The Calendar Auto Orient

1964 was a busy year in Japan, with the Olympic Games taking place and all. And Orient, in particular, was working up a sweat: that same year the brand introduced its first diver's watch, the Olympia Calendar Diver; the completely bonkers Grand Prix 100; the Flash; and, still in the same year, its first automatic dive watch, the Calendar Auto Orient.

The watch was still part of the Olympia lineage, and used caliber LCW, a variant of the Olympia family's L-type movement. The specific movement inside the diver was renamed caliber 670, possibly to differentiate it from the elaborately bejeweled "676" LCW inside the Grand Prix 64, and you will see publications referring to it by either name.

The Calendar Auto Orient was also sometimes referred to as Calendar Auto Diver. Peculiarly it had acquired an additional nickname: "19 Diver" or "21 Diver", depending on its jewel count, since that was the writing on the dial.

The model was relatively short-lived, as it was released toward the end of the life of the Olympia line and the L-type movement. It was probably only produced until 1965. During that time a number of versions were made, having either a white/silver or a black dial, a metallic or black bezel, and a few variations of the markers and hands.

Recently, I have added a lovely sample of this model to my collection: a 19-jewel Calendar Auto Orient, featuring a silver dial and metallic bezel, in fine cosmetic condition and excellent working order.

It is worth mentioning that while I sometimes buy such pieces from private sellers, this one came from a respectable store in Japan. They took their time cleaning and servicing the watch, and it shows: the thing winds smoothly, keeps ticking an entire day after I put it down (not common with old movements), and is accurate within a few seconds per day.

Some numbers: the watch case is approximately 39mm wide, excluding the crown, but visually it measures 40mm due to the overhanging bezel. Like many of Orient's vintage divers, it is a perfectly wearable size by modern standards. Lug to Lug length dimension is 47mm, and thickness is about 13mm – of which, nearly a mm can be attributed to the plexiglass extending above the height of the bezel. By the way, I'm always a bit cautious when measuring the thickness of a watch with a tall acrylic crystal, not wanting to scratch it, hence the "about"…

The lume in the hands and markers is obviously no longer luminous, but it has by now taken on a lovely vintage hue. I do hope no one in a sound mind would ever think of repainting such hands! This color just looks so good against the silvery dial.

The bezel rotates smoothly in both directions, without clicks. It is easy enough to turn but offers sufficient resistance to any accidental movement.

Turn the watch around to examine the rather interesting case back. First, you'll note the flying fish engraved in the center, a symbol of this watch, and its reference: T-19735A. The large text above – Olympia Calendar – also reveals its family origins.

The bracelet pictured is not original, but it is "period appropriate", its end-links fit the case, and it arrived just perfectly sized to my wrist, so I could not complain…

What else is there to say about this watch? It's a cool vintage piece with modern wearability (except that I'd keep it away from water), it works well and quite simply looks fantastic! These early divers are a bit more expensive than most vintage Orients, but considering the historical importance combined with everyday practicality, this is not such a bad deal! Calendar Auto Orients are not very rare, as long as you're not fixated on any one particular version. But finding one in good condition takes a bit of patience. Which, again, is worth it!