New Model Announcement: Orient Star Avant-Garde Skeleton

It's been a while since Orient presented a new skeleton model – not semi-skeleton or open-heart, but a full skeleton design. Well – the wait is over!

Actually, it's only almost over, as the new model announced today by Orient is not truly a full skeleton dial and movement like the old "DX" line was. The new "Avant-Garde Skeleton" shows more watch intestines than most semi-skeletons, but leaves enough dial to keep the watch more legible, and also look more robust, and less delicate than the previous model.

So what are we talking about here? Let's take a quick look.

It's a new line of sporty looking watches, five references at the moment. The case is 43.2mm wide, 49.2mm lug to lug, and 13.7mm thick. Front crystal is sapphire, while the back is mineral. The models differ in dial, case and bezel colors:

RK-AV0A01B (also RE-AV0A01B) is stainless steel with black bezel and crown, and the dial is black with silver-tone elements. It comes on a steel bracelet.

RK-AV0A02S (also RE-AV0A02S) is stainless steel, bezel and crown, and the dial is mostly silver-tone with only a little black elements. This one also comes on a steel bracelet.

RK-AV0A03B (also RE-AV0A03B) is all an black case, bezel and crown. The dial too is mostly black with some dark red elements. It comes on a black leather strap with red lining.

RK-AV0A04B (also RE-AV0A04B) is bronze-plated case and crown, with a black bezel. Its dial is black with a kind of yellowish, or mustard-color elements. Its strap too is black with the same yellowish stitching.

RK-AV0A05B is the limited prestige shop edition. The case and bezel and dial are mostly black, but are accentuated by the gold tone of the crown, bezel screws, and various dial elements.

Another unique element of the limited edition is found on the bezel, which has been drilled to look like a sportscar's brake disc. 

Inside the Avant-Garde Skeleton runs Orient's automatic, hand-winding and hacking caliber F6F44, featuring 50 hours of power reserve, and presenting small seconds and a power reserve indicator (but no date).

The watches further feature a screw-in crown, and 10bar (100 meters) water resistance. Prices are between 950 – 1,150 USD, so even in this perspective, they are positioned somewhere between Orient's semi- and full-skeleton.

A very interesting announcement then. These are not cheap watches but they don't look cheap either, as their design is elaborate and construction appears robust and quite impressive. We hope to see these in the flesh, soon!