Eastern Arabic Numerals on Orient Dials

In watch terminology, an “Arabic numeral dial” normally means a dial using familiar numbers such as 1, 2, 3, and 4, as opposed to Roman numerals or simple hour markers. However, this common description creates a certain irony: the numerals most watch collectors call Arabic are not necessarily the ones they would encounter on signs, documents, and clocks in much of the Arabic-speaking world.

The symbols ٠ ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩ are generally known in English as Eastern Arabic numerals or Arabic-Indic numerals. Their familiar Western equivalents are 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. Both belong to the broader Hindu-Arabic numeral system, which originated in India and was developed and transmitted through the Islamic world before reaching Europe.

The term “Eastern” is important because the numerals are not used uniformly across every Arabic-speaking country. They remain common in the Arabian Peninsula and the eastern Arab world, while Western numerals are widely used in parts of North Africa and are also frequently seen alongside Eastern numerals elsewhere. There is also a related Persian form, in which some of the characters differ slightly. A watch described simply as having an “Arabic dial” may therefore require a closer look at exactly which numeral style it uses.

On a watch dial, Eastern Arabic numerals offer more than a change of language. Their rounded and flowing forms give a familiar watch design a noticeably different character. Depending on the typeface, they can appear highly traditional, almost calligraphic, or surprisingly modern. Even collectors who do not read Arabic can usually learn to recognize them quickly, since their position around the dial provides an immediate reference.

Such dials are often associated with watches made for the Middle Eastern market. Rolex is probably the best-known historical example. The company produced watches with Arabic-language day and date displays and Eastern Arabic hour numerals for prominent customers and regional markets decades ago, particularly within the Day-Date collection. Modern Eastern Arabic numeral Rolex models have helped renew international collector interest in the style, although the idea itself is far older than the current fashion surrounding them.

Part of their appeal comes from rarity. In many cases, an Eastern Arabic dial was offered only through particular distributors, in certain countries, or as part of a small regional edition. This can turn an otherwise familiar watch into a much less common variation. At the same time, the numerals should not be treated merely as an exotic design theme. For many buyers, they are simply the natural local way of displaying numbers.

All this information comes to mind following a recent batch of Eastern-Arabic versions of the Bambino, which popped up on Orient USA website (but not on the international / Japanese site). I can only assume these are also available on certain local distributors in the Middle East.

The watches released include reference RA-AC0035E with a green dial and golden markers and hands, ref. RA-AC0036L with a blue dial, RA-AC0037R with a red dial, RA-AC0038S with a white dial and gold-colored markers and hands, and reference RA-AC0039Y with an ivory dial.

Mechanically, they are identical to standard 40.5mm Bambinos and use the same F6724 movement. Hence, the date wheel still features standard "western" numbers, which is not surprising, although it would have been nice if the dates were also printed using Eastern Arabic digits.

Older appearances of Eastern Arabic numerals on Orient dials are quite rare – ignoring, of course, various cheap re-dialed watches you can find online. However, a number of Tristar models with Arabic dials do exist, and interestingly, those watches, which feature a day-of-week disc as well, were sold with the days written in Arabic.

Eastern Arabic numeral dials have never been a major part of Orient's catalog, making releases like these all the more interesting. Together with the earlier Arabic Tristars, they show that while uncommon, the style is by no means new to the brand. Hopefully, this won't be the last time Orient revisits it – perhaps next time even extending the treatment to the date and day displays for a truly complete Arabic dial.

 

Photos were taken from various current and old Orient publications and sale ads.

 

"New Orient" and the First Orient Star

When discussing Orient's early history, two watches stand out. The first is the New Orient, introduced in 1950. The second is the Orient Star, introduced a year later. Together, these watches marked the beginning of the modern Orient Company and established themes that would remain visible throughout much of the brand's history.

Although the company that launched the New Orient was formed in 1950, its roots stretched back much further. Shogoro Yoshida opened a watch shop in Ueno in 1901, a bustling commercial district in eastern Tokyo, and gradually expanded into manufacturing. By the 1930s, production had moved to a factory in Hino, west of central Tokyo, where watches were produced under the Toyo Tokei name.

The war and the difficult years that followed eventually led to the closure of the company in 1949, but the Hino factory itself remained. In July 1950, production resumed under a newly established company called Tama Keiki.

The first watch produced by the new company was the New Orient. It was a simple hand-wound watch with a small seconds display, and by modern standards there was little about it that would attract much attention. Its importance lies elsewhere. The New Orient demonstrated that watch production at Hino could continue and that the newly formed company once again had a product to bring to market.

The watch appears to have been successful enough to influence the company's future direction. In 1951, Tama Keiki adopted the name Orient Watch Co., Ltd., effectively taking its identity from the watch that had relaunched the business. The same year also saw the introduction of the Orient Star, a model positioned above the New Orient and intended to represent the company's higher-end offering. More than seventy years later, Orient Star remains one of the few names from Orient's earliest years that is still in active use.

The movement story also appears relatively straightforward. The New Orient was based on a pre-war movement that allowed the newly restarted company to resume production quickly and efficiently. It therefore seems likely that the first Orient Star continued to use the same basic caliber, perhaps with minor refinements appropriate for a higher-end model.

During the following years, Orient gradually improved the movement before eventually unveiling the T-S caliber in 1955 – the first movement developed entirely by the new company. This period also coincided with the arrival of Tamotsu Aoki, a Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo and a leading figure in Japanese horology, whose influence likely helped shape the company's growing focus on technical quality and movement development. Rather than pursuing frequent redesigns, Orient appears to have focused on refining a proven foundation while rebuilding its business.

Collectors may notice that both the New Orient and the first Orient Star carried the word "Chronometer" on their dials. While impressive, the designation should be viewed in the context of its era. These were not certified chronometers by modern standards; however, in those early days, the term Chronometer itself was loosely defined, and was often used simply to indicate a premium watch. Later in the 1950s, the terminology became clearer and Orient would no longer use it.

The New Orient and the first Orient Star established two ideas that would remain visible throughout the decades that followed. The New Orient provided the foundation on which the company could rebuild, while the Orient Star established the concept of a premium offering sitting above the standard range. Both themes would reappear repeatedly in later collections, from Royal Orient to the modern Orient Star line.

 

Photos were taken from various old Orient publications and sale ads.

Collecting By The Book

A few years ago, I posted a story titled "How do you collect?" in which I wrote about different types of watch collectors. I described myself as seeking diversity and wearability – aiming to make my collection as varied as possible while retaining practicality, even in the older watches.

Since then, I found that another theme has emerged within the broader habit. I acquired the 1999 Orient Watch Catalog, an unofficial publication that provided information on many of Orient's models and movements from the 1950s – 1960s, a golden era of hidden vintage gems.

This became like a sticker album for me – except for seeking watches instead of football player cards. I was not an avid collector of cards and stickers as a child – I was fairly impatient and probably ditched most albums after a few days, with not much more than those few cards you'd usually buy with the album itself… So I guess I'm making up for it now! It is a known fact that any unsolved childhood issue costs much more to solve as a grown-up; still, watches cost less than therapy – at least Orient ones do!

Collecting by the book proved to be plenty of fun, but it is also a decent way of going through the brand's history. I said I was not specifically aiming to be a collector of "models by years" as some do, but it is nonetheless a valuable part of the hobby, and the technical and historical information included in the book contributes to another side of my interest in Orient: gathering knowledge, on top of collecting watches.

The special Royal Orient designs caught my attention early on – I wrote about some of those, and pretty soon set to acquire a few. The Polka-Dot came first, and was recently accompanied by the Zodiac-Dial. Yes, the Zodiac is not identical to the book version, but – it's close enough! No need to be nitpicking – always remember the intention is to enjoy your hobby, not make it an obsession.

In some cases, it turned out I already had the right piece in my collection. Such were the cool Crosshair-Dial Olympia Calendar, or the Map-Dial World Diver. It was still nice to see pictures of my watches pop up in the book. In a way, it was also quite reassuring; I always make every effort to verify the authenticity of what I'm buying, but seeing the same piece in a publication like this is an additional seal of approval.

Many models in the book are also shown with their case backs, which provide an additional level of authentication. It's not always the most important thing: sometimes a case-back is lost or cannot be fitted back in during servicing of old watches. So you might come across a watch that's mostly authentic but has a slightly different back cover. Not a deal-breaker if it's an inexpensive item. But of course, when you see that you do have the proper one, that is ideal!

Mind you, I'm not really advocating this specific book, and it's not the easiest to find online, but as a concept, I find it quite a nice and effective way to curate vintage watches. There are some other interesting books out there, though not much easier to find, such as the Orient 60th Anniversary Commemorative Book.      

Navigating my Orient purchases using this book did not change my main guidelines. I still make sure I'm getting wearable watches, in terms of style as well as their actual condition. And the diversity of models and designs over the years covered is great, providing plenty of options – and I'm still not done with it! I wonder what I should get next…

Is Orient Star the New Royal Orient?

Royal Orient used to sit at the top of Orient’s range. It wasn’t a mass-market line, but it wasn’t necessarily understated either. Vintage Royal Orients often leaned into distinctive design, sometimes quite bold, and later models even included solid gold executions such as the WE0011EG. It was, in many ways, a space where Orient allowed itself to be more expressive – both technically and aesthetically.

When the line was discontinued around 2017, it left a gap. At the time, it wasn’t clear whether that gap would be filled, or simply remain part of the brand’s past.

Looking at Orient Star today, the question naturally comes up: has that gap already been filled – just under a different name?

Over the past few years, Orient Star has expanded significantly upward. Where it once focused mainly on mid-range mechanical watches, it now includes pieces that reach into territory once occupied by Royal Orient. Models based on the F8 calibers, hand-wound skeletons, and more recent special dial executions are clearly positioned above the classic Orient Star offerings. Prices for these watches are no longer confined to the traditional sub-$1,000 range that defined much of the line in the past, and in some cases reach into the low-to-mid four figures.

To put that into perspective, modern Royal Orient models from the 2010s were typically priced in roughly the $2,000–$4,000 range, with some pieces going higher depending on materials, complexity, and rarity. Even today, secondary market listings for these watches often fall within that same range. Meanwhile, recent high-end Orient Star releases – such as the meteorite dial F8 model – are priced around $3,500 at launch, well within the same range.

So while exact comparisons are complicated by inflation and changing market conditions, the overlap is hard to ignore. In practical terms, Orient Star has reached the same price territory that Royal Orient once occupied.

At the same time, there remains a noticeable internal spread within Orient Star itself. Entry-level models still follow the familiar formula – reliable, very well executed, but largely industrial in production, often well below $1,000. Higher-end pieces, particularly those using F8 movements, show a different level of attention. This is visible not only in the technical side – silicon escape wheels, longer power reserves – but also in finishing, materials, and overall presentation. It’s not a separate line, but it does feel like a different tier within the same name.

This shift is also visible in the design direction. In the recent meteorite model reviewed on the blog, the watch did not feel out of place alongside significantly more established high-end Japanese names, both in finishing and overall presence. That may be one of the clearest signals of where Orient Star is heading – not just improving internally, but repositioning itself externally.

This raises an interesting point about positioning. Orient, unlike some other Japanese manufacturers, does not seem to aim for the very high-end segment – the five-figure territory associated with brands like Grand Seiko or Credor. That leaves a ceiling that is relatively well-defined. Within that ceiling, the space once occupied by Royal Orient still exists – but it is now being approached from below, through an evolving Orient Star rather than a distinct top-tier label.

So would it make sense to revive the Royal Orient name?

On one hand, it could help clarify the structure. A separate label at the top would make it easier to distinguish between entry-level Orient Star models and the more refined pieces. It would also reconnect the brand with a part of its own history that included both high finishing and more expressive design.

On the other hand, there’s a case for what Orient is already doing. By keeping everything under the Orient Star umbrella, the brand avoids fragmentation and builds equity in a single name. Over time, the higher-end models may simply redefine what “Orient Star” means, stretching it upward rather than splitting it.

In that sense, the question may not be whether Orient Star should become Royal Orient – but whether it already has, in practice if not in name. For now, the technical and design progression is clearly there. The identity, perhaps, is still catching up. And those of us dreaming of a new Royal Orient will probably have to keep dreaming...