The Keeper of the Seven keys that lock up the seven seas , upon cursing the three monster, he named them as MAKO (Shark) ECOZILLA (Godzilla) and ORCA (Whale)….and finally he entrusted all three time keeper to a king….an evil faceless king….whose heart full of lust on getting new watches…
So the king is me…..
so the story is all about me getting three new watch…The first one is Citizen ECOZILLA, the other one is Citizen ORCA both on the same day and within split minute. Last but not least an Orient MAKO the next day….Yeah I am that sick….there is no cure…and I am flat broke this month…thank you to my good looking wrist….
I think I don’t have to write technical review on all the three watches…you can read it in thousands of reviews available online…what I am going to write would be my own personal view and experience on the watch. Also pardon me for this time around, I don’t have camera with me.No actually I do have camera but I lost the charger….so yes, I don’t have camera….suck….
So with mostly text and some picture using my old iPhone…the following shall be my views on the three acquired.
CITIZEN ORCA
In all honesty, ORCA was not part of my plan. The original plan was either getting the ECOZILLA , or the G-Shock G1200 and the decision was almost final that I should get myself the G1200…However, unfortunately the model ran out of stock in most places, and the only one I come across with selling at price that I am not willing to pay. I just think that it is ridiculous to sell something beyond acceptable price when it run out of stock…well I do understand demand and supply situation, but hey….I don’t mind people taking profit but there should be some limit to it, and I won’t be part of society who enable such crime
Now, that leaves me to ECOZILLA…actually while looking for G1200 I visited 20 shopping mall around Klang Valley, I lost count numbers of watch shop I visited, and I only come across once with the borther of ECOZILLA, the Autozilla…And it sells at freaking 6.5k…Again I find it ridiculous…I wouldn’t mind paying 6k for something else, but not for autozilla for sure when I know the actual price….
So finally, I made up my mind and ready to purchase the BNIB ECOZILLA, but in the same time I come across of an advert selling pre owned ORCA at quite a reasonable price. The best part, the owner (ex owner by now) hardly give a wrist time on the ORCA for whatever reason….and I also notice, ORCA is rather rare in Malaysia, and also hard to get elsewhere. At the very least last checked, on Malaysian ebay there is no ORCA available and I found one advert on mudah selling preowned ORCA as well.In that sense ECOZILLA is easier to find than ORCA. I don’t know why.
So I sweet talk my other half, get her to agreed and make the decision. Stretch my wallet and one and half minute after I ordered and paid my ECOZILLA, I ordered and paid the ORCA. And due to distance, the ORCA comes first.
I was all excited about having the ORCA. I am half expecting that it would arrive on Monday morning and indeed it arrived on that Monday morning. Upon getting the package, I couldn’t control myself and rip the package, take out the box, take out the watch on my wrist, and put on the ORCA… but……………………………………………………………………………………………
I don’t feel right…that was the immediate reaction…immediately I took out a ruler and measure it….yes, the size is correct…it is indeed huge and thick….but it looked small…and on that day, the other watch I am wearing (prior arrival of ORCA) is a monstrous 51mm so the transition doesn’t really help…The ORCA, despite the huge size looked really really small and that create a bit of frustration. Now, a lot of you would say no way an ORCA could be small, but I am this guy who has the smallest watch at 44mm, and nothing less. I don’t do small watches. And I don’t work well with small looking watches.
Then I start too worried, how about the ECOZILLA I ordered, could it look as small
?
But I don’t give up on the watch there and then, I went to my other half and told her the situation, and I told her, that I would give the watch a fair wrist time first and see how I feel along the way….
The ORCA like its other sibling, made of titanium, which help in ensuring the watch feel light despite the big size (yet the small look) so that couple, with light rubber strap and “small look” add in to the impression that I am wearing a small watch. And my other half immediate comment after years seeing me with big face watches….she said…”ey…comelnyer…I like” I get her to put it on, but end up she saying it is also too big for her…So no, I can’t surrender the watch to her…
So I put it on, and study the build closely. And finally I understood the equations. The small look of the watch is highly contributed by the bezel design. Don’t get me wrong, it has one of the finest bezel design, with unique bulging contour that in a way protect the glass…, uni directional rotation and huge seconds marking, with texture on the side in which really help to give you a good grip to rotate it with 60 clicks of full rotation. But all in all it make up the size, where else the black dial is actually small. The dial located quite deep inside, with convex hardened mineral with anti reflective glass covering it. The dial is in black.Date at typical 3 o’clock. Hours mark with unique design (mimicking the body pattern of killer whale), and painted with luminous paint. On the dial, hour and second hands are painted white with generous coating of luminous paint, where else the minute hands is in orange with obvious lume part. The screw down crown at 3 o’clock is also another tiny bugger…seriously tiny…it is so difficult for me to change the date….All those create a very funky look and may not be the exact cup of tea for many…but I kindda like it….
I read reviews from all over the place, and among others they give good praise for the brightness of the lume….yes it look good but I beg to differ on being great, after reading all those comment I am rather frustrated. Yes, it glows in the dark, and highly visible…but it is not that super bright. It looks good and visible because a lot of area are being painted with the lume materials, but they are not using the bets materials there is. Surprisingly, my superlume GETAT PAM homage is much brighter than the ORCA, in which I am rather disspointed.All the read come to high expectation and pooom….
But don’t get me wrong, it is indeed good enough comparing to most watches. It is bright and readable and to make things better, they even put a small dot lume materials at 12 o’clock of the bezel. That would greatly help on when you use the bezel to measure elapsed time during your dive. Because you definitely would want to dive with this baby. Though, I have yet test how long would the lume last….
The ORCA is rated as divers watch at and able to withstand up to 200m…however it is not ISO certified like its big nephew, the ECOZILLA (correct me if I am wrong) . Also it has no anti magnetic thingy like the nephew… ?
At the back, information and branding is laser engraved, which look good, but not as good as ECOZILLA. Being a new diver watch ( I consider it is new as it is 95% new), like the ECOZILLA I don’t dare to open the case back to have a peek at the movement. But it is well known, both ORCA and ECOZILLA powered by Citizen Eco Drive movement that feed on lights…any kind of lights and fully charged…you be good to stay in total darkness for 180 days….Like that going to happen…It also has some cool out of power mode, where it could beat slower, and catch up the time upon fully restoring its power….that is wicked….
The rubber strap is integrated on the watch, and rather soft. The strap also rather long, so they don’t come with extension however I wish it has better width….it look to thin for me….and sucker…since it is integrated, and there is broad and thick shoulder as lugs…I doubt you can change the strap unless you custom made the strap..Unlike ECOZILLA, since it is integrated without existence of any shoulders, custom made extension lugs from SUPPA or WALTER could help you getting 24mm great strap on it….Not the case for ORCA I guess…. Buckle made from matching titanium as the case, with obvious PROMASTER branding engraved on it…
I have yet test the accuracy, and I have yet test the accuracy of the ECOZILLA and my any other watch…I guess it is not my thing…However something kill me…no, actually it is more like something errk me…annoyed me…the second hand doesn’t align with the second marking….same situation happen with ECOZILLA…, I mean WTF citizen…luckily I am meeting my sifu soon and he is ready to help…
All in , despite all the negativity, I start to find connection with the watch after a good writs time..I start to enjoy the non existence feel on my wrist…it is huge, but look small, it is thick but very light….so I get it…I found the chemistry and I am keeping it…
I rate the watch 7 out of 10, I would have rate it 6.5 but the extra mark come from the new found chemistry….in a way I don’t know how to explain, it feels right on me…it feels right when I put on casual shirt, it feels right owning an ECOZILLA and ORCA…it feel light to be environmentalist and consume the light energy…it feel…ok I am seriously keeping it….
(sorry to have to continue to part (B) as the forum only allowed 20000 characters
