M34
F8 Date Meteorite
A meteorite
dial? Yes indeed! Orient are upping their game, nudging very cautiously at
product categories that used to be reserved for the likes of Grand Seiko and
The Citizen. Meteorite might not be as exclusive today as it was a decade ago,
but it is still a precious material that offers a unique visual appeal while
remaining very natural and understated (not sure if "down to earth"
is the proper wording here…)
Indeed, the M34
F8 Date is a fine platform to host the brand's first ever meteorite dial.
It is operated by the in-house modern automatic caliber F8N64, featuring a
silicon escape wheel, 60 hours of power reserve, and +15/-5 seconds per day
accuracy, housed in a sharp, finely finished 40mm case.
The list price for this watch, reference RE-BX0010A (RK-BX0010A in Japan), is € 3,250, considerably higher than the standard M34 F8 Date models, and also about 10% above the "meteor shower" edition – but then again, this is not an illustration of a meteor shower, this is the actual thing in the flesh. This model is limited to 255 pieces globally (actually more than the meteor shower).
M34
F8 Full Skeleton
This is a new member in the M34 F8 Contemporary Skeleton family, reference RE-AZ0105N (RE-AZ0105N), characterized by a blackened case and bracelet. The dial is grey, and the hands here are silver, as opposed to the blue hands of the previous references in this family.
As is often the case with skeletons, different finishing also imply matching
colors on the movement itself as it is mostly visible, so the movement here is
a "new" hand-winding caliber F8B65. It is essentially the same as
other F8Bxx movements, having 70 hours of power reserve and +15/-5 seconds per
day accuracy.
Pricing
is € 3,240 (leaving the top of the list to the Meteorite, by a €10 margin). It
is limited to 430 pieces.
M42
Diver 1964 1st Edition
Or,
more accurately, the 2nd version of the 1st edition…
anyway, this is a new limited edition of the M42 Diver 1964 re-issue, first
released in 2021. The new model, reference RE-AU0503N (RK-AU0503N), features a gradient
dial, with a blueish-grey center and darker tones toward the edges.
Technically, it is similar to the first 1st edition, having a 41mm case with a unidirectional bezel and 200m water resistance, and equipped with an automatic caliber F6N47 that offers 50 hours of power reserve and a more standard accuracy of +25/-15 seconds per day.
The
MSRP for this watch is €1,300, and 660 pieces will be available globally. And,
what is even more exciting – the blog's already got its hands on one for an
early review! Expect this story to be posted here very soon!
M34
F7 Small Seconds
Finally, a brand new model! And one that, at the sub-1K price range, is what I believe to be the most accessible Orient Star
with the improved accuracy of +15/-5 seconds per day.
The
new watch has dressy case dimensions of 39mm width,
45.7mm lug-to-lug, and 11.7mm thickness, complemented by an elegant style. It
utilizes a new automatic movement, caliber F7H44, which features small seconds and a
power-reserve indicator.
Design-wise,
this looks like the replacement for the aging Orient Star Heritage
Gothic, and a good replacement it if I might say – at least according to
the image. Note that the new model does not display the date. Some people may
wish that it would, but it's a sacrifice in the name of symmetry and elegance
that I personally appreciate.
Orient presented three variants of the new M34 F7 Small Seconds. Reference RE-BS0001E (RK-BS0001E) has a green dial, RE-BS0002S (RK-BS0002S) features an ivory dial, and Ref. RE-BS0003N (RK-BS0003N), limited to 500 pieces, features a granulated, grey dial. The limited model is priced at €1,050 while the non-limited ones are around €950.
Contemporary
Date
Not completely new but an updated design, we have a new version of the Contemporary Standard model, recently
reviewed on the blog. The new releases differ from most Contemporary Standard references by its
power-reserve gauge, here taking a subtle appearance unlike the metallic track applied to the previous models.
Is
that a new trend? All new models announced feature similarly understated PR
indications, possibly aiming to appeal to both fans of this feature and those
who find it an unnecessary clutter on the dial.
In
all other respects this is the same as previous Contemporary Standard watches.
Case width is 38.5mm, lug to lug length is 46.9mm and thickness is 12.3mm. The movement
is cal. F6N43, with a 50 hour reserve and +25/-15 seconds accuracy.
Three references are presented at this time: RE-AU0112V (RK-AU0112V) features a purple dial and steel bracelet; RE-AU0113Y (RK-AU0113Y) has a brown dial, and a matching leather strap; RE-AU0114E (RK-AU0114E) features a blue-green gradation dial and steel bracelet, and is limited to 1,200 piece worldwide.
The list price is €660 for the limited edition, and around €600 for the brown one.
Modern Skeleton
Last but not least, the Modern Skeleton is another familiar Orient Star that has undergone a design change, though not a complete makeover - the resemblance to older models is obvious.
While mechanically unchanged, the dial cutout is noticeably different, as is the small second hand. Other modifications are more subtle.
The case dimensions are still 41mm width, 49mm lug to lug, and 12mm thick. The movement is the familiar automatic caliber F6F44 with its 50 hours of power reserve.
Orient presented six references, none of which is limited: RE-AV0134E (RK-AV0134E) with a green dial, RE-AV0135L (RK-AV0135L) with a blue dial, RE-AV0136N (RK-AV0136N) with a grey dial, RE-AV0137S (RK-AV0137S) with a white dial, RE-AV0138V (no JDM reference) with a purple dial, and RE-AV0139Y (RK-AV0139Y) features a brown dial and is the only variant with a leather strap.
Pricing for the new model is about the same as previous Modern Skeletons.
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