The winner of our latest Orient Name That Watch Contest is Shad Starns, who suggested the name “Mako XL” for the Orient CEM75001B diver watch. We sent him his own watch, and he sent us a review of it.

Here’s his review of his Orient watch and some pictures of him wearing it!

First of all I want to say what a thrill it is to have been involved
with the naming of a line of watches for a company like Orient. These
contests in my opinion are what makes Orient such a special brand.
Quality, beauty, and affordability are what comes to mind when I think
of Orient watches. Special thank you to the entire crew of
OrientwatchUSA for choosing the name I submitted… Mako XL.


My orange Mako XL arrived a few days after I was notified by Joey that
I won the contest. As the owner of 3 other Orients, I had my eye on
this one for a while. The first thing I noticed during the unboxing was
the weight of this watch. I opened the case and saw this beautiful
orange glow. The dial is amazing and it truly pops and demands
attention. The hour markers have a beautiful silver backing which offer
a nice contrast to the dial. Day/date function is a nice carry over
from the original Mako as is the day pusher. I prefer the lower profile
of the pusher on the Mako XL. Screw down crown feels solid and the
black bezel has firm and secure action. The bracelet is a nice upgrade
from the original Mako in my opinion as I prefer a non-tapered
bracelet. The clasp is secure and of course both crown and clasp have
the nice Orient logo finish. The Mako XL is a big boy and has tons of
wrist presence.


I am proud to report that having had the watch now for 5 days it is
running +3 seconds. Simply remarkable. I have stopped being surprised
by this kind of performance as all of my Orients perform this way. It
is truly a testament to Orient as a company to provide such amazing
timepieces like the Mako XL for such affordable prices.


I wear all my Orients with pride. But, having been involved with the
naming of such a fine watch for such a wonderful company there will
always be a little extra glow about me when I click this one on my
wrist. Not everybody can say they named an entire line of watches!
Again, a special thank you to everyone at OrientwatchUSA for choosing my
submission.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us, Shad!

Check out these uncut videos made by Orient Automatic Watch USA.

The 1st video is an introduction to the brand…and an attempt at discussing a promotion.

The 2nd…well…we don’t want to ruin the surprise ending.

Please comment below to tell us what you think about these videos or you’d like to learn next about Orient automatic watches next!

What is the promotion?

“This will give you an idea of what a mechanical watch is……Okay….”

Is it the CEM7500, “New Mako” or “Hogrider?”

We need to reach a consensus on what the CEM7500 series should be called. That’s why this time around for the Name That Watch contest, the CEM7500 series is up for renaming by Orient fans.



If you’re unfamiliar with our Name That Watch contest, let’s catch you up.

Orient has been involving our fans in coming up with creative names for a number of Orient watch series. For each contest, we award the winner with a FREE watch from the renamed collection and use the winning name on Orient Watch’s official U.S. website.

Past winning names include the “Orient Metro,” “Orient Sky” and “Orient Classic.”

This time around, we’re looking for a creative name for the Orient CEM7500 series of automatic watches, which retails for $250.

Here’s what’s great about the CEM7500 series:

• In-house Orient 469 movement
• 200m water resistance
• Stainless steel case
• Unidirectional bezel
• 46mm diameter
• Excellent lume

Where did “CEM7500” come from?

All Orient watch models have a combination of letters and numbers in their name, which correspond with identifiable properties, such as the color of a watch. This system is also very helpful in identifying everything from the particular movement to the type of bracelet.

For example:



Sure, a name like “CFT00004B” helps explain a watch’s “DNA” (if you know the codes). But model names like these aren’t very approachable for the average person. In fact, even before our Name That Watch Contest, some Orient fans decided to ignore the model numbers all together and start using their own nicknames, such as the Orient “Mako.”

Contest Details

Now for the details on how to partake in the Name That Watch contest.

Here are the rules/details:

• Comment below to submit your suggested series name. No need to submit a name for each color.
• If the chosen name is submitted by multiple contestants, only the first commenter, based on timestamp, will win.
• Winner receives 1 Orient Watch pictured above.
• Hurry! Contest ends May 31, 2010.

Remember, if we choose your suggestion, your winning name will be used on Orient Watches’ official site in the U.S., and you will receive FREE WATCH from this collection!

Our latest Name That Watch Contest winner is Ken Winiecki. Ken suggested the name “Orient Classic” for the Orient CEV0900 series (pretty fitting, right?). We sent Ken his own Orient Classic, and he sent us a picture with his newest timepiece as well as a brief statement about his growing interest in Orient automatics.

“I admire Orient for its history, style, quality, and value. I always enjoyed looking at affordable watches and imagining what I’d end up with the next time I needed one. Until a year ago, I never thought it would be an automatic…I just assumed that quality automatics were too expensive. But then I started seeing a surprising number of affordable autos with eye-catching blends of classical and creative style elements, all by this one company with an unfamiliar name: “Orient”. Even the logo was intriguing. Further online research revealed how good a company it is, how esteemed its products are, and how well it regards its customers. So last year I bought one (an M-Force). It exceeded my expectations, and continues to do so.”
-Ken Winiecki

I’ve just arrived into Zurich (local time 7:15am.) My eyes are heavy, legs are weak, typical flight sores. I’m traveling directly by train to Olten, which is where my hotel destination. Zurich is quite an odd city. Today is about rest and relaxation before the big show.

I stumbled out of bed with great difficulty this morning. It’s 4am and I’m getting ready to go to the airport. To think that it’s noon in Switzerland is not an inviting feeling. It’s remarkable how much of a procrastinator I have becomes when sleep is involved. It’s like poker, but the chips are made of time and every nine minutes I’m reminded to ante up.

It now 7:20am and I’m now waiting to get on the plane. As the passengers slowly walk in single file down the narrow aisles, you notice the constant chit chat among strangers. Oh I can’t wait to be off this plane…

They showed the new star trek movie with the young Captain Kirk, which was absolutely brilliant. It’s been some time where I have enjoyed a movie. Right after the movie, I feel into a deep sleep, which really helped to get through the flight.

Will this ride end?

I can’t believe it’s already been one year since the last Basel show.

For those who are unfamiliar with Basel, it’s an industrial Swiss city close to the German border. The city holds an epic convention called BASELWORLD once a calendar year and receives the world’s attention. Walking through the convention is close to what I would assume how the U.N. would be, with constant chatter in multiple languages.

The deep array of brands represented is almost mind boggling and I constantly wonder, “How do they all stay in business?” The conclusion (with at least minimal sense) would be, “We’re all nuts for watches.”

BASELWORLD gives a unique perspective of the industry as a whole, and if anyone saw the absolute chaos that is BASELWORLD, you would share my sentiments.

This show signifies a new year, and it facilities a moment where you recap the past year and set forth your efforts for this year.

It’s game time!

It’s watch naming time again! If you’re unfamiliar with our Name That Watch contest, Orient has been involving our fans in coming up with creative names for a number of Orient watch series. For each contest, we award the winner with a free watch from the renamed collection and use the winning name on Orient Watch’s official U.S. website.

Let’s face it, a name like Orient CEV09002B doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, whereas past winning names like “Orient Metro” or “Orient Sky” are certainly more conversation friendly.

This time around, we’re looking for a creative name for the Orient CEV0900 series of automatic watches, which retails for $120, $150 or $160, depending on dial color and band type.

Here’s why we think this series is worthy of a cooler name:

Wide Calendar Function At the 6 o’clock position, the full name of the day is displayed prominently, which really sets this classic watch apart. The date of the month is elegantly displayed at the 3 o’clock position on the dial. This wide display is perfect for a quick glance, truly showcasing the practical simplicity of this design. Choices of dial colors include blue, black and classy checkered white.

Stainless Steel Case The watches in this series can last for generations thanks to the extremely durable stainless-steel case. Each watch in this series even has a water resistance up to 50m. Choose from either a stainless steel bracelet or a brown leather band.

Double Push Button Fold Over Clasp Never worry about a watch in this series slipping off your wrist unintentionally. To release the double push button fold over clasp, wearers must push on both sides of the clasp. This safety clasp ensures the genuine leather band or stainless steel bracelet stays put.

Where did “CEV0900” come from?

All Orient watch models have a combination of letters and numbers in their name, which correspond with identifiable properties, such as the color of a watch. Because all Orient movements are made in-house, this system is very helpful in identifying everything from the particular movement to the type of bracelet.

For example:

Sure, a name like “CFT00004B” helps explain a watch’s “DNA” (if you know the codes). But model names like these aren’t very approachable for the average person. In fact, even before our Name That Watch Contest, some Orient fans decided to ignore the model numbers all together and start using their own nicknames, such as the Orient “Mako”.

Contest Details

Now you can see why this collection of automatic watches deserves a new name.

Here are the rules/details:

• Comment below to submit your suggested series name. No need to submit a name for each color.
• If the chosen name is submitted by multiple contestants, only the first commenter, based on timestamp, will win.
• Winner receives 1 Orient Watch pictured above.
• Hurry! Contest ends February 28, 2010.

Remember, if we choose your suggestion, your winning name will be used on Orient Watches’ official site in the U.S., and you will receive FREE WATCH from this collection.

Dear Orient Fans,

We have heard your complaints far and wide about our slow customer service and we want to apologize. We have revamped our support to ensure timely responses. To show our dedication to all of our fans in the United States we have come up with a promotion to test our new customer service.

We have developed a watch hunt on our YouTube channel. During this watch hunt we will be giving away a free yellow Mako. Find the code in a YouTube video, checkout with it at Orient watch USA, and the Mako will be shipped to your door free of charge. In the meantime, you may stumble upon other amazing codes in our videos. These codes will only last until the yellow mako is claimed.

Some may be asking, what does this have to do with customer service? Well, each day you can send us an e-mail to hints@orientwatchusa.com to get the new clue for where the free yellow mako code is located. One hint will be handed out per day until the Mako is claimed.

Hurry, the hunt is on!