Orient Star Is Turning 75 And It’s Releasing Several Great Watches
As you dive deeper into the world of mechanical watches, you’ll start hearing about this cult Japanese brand. Its history began in 1950 just after the end of World War II. That year, Orient Watch Company, Limited was founded. At this point in the story, the watch enthusiasts reading this story will probably be nodding their heads. The brand has become a fan favourite for several models, including the dressy Orient Bambino and the sporty Orient Mako. The story continues a year after its founding in 1951 when it launched the Orient Star brand. The aim was to craft mechanical wonders worthy of being called ‘shining stars’.
What made Orient and Orient Star particularly compelling was its commitment to substance over marketing. The watchmaker produced exceptionally crafted timepieces whilst remarkably manufacturing their movements entirely in-house—a rarity when most competitors at accessible tiers rely on modified ETA or Miyota calibres. Orient’s ability to engineer such precision established them as darlings of the enthusiast community, but it also proved they were capable of far more ambitious work.
Even till today, the brand’s commitment to in-house movements and precision remained steadfast. But the watches within Orient Star offered hand-assembly and superior finishing, including perlage, Côtes de Genève-style striping, and bevelled edges.
To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Orient Star has released several models, but we’ll take a closer look at the two that have caught our eye.
M34 F8 Skeleton Hand Winding Model
Skeletonised watches represent the watchmaker at their best. Everything is presented with no room for error. A misplaced jewel or any unfinished flange, especially in today’s internet age, would be the death knell for a luxury watch brand. So, Orient Star’s latest M34 F8 Skeleton Hand Winding model is the brand at its best.
The Perseid meteor shower, usually visible in mid-July every year, inspired the dial’s design. It begins with the ring-shaped open-worked dial, which features a new black and grey gradation with matte finish—evoking the darkness of the night sky. The black-plated stainless-steel case and metal bracelet complete the look.
With the dial acting as the canvas, Orient Star has finished its hand-wound calibre F8B65 with a meteorite-like finish and crystalline pattern similar to those shooting stars streaking across the sky. The details matter, and the watchmaker tapped on an advanced laser processing technology to create the stunning effect.
As for the movement, it’s assembled in the Akita Watch Studio, a notable Japanese watchmaking spot. This particular calibre has a power reserve of 70 hours and offers great accuracy of +15 to -5 seconds per day, comparable to many other heavily regarded watchmakers.
In typical Japanese fashion, the craftsmanship continues to the back. Turn the watch over and the transparent sapphire crystal caseback offers another view of the movement. Just like the front, the watchmaker has finished it with the same crystalline pattern. It’s a remarkable sight and is the perfect conversation starter during dinner.
Any other watchmaker would have stopped there. Orient Star took it a step further, turning the visible silicon escape wheel into a shade of blue reminiscent of the Milky Way. The balance bridge also takes inspiration from space with two characteristic tails resembling one of the Perseid comets.
The M34 F8 Skeleton Hand Winding Model is sized at a contemporary 39mm, perfect for most wrists, and is limited to 430 pieces.
M42 Diver 1964 1st Edition F6 Date 200m Model
After venturing into space, Orient Star sinks into the deep blue with a vintage re-edition of the 1964 Olympia Calendar Diver timepiece. The original is a handsome timepiece with several diving features, including a unidirectional rotating bezel.
For its 75th anniversary, the brand revisits its popular timepiece with a fresh limited-edition blue-grey gradation dial inspired by “the night sky and deep sea”. It reminds one of a night out in the ocean, as the waves gently bob your boat before you dive into the waters with your mask on and tank on your back.
As you sink deeper into the ocean, the light from the moon and stars dissipate, replaced with a calming black—just like the outer dial track of this watch. Once you’ve finished making friends with the aquatic life, you ascend to the surface, where the water becomes a lighter blue, similar to the centre of this watch’s dial. Orient Star has kept several design details from the original, including the unique arrow-shaped hand, three-dimensionally cut indices, stainless steel rotating bezel, case shape with sharp-edged lugs, and no crown guard.
Modern features include a screw-down crown, a screwed caseback, and a water resistance of 200 metres that’s compliant with today’s scuba diving standards. The hands and indices are also coated with luminous light for visibility in the dark.
At 12 o’clock, Orient Star placed a visible power reserve. Rarely found on diver’s watches, it provides a much-welcomed design balance to the Orient Star logo and watch’s name printed on the bottom half of the dial.
The 41mm watch is powered by the in-house F6N47 calibre, which offers a solid 50-hour power reserve and accuracy of +25 to -15 seconds per day. For this limited edition (700 pieces) model, Orient Star has paired it with a stainless-steel triple fold deployant buckle with two nifty features, a security latch and diver’s extension.
Discover more about this Japanese watchmaker through the links below.
75th Anniversary | Orient Star | Orient, a brand of mechanical watches
Note:
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.