Affordable Men’s Automatic Watches by ORIENT Japan

Orient Watches: the best kept secret in the watch world?

February 5th, 2010 Posted in Orient News | 6 Comments | Comment and Win a Free Orient Watch Comment and Win a Free Orient Watch

Thanks to James Bond, Rolex is a household watch brand name. Rolex is no doubt an excellent watch company, but it’s also not the only watch company worth talking about.

A little bird once told me that Orient Watches are the best kept secret in the watch world. Of course, little birds don’t wear watches, so I wanted to see about Orient for myself.

Today we’ll look take a closer look at the Orient Watch Company:

• Orient Watch History
• Orient Automatic Watches
• Orient Watch Collections

Orient Watch History

The origins of Orient Watches date back to 1901 at a wholesale watch shop in Tokyo, Japan. Since then, Orient has made a lot of progress in the watch world.

Here’s a list of Orient highlights during the past 60 years:

1950
Tama Keiki Co. began producing wristwatches at a factory in Hino, Tokyo, Japan.

1951
Tama Keiki Co. changed name to Orient Watch Co., LTD. and released the “Orient Star.”

1962
First automatic watch, “Super Auto,” released.

1974
First digital watch, “Orient LCD Quartz,” released.

1983
The “Chandor” luxury watch was released for overseas market.

1996
Power Reserve indicator was re-developed and released.

2006
“Professional Diver” released

2008
Orient entered U.S. market

Orient Automatic Watches

Orient specializes in automatic watches.

What’s special about an automatic?

An automatic watch is automatically wound based on the movement of your wrist and arm.

This works because your wrist movement causes the rotor to pivot freely in the center of the watch movement. The rotor swings back and forth (like a pendulum), which winds the mainspring.

The mainspring provides the power in an automatic watch.

So, unlike quartz watches or other mechanical watches, in order to “re-charge” an automatic, you must wear it.

What’s special about an Orient Automatic?

Orient makes all of their movements in-house. These days, this is a rare quality because it’s cheaper to purchase outsourced movements, so many companies choose to go that route.

But Orient isn’t about being cheap; they’re about creating a long-lasting timepiece with a unique aesthetic to match.

Because of this, Orient is considered a luxury watch company with the ability to deliver solid watches at 1/3 of the price of comparable watch companies.

Orient Watches’ Europe recognition has added to the Swiss vs. Japanese debate, and sheds a new light on Orient Watches as the company moves into Swiss territory.

Orient Watch Collections

The three more popular Orient Watch collections include: Executive, OrientStar and Diver.

Executive
The Executive Collection offers a range of styles designed specifically for the business world.

For example, the CDH00001B is especially handy for travelers because it’s able to switch between two time zones of your choice.

Here are some other details to note on this watch:

• Sapphire Crystal
• 40-hr Power Reserve
• Skeleton caseback
• 50m water resistant
• Genuine leather band

Though it’s a little pricier than some of the other Executives, its special features make it worth every dollar to the right wearer.

OrientStar
The OrientStar collection dates back to the early days of Orient. The “Retro Future” designs are reminiscent of 4 industrial motifs from the 1950’s: automobile, airplane, car and manual camera. The designs also bring to mind Fritz Lang’s film, Metropolis.

We’ll take a closer look at the YFH02001B “Camera Concept” because it shows us the intricacies of tiny machines like the watch and the camera.

Here are the specs:

• 40-hr Power Reserve Indicator
• Skeleton caseback
• 100m water resistant
• Solid stainless steel band

The OrientStar collection captures both Orient’s history and watch history, in general, by including features and styles found on antique watches, and creating a contemporary time piece for today’s wearers.

Diver
Orient’s Diver collection includes 4 main models with varying features and water resistance.

For your reference, here’s a small list of what your watch can do in the water depending on its water resistance:

• 50m- swimming
• 100m- snorkeling
• 200m- diving without Helium
• 300m- deep-sea diving, oilfield drilling

The CEM75001B Diver, for example, is water resistant up to 200m.

Some other qualities of the CEM75001B include:

• 40-hr Power Reserve
• Stainless steel case and band
• Unique arrow watch hands

Other Divers include the ever-popular Orient Mako and the 300m water resistant CFD0C001M.

Don’t forget to check out these and Orient’s other watch collections, including the Urban, Racing and Ladies designs, to get a complete feel for Orient Watches.

Is Orient the best kept secret in the watch world? Comment Below.