The "Planet Orient"

Planet Orient was the nickname for a series of sporty watches released by Orient in the late 2000s, sold around 2008-2012. These became quite popular, having something of a cult following to this day. A good reason to borrow my friend B. B.'s Planet Orient for a few days, and check out what made this watch so special.

But first, as usual, a bit of history. Where does this model get its planetary name? It certainly does not feature any map or earth-like elements. The reason lies elsewhere…

In 2005, Omega launched a new line of watches, the Seamaster Planet Ocean. The first Planet Oceans had a black or orange bezel, but it was the orange version that caught most of the attention. Orange became known as the Planet Ocean color, despite being nearly invisible on some of the models.

So, when a few years later Orient released its own line of watches having orange elements (some more, some less), it was naturally given the unofficial name, "Planet Orient". And just like its Omega spiritual father, it did not really matter that most versions had very little orange in them.

Orient introduced six variants of the model (note that as always with Orient, models starting with FM can be found as FFM or CFM, too).

·         Reference FM00001B with a black bezel insert, black dial, and steel bracelet.

·         Ref. FM00002B with an orange bezel insert, black dial, and steel bracelet.

·         Ref. FM00001S with a black bezel insert, "tuxedo dial" (black and white), and steel bracelet.

·         Ref. FM00003B with an orange bezel insert, black dial, and black leather strap.

·         Ref. FM00004W with a silver bezel insert, white dial, and brown leather strap.

·         Ref. FM00005D with a dark blue insert, dark blue dial, and brown leather strap.

The model I got my hands on for this review is the most orange of the lot, and therefore also the most sought-after: the orange bezel FM00002B. While over a decade old, its owner did not actually wear it much, and the watch is really in very fine condition, so I could review it as if it were new.

The watch stands out immediately with its rugged appearance. The visual impact is made by both the chunky case, and the massive-looking five-link steel bracelet. The playfulness of the orange bezel does not detract from this impression – it just makes it sportier.

The actual dimensions of the watch are not as intimidating as its initial appearance may imply, or as the advertised 44.5mm width may suggest. That is actually the dimension including the crown guard. Without the guard, the case (and bezel) width is 43.2mm, which is still not small but also not unusually large. 

Lug-to-lug, the Planet Orient is a reasonably 49mm long. Lug width is 24mm, but the integrated bracelet then tapers to a comfortable 20mm. The whole thing weighs about 180g.

While not a small watch by any means, it is perfectly comfortable to wear. The bracelet works well here, both visually and practically. It flows nicely from the drilled lugs, hugs the wrist well, and from a design perspective matches the angles of the case and grooves of the bezel.

The bracelet is very good quality, and provides a good counterweight to the case itself. With no hair pulling, an elaborate finishing, and solid end-links, it is a step above standard Mako bracelets – and indeed, when released, the Planet Orient was positioned – and priced – above the basic divers, closer to the M-Force. The clasp however, is more standard, similar to the Mako bracelet.

The case itself is well made and shaped less conventionally than, say, the aforementioned Mako. There's use of polished and subtly brushed surfaces, as in the bracelet, and the angular design makes it more interesting.

The bezel does rotate, however it is not as grippy as on typical dive watches – and indeed it is not a diver bezel. It feels quite tough and reassuring though as it moves through its 60 clicks.

Looking more closely at the dial, one can appreciate again how this watch is above the brand's entry level. The markers are big and very three-dimensional. The various sections and sub-dials are clearly separated and somehow – in what is an Orient expertise in my opinion – create a pleasingly balanced and uncluttered layout.

All these components work together to produce a very legible watch face. I must admit I usually prefer a date window to a pointer, but the date sub-dial here is large compared to some other Orient models, so reading it is relatively easy.

Lume is pretty good too – it's not particularly long-lasting, but the sheer amount of it makes night-time legibility more than decent. There's even a little bit of lume on the power-reserve needle.

You might wonder then why, with the bezel, lume, and even a screw-down crown, this watch was not designated as a dive watch, and was only rated to 100m. This is probably more due to product management considerations by the brand than any technical limitation.

The caseback provides a glimpse of the movement, Orient's automatic caliber 46U40. This one does not feature hacking or hand-winding, but like all Caliber 46 variants it is a very reliable and resilient movement. It's even nicely decorated.

All in all, it's easy to see why people liked this watch. It has a very distinctive look and just the right amount of Orient quirkiness, but not too much; it's built like a tank; and it was very reasonably priced – still is, if you can find one, a fairly doable task.

Indeed the chunky design is not for everyone, nor is the size, and it is still not as robust as an M-Force, contemporary models of which featured sapphire crystal, better shock resistance, and true dive-watch specifications. However, for those who like the style of the Planet Orient, that is indeed a very lovely piece to own.