Orient Star Skeleton Hands-On Review

Orient has been producing skeleton watches since 1991, and its full catalog of semi-skeleton and full skeleton models is the largest among Japanese watchmakers – and probably larger than most watch brands. Still, the latest member of this long lineage came completely out of left field when it was announced earlier this month.

The new Orient Star Skeleton reference RE-BR0001N is perhaps the most ambitious watch the brand has released: more impressive, more exclusive, and more expensive than anything it has done in years – at least since the demise of the Royal Orient line.

Has this ambition been matched by the execution – and does the new watch ultimately live up to what Orient Star set out to create? Well – that’s what the blog is here for! So with the new Orient Star Skeleton in hand, let’s dive in.

How It Looks

Well, it looks fantastic, whether you’re a fan of skeleton or not (and I generally am not – I always prefer to see the art and craft of a well-made dial).

First, it really is the brand’s “most skeletonized” watch, the only exception being the old “Mon Bijou” (which, frankly, was hardly a typical Orient, and was not even branded as such). The new F9 movement has had most of its back plate removed, leaving only a bunch of beautifully circular bridges to hold the mechanism together.

The dial was likewise skeletonized, however the arcs and circles serving as a backdrop to the hands and markers are not an exact mirroring of the movement, so the moving parts are not fully exposed. Such exposure would perhaps be preferred by some, but it would also probably reduce the legibility of the watch and let more – possibly too much – wrist skin show through.

The end result is a fine balancing act. The watch face is extremely attractive, with just the right amount of transparency. The impression is greatly enhanced by the very fine level of execution, with chamfered edges across the dial (for lack of a better word) elements providing nice glitter, and the curved, SAR-coated sapphire crystal adding clarity.

The heat-blued hour and minute hands, and the blue silicon escape wheel, add a touch of colour which stands out among the all-metallic components. The hour markers – polished Roman numerals – are also relatively noticeable. Other functional bits, like the second hand and power-reserve indicator, blend into the mix of arcs and movement parts.

Yes, there’s also a case... lovely, well proportioned, smooth-polished on top and brushed on the sides, with aesthetically-grooved lugs holding the black strap.

Honestly, the watch looks nearly flawless – unless of course, you just completely hate skeletons. And even then it might make you reconsider...

 

How It Wears

The new Orient Star Skeleton is slightly larger than previous skeletons from the brand, and it works well, not only because it provides a suitable stage for the skeletonized movement to play on.

Case width is 40mm, compared to 38.8 and 39 of the classic “M45” and contemporary “M34” versions of the previous, F8 skeleton models. Lug to lug difference is minimal, at 46.8mm vs 46/46.5; and thickness is nicely reduced to 9.5mm, compared to 10.6 and 10.8mm of the older models.

This size is perfectly manageable for most wrist sizes. The fairly slim case and curved lugs add to the wearing comfort, and the soft 20mm goat leather strap supplied with the watch is properly supple and just the right thickness.

The strap has a unique texture that makes it quite comfortable and non-sticky on hotter days. The trifold deployant buckle is excellent quality, flat on the inside and practically unnoticeable on the wrist.

This being a hand-winding watch, with no rotor weight, and also having a very minimal inner structure, means the watch is light – weighing a mere 64 g. Keep in mind that as a manual-winding watch there’s no need to wear the watch too tight (as you don’t need to ensure efficient rotor movement), and it all adds up to the best wearing experience one could hope for.

How It Functions

The new Orient Skeleton is powered by a new hand-wound movement, caliber F9B82. Besides its aforementioned visual properties, it also offers a higher level of accuracy than any other Orient movement currently in production: +10 / -4 seconds per day. Mind you, certain Royal Orient movements offered COSC-level accuracy of +6/-4 seconds per day… but that was some 20 years ago.

Putting this accuracy to the test is not so easy, though, with a complete absence of second/minute markers, and in a way, it does not really seem to be the key point of this watch. The 70+ hours of power reserve – measurable using the power-reserve indicator – are a more significant feature of the movement.

Equally important for a premium model such as this, is the smoothness of the movement. Winding it and setting the time are indeed buttery smooth. The crown is large enough and grippy.

Durability has been compromised here: offering only 3 atm of water resistance, less than the 5 atm of the previous skeletons, this is the most basic level of resistance. In other words, don’t get it wet.

As long as you keep it safe from water and other nature’s hazards, it should operate reliably well into the future, and Orient stands behind this assurance by offering a 10 year warranty, including three complimentary overhaul services should any be required during that period.

Bottom Line

With the new F9 Skeleton, Orient has achieved a very high peak in watchmaking. This should not surprise anyone who has been following such recent premium releases as the M34 F8 Date Meteorite and the M45 F8 Moon Phase Hand-Winding. It seems that with Orient Star, the brand is carving a unique niche for itself, producing premium models that are distinctive from anything produced by its always-in-comparison neighbors, Seiko and Citizen.

All that excellence and distinction do come with a price: around 7,000 USD, to be precise. Way above and beyond both budget and expectations of most Orient fans – including Orient Star buyers. But, limited to only 130 pieces, and attractive and unique as it is, I’m pretty sure all units made will be sold.

With watches like this, Orient are leaving its familiar “value for money” territory, and are entering a domain where consumers want to be moved by passion, where a product is not purchased for its practicality but because it makes one forget – for a few moments – about what they need, or what other uses they would have for the same amount of money. How well the brand manages to operate in this territory remains to be seen. But as far as watchmaking is concerned – Orient has made its point.

 

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