Orient's Modern Skeleton

This year, Orient marked the 10^th anniversary of the "Modern Skeleton" design, which was first introduced in 2014. A good excuse, then, for a brief overview of this quintessential Orient model.

We've discussed Orient's Skeleton watches before. For the last 30 years or so, the brand – always on the lookout for standout features that would differentiate it from its step-sister brand Seiko – adopted the concept of exposing the movement on the dial side. While Seiko rarely shows more than a little round "open heart" aperture, Orient have released models spanning the entire spectrum between semi- to full skeleton.

Over time, Orient established a fairly consistent ratio of exposure to the dollar, meaning: full skeletons will appear at the very high end of the Orient Star price range, while "regular" Orients might at best get the open heart. In-between the two ends, are Orient Star models with varying degrees of open dials.

The Orient Star Modern Skeleton was introduced in 2014, a sort of successor to the Retro-Future Bicycle model – an older model that used the same caliber 40S and boasted a similar level of exposure of its internal mechanism.

The first batch of Modern Skeletons included five references: WZ0181DK (black dial), WZ0191DK (blue dial), WZ0201DK (brown dial), WZ0211DK (white dial), and a limited "Prestige Shop" model – WZ0221DK (blue dial with gold hands and markers).

The dimensions of the watch were classic, sporty, not too big and not too small: the case was 41mm wide (without the crown), 49mm lug to lug, and 12.4mm thick. Lug width was 21mm, same as many Orient models.

In the following years, more variations of the Modern Skeleton were released. First up was the 2015 "Orient's 65^th anniversary" piece, ref. WZ0261DK; and later, the "Modern" became a standard celebratory model for the brand, i.e. a base design that would often receive special editions when Orient wishes to mark any particular event. Naturally, in 2016, "Orient Star's 65^th anniversary" versions followed: WZ0331DK and WZ0341DK, featuring beautiful, deep color dials in blue and reddish-brown, respectively.

More models released in 2016 included references WZ0271DK (black dial), WZ0281DK (ivory dial), and WZ0291DK (also ivory dial, but with a leather band). In 2017, for some reason, Orient released limited editions of the watch inspired by British colors, blue and green: references RK-DK0001L and RK-DK0002L. It wasn't blue from the flag or the famous racing green: nope, Orient mentioned the inspiration as a blue-and-green Scottish tartan (I'm not making this up).

In 2018, Orient introduced the F6 caliber into the series, and a fresh batch of watches was presented featuring the new movement: RK-AV0004L (blue dial), RK-AV0005N (grey), RK-AV0006L (blue, with leather strap), RK-AV0007S (ivory dial), RK-AV0008Y (grey-green), RK-AV0009L (prestige shop blue model), and RK-AV0010E (limited edition of black IP case and green dial).

What's interesting is that the Modern Skeleton is one of very few Orient models that went through a movement update, while keeping its design almost 100% unchanged. In fact, the only differences between the F6 and older models were the upgraded power reserve scales (now reaching 50 hours, instead of 40), subtle changes in the movement itself, visible through the dial openings, and a slight reduction in thickness to 12.0mm.

Like the old model, the new F6 Modern Skeleton continued to receive new versions. These include the 2019 RK-AV0111L (released under the "Moving Blue" campaign), the 2020 RK-AV0116L/0117L (also under "Moving Blue") and RK-AV0113S (white), RK-AV0114E (teal) and RK-AV0115B (black and gold); and the 2021 RK-AV0118L/0119L (with sparkling blue dials).

The flow of "moving blue" references continued in 2022 with the RK-AV0120L/0121L (this time with a golden bezel) and in 2023 with RK-0122L (slightly different shades of blue).

The final batch, for now, of Modern Skeletons arrived in 2024, celebrating as mentioned the tenth anniversary of this model. This includes RK-AV0124G (champagne dial and yellow-gold elements), RK-AV0125S (silver dial) and the all black RK-AV0126B. Outside Japan, RE-AV0123G (with rose gold elements) was also released.

At the moment, there is no sign that the end of the Modern Skeleton is near. Apparently, the model continues to be popular. What makes this so successful, and is this watch as good in reality as it is in pictures – that remains to be seen, and seen it will be! A review of one of the latest iterations of the Modern Skeleton is coming up soon, here on Orient Place blog.

 

Happy New Year, Blog Readers!

And so another year draws to its end. 2021 was as interesting a year as its predecessor was – and while not all aspects of this similarity are positive, on this blog we remain optimistic and focus on the brighter sides; so for us, this was simply the 70^th anniversary of Orient Star.

Orient too made every effort to remain positive and released plenty of new models, both Orient Star and "regular Orient". Some of these took inspiration from the brand's history, some continued the watchmaker's current design trends, and some – took on a new path.

Among those numerous new releases, I took the liberty of selecting my favorite three models to go on the blog's podium:

At third place – I have chosen the flamboyant MOP-dial limited edition moon phase watch. It is relatively complicated (compared to the brand's other models), well made, and unashamedly flashy. Honestly, it is the latter trait that earned it a place on the podium.

Second place goes to the new Orient Star Skeleton with its 70-hour movement. A technical achievement for the brand, the silicon-escape-wheel-equipped caliber F8B62/63 is likely only the first in a series of future 70-hour models (hopefully costing less than this flagship piece), hence its importance – and its place on the podium.

In what might seem a stark contrast to the above high-end pieces, my personal vote for first place goes to a much simpler model. Orient's World Dial re-issue captured the hearts of many fans of the brand with its cheerful colors and old-world charm, taken directly and very faithfully from the original 1960s model. Being true to the brand's DNA and history is why the World Dial watch is my Orient Of The Year 2021.

Needless to say, that is just one person's opinion… so what do you think? What are your favorite Orients of the year? And what are you hoping to see from the brand in 2022? Please leave your comments and voice your opinion.

…and most importantly – may all blog readers and followers, their families and friends, have a very happy new year!

Orient Star 2021 Classic Semi-Skeleton Hands-On Review

The latest generation of Orient Star Classic Semi-Skeleton watches was introduced about three months ago. Shortly afterward, Orient presented a limited-edition version of that model, featuring a deep blue dial adorned with little sparkles. This model, reference RE-AT0205L (or RK-AT0205L in Japan) is the subject of today's review.

 

How It Looks

The new semi-skeleton immediately stands out among other members of the Orient Star Classic line-up. Whereas the rest of the crop feature lugs that project very markedly from a round case, here the case and lugs flow together seamlessly.

Somehow, this flowing shape makes the watch look radically different from its predecessor. Despite the familiar Orient elements, like the power-reserve indicator and (obviously) the open-heart aperture, the overall feel of this timepiece is very un-orient-like.

More precisely, it is unlike most men's Orients. Its design makes more sense when viewed next to some of Orient Star's recent ladies models: that's where you will find more of these smoothly flowing cases. Now add the cabochon, set into the crown of the new Semi-Skeleton, and it becomes clear this isn't less Orient-ish than past models, it is just a little less masculine.

There's nothing wrong with having a watch that is more subtle in its gender specificity. Looking at many classic Swiss dress watches, you can appreciate that their styling is actually more unisex than either male or female. Quite possibly, it was this timeless European elegance that Orient's designers were aiming for.

And elegant it is. Polished all over, with that domed crystal covering the blue dial with its elongated markers and hands. The power reserve indicator is less pronounced than in most other Orient Star semi-skeletons, so there is no apparent need to counter-balance it with a small-seconds sub-dial at 6. The centrally mounted second hand is therefore well fitted here.

Now, many readers would, at this point, likely complain about the open-heart. A common claim is that many Orient watches would look better with a full dial. Well, I tried to simulate what this model would look like if it was not a semi-skeleton; well – I don't know, it just seems less interesting to me. More classic dress watch perhaps, but we've got plenty of those, right? And then it wouldn't be an Orient.

The dial looks particularly fine when some stronger light shines on it. Then, the navy blue dial becomes more vibrant, revealing lighter shades and even some greenish hues around the edges. The flat hour markers wear warmer tones, and those tiny dots begin to glitter.

The hands and applied markers aren't the sharpest I've seen on an Orient Star, but they are still nice enough. Overall, the dial just works – it is well balanced, and is as elegant as the case.

 

How It Wears

This Orient Star makes for very comfortable wear, thanks to its moderate dimensions, smooth case, and well-made strap and buckle.

It is a tad larger than the previous model: case width is 40.4mm without the crown, length is 46.6mm, and thickness is 12.8mm. The watch weighs 74g on the strap – considerably less than, say, the 90g of the layered skeleton on leather.

These dimensions make it a fairly versatile watch – it would wear perfectly on wrists 6.5"-7.5". I reckon it should still be comfortable on 6" wrists as well, though it would look a bit on the larger side, and therefore perhaps more sporty and less dressy.

The 20mm strap supplied with this watch is of good quality (and has a very strong leather odor when unboxed, which I like). It was initially a little stiff, but did not take more than an hour or two on the wrist to break down and become flexible enough – while being nicely padded and not overly soft.

The folding buckle attached is also well made. I've seen it before on Orient watches, and it really is good – it feels secure, easy to use, and very smooth and unobtrusive on the skin.

 

How It Functions

The Classic Semi-Skeleton is equipped with Orient's caliber F6R42. This movement offers a 50 hour power reserve, and declares an accuracy of +25/-15 seconds per day. On my review sample, the watch actually did a mere +5 seconds per day; and when being put to rest a couple of days, while its power lasted, only lost a couple of seconds per day.

Checking the time on this watch is a simple affair. The hour and minute hand contrast clearly against the dark dial. Thanks to this, low light legibility is more than acceptable for a dress watch, despite having no lume on the hands or markers.

Crown operation is decent, though a slightly larger crown would have been more convenient. Winding feels a little rough, as in some Orient watches, but setting the time is a breeze (as would be expected).

As far as everyday usability, this is a dress watch and should be treated as such. The highly polished case and non-sapphire crystal are not intended to be worn working in the silver mines, and the 5 bar water resistance means you are not going to go shark hunting with this watch, either (by the way, I strongly recommend against hunting sharks anyway).

 

The Bottom Line

The new Orient Star Classic Semi-Skeleton is a handsome watch that takes a slight diversion from the familiar design lines of the brand. It's not just the case that is more polished, it is the whole concept. In this respect it is somewhat reminiscent of the Orient Star Diver, as both watches do not ignore the traditional aspects and DNA of the brand, but instead deliver them in a more rounded package, possibly aiming to attract buyers outside the existing circle of fans.

Whether one likes the new design or not, and whether one prefers it over the old styling or not, is totally subjective. What is objective, is that the quality is definitely there – the mechanics are sound, the finishing is fine, and attention has certainly been given to little details such as can be found on the dial and crown.

The new model can be found online nowadays at around $500 USD, slightly below the official price. This is about 100 dollars lower than current asking prices for the previous model (ref. RK-AV0011L would be the closest in terms of dial color).

This represents good value, whichever way you look at it. Indeed the lack of sapphire may be offputting to some, but I understand that Orient were looking for a warmer, old-school vibe here with that purposefully domed mineral glass. Clearly, when Orient wants to put sapphire in their watches they do it, at almost any price point.

Bottom line is, if you find the new design attractive, you are likely to enjoy this watch. There is nothing wrong with it – it is comfortable, legible, and well-made. And if you find this limited edition's dial too glitzy for your liking, there are three other versions to choose from.

 

The blog would like to thank Orient – Epson Europe for providing us this limited edition Orient Star Classic Semi-Skeleton watch for review. 

  

New Limited Edition Orient Star Watches Inspired by… The Stars

The year is still 2021, Orient Star is still celebrating its 70^th anniversary, and more limited-edition watches are being launched. We are concluding the batch of new model releases that began last week with one more announcement that actually presents four different models – all are mechanically familiar, but with new dials – that are, honestly, quite attractive and unusual.

 

Mechanical Moon Phase

Orient's familiar semi-skeleton moon phase, in its "Classic Collection" form, is being presented now with a unique gradient green-blue colored MOP dial, somewhat similar to the recent limited edition of the Contemporary Moonphase.

The new look sure is eye-catching, some might call it too flashy, but it's definitely a design that cannot be ignored. Orient says it is inspired by nebulae. We are not going to argue over this.

Technically you get all the current features and dimensions of the other Classic Moonphase models: the movement is cal. F7M62, offering 50 hours of power reserve and +15/-5 seconds per day accuracy, housed in a 41mm wide case, and lug width is 20mm.

Front and back crystals are sapphire, with the front getting Orient's Super-Anti-Reflective (SAR) treatment, which is very effective. The case-back is also numbered, as the different references are limited:

·         Intenational reference RE-AY0111A, with a black cordovan leather strap, is limited to 100 units.

·         JDM ref. RK-AY0109A is limited to 200 units – and comes with a different crocodile leather strap.

·         Prestige Shop model RE-AY0101A is also limited to 200 units, and comes with both steel bracelet and leather strap.

The price is around $2,000 USD, with a small premium on the Prestige Shop model.

 

Modern Skeleton

The Modern Skeleton is another design that is immediately identifiable with Orient Star. With this 70^th anniversary release it gets the glittering dial that we've recently seen on some other Orient watches, such as the Layered Skeleton limited reference RK-AV0B05E.

Specs are standard Modern Skeleton: the movement is automatic, hand-winding and hacking cal. F6F44 with 50 hours of power reserve, case width is 41mm, lug-to-lug length is 49mm, thickness is 12mm, and the lug width is 21mm. The front crystal is sapphire, while the case-back uses organic glass.

Here too, the different references are limited:

·         Reference RE-AV0118L is attached to a blue calf-leather strap, and limited to 900 pieces.

·         JDM Ref. RK-AV0118L is identical to the global version, and limited to 300 units.

·         Prestige Shop ref. RK-AV0119L is limited to 250 units, and offers both steel bracelet and leathe strap.

Prices are around 850 USD, again with the Prestige Shop model being slightly higher.

 

Classic Semi Skeleton

The new version of the Orient Star Classic Semi-Skeleton was announced less than a couple of weeks ago, and already it receives a limited, 70^th-anniversary edition – for both the men's and ladies models.

The treatment here is somewhat subtler than the aforementioned Moonphase and Modern Skeleton editions, as is appropriate for the new understated style of the watch. The men's version gets a blue dial with sparkling "stars", and the women's model get a similar dial – plus golden bezel and crown.

The men's model is priced close to 600 USD, and includes:

·         JDM Reference RK-AT0205L with a blue leather strap, limited to 400 units.

·         Similar ref. RE-AT0205L is limited to 450 units worldwide.

·         Prestige Shop ref. RK-AT0206L is limited to 200 units, and includes two leather straps, blue and brown.

The ladies model is priced around 500 USD, and includes:

·         JDM Reference RK- ND0014L with a blue leather strap, limited to 300 units.

·         Similar ref. RE- ND0014L is limited to 150 units worldwide.

·         Prestige Shop ref. RK- ND0015L is limited to 200 units, and includes two leather straps, blue and brown.

Interestingly, while the men's model is produced in larger numbers for global distribution, the ladies' model will be available in larger numbers in Japan. Possibly an indication of the different watches' popularity in and outside Japan?

 

Orient Presents New Top Of The Line Skeleton Watch

As if the new line of Orient Star Skeleton models, with their F8 movement boasting 70 hours of power reserve, wasn’t enough – Orient have just presented a new flagship model to head this collection. At least for a short while – until the limited production run finishes shipping out the 200 numbered pieces.

The technical specifications of the new reference RK-AZ0003L are the same as the rest of the collection: the 38.8mm wide, 46mm long, stainless steel case houses the latest caliber F8B63 with its blue silicon escape wheel, and +15/-5 seconds per day accuracy.

The new dial appears to be even more finely finished than the original models (which weren’t half bad too). The minute track and sub-dials get black accents that contrast nicely with the silver tones of the other dial elements. And – whether you like it or not – the 12 o’clock marker is adorned with two diamonds.

Everything else is pretty much the same, such as the crocodile leather strap with its three-fold buckle, the front and back sapphire crystals, and no doubt – a high level of finishing all round.

For some added interest, Orient named this model “C / 2021 A1”, after a newly discovered comet by the same name, which is said to come close enough to Earth to be visible in the naked eye, sometime in December this year. This watch, however, is expected to be available sooner, in mid October.

The whole thing is now priced around 10% higher than the other references in the skeleton collection, MSRP placing it way above 3000 USD – among the most expensive Orients ever. Will it hold its price? How quickly would Orient be able to dish out those 200 units? Time will tell.

Orient's Skeleton Watch History

Watch brands have different ways of showing off their fine watchmaking expertise. One such method is producing skeleton watches, in which as much of the dial and movement bridges are stripped ("skeletonized") to provide a clear view of the beating heart of the mechanism.

Skeletonization is a very delicate art. When done right and skillfully executed, it can result in a highly exquisite timepiece. However, poor design or low-quality execution of a skeleton watch would likely end up looking cheap, hard to read, and generally very far from making a positive impression.

Orient too dipped its feet in the skeletonized end of the watchmaking pool, with varying degrees of success. Let's look at the company's skeleton watches over the years.

The Mon Bijou

In 1991, Orient introduced the curiously named, and non-Orient branded, "Mon Bijou" – literally meaning "my jewel", in French. A number of Mon Bijou versions were released, all featuring a hand-wound movement, but differing in the style and finishing.

The Mon Bijous were fairly small watches, measuring around 35mm in diameter, give or take (versions did differ slightly). Today you may find it advertised as either Men's or Women's watch, although it really is kind of unisex – with some of the versions leaning more toward the feminine end of things.

Nowadays, these early skeletons may seem a bit over-the-top ornate, their flamboyance out of line with the brand's DNA (and with their petite size…) – but at the time, they represented the top of Orient's watchmaking skills.

 

Orient Star / Royal Skeletons

A few years later (probably around 2000, though I could not pinpoint the exact time), the skeleton design found a new home under the Orient Star and Star Royal branding.

The "Star Royal" variant, ref. EQ00-A1, received the more elaborate execution of the movement, while the mere "Star" ref. EQ00-A2 boasts a more subtle and actually fairly elegant view of the movement. By the way, make no mistake, both are in stainless steel and gold plated. None of the Orient skeletons was ever made in solid gold.

The next iteration of the skeleton came in 2004 with the introduction of caliber 48B56, offering improved accuracy of +10/-5 seconds per day (vs. the earlier model's roughly +15/-7), a power reserve display, and the hacking mechanism missing in the older models.

At first, this movement was cased as "Orient Star Royal", with ref. WZ0011FQ in stainless steel and WZ0021FQ being gold plated. These watches also featured slightly larger diameters of 37mm without the crown.

Reference WZ0031FQ joined the pack a little later, bearing only the Orient Star logo and featuring unique bridges very reminiscent of Girard Perregaux's signature skeleton bridges, as seen below in the smaller picture.

 

Royal Orient Skeletons

In 2007 came the next iteration of cal. 48B56, this time in full Royal Orient guise, as the Star Royal was now renamed. References WE0011FQ and WE0021FQ were almost identical, except the sub-dial track colors, silver in the first and black in the latter. Also, a thin white line was added to the hour and minute hands of the darker version to improve legibility. Case size grew a little again, reaching 38mm.

A couple of years later, these were released again as Ref. WE0031FQ and WE0041FQ, differing only in the new Royal Orient logo.

In 2010, Orient introduced the rarest and finest execution of its Skeleton watch yet – ref. WE0011DU. The story of this unique creation was posted here on the blog last year.

 

Orient Star Vintage and Classic Skeletons

In 2013 Orient announced a new skeletonized movement – caliber 48E51 – and a new line of watches, the Orient Star Vintage Skeleton. Two limited editions of 500 pieces each were introduced: ref. WZ0011DX with a gold-plated case and champagne-colored dial, and WZ0021DX with plain steel case and silver-colored dial.

Once again, the new models featured a slightly larger case, with their width now reaching 39mm. Despite the "vintage" in their name, embodied mainly in the use of an old Orient Star logo, their design was actually more modern, featuring a cleaner look than earlier Orient skeleton watches.

In 2016 Orient released the Orient Star Classic Skeleton, using the same movement but returning to a more ornate dial design. Ref. WZ0031DX featured gold-plating on the stainless steel case, while WZ0041DX kept it clean. The movement inside was gold plated on both though.

Later that same year, reference WZ0051DX joined the collection, featuring dark-brown dial elements. This was a limited edition, sold exclusively on Orient's Prestige Shops. The last member of the DX family, ref. RK-DX0001S, was released in 2017. Here most of the golden elements were removed in favor of a clean silver-grey appearance; even the gold-plated movement was replaced with a similar non-plated version, cal. 48E52.

 The 70^th Anniversary Skeletons

We are skipping a few other watch models like Orient's long-running "Modern Skeleton" collection, and the recent "Avantgarde Skeleton". These do not feature a fully skeletonized movement, and more accurately belong in Orient's broad range of Semi-Skeleton watches.

And so we arrive in 2021, when finally a new movement and a new line of skeleton watches were introduced. As we reported here back in January, Orient presented caliber F8 featuring 70 hours of power reserve, with two new skeleton models housing it - Reference RK-AZ0001S with a champagne-colored dial, and RK-AZ0002S featuring a white dial, both in stainless steel cases.

 

And that's it – you have the full history of Orient's skeleton watches!

 

Photos were taken from official Orient catalogs and old sale ads.

New M-Force and Moon Phase Models from Orient

Orient introduces today a bunch of new watches, providing an interesting take on existing designs: an "outdoor", or field / military style version of the M-Force; and Moonphase watches with a Mother-of-Pearl dial.

The Outdoor M-Force

This one is based on the latest iteration of the M-Force dive watch. Two primary differences have been made to set this version apart from its marine counterpart: the divers' bezel has been replaced with a navigation bezel, and the dial markers have been made thinner (perhaps as to make for a bit stealthier appearance at night, when one goes about their covert military mission).

Other than that, the overall construction, general specs and dimensions are unchanged, including the 200m depth rating and the extra anti-shock protection which is an M-Force hallmark. This is still 45mm wide (47 counting the beefy crown guard) and 52mm lug to lug, which, as we discovered on our hands-on review, are in fact perfectly wearable and – for wrists not too scrawny – even comfortable.

Two models are being introduced at this time:

·         Reference RN-AC0N01B features raw stainless steel bezel and crown guard (making for a unique appearance among previous M-Force versions) with a matching steel bracelet and a matte black textured dial.

·         Reference RN-AC0N03E features black coating on the bezel and crown-guard and a green, military-looking textured dial. This one comes on a nylon NATO-style strap.

Prices are the same as the dive-oriented versions. Availability is scheduled for June 3.

The blog's verdict: This is a welcome addition to the M-Force collection. We already learned to love the base models and are always happy for a greater diversity of options to choose from.

 

The Orient Star MOP Dial Moonphase

This release extends the range of Contemporary Moon Phase models introduced last year. Interestingly it is this more modern and technical-looking collection, rather than the classic moon phase collection, that Orient chose to put the MOP dials on. This, despite Mother-of-Pearl dials being generally considered romantic and a little bit old-school.

Here too, the base model's overall specs have been preserved. The watch measures 41mm across, 48.5mm lug to lug, and the main design elements, case structure and dial layout – including that lovely moon-phase display – are unchanged.

Two models are being introduced at this time:

·         Reference RK-AY0005A has a silvery-white MOP dial, and will go into regular production.

·         Reference RK-AY0006A has an interesting looking dial which, in the style of MOP, appears to be a mix of greenish and bluish hues, and will likely have a cool effect in changing lighting conditions. It will be a limited edition of 700 pieces, considered to be part of Orient Star's 70th anniversary releases, of which 500 are reserved for distribution in Japan.

Prices are about 100 USD higher than the standard versions, which appears to be a reasonable premium. Availability is scheduled for June 3.

The blog's verdict: The contemporary moon-phase watch is already an impressive piece, offering a high level of watchmaking. If you like the basic design and the moon phase complication, and are fond of MOP dials, the new releases should get you excited.

  

New Orient Star Models for 2021

As expected on its sub-brand's 70^th anniversary year, Orient continues today to introduce new models into the Orient Star line-up: we so, we get a new Moonphase watch without (!) an open-heart aperture, and a new family of semi-skeleton watches.

The "Layered Skeleton"

Orient are trying out a new style of semi-skeleton design with this model. Featuring the time, small seconds and power-reserve indicator, the watch dial is given added depth by applying different textures, making it appear as if a full-plate dial is slightly peeled off to reveal a little bit of its underpinnings.

The watch measures 41mm wide, 48.3mm long, and 13.6mm thick. Lug width is 20mm. Front crystal is sapphire while the caseback is covered in mineral glass.

Five references will be released, officially on March 25:

·         Reference RK-AV0B01S, having a white dial, and coming on a steel bracelet.

·         Ref. RK-AV0B02Y with a brown dial, and also attached to a steel bracelet.

·         Ref. RK-AV0B03B features a black dial – and likewise, a steel bracelet.

·         Reference RK-AV0B04S would be sold exclusively on "Prestige Shops". It has a white dial, and is sold with both a bracelet and a leather strap.

·         Ref. RK-AV0B05E is the Orient Star 70^th anniversary model, and will be limited to 700 JDM pieces and 700 export pieces. This model comes on a leather strap and features a uniquely painted green dial.

All models use Orient caliber F6F44, offering 50 hours of power reserve, and a stated accuracy of +25/-15 seconds per day. The different models are all priced the same, at around 900 USD.

The blog's verdict: it's the sort of designs one needs to see in person to appreciate whether they pulled it off successfully or not. However, we're being optimistic, given Orient's experience with semi-skeleton designs, that this is likely to turn out pretty good.

 

The Mechanical Moonphase

The new Moonphase model would please many fans of the brand and of the concept of a moon phase watch, who preferred a simpler dial design without an open-heart feature. Unfortunately, only a single reference will be released – RK-AY0108S – and it will be limited to 200 pieces only available exclusively on Orient's "prestige shops" in Japan.

This is the lowest production volume of any recent Orient model, and it also priced slightly lower than the open-heart versions, at around 1700 USD. Therefore, It would likely be sold out rather quickly. It is expected to arrive in the stores on March 18.

The specs are very similar to those of the open-heart versions: dimensions are still 41mm wide, 49mm long, and 13.8mm thick, crystal is sapphire front and back, and water resistance is 5 atm.

The movement is Orient's caliber F7M65 – probably just a non-semi-skeletonized version of the F7M62 that drives the brand's open-heart moonphase models. It has an accuracy of +15/-5 seconds per day, and keeps a power reserve of up to 50 hours.

The blog's verdict: yes, thank you and we want more!

 

A Brief History of Orient Star

The Orient Star brand was born 70 years ago, in 1951 – just one year after the birth of Orient itself. We are now entering the 70^th anniversary of Orient Star, a milestone that has already provided us one major launch (the new Orient Star Skeleton and 70 hour movement) and is expected to yield more releases and announcements.

This, then, is a good reason to take a quick look at the history of Orient Star. We're not going to go into the details of specific models in this review, but more to understand the roots and DNA of the brand.

 

The DNA of Orient Star

Orient takes pride in the heritage of its Orient Star line. Despite producing some quartz models for women, the brand is positioned primarily as a manufacturer of mechanical watches since its first model until today.

The nature of mechanical watches, as items that are passed on from generation to generation and transcend temporary trends, is important in the narrative of the brand. It is also a significant element linking its very first model with the latest, as despite advancements in watchmaking technologies, the fundamental concepts of mechanical watches have remained unchanged.

Looking at some of the marketing content and stories released by Orient, it seems they also see the concept of "joy" as key. They describe it as an attempt to provide owners with the joy of being fascinated by the mechanics, of connecting with the past, and naturally – of wearing the watch. I see this concept as true to the end product: Particularly as opposed to the seriousness with which many European watchmakers perceive themselves, there is something lighter, and often fun, in Orient's watch designs (not just the Orient Star models, by the way).

 

A Brief History of Orient Star

The Following "lineage tree" of Orient Star appears in the company's Japanese website – I've taken the liberty of translating it…

The earliest models on the tree show the very quick evolution from the 1951 Orient Star design, which visually is very much "early 20^th century", to the 1957 "Dynamic" model that presents the kind of dress-watch esthetics that are acceptable even today.

The rest of the diagram ignores some really beautiful Orient Star models, as it seems to focus less on looks and more on substance, that is, mechanical innovations that the brand sees at important steps in its history.

Such important steps include, of course, the introduction of series 46 calibers, the ancestor of modern Orient movements that continued to evolve into the 46-F6, F7 and F8 movements. Though that has not been unique to Orient Star, of course.

We can see some familiar elements of Orient Star watches mechanics that also have a significant implication on their design: such are the Power Reserve indicator, introduced in 1996, and the Semi-Skeleton introduced in 2003.

The original diagram had only reached 2017. As I've already broken the shame barrier by translating it, I saw no reason why I could not just extend it to 2021. So, here goes – my interpretation of what Orient Star's lineage tree would look like, had it been drawn today.

Orient Star Within The Orient Range

Today Orient Star represents the top of the Orient line in terms of quality and pricing. It is worth noting that this was not always the case.

Royal Orient became part of the brand's portfolio in the late 1950s, taking over the top of the range, before itself being overtaken in the early sixties by the even more expensive and luxurious Grand Prix line.

Later in the 1960s and 1970s it seems that the Orient Star name disappeared, in favor of such marks as Orient Deluxe and specific high-end models like the Fineness and the Tenbeat.

The 1980s appear as a period in time where the Orient range was less exciting and quartz became a more prominent part of the brand's offering. Luckily, the 1990s marked the return of the mechanical movement to center stage, along with the reappearance of Orient Star, which from then on kept its place as a higher-end sub-brand that is characterized by excellent quality and finishing, with only the occasional Royal Orient releases overshadowing it.