The Weekly Auto Orient AAA

This will not be the first "AAA" covered on the blog. I've already posted a story about the Orient AAA Deluxe a while back. This time though, I felt like going for something more classic-looking, and whereas that DXO was quite distinctively Japanese, the model I'm looking at now is clearly influenced by Swiss designs.

More specifically – the influence of the Rolex Day-Date. That iconic watch – the first to display the full day of the week along with the date – was introduced in 1956, and by the mid-1960s when this AAA was produced, its design had already become an object of admiration and source of inspiration for watch designers worldwide.

This AAA, while clearly not a "replica" and having a fairly distinct and more simple-looking dial, displays such clear day-date elements, like the fluted bezel, cyclops, and of course – the combined day and date display.

At the time Orient released numerous versions of the Weekly Auto, differing in jewel count (generally ranging between 19-25, with some rare models going as high as 30) and in their dial layout – with a few featuring the arched day window (like the Rolex) while others having a rectangular window.

This particular piece I'm holding is the 21 jewel, rectangular day type. I do like that it's quite different from my other Weekly Auto (which is the King Diver with the arched window) and as mentioned, also different from my other AAA.

The hands on this watch seem a bit short, as both minute and second hands do not reach the hours markers. I was wondering if the hands were possibly replaced at some point; however, I did see numerous photos of weekly auto's with a similar set of hands (as well as variants with longer hands). So possibly this is original. 

Also, while lumed hands often got replaced when the paint degraded, these watches generally had simple metal hands with no paint, so hands rarely needed a change. And this watch is generally in excellent condition – the case is nicely kept, the dial is clean and the crystal and cyclops without any visible scratches – so the hands should not have been damaged.

Indeed upon close inspection one can appreciate the nicely brushed dial, well-polished markers and aperture frames. While lacking the more intricate design elements of the Deluxe (like more elaborate marker design and matching hands), it's still a handsome watch.

The fluted bezel was first used by Rolex on their cushion-case Oyster in 1926, but it received its familiar iconic shape when it got attached to the round case of the Datejust in 1945. It adds sparkle and elegance to the watch, even if it is not made of gold…  

The cyclops too was a Rolex novelty, just another one of their numerous inventions in the prolific 1950s. What is it about this little extra piece of crystal that goes so well with fluted bezels, I don't know. Perhaps we just got used to this combination so much. Anyway it's a nice addition. It's hard to estimate its magnification here, but it helps to read the date. As for the weekday, you'll have to wear your glasses.

Then there's the beads of rice bracelet, another key component of this model's style, though not actually a day-date thing; while Rolex did use some BoR bracelets in the 1940s, it later adopted its self-designed Jubilee bracelet instead. BoR did remain a favorite of other top-tier brands looking for an elegant alternative to Milanese bracelets.

The BoR bracelet here (Orient's original) is of the quite common 7-link type, with the broad outer links. It is a very comfortable bracelet, and visually makes a perfect match for the bezel. Quality is more than adequate and it does not pull any hair.

Let's look at dimensions. The case width is 38mm without the crown, and lug to lug it is 45mm. That's a perfect size of a dress watch even by today's standards. It's also larger than older Weekly Auto AAAs that had a 37mm wide, 43mm long case. And maybe that even holds an explanation to the short hands.

All in all, a very nice watch. In typical Orient manner (and indeed like other Japanese brands), the brand paid homage to a design that became popular in Europe a few years earlier, but while doing so it added some of its own distinctive styling. Despite all Rolex elements, the dial is still very "Orient" with the logo, AAA and tristar symbol, and of course – the push-button for changing the date.

Prices for Weekly Auto AAAs today generally go between 200 to 400 USD, depending on condition. A watch in good condition, with clean dial, original crystal with cyclops, and original bracelet, would probably go for closer to the upper end of the range.

 

The Orient AAA Deluxe

The "Deluxe" moniker was introduced into Orient's lineup in the mid 1960s, and was attached to the brand's "AAA" watches – possibly, to symbolize the use of a new generation of automatic movements, the caliber 49xx family.

To highlight this new collection of watches further, Orient added the "DXO" logo. This was the abbreviation of "Deluxe Orient". Most – but not all – Deluxe Orients had therefore carried the very elaborate branding of "Orient AAA Deluxe" plus the "DXO" logo on their dial.

The DXO family was home to a wide range of models, including a sporty Racer, a Swimmer, the Crystal, and some King Divers – among them, the mighty 1000 meter "baby Panerai" (which may have been a baby as far as Panerai were concerned, but for Orient was a real beast).

I have one good-looking DXO Crystal in my collection representing this line of watches. Let's take a closer look at it…

The watch isn't too small: case width is 37.5mm without the crown, which is a very wearable size, particularly considering the wrist presence of the very angular case. Lug to lug it is 40mm long.

Thickness is quite moderate at a fraction over 12mm. The sides of the case are designed to make it appear slimmer, as the side photo reveals. This combination of an arched profile and sharp lugs makes for a nicely sculptured appearance.

The main attraction here is the watch face, which is well worth zooming in on. What immediately catches the eye is that spider web design with lines stretching from the center of the dial to each hour marker. And then there are the lovely raised markers: not anything we've not seen before, but they are sharp and well made.

Complementing the markers are similarly styled hour and minute hands, and a second hand that also resembles the black stripes on the thicker hands.

This model is equipped with a 27 jewel Caliber 4973, one of the many members of the 49xx family. This movement provides the time, date and weekday, and features manual winding – unlike some of the other caliber 49xx variants.

The main crown here does nothing in the first position. When pulled to the 2^nd position it allows you to set the time – and this is also what you'd use to slowly set the weekday. Pull the crown to the 3^rd position to manually wind the watch.

Thankfully, advancing the date is enabled by the pusher at 2 o'clock. Not so thankfully, the pusher is tiny, and using it to advance more than 2-3 days forward is really an annoying task. Clearly, it was made with daily wearing in mind, so owners did not have to use the date pusher too much – unless they had let the watch unwind and rest for too long.

Overall, this Orient AAA Deluxe appears to be a very well-made watch. Considering the one I'm holding is almost 55 years old, it is quite impressive: the dial has kept its colors and various elements very well, and the movement goes strong. This particular specimen is also well kept, with sharp case lines and a beautiful original bracelet.

Good looking DXOs like this can be found for around 200-300 USD, and you can still find decent, perfectly wearable ones at 150-200 USD. I also occasionally see some DXOs being put on sale with much higher asking prices – but there's honestly no reason to pay much more than 300 USD for most AAA Deluxe pieces, unless a truly unique one or possibly, a NOS item. An exception to this rule would be King Divers, which fetch considerably higher prices due to their larger case sizes, and particularly - that rare 1000m diver.