The Orange Mako

Following up on the recent announcement of new watches from Orient, I received a nice bunch of samples to review. And while I guess the more intriguing ones are new models – such as the Mako GMT and the 36mm no-date Bambino – those releases will also require a bit more attention.

So, why don't we kick things off with the simpler, yet no less handsome, Mako! Specifically - reference RA-AA0826Y and its lovely orange face. 

Mechanically, this is not a new watch – in fact, it is identical to the "Kamasu" reviewed on the blog more than seven years ago in almost everything except the dial. So what has changed?

Well, first of all, it seems Orient has completely abandoned the Kamasu name in favor of the good old Mako. That has, in fact, been going on for a while now. Makes sense – it's one of the brand's most familiar names, and for a watchmaker that spends way less on advertising and branding compared to the likes of Seiko and Citizen, there's little point coming up with new names. Actually, it's wise even for wealthy manufacturers, just think how many years, models, and generations Volkswagen's been using the name "Golf"…

The dial is mostly the same here too – the markers, hands and overall dial design were useful and legible when it first came out, and they still are.

There are subtle changes in the dial text: the word "automatic" is now larger, and wider than the logo. The term "water resist" at the bottom was replaced with "water resistant" – proper English- to better fill the empty space and achieve a slightly better balance or symmetry between the top and bottom halves of the dial.

And of course – the dial color itself. All new Mako references seem to be nicely colored; and this orange is no exception. It features the smooth, subtle sunburst that Orient seems to be very consistently good at producing. If you like a standout color on your watch, you can't go wrong with this one.

Overall, there nothing new here, just more of what's mostly a good thing. It's not perfect – the bracelet is still the weak link (pun intended) here, luckily it is the part that is easiest to replace. This one, like other Mako versions now in production, are still the same old trusty watches, not professional divers but workhorse beaters for daily wear.

And what about the GMT…? Hold your horses! That one's up for review next, so stay tuned!

The blog would like to thank Orient – Epson Europe for providing us with this orange Mako for review. 

New Orient Star 75th Anniversary Watches Released

Orient has just unveiled three new watches to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of its Orient Star brand. These are new versions of familiar product lines.

 

M45 F8 Moon Phase

First up is this lovely new dial variant of the brilliant M45 F8 Mechanical Moonphase Hand Winding, a model reviewed on the blog last year.

The new watch, reference RE-BW0008B, looks just as fantastic as the one reviewed, while leaning less into clean simplicity and more into elaborate intricacy. In the words of Orient, the new dial captures the quiet beauty of “the moon drifting through clouds,” inspired by moonlight breaking through a clear autumn sky. Its richly layered dial combines nanoparticle metal multilayering, dimensional printing, and a three-layer moon phase display with mother-of-pearl, creating remarkable depth and the impression of moonlight naturally emerging through the clouds.

Mechanically, it is the same as last year's moonphase release: at its heart is the in-house caliber F8A62, a hand-wound movement with a 70-hour power reserve. The 39.5 mm stainless-steel case is paired with a black cordovan leather strap, while the caseback bears the Orient Star 75th Anniversary inscription and an individual limited-edition serial number.

The watch will be limited to just 140 pieces worldwide.

 

Open Heart Pair

In addition, a pair of matching open-heart Orient Star watches was introduced: a women's Classic Semi-Skeleton, and a Modern Skeleton. Both feature a similar dial finish, which appears bluish in the images but which Orient describes as a green-gradient dial inspired by the changing colors of the aurora, transitioning from a lighter center to darker tones around the edge.

The Modern Skeleton combines this gradation with expanded openwork, a larger small-seconds display, and a new sandblasted finish, revealing more of the mechanical movement beneath the dial. The more compact Classic Semi Skeleton uses the same aurora-inspired palette, complemented by rose gold-colored accents around the openwork, crown, Roman numeral markers, and Orient Star logo. Both models also feature the serial number and the 75th-anniversary mark on their case backs.

The Modern Skeleton, reference RE-AV0140E, features the cut-out design presented earlier this year. Mechanically, it is the same, 41mm case housing the brand's automatic caliber F6F44. It will be limited to 1,600 pieces worldwide.

The Classic Semi-Skeleton, ref. RE-ND0024E, uses the old (but apparently still fitting) small cal. 55C22. This automatic movement features a 40-hour power reserve. This one is limited to just 800 pieces.

 

New Orient Mako GMT, Bambino 36mm No-Date, and Mako 42mm

Orient today unveiled its Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, led by an entirely new Mako GMT family, accompanied by a new no-date Bambino 36mm collection and four colorful additions to the Mako lineup.

All three collections are being released under Orient's 75th anniversary celebrations. Interestingly, while the company has traditionally referred to 1950 as the beginning of the brand, the Orient name itself first appeared in 1951, as discussed in our recent article about the first Orient watch. So from the branding perspective, 2026 is indeed the 75^th anniversary.

 

The First Mako GMT

The most important release in this collection is undoubtedly the new Mako GMT.

While Orient has produced GMT watches before, this is the first model to carry the Mako name while offering GMT functionality. It is also the first entirely new GMT platform introduced by Orient in many years, and debuts a new movement developed specifically for the purpose.

The new caliber, designated F6P22, is closely related to the familiar F6922 found in many current Mako models. Orient removed the day display, retained the date display, and added a fourth hand together with a 24-hour scale, creating a cleaner dial while introducing dual-time functionality.

Like the movement's predecessor, the F6P22 offers hacking, hand winding and a 40-hour power reserve.

The new movement operates as a caller GMT rather than a traveller GMT. The GMT hand cannot actually be adjusted, and instead uses the rotating 24 hour bezel to track a second time zone.

The watches are slightly bigger than the regular Mako, and measure 42.8mm in diameter, 49.5mm lug-to-lug and 13.4mm thick. Like the regular Mako the GMT offers 200 meters of water resistance and comes attached to a stainless steel bracelet.

Five versions are being introduced:

·         RA-BC0001B – Purple

·         RA-BC0002E – Black

·         RA-BC0003L – Green

·         RA-BC0004Y – Orange

·         RA-BC0005L – Gradient Blue (Limited Edition)

The orange version is perhaps the most striking of the regular production models, while the limited edition combines a deep gradient blue dial with a matching blue-and-grey GMT bezel.

 

A New No-Date Bambino 36mm

The second major release is one that many collectors might find particularly appealing, as it is the closest that the Bambino range has come to the most canonic definition of a pure dress watch.

Earlier this year Orient introduced a no-date Bambino in 38mm. Longtime readers may also remember the 36mm Bambino introduced back in 2019. The new collection combines those two ideas, resulting in the first no-date Bambino in the 36mm case size.

The watches use the familiar Bambino architecture, featuring a domed crystal, slim bezel and elegant proportions. The dial follows the popular V4 Bambino layout, with simple applied baton markers and dauphine-style hands, now presented without a date window.

The case measures 36.4mm in diameter, 42.2mm lug-to-lug and 12.3mm thick. Inside is the F6524 automatic movement with hand winding, hacking and a 40-hour power reserve.

The collection includes four references:

·         RA-BB0101S – White dial with gold-tone case

·         RA-BB0102E – Green dial

·         RA-BB0103S – White dial

·         RA-BB0104Y – Ivory dial

Among the four, the ivory dial may be the most interesting, paired with blue hands and a warm vintage-inspired tone that suits the Bambino particularly well.

 

New Colors for the Mako

Completing the collection are four new versions of the standard Mako.

Unlike the GMT models, these watches are primarily a refresh of an existing platform. They retain the familiar 41.8mm case, F6922 automatic movement, day-date display, 200-meter water resistance and overall specifications of recent Mako generations.

The new references are:

·         RA-AA0824L – Blue

·         RA-AA0825S – White

·         RA-AA0826Y – Orange

·         RA-AA0827V – Purple (Limited Edition)

 

Stay tuned, as I was able to receive samples of all new models, and detailed hands-on reviews will follow in the very near future!

 

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...

 

Orient Place Blog's 8th Anniversary

The eighth tick of the annual clock has just passed, and as we mark this anniversary, the perspective feels somewhat different from years past.

When I wrote the previous anniversary update in April 2025, I described a "plateau" – a steady, comfortable cruising altitude for our community. However, looking back at the last twelve months, it appears the engines did more than just stay warm; they caught fire. In our seventh year, I reported 183,000 page views, but as of April 2026, the blog has reached a staggering 646,000 views in one year. This 250% increase is a powerful validation of our shared mission. In an era where 15-second clips are said to be the only way to reach an audience, nearly two-thirds of a million people came here for long-form analysis and technical deep-dives into the nuances of horology (and some nice photos).

This explosive growth was supported by a year focused on substance over sheer volume. I published 21 stories this year – fewer than the previous cycle, but with a much higher resonance. The output was a carefully curated mix: three hands-on reviews of new watches, three vintage reviews including a fantastic guest contribution that highlighted our community’s depth, six stories on new releases, five technical deep-dives, and four editorial pieces.

While the Mako 40mm hands-on review continues to be the undisputed "Search King" of the blog, serving as a permanent fixture for enthusiasts, the true breakout stars, most read among articles published in the last 12 months, were the announcement of the Stretto line and the hands-onreview of the Orient Star M45 F8 Moonphase.

The review of that M45 F8 Moonphase provided one of the most insightful moments of the year. Shortly after spending time with it, I had the opportunity to compare it directly with a few moonphase models from prestigious Swiss brands. The result was enlightening; the Orient Star didn't just hold its own – it looked better. It felt more stylish, the dial work was more evocative, and the finishing quality was objectively on par with watches that come bundled with plenty of pedigree.

I could tell Orient Star is finding a confident voice that no longer needs to hide in the shadow of the Swiss Alps – while also narrowing the pricing gap between its top releases and those Swiss brands. This shift toward high-end craftsmanship was mirrored on social media, where the "Stars" clearly drive the passion of our visual community. The most-liked images of the year formed a very specific podium: the M42 Diver 1964 took the top spot, followed closely by the M45 F8 Moonphase and the M34 F8 Meteorite.

As we look toward the blog's ninth year, my challenge to Orient remains one of accessibility and "Trickle-Down Horology." We have seen the fine work being done with 70-hour power reserves and silicon balance wheels in the flagship Orient Star models, and it is now time for this technology to migrate. In the coming year, it would be great to see these 70-hour movements (60 would also be nice) start to appear in "non-star" models and for silicon escapements to move beyond the limited F8 editions.

The gap between the entry-level favorites and the elite M-Collection is widening, I believe Orient needs to bridge it. A certain gap is understandable and helps keep those who buy the basic models enjoy the halo effect of the more special models; too big a gap, though, and the effect diminishes.

Once again, I would like to thank all of you who read, follow, share and comment, here on the blog website or in social media. See you soon, with more stories, news and content coming up!

 

An Owner's Review of the Orient Tenbeat

About six years ago, I did a blog post on Orient's Tenbeat, the brand's rare and elusive high-beat model from 1970. In the years that passed since then, I know of three occasions when one such Tenbeat actually got auctioned for sale. One was ridiculously over-priced, another seemed not to be in working order, and the last one I only heard of after it was already closed.

And then, a few weeks ago, I was delighted to receive an email from a blog follower who had just acquired one of these rare beasts. Or rather, a part of it… it will all become clear shortly.

Anyway, the owner, Andreas was kind enough to share his review of the watch and some photos – revealing a case type that's different from the two shown in my original story. I am sure you will find his account of owning and wearing the Tenbeat as interesting and entertaining as I did, so I bring it to you in his own words.

My name is Andreas, and Mr. Orient invited me to share my first-hand experience of wearing an Orient Tenbeat, which I will gladly do. First of all, I must clarify that I only own 10,000 of the 36,000 beats per hour through timesharing. I think Pierre and I will rather settle on 100 and 360 days per year instead of 1/10s of a second. Pierre is the guy who spotted this beautiful timepiece we share. He searched much more thoroughly than I and found it listed as "10BEAT" instead of "TENBEAT" at JDirectItems Auctions in November 2025. That description was why no one else was even watching. Yet even with a ¥30,000 discount the minimum bid was ¥520,000 plus Japanese sales tax plus import sales tax – far more than my personal limit. I suggested time-sharing as a joke, but Pierre asked if I really would, and after some consideration I agreed.

So, how does it feel to wear such a rare watch? Great, I have to say! I like the idea that most likely I am the only person in the universe wearing a Tenbeat when it is night in Japan, where probably all the other owners of such a watch live. The case measures 36 millimeters in diameter and only 36 millimeters lug to lug. It’s about the size of the Orient Fineness from 1968, just one millimeter thicker. Thus it fits really comfortably. The band width is 19 millimeters with curved spring bars. This is due to the fact that the movement has diameter of 27.6 millimeters compared to the 25.6 millimeters of the Fineness’ Ultramatic caliber.

The high beat movement 9980 is equipped with 28 jewels, and they are not for decoration. There are combined settings for the escapement and the escapement wheel, for instance. The balance has an Incabloc shock protection system and a fine adjustment mechanism. The movement is not very decorative, but neither were Seiko's 6146 or Citizen's 7230 of that time. Speaking of those competitors – in 1970, Seiko had a share of 60% of Japanese watch manufacturing, Citizen still had 28%. Orient’s share was 9% – roughly a third of Citizen’s and not even a sixth of Seiko’s. I assume that also reflects the budgets of the respective development departments. At least I know Seiko had two – one at Daini Seikosha in Tokyo, and one at Suwa Seikosha in the Nagano prefecture. One should also consider that the high beat movements of many renowned Swiss manufacturers were based on rough movements manufactured by Adolph Schild SA. Orient developed and manufactured the caliber 9980 entirely in-house. It has this nice little pusher for setting the date at 2 o'clock to distinguish it from others.

Let’s have a look at the stainless steel case. Its brushed surface with its sunburst effect is a pure joy to me as a photographer. No strange reflections – I hate seeing my face distorted and half-covered by my camera reflected in the watch in my pictures. I like the curved outlines, not only at the sides but also at the cutouts for the bracelet. There are small cutouts for the crown and the pusher on the right side. Together with the acrylic crystal, the case is only 9 millimeters thick and has a screw-down back.

I love the sunburst silver dial and the rehaut. "ROMANES EVNT DOMVS!" (sic) – I usually don’t like Roman numerals on my watch faces. Among the baton indices there are fortunately only 3 of them at 6, 9, and 12. But I have to admit that in this case the Roman markers counterweight the large day and date window in a nice way. Ow, that large window- people who prefer no date watches will certainly hate this! But it is the most outstanding design feature of the watch. The day wheel is atop of the date wheel and has windows which allow the date to be displayed. It is really fascinating when the day and date change! The large window shuts and the date changes invisibly. The day of the week is displayed in abbreviated form in Japanese left of the date, and in full English below. The print is inverted for the Japanese and matches the black date wheel. The numbers on the latter are printed in silver, which makes them quite easy to read.

Taking a closer look reveals another unique design feature of the watch- the hands! Hands up who’s ever seen anything like those! I lack the words to describe them. Each has its own unique shape, and they all have a three-dimensional structure. And yes, no lume! I might have missed that back in the 1970s, but nowadays we have smartphones. And they have torchlights to illuminate the watch! Of course, the second hand displays the smoothest movement of all Orient watches.

The crown does not have a function in normal position. It has two click positions. In the first, the time can be set. Without a hacking function. I must also clarify that the watch does not have a quick setting for the day of the week. Setting the day of the week works in both directions, depending on whether you move the hands clockwise or counterclockwise. The date can be adjusted with the pusher at 2 o’clock. To wind the watch manually, the crown has to be pulled out to the second click position. So, this might not be the most user-friendly watch.

In summary, I can say that the Tenbeat is a typical dress watch of its time in terms of size. The design is very distinctive and the complete opposite of the design of King Seiko or Grand Seiko. Including the leather strap it weighs only 32 grams. What I love about this watch is that it is so photogenic, maybe the most photogenic watch I ever shot. But it will receive a full service before further use.

 

The blog would like to thank Andreas for sharing his experience. All photos are his, except the top one that is from a sale ad. Also, many thanks to both him and co-owner Pier for salvaging this piece from oblivion and bringing it to light!