The Orient Star Dynamic and the T-Type Movement

A couple of months ago I wrote about the birth of Orient's T-S Type movement, and the "Hinomatic" watch built on it. Not long had passed since the 1955 launch of the Hinomatic, and in 1956 Orient introduced a new caliber, the T-Type, which would soon replace the T-S.

The T-Type, too, did not last a long time in production before it was replaced by the N-Type movement, in 1958. However, during its short life it provided the basis for numerous important models and new designs, some of which were later revisited in watches using newer calibers.

The first and most notable – and popular – model was the Orient Star Dynamic. The Dynamic started life as a fairly standard-looking watch, not much different in appearance from the Hinomatic it replaced.

Having similar looks and a movement that was, in essence, very similar to the T-S, one could be fooled into thinking this was little more than a minor update to the running production line.

However, between 1957 and 1958, at which time the Dynamic line concluded, plenty of fresh and innovative designs emerged.

At first, Orient were to play with some fancier dial designs. These also presented a more modern dress-watch style, suitable to the end of the 1950s – as opposed to the Hinomatic's very "early 50s" looks. Differences may appear subtle to us now, but at the time they were probably appreciated for consumers looking for a more current design.

Then Orient produced some more daring creations that went beyond just dial and markers. One example is the "mysterious" watch, where the second hand was replaced with a rotating disc that hid the hour and minute hands, and created a special radiating effect. This design was later reproduced as a Royal Orient.

Another example is the "case within case" design, seen below on the right. This style too was very unique to Orient, and was reused by the brand for its Olympia Swimmer models in the 1960s.

If that wasn't enough, Orient then went on and put the T-Type inside a triangular case, to make its homage to the Hamilton Ventura. This was sold as both a wristwatch and a pocket watch version, as you can see here.

The case-in-case design also received its pocket-watch, or pendant version as you can see below; and an even more unusual product was this table-clock Dynamic, which resembles a lamp.

While the Orient Star Dynamic was the main product line at the time, Orient manufactured more models using the T-Type caliber.

The Jupiter model was presented in 1956, shortly after the Dynamic. It was initially intended as a more basic watch: using versions of the movement having as little as 9 jewels, while Dynamic models usually made use of the 17-jewel version. Later, however, things got a little mixed up with 11 jewel versions appearing in both the Jupiter and Dynamic lines.

In 1957 the Mars Orient was introduced, as a higher end model, with finer regulation and improved shock resistance. These watches used 19 and 21 jewel versions of the T-Type, and the 21-jewel model also featured a higher level of finishing throughout.

Another watch worth mentioning that made use of the T-Type movement was the 1958 "Luminous" with its battery and miniature light bulb, and the antimagnetic Para Aimant. Despite being introduced along with the start of the production of the newer N-Type caliber, these models took advantage of the smaller dimensions of the older movement to pack more "technology" into their cases.

Note, however, that most of the earlier models mentioned – the Dynamic, Mars and Jupiter – had fairly small cases, ranging between 32-34mm. Take this into consideration when looking to buy one of those.

 

Pictures that appear in this post were taken from the 1999 Orient Watch Catalog book, and old Orient sale ads.

The Hinomatic and the T-S Type Movement

We're now going back in time to the earliest documented history of Orient. We know some facts about its incorporation – how it launched as Tama Keiki Co. in 1950, and was renamed Orient a year later and launched its first "Orient Star" model – But there's very little record of the factory's watchmaking activity between then and 1955.

Then, in 1955, Orient launched its first documented in-house designed movement, the "T-S Type": a hand-winding, central seconds, 18,000 BPH caliber.

We do know it was not 100% made in-house, as some of the parts could not be manufactured by Orient at that time – it took two more years for Orient to accomplish the finishing of some of the finer parts of the mechanism. And obviously the design borrowed from an existing movement (I believe one by Citizen).

One of the interesting features of the "T-S" type was its hacking mechanism. This was not a very common feature at the time, and it seems its implementation by Orient had not been perfect.

Generally, when the second-hacking mechanism is engaged, it puts a sudden stop to the movement of the second hand, which can cause the balance wheel to stop abruptly as well. This sudden stop can cause additional wear and tear on the watch movement, especially if it's done repeatedly or incorrectly. Possibly, the "T-S" was not properly designed to withstand the additional stress caused by the second-hacking mechanism. Ultimately, many watchmakers removed the hacking mechanism when the "T-S" was brought in for repair.

Anyway, the movement was good enough to form the basis for the brand's new watch, the "Orient Star Hinomatic". It was not, of course, automatic – all Orients at the time were purely hand-winding machines – but it was manufactured at the brand's Hino factory in Japan. And it also became the brand's first export, as Hinomatics began selling in China.

Note that while some sources mentioned the Hinomatic as the first central-second Orient, it was in fact preceded by the Orient Star Center-Second (that used a non-Orient movement).

The Hinomatic Sports was produced in a number of versions until 1957, when the T-S type was replaced by the improved T type movement that spawned an abundance of new models. But – that would be the topic of a new post…

 

Pictures that appear in this post were taken from the 1999 Orient Watch Catalog book, and old Orient sale ads.

 

Orients From Mars

Among the various model and sub-branding names used by Orient throughout the years, "Mars Orient" was among the shortest lived. It was introduced in 1957, and its production ended in 1958. And yet, during its short life, it shone bright.

The Mars Orient was produced in a number of versions, differing in materials and design, but most significantly – the movement. Only two little stones separated 19 jewel models from 21 jewel models, but this was enough to position them almost like two different watches, the latter costing almost twice as much as the first.

All Mars Orients utilized the Type T caliber, and were among the last models to use this movement. Only the Women's Orient Star Dynamic and the Para Aimant, which relied on the smaller diameter of the aging movement, kept using it till the end of the 1950s.

The more basic 19j Mars models were generally priced around 4,500 – 6,000 JPY, which at the time was about the same as top-of-the-line Orient Star Dynamic (which came before it) and 19 jewel Royal Orient (which followed in 1958).

These Mars Orients came in a number of variations: there would be either Stainless Steel or Gold-Filled, and either with – or, more rarely, without an Anti-Shock mechanism. Dials designs differed too, and even the branding was not identical in all products, as some featured the Orient Star logo while others did not.

Higher upscale were the 21j Mars Orients. These were less common, and fewer versions were made, all equipped with Anti-Shock devices. The basic model was priced around 9,000 JPY, more than the most expensive Royal Orient back then. A more elaborate version, featuring the Orient Star logo and a uniquely textured dial, cost 9,770 JPY – remaining the most expensive Orient for years to come, until the 1961 launch of the Grand Prix.

So what was so special about these that made them such expensive watches? While the movement was essentially the same old T-type with two more rubies, these got "5 Adjust" marked on them, meaning their accuracy was regulated for five different positions. Finishing was probably the best that Orient could produce at the time.

Still, the actual difference between, say, a 19 jewel anti-shock-equipped gold filled Mars Orient and a 21 jewel one, appears to be less dramatic than pricing would suggest; and certainly, asking price for a vintage Mars nowadays would depend more on the condition of the item than on the movement version.

Pictures that appear on this post were taken from various sale ads and the 1999 Orient Watch Catalog book.

Triangular Orients

In 1957, Hamilton introduced a revolutionary watch named Ventura. The Ventura was the world's first electric watch – not quartz, mind you, as that took another 12 years to make – and as such, was given a most futuristic case. Designed by General Motor's famed Richard Arbib, it was the Ventura that introduced triangular watches.

The Ventura's design overtook its novel mechanism in becoming the model's signature characteristic, to the point that nobody cares if modern Ventura reissues are mostly automatic; and it made the triangular case desirable, so that even Patek Philippe rushed to do one of their own, and in 1958 presented the reference 3412, designed by another big name: Gilbert Albert.

It was not surprising then that Orient, in one of its periodic attempts to enter European markets by borrowing from a European design, soon followed with its own little triangle.

 

Orient Star Dynamic

The brand's first go at the triangle concept was released in 1958 under the Orient Star Dynamic name. Produced alongside other Dynamic models with more traditionally shaped cases, this was a very accurate duplication of the first Ventura.

As Hamilton's watch was made in gold, the Orient was 14K gold filled. It was a fairly small watch, 29mm wide, and around 34mm lug to lug. Like other OS Dynamic versions, the triangular piece contained the Type T movement.

Two versions were made – one that had a black dial, and another with a special two-tone, white and golden dial.

Interestingly, Orient also produced a pocket watch version. That version had a symmetric design, as opposed to the wristwatch's asymmetric case.

 

Orient Olympia Calendar

A few years had passed, and in 1963, Orient returned to the triangle. This time the source of inspiration was Hamilton's Pacer – a model that followed the Ventura, with not as ornate a case – and the platform was Orient's Olympia Calendar, and its 19-jewel Type LC movement.

The Olympia version was larger than its Dynamic predecessor, at 31mm across and 42mm long. Again, it was produced as a gold-filled case, on a steel base.

 

Orient Weekly AAA

The Orient Weekly Auto AAA was a fairly common model in the mid-1960s. The non-auto Orient Weekly AAA, however, was much rarer – basically having the Auto's movement with its rotor removed, renamed caliber "Type MCY" (there was also a date-only version, Type MC).

In 1965, Orient used the Weekly AAA as the basis for its next triangular design. This time they manufactured a watch with distinctive lugs, different from Hamilton's, and also larger – being 33mm wide, and 52mm long from lug to lug. No gold plating was applied.

 

Orient Chronoace

Orient introduced the Chronoace line in 1969. It featured a new family of self-winding movements, cal. 42xxx, and numerous models ranging in pricing and design.

In 1970, Orient took caliber 42 and placed it inside the Weekly AAA's triangular case. The Chronoace's familiar date quickset button was omitted, as there was no place for it in the case.

This was the last of Orient's vintage triangular models. Note how each link in the chain added something new to its predecessor: the Olympia added a date; the AAA added the weekday; and the Chronoace added automatic winding.

 

Reprint

in 1996 Orient chose to release a new triangular watch, paying homage to its vintage ancestors. The new model featured a "Pacer" case much like the Olympia, small 29mm dimensions like the Dynamic, markers much like the AAA and Chronoace, and dauphine hands – again much like the Dynamic.

The new model was branded as Orient Star. Two variants were produced: reference NWAA-A0 (or WZ0051NW in Japan) with a gold-plated case, and ref. NWAA-C1 (or WZ0061NW) in steel. The movement inside was cal. 55141, a small mechanism used primarily for women's watches.

 

Pictures that appear on this post were taken from various sale ads and the 1999 Orient Watch Catalog book.

 

The Orient Jupiter

Some names that pop up repeatedly throughout Orient's history bear much weight, like King Diver, M-Force and Royal Orient. Others seem to just float about, light and foamy, without drawing too much attention. Such is the name Jupiter.

Because it is such an unassuming side note in Orient's chronicles, not much has been written about it. But still, there were enough nice Jupiters produced over the years, it's worth mentioning a few of them.

We'll start off, rather surprisingly, with the most recent of them. The relatively-modern Orient Jupiter was a rather faithful rendition of one of the 1950's model – in fact it was so faithful, Orient even modified one of its then-current automatic, time-and-date movements, removed the date wheel and rotor, and squeezed it into the authentically small 34mm case of the reissue.

Honestly, other than its minute dimensions, this is a lovely watch. Now in hand-winding guise, a "19 jewel" text decorates the dial instead of the usual "automatic", and the crown's "ghost-position" in-between winding and setting the time reveals its movement's origin.

Orient produced two versions of this Jupiter: the gold-plated reference Tn33502G, and stainless steel Tn33503S.

The original Jupiter of the mid 1950s was not much different, if we can imagine it being clean and shiny (not many photos now exist of shiny 1950s Jupiters…)

Also measuring 34mm across, with a simple yet elegant dial, this was positioned below the Orient Star models of that era. And speaking of Stars and Jupiters, Orient must have been looking to the sky for names then, as that was also when an even more obscure model by the name Mars Orient was produced.

The original Jupiter with its T-type movement was replaced in the early 1960s by a new "showerproof" model, containing the newer N-type caliber, still with no date function.

Between the 1950s and 1990s, the Jupiter name was occasionally attached to different models, both automatic and quartz. Among those were a diver, some dressy models, and even a couple of curious looking moon-phase models having a fairly un-orient-like design – which might have been the reason for branding them "Jupiter" (with no mention of Orient on the dial).

So this was a brief review of a name of no particular importance in the history of Orient… but still, one that might yet be of interest for a collector of inconspicuous old watches.

 

Pictures of the various watches that appear on this post were taken from various old sale ads.