The first edition of the Orient Star Diver 1964 was released
in 2021, to celebrate the brand's 70th anniversary and
commemorate Orient's first dive watch. A year later, the 2nd
edition was released, this time as a reissue of the brand's first
automatic diver (which was recently reviewed
here!) – and in 2023, a new version of this edition was announced,
this time in Titanium, and now officially named "M42 Diver 1964 2nd Edition
F6 Date 200m Titanium".
This year Orient marks the 75th anniversary of Orient Star,
and to mark this event they have announced a new edition of the 2021 reissue:
Reference RE-AU0503N (RK-AU0503N in Japan), featuring a dark grey gradient dial
instead of the first edition's black one, but identical otherwise.
Well, I may have missed reviewing the first run, but not going to miss
this one I got my hands on one of these new watches. Let's dive in!
How It Looks
When Orient does a re-issue, they do it properly. Sometimes, producing an almost indistinguishable copy of the original (as in the case of the World Map diver, for instance), and at other times, the new watch is more clearly
modernized, while maintaining key design elements of the original.
In this case, Orient took the latter approach; however, the inspiration is undeniable. Elements borrowed from the vintage piece include a steel bezel,
square markers, arrow-shaped hands, and the sharp lines of the lugs.
These elements indeed work well: I love a steel diver's bezel, despite
the popularity of ceramic bezels and colored bezel inserts, as I really think
it adds a tougher, more tool-like character to a watch. And this matches the
sharp lugs perfectly. Very different from the pretty-but-perhaps-too-tender
roundness of the standard Orient
Star Diver.
The dial looks good too – the gradient effect of the dial is quite
subtle, making it a fitting background to the markers and hands. And, you can't
go wrong with arrow hands, can you!
The standout modern elements here are mainly the Orient Star branding,
the power reserve, and some fine finishing typical of current Orient Star
production.
Interestingly, this watch does not shout "retro". This might
be down to the surprisingly timeless design of the original, or possibly the
certain sparkle of the Orient Star quality. It is, however, first and foremost,
a dive watch. No doubt about that. And, quite a handsome dive watch.
How It Wears
The 1964 Diver's dimensions are very close to those of the original. The
case width grew from 39.8mm to 40.2mm, or 41mm when measuring the bezel; lug to
lug it is longer at 49.6mm, around 2mm more than the original watch. Thickness
is a substantial, but not unusual, 14.5mm, which I believe is only about 1mm
more than the original.
These are fairly normal dimensions for a modern diver watch, making it
perfectly wearable for most wrists except for the real puny ones (which would
still be able to wear it, but it would probably look and feel too chunky).
The bracelet is a very solid five-link-style steel, 20mm at the lugs and
gently tapering to 18mm at the buckle. The buckle is a triple-folding type, which securely and confidently locks the watch onto the wrist. A folded hidden
link can be unfolded when the bracelet is open, serving as a useful diver's
extension.
Watch and bracelet combined, the wearing experience is comfortable and
the total weight of 179g is reasonable, noticeably lighter than, say, an
M-Force. It sits on the sweet spot between too light to be taken seriously and
too heavy for all-day wear.
How It Functions
First things first, crown action. Unscrewing is easy enough – screwing
the crown back into the locked position requires just a tad more precision and
pressure than what I would call optimal. The crown provides all the grip one
might need, tough. It is okay, but I remember it being smoother in the standard
Orient Star 200m Diver.
Once unscrewed, there are no surprises, and winding and setting the time
and date are as smooth as one may expect. The bezel is also grippy, turns
smoothly with just the right amount of force needed, and locks in place nicely.
The watch is powered by the familiar caliber F6N47, an in-house automatic movement commonly found in Orient Star divers. This movement holds 50 hours of power
reserve, and is specified for accuracy of +25 / -15 seconds per day.
The specimen I received for review did about +12 seconds per day, and
while worn kept a better pace equivalent to about +7 sec/day, both reasonable
and within specs.
With its sapphire crystal, screw-in crown and overall tightness, the M42
Diver's water resistance is rated as 200m, compliant with ISO standards for air
diving watches. All due respect to going retro, we wouldn't settle for the original's 40m rating nowadays...
Legibility is generally excellent, thanks to the large, clear markers
that contrast well against the dark dial. While it does not distract from the
clarity of reading time, I did feel the sapphire has was slightly more
reflective than the standard OS diver (which has a superbly effective
anti-reflective coating) – perhaps because the crystal here is curved.
Bottom Line
The Orient Star M42 Diver 1964 is a fine watch, boasting high quality,
good looks, and a vintage flair stemming from a real connection to the brand's
history. It works well as a daily wear, capable of taking a splash or a
scratch, with only a few minor imperfections.
I feel it is still worth comparing it to the Orient Star 200m Diver, as these are essentially comparable products in terms of mechanics, differing mainly in styling. The M42 is priced approximately 40% higher than the standard diver (compared to references equipped with the steel
bracelet). It does feature more refined finishing, and a noticeably higher
quality bracelet, and is more limited in production.
Bottom line, this is a very good watch from Orient Star. With the brand now
offering a number of divers, both the standard one and the 1964 reissues,
choosing the right one seems to be mostly a question of stylistic preference.
Despite being functionally similar, the M42 appears less like a "desk
diver" and more a real tool-watch, with its perceived toughness and the
bracelet in particular justifying the higher price tag.
The blog would like to thank Orient – Epson Europe for providing us
this watch for review.
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