave this watch to my nephew who is completing his first year of university as a Marine Biology major.
An excellent choice if I may say so!!
A very lucky nephew
Really thoughtful gift!
It’s kinda fitting since it’s a “ray” and he’s a marine biologist haha
Nah Flixzone sucks!
Mate, I pulled the trigger and got the Orient Ray 2 shipped for AUD 228 and absolutely love it. It is so amazingly beautiful on the risk and the our is captivating. I think this diver will be hard to beat in terms of overall value. Design, build quality, finishing, like, in-house movement.
*the blue dial is captivating.
Thanks for that - glad you are enjoying it. Indeed, I think this is the KING at the $150 point :)
I bought this exact same watch just under 12 months or so ago. I love it! That blue dial is stunning in the sun. Elegant, beautiful, accurate & just functional. Nice review Ivan👍🏼
Thank you for that Andrew! I have to fully agree - the dial is gorgeous outdoors! :)
Bought that blue ray 2 more than a year ago as my first automatic watch for about 150$. It didn't disappoint, it's a classy looking dive watch that works so well with different outfits. Sure it cut some corners to fit the price but it still looks more expensive than it actually costs. Overall just a reliable, great looking, respected brand watch that many can afford and enjoy.
Thanks for that, I have to agree with what you say there! Have you gotten more automatics since?
Yes, early this year I got myself a nice seiko sary055. Currently checking out some of the nice entry level seiko diver offerings like the turtle and samurai
I have the orange version of this watch. Keeps amazingly good time (+2 to +3 seconds a day). Can’t beat it for the price 👍.
Thanks for that - glad you are loving it! :)
I have 2 of their "under $100.00" models and they are solid & very well made.
Very impressed with brand👍
Cool - which models do you have?
My Ray II averaged +8.2 secs/day over a 2 week period recently, but more importantly, was very consistent, so it should regulate very nicely.
Thanks for sharing that - it's good to know! :)
In your review, you focus on small details such as measuring the dimension by yourself. That is so amazing!
Lots of reviewers out there just directly read the brochure without thinking (Sometimes there is a miss measurements, just a few milimiters, however that few millimeters really matters for a detail oriented person like me before choosing to buy the watch LOL)
Thanks so much for the review!!!
Most welcome - glad you find it helpful! I started measuring myself after seeing errors on retail sites like Amazon and even in manufacture sites sometimes!
I'm amazed how good this is for the money , hopefully they won't start putting prices up like Seiko seem to be doing
Thanks for that - yes indeed, we all hope they stay as they are. Orient rocks! :)
Actually, I think even the sapphire crystal Kamasu price is going down heaps now. I think you can even get it for around 200 USD now. But if you're in the USA and you want a white dial, get the Mako USA 2. I believe Long Island watch is having a special.
Yeah that's right, $199 for the Mako USA II is a pretty awesome pickup!
@@PerthWAtch And I think the Mako 2 lume is better than the Kamasu. I've seen some macro shot of the Kamasu dial and looks like Orient did some cost cutting and didn't fill up the entire indices. Other than that, they should be almost identical to each other. Too bad they don't have Mako USA 2 with red dial.
Outstanding review yet again. Been wearing one of my g shocks for a while but after watching the review I grabbed my invicta 8926 just to have an automatic with the metal braclet Lol. Would love an orient
Thanks Johnathan - at $130, this is an astounding piece, and wholly recommended! :)
Thanks for the complete review which made me decide to purchase this watch over other different Orient models. The dial is really eye catching and makes it neatly wearable either dressed up for casual or formal occasions. For sure my daily watch specially for work, but I can't even help not wearing it around at home. I found it for 139 EUR in Amazon Spain over a month ago and price seems to go around +/-15 EUR so definitely Orient is keeping a great price value on this watch. I did find a couple of differences on my unit:
1- An upgraded (if I may say so) clasp which is now a bit longer with 4 micro adjustment holes and a polished finish on the foldable metal parts. The indent in front of the security clasp is now brushed instead of the lined finishing I see on your review. This makes it a less cheap looking clasp in my opinion.
2- On the contrary, all the bracelet links have push pins, unfortunately giving them a less solid look compared to what I've seen on your review.
Overall a great looking watch which has set my preferences on automatic dive watches. Hopefully my next purchase would be the Seiko Prospex SaveTheOcean King Turtle Manta Ray, model SRPE39K1 if I save enough cash before it's discontinued.
Best regards from Madrid, Spain!
Thanks for sharing that, and glad to hear you're enjoying the watch! Not too surprised to hear some of those subtle differences, which don't affect watch overall, but do seem to occur from time to time (sometimes region to region). Cheers from Australia! :)
First, great and accurate review. I've had the "Blue Ray II" (BRII) for a month now and she's just a beauty. The way she sits on my wrist, 7.4 inches, is perfect. I find the bracelet to be very comfortable. So much so in fact that I ordered another one to replace the bracelet on my Kamasu. The folding clasp on the Kamasu is longer than on the BRIIs and doesn't allow the links on the bracelet to mold to the wrist. But the star of this show is the blue dial. What a treat to watch the blue, silver hues roll within and around the inside of the dial. It draws you into a comforting place within. Let's not forget a small but excellent detail, the red arrowed tip of the seconds hand. I think it's the perfect amount of color sweeping through the blue space of the dial. The BRII is 119.00 on now. It has to be a steal for this fabulous watch. Again, great review and thank you.
Thank you for sharing your experience with this, your words are almost poetic and I appreciate the time you took to put that down. Glad you enjoyed the video :)
Hey man! Do u prefer ur ray 2 or kamasu? Currently choosing between the two with the ray 2 almost half the kamasu's price!
It's not even close....Blue Ray 2.
@@gdillard2326 cool thanks. That's probably what I'll go for
The reason I bought the Red Kamasu was because I was so impressed with the Ray. The kamasu was just about the same size, it has a sapphire crystal and there are tons of good reviews so, how could I go wrong with the upgrade???? Well...I found the bracelet on the Kamasu to be very uncomfortable and the the dial colors are to me, moody. It shifts between black and burgundy. The BR2 dances with silver and blue in the sunlight. Very cheerful if you ask me. Lasty, for some reason, the Kamasu sits higher on the wrist. The BR2 sits down more flush to the wrist as if it were custom made for me. IMPORTANT - The bezel and bezel action on the Kamasu are superior to the BR2. It's really difficult to turn the bezel on the BR2. It's gotten better with time..but it still isn't close. Enjoy whichever you go with.
Thanks for the informative and helpful review! I just recently picked up the black one (I've worn the blue one for the past 2 years), and really appreciate the matte black face - very wearable in a lot of situations. I don't have any luxury watches but have tried on some friends and stores' Rolexes, Patek's, Omega's, etc., and I can truly say that Orient's overall quality and QC is remarkable and satisfies my itch for a very handsome, wearable, and reliable diver.
Thanks for sharing your experience - glad to hear you’re enjoying them immensely! :)
For those that want an even better bargain (or those that don't like bracelets), you can get this watch on a rubber strap for $20-30 less again. I own the black variant and have it on a black/grey bond style nato strap. Really great value watch for the money.
That's awesome, thanks for sharing that Jarrod! :)
I have this version and can vouch for its absolute quality. My bezel is a bit hard to move at first but quality feel. Alignment is absolutely perfect. Love the sunburst. Very very good affordable diver. Highly recommend.
Thanks for sharing your experience - I am inclined to agree :)
Charles I was wondering about the bezel turning hard Ivan mentioned it and now you what do you mean I'm thinking about buying ?
Junior Johnson It was a bit stiff at first but it’s all good now. Better than being loose with a lot of play. You just need to “wear it in” by moving it a bit and now it’s good. Definitely a quality watch and would recommend.
My son and I shop at a local grocery store and there’s a cashier who is always wearing this watch . After seeing it in person this is a awesome watch . I already own three Orients. The new 2020 Mforce, the Mforce Bravo and a Orient Triton. Orient is amazing 🤩 watch company 👍🏻💯
Nice one - thanks for sharing the thoughts!
@@PerthWAtchI now actually own the Orient Ray 2 in Orange 🍊 dial . Yeah it’s an amazing 🤩 watch 👍🏻💯
Oh wow, that’s a long gap between post and reply! Amazing!!
@@PerthWAtchI just recently purchased this new Orient Ray 2 lol 😂. I always enjoy watching your videos and hearing your perspective. I most often agree with your assessment 👍🏻💯
Love this watch! I have it in the navy blue as well! I have the orient mako 2 in black and the Kamasu in navy. My personal favorite is the Kamasu for diver under 200 now but this one is next in line. Such a fantastic value and such a beautiful watch. Can’t get enough of orient
Thanks for sharing the thought - Orient rocks!!
I got a 2nd hand mint in box one for £80 it was running +16 spd, I regulated it and on the 1st attempt got it to -2 spd, a stunning value for money everyday watch.
That’s awesome man, thanks for sharing that. And all the best for your channel! :)
Hi. I have owned this watch for just over a year now. Still love it. Perfect size and that blue dial, just wow. Mine is running a good accuracy too at about +5 sec / day.
That’s awesome man - thanks for sharing!
@@PerthWAtch also thanks to Jody from JOMW for recommending your channel. Great content.
Oh nice! Can I ask if it was in a video he made that recommendation?
@@PerthWAtch yes it was.
That's great to hear... I'm guessing it was an older one on an Invicta or Orient?
VERY VERY COOL, will be a tremendous watch for almost any occasion!!!
Haha thanks for that :)
I have two Orient timepieces, the Ray II and the Open Heart Automatic Blue Dial Men's Watch FAG03001D0. I got the latter for Christmas and I've only had to adjust the time three times, so about once a month. The Ray II I've had for a week and haven't had to adjust it yet. They might as well be quartz watches. Maybe I just got lucky, but wow am I impressed.
Thanks for sharing. Probably better to just quote the accuracy in seconds/day deviation as in actuality you’ve not truly had to adjust them at all, you just wanted to ;)
Very nice... I have always really liked the look of the Orient divers. Pity that I already have so many dive watches in my collection. Enjoy!
Thanks Eddie - well someone told me that everybody needs just one more (dive) watch :)
Thanks Ivan. The orient ray and mako are excellent value for the money. I’m partial to the mako because the dial is unique to orient and explorer-esque in appearance. In my opinion the ray bracelet mid-link looks a bit too narrow with the addition of the polished sections.
Thanks for sharing those thoughts Martin - I get where you're coming from!
I've just pulled the trigger on the orange ray 2 as well... Unbeatable quality and value 👍
After a lot of reading and research, I ordered my Orient Ray II yesterday, blue dial & bezel... A little treat for having survived Hurricane Ida, LoL. Enjoyed your review, and eagerly looking forward to my new watch.
Congratulations (on both the purchase and the survival!) - I’m sure you’ll enjoy it :)
@@PerthWAtch Thanks ! Hoping to have it by this time next week. A nice GMT of similar price and quality is in my "bucket list". What is your opinion on the Stuhrling (Japanese Movt.) or Pagani GMTs ? I've always had a fascination with the craftsmanship of watch making. Even with modern technology, human hands, to varying degrees, made these... Best regards !
Not sure about those movements - are you the “Stuhrling” isn’t just a Seiko or Miyota?
@@PerthWAtch I am pretty sure the Stuhrling has a Japanese movement.
Beau watch brilliant color on the dial. So many great divers out there in my price range.
Thanks man - yeah there are great value pieces to be had for sure!
Just bought the Ray ii black dial version with rubber strap. Solid cheap mechanical dive watch! Cant wait to swap the band with Nato strap. Btw, greetings from Malaysia 👌🏻
Nice - yeah I saw these at the boutique at 1 Utama :)
As usual Excellent delivery And Information
Thank you!
This is a good review. I like the wrist shot and it looks absolutely perfect for you. Props!
Thank you :)
Hit the nail on the head Ivan. Really good watch for a really good value. I would love to get this, but first...have to have the red dial Kamasu! That is my next purchase.
Thanks Ray - all the best, and do let us know what you think once you get that Kamasu in hand! :)
Perth WAtch Will do Ivan👍🏼
Ray Quintanilla well? Kamasu or ray 2?
My first auto was the black Ray II last year. Went with that over the SKX because it's more watch for the money.
An absolutely sound choice I would say :)
Have you gotten more automatics since?
Oh man have I! Yes, feel deep in the hole. Current collection is Squale atmos 60, 1545, Steinhart ovm 39, STO turtle, sarb 035, San Martin 62 mas, and an alpinist should be here by Saturday. I reviewed all my watches on my channel. They are not as good as yours but you can see the collection.
Oh very nice and a wide variety too! I would love to see the OVM 39 in the steel, that'd be a nice one!
I have the back version, which was my first automatic watch. I installed a Blue AR crystal from Crystaltimes, then installed a coin edge bezel with a ceramic Batman insert. Wearing mine on a blue Barton Elite strap. One of my all time favorites.
Thanks for sharing that Chris - excellent choices of mods I have to say! :)
Did you buy the watch intending to modify it? I don't understand this concept. I only buy watches l love and would never modify them.
I was gifted the watch by my son, I modified it to what I thought would add improvements, the coin edge bezel is easier to actuate
the Batman insert was a personal preference and the sapphire crystal was a no brainer, if you like stock watches which I do also that’s great.
@@csharpewalls. Thank you for your input. In your case l completely understand. Cheers
If you have really small wrists there is really not much more that compete with this in its price range. Taking into account the fact it's an in house movement, I think it presents great value. Even if you double the price of this watch I still think it's hard to find better value. A great modification is the strap code tapering oyster bracelet and then a domed sapphire which really makes the dial pop more. I still search for something that beats this for my tiny wrists apart from the skx which is double the price of this now. The other great feature of this watch is how well it keeps time. If I wear the watch then rest crown up at night it barely gains or loses much time. I also like the fact it's not a blatant submariner replica or even homage. Has ques from Seiko, omega and Rolex but nothing so obvious. My only negatives are the mineral crystal scratches easily but this is easily replaceable with a sapphire. The bezel is very tight at first but loosens up by about 50% after you wear it in. Great automatic diver on a budget.
Thank you very much for taking the to me to share those thoughts and insights! I would generally have agree with pretty much all you said there... at $150 it is nigh on impossible to find a competitor with original design, in-house movement, dive capability, and sheer style. We are pretty much limited to Seiko, Citizen, and Vostok!
This is one of my favourite watch. About the bezel, it's not hard to rotate, you just have to press down on the bezel as you rotate it.
Ironically, the bezel insert is both the best part of the design and also a weakness. The aluminium insert is easy to scratch, but because of the indentations, it's impossible to get a replacement aftermarket ceramic insert.
Thanks for that - good point about the bezel insert, I wasn't aware of that!
I have a black ray2 and a mako usa ii. The ray 2 is easy to rotate, no need to press down. For some unknown reason the mako usa ii white the bezel gets stuck. It's so hard to turn. I have to drench it in water, dry it then it's fine. Once it dries, its stuck again! I dont know what to do...
Nice watch I own one of these myself. Great watch for the money. Good review!
Thanks - I agree! :)
My Ray 2 came with a polished clasp with 4 micro adjustments. I removed 2 links and have it on the last micro adjustment.
Thanks for sharing :)
Very good review, you went to the basics and that is all I wanted to know. Thank you Sir
Most welcome - glad you found it helpful
Thanks - I've always liked this watch - I would LOVE one of the Orient Mako USA II watches that are available for USA buyers only at the moment from Long Island Watches for just $199!! atb snack.
Yeah at $199 that would indeed be a very good deal... usually it is more like double the price of the Ray II and how frustrating they are not shipping it elsewhere! Grrr!
Ive owned this watch almost exactly a year now. Love it; has served me so well, and ive decided itll be the first watch i do any modding to! new bezel and ceramic insert + sapphire crystal on the way. Hoping it brings things to a whole new level
Nice - those are great mod choices, along with possibly adding solid end links! :)
@@PerthWAtch I forget that it came with a bracelet sometimes! Have had it on a nato since about a month after getting it haha. But maybe someday I can grab the endmill bracelet too
I have this in black. Switched out the crystal fro a double dome sapphire. Looks awesome. Next mod is to replace the hollow end links bracelet. Great review.
@@pattymiller2160 Thanks for that - yeah a few others have mentioned swapping out the crystal, bezel and bracelet. Surely makes the watch better :)
Hi Ivan, great video, I have the Raven, and I also own the Mako ll, they cannot be beat at price point, or higher, great reliable dive watches,thanks and be well 👍
Thanks Randy. If you're based in the US, the Mako USA II with sapphire and solid end-links is also a pretty awesome buy at $199 sale presently :)
The Ray2 crown is on small side. But its manageable. Also makes it less likely to dig into your hand. Overall a supreme watch.
Yeah, agreed!
Nice choice Ivan they are a solid workhorse and great quality. Next time come over to Cornwall England I'd be delighted for you to meet me 👍👍
Thanks Ted - I'm sure the pleasure will be all mine ;)
@@PerthWAtch Ivan I 100% agree lol
I got mine in June, 2019. Mine is Ray 2 Raven, all black for $162USD from Amazon.com It is my top 2 favorite affordable watches in my collections. I occasionally would swap the bracelets with a black NATO or a black silicone strap for different looks. Great quality for the price!
That’s great man, glad to hear you’re enjoying it! What’s your other fav affordable watch?
@@PerthWAtch believe or not....The Invicta 9094 I just got is my favourite " at the moment" :)
Beautiful watch a real classic 👍 thanks Ivan 😁
Thanks James! :)
Your very nice review swung it for me - I’m getting this over the Kamasu, which would save me my arm and my leg btw ! 😂
Haha nice one, glad it was helpful, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!
You have GREAT taste. I pass by the Longines boutique everyday and have been looking at the Hydroconquest Chronograph which you reviewed. I click on your videos and lo and behold you review the Ray II which I'm looking at too! Hope you enjoyed the makan in Malaysia!
Thanks for that, glad you enjoyed the reviews! Oh the food in Malaysia is dangerous... always put on weight when I go home! :P
@@PerthWAtch Are there any watch tool kits you would recommend to remove/adjust bracelet links.
@@RedForceRising Yeah, check out my video on regulating automatics, I may have put links there: ua-cam.com/video/nZgI-3kgbZg/v-deo.html
If not, a similar kit like the one I used can be found on eBay very easily.
Good review. I have the Orient Mako USA II which I got due to the sapphire crystal and solid end link bracelet. Mine runs OK at +15 spd as well. Great little watch that is the perfect size. Have to admit the Ray II is the best looking model overall in my opinion between the Mako, Mako USA and Kamasu.
Thanks for that comment - would love to be able to get the Mako II USA for sale at $200 but alas they are not shopping that to us overseas. Cheers, Ivan.
EDIT: Whoops sorry posted comment on the wrong thread. Moved it to the correct one.
Thanks for those links Dustin... but, it looks like you may be replying to the wrong comment...?
No worries - thanks for updating! :)
I got the watch today with the black face and its amazing
Very nice!
Just purchased an SKX013 ummed and ahhed between that and the 007 but thought the latter would be too big for my wrist. Guess what? The 013 is a lovely watch but too small! I'll keep it though, as I'll eventually pass it on to my Son. Thought I'd go for the 007 but have been reading/watching a lot on the Orient's so have ordered one of these exact watches. Love the blue dial and at 41.5mm should be perfect on my wrist. Can't wait for it to arrive. Great review by the way!
Awesome man, congratulations on your purchase - I’m sure you will enjoy it! :)
I have Been eyeing this and the new seiko sport blue diver for a long time. Tried the seiko first and I didn't like the bracelet at all although it is about 100 $ more than the orient. Regarding the orient's bezel the dealer indicated that many had stiff bezel which with some lube and rotation will be very quickly loosened. Ended up getting the orient after all and I don't regret it :)
Nice one, thanks for sharing - which Seiko did you try on?
Perth WAtch the new SRPD51 with blue color
Nice one that!
EXCELLENT review ....!!!!!!
Thanks :)
Hi everyone
I'm in the uk and I purchased this watch for £128 from Amazon i love the watch but I don't like it on the bracelet I much prefer it on the rubber divers strap with the dolphin logo it looks way better in my opinion i managed to get the rubber strap from ebay for £20 as for the crown i have no problems with it at all with my fat fingers! This is my favourite watch but not the one I wear the most which is a Tevise t801a Chinese special from Ali Express £19 delivered and I really like the stainless bracelet what it comes with I wear it the most because i can wear it at work because if it gets scratched it doesn't matter it's only cheap i wear the Ray 2 for best even though it's on a divers strap haha
Thanks for sharing those stories Marcus. Interesting choices and views. What work do you do?
@@PerthWAtch I am a home delivery driver for a supermarket it's very easy to scratch a watch going up and down narrow paths I definitely recommend the divers strap if you can get hold of one!
Ah I see... thanks for the recommendation! :)
Have you ever seen the lume dial of the Lorus sports lumibrite it has the same lume as seiko use "parent company" full dial Lume it's nuclear rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F303177169754
Haha wow that would be pretty cool... no I haven't seen one of those in person.
Great review as always! 👍
I'd like to share my thoughts:
2 of my favorite watches are the blue dial omega seamaster 300m and the black dial Rolex submariner, but unfortunately, cannot afford them... If i did, I would storm out the door and go buy them!
But, let's be honest, they both cost way to much!!
Instead, I think you can still get a taste of both, by buying 1) the blue orient Ray for the Omega seamaster vibe/homage, currently sold on Amazon for 129$ and 2) the black Invicta pro diver , for the Rolex submariner vibe/homage, sold on Amazon for about 70$!
Both, value for money divers, offering all that you need basically, robust feel & quality, 200m WR, 120 click unidirectional bezel, screwdown crown, reliable & accurate Japanese automatic movement, good looks/size overall.
Anywhere on UA-cam, I always read good reviews for both and the best of comments!
So, I'm pretty convinced these two are the ones to buy if you are looking for affordable divers, suitable for any circumstance, that you can alternate to match your clothing!
My Invicta pro diver is arriving tomorrow and can't wait to give it some wrist time! 🤗
Next one up, is this orient Ray, definitely! 🙏
Thanks for sharing those thoughts, I always appreciate hearing perspectives like this! :)
For budget Rolex sub-homages, do take a look at the 5 watch comparison video I did recently - quite a number of options in this space for sure, but Invicta is always up there.
There are few direct homage of the Omega SMP 300m but I believe Pagani might do one that is most direct? Doesn't have the credentials and company provenance of Orient of course.
About buying Rolex... well if I could go and buy a Sub now, I probably would. But ironically if I could actually do that it also wouldn't have the allure it does. The experience would be more like this at the dealer:
Me: "Hi there, I would like to buy a black dial Submariner Date please!"
Dealer: "Em... ok.... and who are you sir?"
Me: "Me? Just a guy wanting to buy a Sub!"
Dealer: "And you've never bought a watch from us before?"
Me: "Er... no. Is that a problem?"
Dealer: "Well... yes. We have a (very long) wait list for any sports models, and you can't get on it because we don't know you"
(Possibly goes on to imply that I have to buy 1 to 3 Rolex dress models before "qualifying" to be even considered for wait listing for a sports model)
@@PerthWAtch Wow! Really?? It's so sad to be treated that way...
Unfortunately, i guess most of the Rolex clients kinda look for this kind of discrimination, making them feel " special" & "privileged"... Not being available for "everybody" tends to build up the "myth" around the brand...at least that's my opinion!
Anyway, just received my Invicta pro diver 8926OB and feeling excited as hell!
No, questions asked here! Haha ;)
Keep up the good reviews! 👍
@@PerthWAtch Hey Ivan, hope you're well!
After a month wearing my Invicta 8926OB I'm really pleased with this watch, as it looks amazing, feels good and quite accurate (gains around 1 minute and a half per week).
So, I would like to buy a blue dial dive watch to match my clothing accordingly.
Although, at first I had really made up my mind getting ready to buy the Orient Ray 2 in blue, the Invicta pro diver 9094 has really got into my mind and i seem to be liking it more, especially since my really good impressions from the Invicta I already own.
I know that it's really a matter of personal taste, but, can I have your objective opinion on which one to go for?
Do you think the Orient is a "better" watch?
I appreciate it!
Hi dude... well for me the decision would be pretty clear - seeing as you already got a Pro Diver, I would go with the Orient next.
@@PerthWAtch Yeah, you're probably right...that could be the solidest reason to go for the Orient.
I have to think about it more...🤔
Thanks for the advice!
Basically the new SKX, in terms of value... good solid watch.
Prefer if they changed the logo, and made a slight taper on bracelet down to 20mm... but i guess you can't complain for the price.
Thanks Gary! Well I got a bit of good news for you - the bracelet *does* taper down to 20mm, apologies I neglected to mention that :)
I've had the same watch for 2 years now and love it though I wish the polished bits were brushed instead. Recieved my defender gen2 in black/grey 2 days ago, another awesome watch from Orient.
Thanks for that - glad you are loving it :)
Very helpful review thanks i got one petty much straight after 😁
Thanks man - glad to hear this was useful! :)
I own two of these, and they're work horses.
That's awesome man! :)
This is a great watch mine keeps to plus 4 seconds a day, I'm blown away by that for a hundred and 24 British sterling. In my opinion as well its very well finished looks a lot more expensive. Only problem with mine is in bright sunlight around the 2 o'clock position just above day window, theirs a speck of dust or something else on dial, you can only see it when sun hits face from opposite side, this is annoying, but I've read about rolex with same issues, I'd be alot more annoyed if it had cost me thousands of pounds
Haha yes dust on the dial happens with Rolex even!
You got one with good accuracy but I would say that’s touch and go… the next one off the shelf certainly may not be anywhere near that, but will be within the stages tolerances.
Just said (tearful) goodbye to my original Ray after nearly a decade of reliable use. Was so depressed I picked up one of these in black for $125 new from JomaShop. Can't wait till it arrives. I got my new one on a rubber strap, as I already have an aftermarket Miltat endmill bracelet waiting to be installed along with a sapphire crystal... both salvaged from my original Ray I. Will still miss the extra pusher at the one o'clock position for setting the day of the week, but I suppose at some point we need to move on!
Why did you let the original go?
@@PerthWAtch Stupidity... mostly my own... partly Orient's for not making parts available for these beauties. Installed an aftermarket bezel and insert after many years of struggling with the OEM. Tight fit, but worked well. Tried to remove it... got into a "tug of war". Even used my dremel to cut through 95% of new bezel. Bezel won. Case bent! End of story... : (
Oh dear, ouch! So sorry to hear that!!
@@PerthWAtch I was wearing this as a daily beater for the past several weeks when I started noticing the crown coming loose. I suspected the threads on the tube and crown were stripped. I had the entire watch disassembled in preparation to remove both, (wasn't sure if the tube was pressed in or screwed in). Upon closer inspection only the crown was stripped. Wanting to restore it back to original condition I had planned on purchasing a used model I found on eBay for parts. I had removed the crown from the stem and only needed to remove my recently purchased bezel. That's when all this happened. I still have the movement (runs strong), black dial (very good... I think the feet may have broken free), hands (mint), and case
back (good w/ brushing where logo used to be). If you are ever in need of parts drop me a line and I will gladly hook you up free of charge.
Thanks for the offer man, very generous of you. Will keep in mind!
That Citizen Promaster is pretty good as a cheap diver ..
Yeah it is... it’s too bad they stopped making it in auto...
Perth WAtch The Citizen NY0040 is still in production. It’s sold in several European countries including Italy and Greece. The newest models have mid-2019 serial numbers. Not sure why everyone thinks they’re discontinued because they’re still being produced and widely available in Europe. They’re still listed on the country specific Citizen websites and you can get them from dealers like “Holland Watch Group” or “Masters In Time” in Europe.
@@dustinr16 That's good to know... I guess people think that because they don't show up when we search in the usual places. Are they obtainable by people living outside those zones??
Perth WAtch I’m in Canada and have ordered Citizen watches from “Masters In Time” that weren’t available in North America. So yes they do ship internationally, though there are sometimes funny restrictions to certain countries. So I can’t say for certain about Australia or New Zealand.
Here’s the blue: www.mastersintime.com/ca/en/citizen-promaster-sea-automatic-blue-20-atm-day-date-diver-with-rubber-strap-ny0040-17le.htm
And black: www.mastersintime.com/ca/en/citizen-promaster-sea-automatic-black-20-atm-day-date-diver-with-rubber-strap-ny0040-09ee.htm
Both almost always in stock. I’ve seen tons of these with 2019 serial numbers on the forums.
Good looking watch. Great value for the money.
Thanks for that :)
I am planning on buying this watch.
I have read all about it.
That’s awesome man!
I found the notion of comparing this Orient to a Vostok interesting Ivan. You could buy a Vostok along with a Chinese Loreo diver for what you paid for the Orient and both cheap watches can beat the Orient on some specs. But for me, that misses the point and shows that a little bit of magic that cannot readily be quantified is required to yield a truly good watch. Your Orient is very attractive, partly because of its balanced design and accessible virtues. I suspect that these facets make it highly desirable outside the watch community as well as within it. So the Orient seems to me to be the watch to be seen wearing, out and about, by all and sundry. It's simply a good looking watch that needs no justification for ownership. Somehow, when I wear either of the other two watches I mentioned whilst out socially, I go about feeling that sooner or later I will be making excuses for the obscure geeky values that justify my owning them and as a result, excuses for my acquisitive hobby.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment David... I really just brought up Vostok as that is the ONLY other in-house manufacture dive watch at these prices AFAIK. With regards to everyday wear, I don't have any experience of Loreo but I can comfortably wear a Vostok without feeling any need to explain myself whatsoever, but I guess YMMV. Cheers, Ivan ;)
how come my mako 2 didn't come in that kind of classy box? hehe
last year when i was aiming to buy this ray 2, i ended up w/ a mako 2. i haven't looked back since. the arabic numerals makes it a wee bit more attractive for me. and the sunburst blue it has is also a showstopper.
Mako 2 is a solid watch that one can be perfectly happy with... it’s mostly aesthetics that differentiate the models. As for the box, put it down to retailer inconsistency... “classy” ain’t the word though ;)
@@PerthWAtch you're right. i chould've used another word. but that box definitely looks better than the 2 boxes my orients came with. season's greetings bro!
These watches are great. Water resistant to 200 meters, BUT NOT ISO 6425 certified.
The booklet that came with mine says it is perfectly okay to free dive or "Snorkel" with it, but diving with "Air Tanks" is not recommended or approved.
My take is that many Recreational Scuba divers likely use it all the time with no trouble!
But if it is damaged by Sea water, no warentee!
Yeah that’s right, these are not ISO compliance tested but would likely work fine for scuba diving. Orient do have Divers tested watches but obviously at higher price points.
1:04 MECHANCAL watch... Now that already looks terrible... I purchased it today online, waiting to arrive and I just got chills...
Oh don’t worry… that misspelling does not in any way reflect the watch
@@PerthWAtch My MECHANCAL watch arrived :D No complaints so far. You covered it very well in your video. There is one small difference. The one I got, the pressed metal clasp folding parts are not made from that dodgy grey material like in your video (7:59). It's actually proper shiny stainless steel, polished like the rest of the clasp. Ordered mine via CreationWatches, so it's coming from Eastern market.
Roses are red violets are blue that’s a nice watch and it looks good on you 👍
Haha nice one :)
You said no sapierhe glass but if i look on a website its there the watch is called sporty automatic and there its said there was sapphire glass
I said *this watch* doesn’t have sapphire crystal. I wasn’t referring to every single watch in the whole world ;)
@@PerthWAtch owh okay im sorry.. You have good content
Orient USA on sale at Long island watch for $200.00. I want one. These were around $400 a year ago
Yeah a few other viewers mentioned that too... maybe just as well they're not shipping those outside the US otherwise I would be sorely tempted! :)
Wow just found black dial on silicone strap for £98 !
That’s awesome man, what a bargain! :)
I purchase the same watch about a couple months ago for $127 delivered. I figure if I scratch the crystal I will replace it with a domed sapphire with ar coating. If the end links start to loosen I will replace them with solid as well, they are about $22, the Domed sapphire crystal is about $40. Or you can just purchase one from Long Island watch for $199 with the same mods Plus drilled lugs.
Thanks for sharing that - wow I didn't realize that you can get that from Long Island with those great mods... that makes this on par with the Mako II USA in that case!
I love it. But can you replace the mineral with Saphire?
You sure can!
Received mine from Creation Watches about a month ago ($134). Very bad option if you have some other automatics. They just run down and sit in the drawer because I loath taking my Blue Ray of my wrist.
Haha thanks for sharing that - it's a collection devastator for you then!!
Its great thanks
i like night light too its great I bought it too i seen your clip
That’s amazing?
What’s night light?
Nice content as always. A good watch, but my only gripe is the font used for 'Automatic'and'Water Resist' on the dial, it's just too tacky IMO, same with the new 5KX
Thanks. Oh really? I actually quite like the font, it’s kinda classical...
Sreedhar Raman I agree. Cursive fonts look tacky and out of place on dive watch dials. Should be a standard roman font and slightly larger.
I'm having trouble choosing between this or the Mako 2 pepsi pls help me :)
My vote goes to the blue Ray II :)
I really want to get one of this, but i dont know which color i should take Black or Navy?
That's easy man, get both!! :)
@@PerthWAtch its a lot money for me, i ll just take 1, thats why tell me a color 😂
Haha definitely blue if I had to choose!
hi, does the bracelett rattle a lot? Cant stay noisy braclets
Very minimal I would say
For the crown problem can't we just sand the crown guard down a little so we can grab the crown easier
You could... and for the strap you can swap it out, and for the glass you could replace with sapphire, and if you didn’t like the movement you could swap in a Swiss made one, etc etc ;)
@@PerthWAtch what's the point of a budget watch
Just wanted to get back to you since I've had mine Ray II for a month or so....and I told you how crazy accurate it was. ... Now, after breaking in, it loses about 15 seconds a day. I'm still happy with that for $130.
Thanks for sharing the update man - still within limits that, and easily improved if you do wished to :)
@@PerthWAtch Hi Perth watch, I've been looking for a replacement for my 18-year-old Citizen Titanium Ecodrive, as the band broke recently and can't be fixed/replaced. Initially I was looking exclusively at Ecodrive, discounting automatics as most of the cheaper ones are heavy and accuracy questionable. However I've heard that the Citizen capacitor has an expected life of about 20 years... As mentioned earlier in the comments, Citizen do have an automatic, but face too big for my liking, 41mm being about my limit (considered the 39mm Longines Hydroconquest, but too expensive for moi!). How can the accuracy of an automatic be "easily improved", as you mention above? Cheers from Perth
Lookup my videos on regulating automatic watches for the tips on this
@@PerthWAtch ...will do. Thank you !
This looks nice! I'm tempted to get it! I'm looking at a pagani design 1661 in comparison... Does this have ar coating?
Not sure, looks like it does. Mineral glass generally reflects less than sapphire I think.
Nice video. In your knowledge and experience, what level or quality of scratch resistance does the mineral crystal offer? Does it fall short in quality compared to Seiko's Hardlex crystal?
In my experience quality hardened mineral glass is not distinguishable from Seiko's Hardlex, which seems mostly a marketing gimmick. Poorly quality glass however will fall short, e.g. in some Chinese watches, and scratch a lot easier.
What would you choose for everyday carry? Orient Ray 2 or Seiko 5 Sports in the same (similar) color?
I think Orient is slightly more suitable, but in reality I would choose neither, and would rather go with a non-diver with water resistance (eg. My recently acquired Ball Fireman).
@@PerthWAtch Ok, thank you
It's a nicer watch than the kamasu, just doesn't have a sapphire crystal and needs swapping g for a more tapered bracelet
Kamasu has sapphire?
I’m new to the watch game so just curious on the bracelet swap? What’s your reasoning? Thanks
@@PerthWAtch orient kamasu has sapphire, yes
@zVasiful I bought the watch recently. Beautiful peice, but the bracelet is clunky and ugly. I swapped it for the original bracelet from my Orient Neo 70s panda, it actually fits. Whereas the original bracelet only tapers from 22 to 20, this bracelet tapers from 22 to 18, it looks much better and more refined.
I like this box better. Idk why they changed the box
Probably just some randomness in packing by dealers I suspect...
@@PerthWAtch oh i see
That's bizarre, posted a comment this morning, it's been deleted! Maybe because I mentioned the name of the major online seller...??!!
Perhaps - UA-cam has an automatic censor system
Hallo, ich habe eine 65 Jahre alte mechanische Armbanduhr der Marke Orient mit Nullstellung.
What?
@@PerthWAtch Er ist 65 Jahre alt und hat eine nagelneue mechanische Orient-Armbanduhr.
What??
Why did the second hand jump at 2:15?
Editing
@@PerthWAtch Wasn't sure if it was that or if it was because it uses a Miyota movement
I'm on the fence between the Ray 2 and the Seiko snkl23? Which watch is more beautiful and versatile for style?
I would say you should decide on what type of watch you are looking for, as they are quite different, both in style and purpose.
@@PerthWAtch I have decided on the Ray 2. Should arrive on Monday.
That would’ve been my choice - enjoy :)
@@PerthWAtch Just received it. First impression, it looks really nice. Definitely looks better than my Invicta 8926ob, and it looks better in person, too. Only complaint, the crown has very little grip, making it difficult to screw/unscrew. But aside from that, I am definitely liking this watch.
Question regarding the crown. How tight should I screw down the crown?
Glad you like it!
The crown only needs to be screwed down with moderate finger pressure, definitely don’t force it… if you’re getting marks on your fingertips from tightening the crown, you’re using too much force.
If it were in Hulk-like setup, I would buy four
Haha do you mean a green version? I think some of their other models might have that colour variation...
how is the lume..how long it lasts..also tell me , can we swim with this piece and is it a hand movement watch or need a battery
Lume is very good, lasts all night (I thought I said that in video?).
Dude it's a diver's watch - why are you asking if you can swim with it?
As stated in the title, this is an automatic watch.
@@PerthWAtch Thanks brother..
you should go outdoors filming that blue, i will do the same with mine.
Yeah it certainly pops more in the sun!
Does anyone noticed the second hand jumping at around 2:15 to 2:18 mark of the video (watch time around 40 seconds)? It skipped.
elvin ventucillo looks like it’s because the video was edited, casing the skip
Yep, if you look carefully, you will see quite a few other magic skips ;)
🤦♂️
Where can I nick a good price on this in Australia?
eBay?
I'm looking at buying this as my first watch, so I'm new to watches and all the functions and things around it. It might be a stupid question, but the unidirectional style bezel you're talking about at around 6:20 in the video, what's its function? Why does it turn? I assumed the numbers on it would be the seconds, but why would i want to be able to turn it? Thanks a lot already!
It’s a timing bezel - rotate the zero to where the minute hand points, and from then on the bezel indicates minutes elapsed. With diving you don’t want the bezel turning clockwise accidentally and misleading one to think less time has passed (ie. make you think you have more air left than you really do). Hope that’s clear enough an explanation!
@@PerthWAtch Oh i see, thanks for the clear explanation! Maybe one more question before i order one, is it not weird in some way that i'll be wearing a diving watch for everyday use? The chances i'll actually use it for diving are slim to none. Thanks again!
Not weird at all - now that you know what constitutes a dive watch (or dive style watch), you will not stop seeing this on the wrists of people all around you.
@@PerthWAtch Update: I just ordered one, thanks a lot!!
Most welcome - I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!
Do you think this watch will look tacky or large on my wrist? Been thinking to buy this one but kinda hesitant because of my wrist size BTW my wrist size is like 6inch or 6 and a quarter maximum
Depends on the profile (whether it’s flatter on top, etc)... it may look too large but then again people don’t tend to look at wrists and think about appropriate watch sizing these days!
I think the deletion of my comment must have been because I mentioned that I got mine from Am..on Australia and auto-correct automatically inserted a hyperlink. Sorry, didn't intentionally try to sabotage your marketing...
Perhaps - UA-cam has an automatic censor system
On the Fence whether or not I'm keeping this one due to the 👑. I opted for the flat 🍊 Dial .Had I went for the blue it would be gone already. The Orange has virtually no reflections and the marker surrounds & Hands are blacked out . Chapter Ring appears enameled slightly shiny. I like Orient but, these similar case styled pieces from them even higher priced editions have that same Crown configuration . As much of a value it is I won't buy another.
Thanks for sharing those insights... so is it mainly the too-small crown that you find as a negative?
@@PerthWAtch Yes, I foresee a needed new Crown Tube replacement upcoming at some point due to the difficulty of operation . Just a slightly more elongated Crown might have alleviated this functionality problem .
Yeah good point - and thanks for clarifying!
how often change battery?
Never - no battery