Top 10 Orient Watches to Buy in 2022

Foreword

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction:Orient, a true connoisseurs choice
2. 10 Orient models for 2022 that are worth a look.
3. A brief overview of the Orient watches under discussion
4.  Conclusion: At the end of it all
5.  About Orient
6.  F.A.Q.: Know your Orient better.

This might sound judgmental to a great number to many-a people. Still, a lot of truth remains hidden into it.

The luxury industry is driven more by an unhealthy desire for displaying status arising from an inability to admire the intellect, creativity and skill that goes into the creation of luxury products. It also exhibits an inability to maintain status while being frugal, which at best, is a lack of worldly knowledge.

At the very roots, it is sheer diffidence resulting from a lack of proper knowledge; followed by a lack of drive to acquire the same that stays responsible. Because, only proper knowledge lets you know if something is truly worth your pride.

You do not need to spend a million dollars for the perfect outfit; the perfect car or in that case – the perfect watch. Because, the criteria for being ‘perfect’ always depends upon the situation/circumstance and purpose; while a sidearm is perfect for close quarter combats, it’s not so for long range shooting. Else, sniper rifles wouldn’t have existed.

Questions might arise – “With so many people wearing big-tag luxury watches all over the world, should we take everyone wearing them suffers from a frightening lack of self-confidence?” Nay, not so; however, you can’t deny that only a small fraction of the wearers are aware of the engineering marvel and the real value it represents. Rest just go by the names and feel accomplished endorsing a big name. That’s the bitter truth. Else, you wouldn’t find Bill Gates wearing a Casio Quartz Diver or Jack Dorsey embracing an Apple smart watch. No one is telling that there’s no Audemars Piguet or a Patek Philippe lurking in their closet, but they are not into showing them off every minute of every single passing day. If situation demands, you’ll find them sporting luxurious brands on their wrists with the luxurious clothing on their respective bodies; they are men of taste and certainly not going to sport a dirt-cheap quartz watch with expensive bespoke suits and footwear. The goal is about maintaining parity; an equilibrium, so that nothing seems to be out of place.

I. Introduction: Orient, a true connoisseurs choice

Staunch watch connoisseurs consider a true watch manufacturer is who:

• Builds their watches entirely in house; everything from the minutest component of the movement to the lume is built within their own facility.
• Assemble their watches within the same facility.
• Can maintain strict standards without relying on the certifications by different governing bodies like COSC and ISO.

The sad part is, there are not too many of them who comply with the above guidelines.

“Then, these are the watches that cost an arm and a leg!”- You must be thinking. To prove you wrong, we bring you Orient. A subsidiary of Seiko Epson, Orient watches stand apart from the rest in their price category; they cost way lower than many of the so called prestigious watches that incorporate components built by others but excel them by many times in terms of exclusivity, design and performance.

2. 10 Orient models for 2022 that are worth a look.

A brief overview of the Orient watches under discussion

1. Orient Star Automatic Diver’s for Men: A cool watch with a damn good value, it is bound to make a lot of the enthusiasts happy. A slight antique touch is a part of its charm. But before that, here’s a little bit about Orient Star.

The Orient Star line-up is a more premium collection of timepieces from Orient. This line-up formerly comprised only dress watches; now, it has embraced Diver and Sports designs for which, this Star Automatic Diver stands as a bright example.

The Orient Star watches exhibit modest but appreciable little extra touches that put them into a class that not only enthusiasts can easily enjoy but also turns it into something more eye-pleasing – even within the Star line-up. It is genuinely handsome and distinctive. The prominent, bold hour markers and partially skeletonised hands not just add a lot of character to the cyan/blue watch-face but also excellent legibility, both for well-lit and low-light conditions. The AR-coated Sapphire crystal also contributes greatly to it.

The 46mm/14mm case is quite a hefty one; a solid slab of metal that gives you the confidence for standing against every form of environmental adversities and showcases the retro-tool-watch vibe very well.  is present from its mostly brushed stainless steel case is water-resistant to 200 meters and has an AR-coated flat sapphire crystal over the dial. The unidirectional rotating bezel sits tall on the watch-face; its serrated edge ensures a firm grip even when your hands are wet or oily.

The Orient Cal. F6N43 is one of the best mechanical, automatic movements currently produced by Orient. With a 50 hours power reserve and an accuracy of +10 seconds a day to +15 seconds a day, which can be further regulated towards tighter tolerances.

How comfortable is it to wear? Well, the lug-width answers that. It’s surprising how they make a watch of this size sit so well on the wrist; doesn’t matter if it’s a 6-inch wrist or an 8-inch one.

2. Orient Star Automatic for Men: This one is a contemporary piece exhibiting the expertise of Orient as a watch brand when it comes to delivering quality and craftsmanship. The Star collection is what you can also call Uber-Orients and is definitely the Star of the Orient repertoire. The Orient Star Automatic for Men follows the rules and fall in with the rest of the Stars

It is a watch that’s perfect for any elegant outfit. The case, movement and finishing receive equal treatment; the sapphire glass receives an anti-reflective coat and the leather for the strap is fine and rich. The movement is an Orient in-house calibre; the cal. F6F44 that hacks, also accepts manual winding and shows you how long till the power runs dry. You see that at 12 on the dial.

At 6 and 9 are the, small seconds-hand and the ‘open heart‘ respectively. The  opening on the beautiful deep blue dial is adorned with a shining, 3D ring. This displays the oscillating balance wheel; the beat.  The movement gets 8 to 10 more hours on the clock than usual power reserves (40-42 hours). The transparent back provides a larger view of the movement. Incredible, stunning!

3. Orient Classic Quartz ‘Sun & Moon’For Women: Unbiased opinions about whether you should at all buy a moon phase watch are not very rare to come across. However, logic aside, a moon phase is a most wonderful complication that you can wear socially, without appearing ostentate or appalling to a sober crowd.

The Orient Sun and Moon quartz gives you the look and feel of an expensive automatic moon phase without the hefty price tag. However, this is not a moon phase watch in its real sense; the Sun & Moon indicates the diurnal cycle. It’s an AM/PM indicator represented by the Sun during daytime and by the moon at night.

Every part of the Sun and Moon is intentional and thought out by a creative genius. It has loads of small, fine details that reveal one by one, over time, for your enhanced visual pleasure.

The women’s Sun & Moon comes with a top-of-the-line scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, slightly domed, which adds both to the watch’s aesthetic value and visual clarity. The Quartz calibre displays day, date and AM/PM apart from time in a way that accentuates the fusion of old and new without the two conflicting in their individual concepts.

4.Orient Star Avant-Garde Open Heart Automatic: This new Modern Skeleton from Orient is a sophisticated and refined watch that can go anywhere between the Polo ground and the poolside party after you are done with your work for the day. Particularly suited for business environments on Fridays and business meets at the clubs and golf courts, this ORIENT STAR is a stark contrast to the image of the Star we are usually accustomed to. A part of Orient’s Contemporary Collection, it blends mechanical appeal with a simple, contemporary design. The large window at the 9 o’clock position shows the oscillation of the balance wheel while at 12 you’ll find the Power Reserve The small seconds will be ticking away at 6 while the partly open-work dial shall keep revealing glimpses of the in-house movement at work.

The brushed and mirror finishes on the hands offer improved visibility during daytime while the lume takes care of visibility at night. It lasts pretty long in the dark following a few hours of exposure in normal daylight.

The case exhibits Sallaz polishing, which gives it a crisp, bright finish. This further enhances the fine details, imparting them a sharp appearance. It applies for the lugs and the bracelet as well. Powered by the in-house automatic calibre F6F44, this watch has a 50-hour power reserve and offers stable precision and reliability even when you are underneath 100m of water.

5. Orient Triton Diver’s Automatic: The Triton is one of the best diving watches in the affordable category. Its clean and simple aesthetics are the typical Orient’s signature of a high build quality translating into ultimate trustworthiness.

The Triton houses a movement that’s incredibly far above what one might expect at this price rang. It has a modern, completely contemporary design but doesn’t break the traditional parameters of classic dive watches.

The high-quality sapphire glass further adds to its robustness and imparts the watch a high value. The in-house, mechanical movement is built for the long run and an accuracy that competes with the most well-known Swiss stock movements.

6. Orient World Map Revival Diver’s Automatic: A part of Orient’s Revival Collection, the World Map Revival Diver commemorates the brand’s 70th Anniversary. The Orient World Map Revival watch is built in a manner that its every element becomes usable and functional without making its artistic expressions suffer.

Its details are crisp, precise and pleasant to look at; to say the least. Considering the price point, you can’t expect this quality to reflect from any other watch – even from Orient’s parent concern, the Seiko. Its deep dial and well-proportioned elements are a plus; they sit really well together. Besides, this is a watch that shows time in a true, 24-hour format. You do not need to calculate mentally what you see on the dial and convert it to military time; it’s all open in front of your eyes.

It’s not a small watch, mind it. It might seem daunting to wrists smaller than 7inches in circumference. Anything above that will find pleasure in the World Map Revival Diver. Its weight is reasonably distributed, allowing you to wear it as tight or as loose as you’d like. However, there were only 1200 pieces of the World Map Revival Diver released and this could be the very last one that we are featuring here.

For a more detailed account on the World Map Revival Diver, click here.

7. Orient Automatic Open Heart: An open-heart design is not for everyone and certainly, it’s not to be worn at just any place. The next best visuals to that of a tourbillon’s; most skip this category simply because they are unsure about when and where to wear it. The advantage here is: The Bambino isn’t confined by any didactic dressing tactic.

That’s correct, the Orient Open Heart Automatic is actually the Bambino Knight – an enjoyable, simple dress watch under any circumstance; even moderate outdoors. It makes a fun addition to a dress watch collection; it is your dress watch for extensive, everyday use. Whether it’s the style, finishing or the in-house F6T22 calibre, the Bambino Knight received very high levels of attention for its every component.

The Roman numerals and Breguet-styled hands impart it an old-clock feel which gels with strict work environments as much as with laid-back environments of the leisurely hours.

The watch can run for 40-42 hours on a fully wound mainspring, which means, you can rest it a day and a half at a stretch whenever you feel like. The display case back reveals further the intricate interiors set within the 40.5mm x 12mm case.

The classic domed dial also bends the mineral crystal, bringing a retro/vintage look together with an onion-crown..

The Caliber F6T22 was specifically designed to go into the open-heart watches by Orient; most of them. Hand-winding relieves you from keeping in touch with your other watches and hacking lets you set time with utmost accuracy. The movement is pretty highly decorated, polished – as Orient calls it – and sits safe in the case unless you go kayaking in the Amazon. Ideally, you should restrict yourself to occasional quick dips in still waters.

8. Orient M-Force AC0L 70th Anniversary Automatic Diver: This is a third generation, ISO-standard M-Force for divers’; moreover, a limited-edition that commemorates ORIENT’s 70th anniversary.

The new M-FORCE retains the features of its predecessors while bringing in new, industrial design trends. This further toughens the new M-Force ACOL case; its protection shield guards the screw-down crown (from front and sides), the bezel (from front) and the case (front) from tremendous external pressures and shocks. The bracelet is superior in the way it bends, offering an overall greater wrist comfort. The sapphire crystal with ARC offers remarkable clarity of vision.

It’s a distinctively tough and functional watch that catapulted and captured the hearts of every adventure-lover. ISO-rated to 200m, this one is limited to just 1,600 pieces and only a few remain to be picked.

9. Orient Star Classic Automatic Power Reserve: Cool vintage inspired looks meets a dynamic dial! This one is not just a quality, refined, dress automatic; there’s a lot more to that. It’s built completely in-house; from the crown to the glass and the movement.

The watch features a power reserve indicator apart from the date function and brings the twist to the Bambino, which certainly doesn’t have the power reserve indication going on the dial. The complication covers up the extra gap on the dial and opens up prospects for them who avoided dress watches only for the reason that they’re too simple on the face. The crown is elegant with an S etched on its top and its shape is somewhat atypical; fairly flat, wide and stepped. It offers a sturdier feel while operating and that feel is addictive.

Perhaps the most standout feature of the watch is a heavy, curved/domed mineral crystal, which is rare unlike domed sapphires.

10.Orient Classic Bambino Automatic: It’s a surprise how Orient manages to make watches that exude the classic European style the way it should be and still manages to keep the prices at levels ludicrously low!   An even mix of traditional, classic and vintage, Its looks are authentic and back the fact up that it indeed holds true value. They are well-crafted dress watches; wonderful presentation pieces at super affordable prices. The watch goes beyond its small-seconds, though it is the prime thing you notice and brings the watch its very formal look.

Downplayed with traditional styling, the Classic Bambino small-seconds go with just about any dress/casual ensemble when mounted on a leather strap but put it on canvas or a NATO strap; it’s ready for a casual day outdoors.

A look at the in-house movement will reveal an in-house calibre F6222; offering both manual and automatic winding facilities and a hacking-seconds feature. Flip it over and get a view of the rotor and a few more areas of the movement.

Flip this watch over and you get a gander at the inner workings through an exhibition caseback. It may lack the grandeur of watches that really seek to put on shows with their exhibition cases. But the Small Seconds does dress things up a bit with embossments on the automatic rotor.

Conclusion: At the end of it all

Shelling out lots of cash for a good dress watch is necessary – and a lot many people back off for that – till you come across this one brand, Orient.

Perhaps we could end the discussion right after it but there remains something more to be told. But that wouldn’t be fair considering the purist and simultaneously elegant designs they offer, testifying to the fact that exclusive mechanical timepieces are crafted not just in Europe.

Do not spend a lot of money on a fine dress watch to wear everyday unless you really want five figures (or more) hanging down your wrist. Such a watch will lose value considerably upon frequent use. The Orient watches – irrespective of dress or divers – bring you an exquisite look without affecting your pecuniary status negatively.

Interesting and entertaining as it might be, our idea of top ten Orient watches is not about forcing one to be selective about only these ones but something one might get a head start with and think ahead a bit more carefully about what you would leave out. Or, include from the remaining of the Orient lot. There are always more than these 10 possibilities, but these 10 are strong candidates.

About Orient

A subsidiary of Seiko Epson, Orient is a strong value-based brand of modern wrist wear crafted the traditional ways. Their most well-known references stretch from the ’70s till date; some of their complications like multi-year calendar functions finds us awestruck at the prices for which they are offered.

Orient watches have stayed true to mechanical watch making though as experiments, they have had released a few quartz models in the not-so-distant past.

Orient’s current popularity resulted from their upsurge in year 2000. This time onwards, they started incorporating classic shapes and mechanical calibres in a varied range of styles; ranging from dress to pilot to field to divers’.

A strong value alternative to big-tag brands, their calling-card is an excellent and entirely in-house build!

F.A.Q – Know your Orient better