1976: When Orient Went Digital

1976 was an interesting year for Orient. It was a year when the brand's catalog exploded with digital innovation. So this post will diverge from the blog's usual penchant for the mechanical and the analog, and we'll look at some numbers that instead of being painted on a metal dial, are composed of seven segments.

That fateful year (just kidding, it wasn't really fateful, just technologically good) Orient introduced two models of particular interest, one a world's first – and the other a Japan first.

The world's first was the Touchtron – the first touch-operated digital watch, developed jointly with Sharp Corporation of Japan. The touchtron's display would turn on to show the time when touched, and then display the date when touched again. Normal buttons were used to set the time.

Orient presented a number of models, ranging in price from JPY 34,000 to 38,000. They were technically the same, only differing in size and construction. For comparison, Seiko's King Quartz would cost JPY 58,000 that same year, as would Casio's "Casiotron" – the first digital watch with an automatic calendar.

The first models introduced were ref. 680101, shown above, ref. 680102 – shown below, and 680103 beneath it. More models emerged later on.

Novelty aside, it appeared that owners complained about the watch lighting up inadvertently, as the touch sensors were, indeed, sensitive to touch. So not long after Orient introduced the "Touchtron II", where the touch display was replaced by a button below the LCD screen.

The other novelty presented in 1976 was a solar-powered LED watch – the first in Japan, and fairly novel globally as well. It should be mentioned that round about the same time, Citizen presented the Crystron, which was the first solar analog watch.

As you can tell from the ad above, Orient were quite proud of their digital quartz watches; so much so that they started selling the "quartz meter" – a device designed for timing and testing other quartz watches.

It's worth noting Orient also produced "normal" digital watches at the time, like this oh-so-seventies piece below, adorned in the brand's signature "Jaguar Focus" color scheme.

It's also interesting to see that LCD watches equipped with a internal lighting, to enable night-time viewing, were also priced at around JPY 38,000 – similar to the Touchtron. So, the true novelty was valued similarly to a standard LED light… Apparently, even back then Orient would price their watches almost too modestly.

Luckily the Touch and Solar watches had LED displays, that shone in red and did not require additional lighting, or their price might have risen close to a whopping JPY 50,000…

 

Pictures that appear in this post were taken from old Orient catalogs and sale ads.

 

New Diver and Classic Models From Orient

Last week Orient presented its first new Orient Star models of 2023, and today – it is announcing this year's first new non-Star models: a diver style watch (a.k.a Mako II), and a kind of Bambino with added sub-dials. Thankfully, Orient aren't playing the "limited edition game" and all the new versions are colors will be available in regular production.

 

"Classic and Simple"

Classic and Simple is the tagline Orient has attached to its line of dressy watches like the Bambino. The new model might be more Classic and Complicated, though, with the addition of two sub-dials, one for the week day, and another displaying the 24-hour time. The date window remains in its classic 3-o'clock position.

All these goodies are combined with a dial similar to the Bambino V2, with its roman numerals and thin hands, and placed inside a classic Bambino case measuring 40.5mm wide, 46.5mm lug to lug, and 12.6mm thick (only 0.3mm thicker than standard Bambino). The crystal is mineral glass, and lug width – still 21mm.

Five references are being introduced at this time:

·         RA-AK0701S (RN-AK0701S) with a white dial and a black leather strap

·         RA-AK0702Y (RN-AK0702Y) with an ivory dial and a brown leather strap

·         RN-AK0703E (Japan reference only) with a green dial and gold markers, and a brown leather strap

·         RA-AK0704N (no Japan reference) with a grey dial and a grey leather strap

·         RA-AK0705R (RN-AK0705R) with a red dial and gold markers, and a red leather strap

The new model uses Orient's automatic caliber F6B22. All references are similarly priced at around USD 280 – about 50 dollars more than the classic Bambino.

Will the Bambino's classic looks, and the charm of the domed crystal and dial, still work with the added complications? We'll need to see this one in person to judge!

 

"Diver Design"

Diver Design is how Orient refer to its models that are styled like dive watches but are not ISO-Standard divers, such as the Mako and Kamasu.

The new releases belong in the "Mako II" family, characterized by its big Arabic numerals at 6, 9 and 12. Other than the hour markers and hands, these are identical to the Kamasu, having its updated bezel and sapphire crystal.

Four references were introduced:

·         RA-AA0818L (RN-AA0818L) with a blue dial, and matching bezel in two shades of blue.

·         RA-AA0819N with a grey dial, and bezel with shades of grey

·         RA-AA0820R with a red dial, and bezel with shades of red

·         RA-AA0821S with a silver dial, and a grey and orange bezel

Indeed most of these models are not presented to the Japanese market – but then again, they already have their special editions available only on the JDM online store!

All references share the technical details: 41.8mm wide case with 22mm lug width, 20 bar water resistance, and lumed hands and markers. The movement is automatic caliber F6922, with its day and date display, hand-winding and hacking.

 

First New Orient Star Releases of 2023

Orient is today announcing three new references, the brand's first releases for the (already not so new) year: two Layered Skeleton watches, and one new version of the Diver 1964.

 

Layered Skeleton 

The Orient Star Layered Skeleton was first introduced in February 2021, and a number of references of this model have been introduced in the two years since its launch. Today, Orient are adding two new versions.

Reference RE-AV0B08L (Japanese RK-AV0B08L) features a textured dial bearing the model's signature herringbone pattern, this time in shades of deep blue. This watch would be regular production, and comes on a steel bracelet. At the current rate of the Japanese Yen it costs about USD 720.

Ref. RE-AV0B09N (RK-AV0B09N) has a dial with top layer that's sunburst grey, and a lower blue layer. It comes with both a bracelet and a leather strap, and is limited to 1,000 units. Current price is around USD 800.

Like all Layered Skeleton models, the watches feature a 41mm wide case, front sapphire crystal, the F6F44 automatic movement, and are waterproof to 100m.

 

Diver 1964

Orient introduced the "Diver 1964", a faithful reissue of its 1964 Olympia Calendar Diver, back in 2021. It announced a second edition of the diver in 2022, with a different design inspired by the Calendar Auto Diver.

Now, Orient go back to the earlier version, announcing reference RE-AU0502S (RK-AU0502S). It is identical in specs to the 2021 release, except this time featuring a silver dial instead of the black one. So you're getting the 41mm case, rotating divers' bezel, 200m depth rating, steel bracelet, and automatic caliber F6N47 inside.

The new Diver 1964 is limited to 900 units, and should cost you around USD 1,100.

 

Orient's Retro-Future Watch Reference Guide

The previous blog post contained an overview of Orient's Retro-Future line of watches. Since so many models exist in this product family, I thought it made sense to follow up with more details of specific references.

Below is the full list of Retro-Future references - sorted by designs, and in each design, sorted by the movement used (some designs featured more than one movement), model years, and references. Note that some references were in production for more than one year; and also, with some models, you might find that the year they were actually available in stores was later than the year they were announced.

Scroll to the bottom of the list for some technical details of the movements used throughout.

 

Model: Motorcycle

> Movement: 46S

  • Year: 2005

      Ref. WZ0051FH - Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

  • Year: 2006

      Ref. WZ0061FH - Blue Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0071FH - Salmon Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0111FH - Black Dial, Black IP Case, Leather Strap

  • Year: 2007

      Ref. WZ0171FH - Red Dial, Steel Case, Leather Strap

      Ref. WZ0201FH - Red Dial, Black IP Case, Steel Strap

  • Year: 2008

      Ref. WZ0251FH - Black+Gold Dial, Black+Gold Case, Rubber Strap

      Ref. WZ0291FH - Black Dial, Black IP Bezel Case, Rubber Strap

  • Year: 2009

      Ref. WZ0341FH - Black Dial, Black IP Bezel Case, Leather Strap

> Movement: 40R

  • Year: 2010

      Ref. WZ0011DA - Red Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0021DA - Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

  • Year: 2011

      Ref. WZ0031DA - Black Dial, Black+Gold Case, Leather Strap

 

Model: Sports Car

> Movement: 46S

  • Year: 2005

      Ref. WZ0081FH - Blue Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0091FH - Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0101FH - Red Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

  • Year: 2006

      Ref. WZ0131FH - White Dial, Steel Case, Leather Strap

  • Year: 2007

      Ref. WZ0221FH - Black Dial, Black IP Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0261FH - Brown Dial, Black IP Case, Steel Strap

  • Year: 2009

      Ref. WZ0311FH - Black Dial, Black Ceramic Case, Leather Strap

 

Model: Camera

> Movement: 46S

  • Year: 2005

      Ref. WZ0031FH - Black  Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

  • Year: 2006

      Ref. WZ0041FH - Silver Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0121FH - Black Dial, YG IP Case, Leather Strap

  • Year: 2007

      Ref. WZ0181FH - Black Dial, Steel Case, Leather Strap

      Ref. WZ0191FH - Black Dial, Gold IP Case, Leather Strap

      Ref. WZ0211FH - Black Dial, Black IP Case, Steel Strap

  • Year: 2008

      Ref. WZ0241FH - Black Dial, Gold IP Case, Rubber Strap

      Ref. WZ0281FH - Black Dial, Steel Case, Rubber Strap

  • Year: 2009

      Ref. WZ0321FH - Black Dial, Black Ceramic Case, Leather Strap

      Ref. WZ0331FH - Black Dial, Steel Case, Leather Strap

> Movement: 40S

  • Year: 2010

      Ref. WZ0071DK - Blue Dial, Blue IP Bezel Case, Steel Strap

  • Year: 2011

      Ref. WZ0041DK - Black+Gold Dial, Gold IP Case, Leather Strap

      Ref. WZ0051DK - Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0061DK - White Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

> Movement: F6S

  • Year: 2020

      Ref. RN-AR0201B - Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. RN-AR0202E - Green Dial, Black IP Case, Leather Strap

      Ref. RN-AR0203Y - Brown Dial, Black+Bronze IP Case, Leather Strap

      Ref. RN-AR0204G - Jaguar Focus Dial, Black+Bronze IP Case, Leather Strap

 

Model: Airplane

> Movement: 46S

  • Year: 2006

      Ref. WZ0141FH - Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0151FH - Blue Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0161FH - Red Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

 

Model: Interior (ladies)

> Movement: 557

  • Year: 2006

      Ref. WZ0261NR - Red Dial, Steel Case, Leather Strap

      Ref. WZ0271NR - Silver Dial, Steel Case, Leather Strap

      Ref. WZ0281NR - Mustard Dial, Steel Case, Leather Strap

 

Model: Stationery (ladies)

> Movement: 46X

  • Year: 2007

      Ref. WZ0011FR - Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0021FR - Violet Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0031FR - Orange Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0071FR - Pink Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

 

Model: Camera (boys)

> Movement: 55B

  • Year: 2008

      Ref. WZ0011NC - Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0021NC - Black Dial, Steel Case, Leather Strap

      Ref. WZ0031NC - Black+Gold Dial, Gold IP Case, Leather Strap

 

Model: Bicycle

> Movement: 40S

  • Year: 2009

      Ref. WZ0011DK - Yellow+Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel+Rubber Strap

      Ref. WZ0021DK - Red+Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0031DK - Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

  • Year: 2013

      Ref. WZ0081DK - Turquoise Dial, Steel Case, Steel+Rubber Strap

      Ref. WZ0091DK - Black Dial, Black IP Case, Steel+Rubber Strap

 

Model: SUV

> Movement: 40R

  • Year: 2012

      Ref. WZ0091DA - Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0101DA - Red Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0111DA - Green Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

 

Model: Guitar

> Movement: 40R

  • Year: 2013

      Ref. WZ0161DA - Blue Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0171DA - Red Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0191DA - Wood Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0201DA - Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

> Movement: F6S

  • Year: 2021

      Ref. RN-AR0202R - Red Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. RN-AR0203G - Jaguar Focus Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

 

Model: Turntable

> Movement: 40S

  • Year: 2015

      Ref. WZ0231DK - Black Dial, Grey + Gold IP Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0241DK - Black Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

      Ref. WZ0251DK - Silver Dial, Steel Case, Steel Strap

 

Details of movements used by Orient in the aforementioned models – newer movements first:

  • Caliber F6 (symbol AR)

      22 jewels, hacking and hand winding.

      Featuring central seconds.

      Accuracy: +25 / -15 sec. per day

  • Caliber 40R (symbol DA)

      22 jewels, hacking and hand winding.

      Featuring central seconds, and power reserve indicator.

      Accuracy: +25 / -15 sec. per day

  • Caliber 40S (symbol DK)

      24 jewels, hacking and hand winding.

      Featuring small seconds, and power reserve indicator.

      Accuracy: +25 / -15 sec. per day

  • Caliber 46X (symbol FR)

      23 jewels, no hacking or hand winding.

      Featuring small seconds, and power reserve indicator.

      Used in non-skeletonized watches.

      Accuracy: +25 / -15 sec. per day

  • Caliber 46S (symbol FH)

      23 jewels, no hacking or hand winding.

      Featuring small seconds, and power reserve indicator.

      Accuracy: +25 / -15 sec. per day

  • Caliber 557 (symbol NR)

      21 jewels, no hacking or hand winding.

      Featuring central seconds, and date wheel.

      Used in non-skeletonized watches.

      Accuracy: +40 / -30 sec. per day

  • Caliber 55B (symbol NC)

      21 jewels, no hacking or hand winding.

      Featuring central seconds.

      Accuracy: +40 / -30 sec. per day