The Rarest Orient Of All?

We've covered some rare and unusual watches in the blog before, but the model we will be looking at today is probably the rarest of them all. It is the Royal Orient reference WE0011DU.

The Royal WE0011DU was among a few models released by Orient ten years ago, in celebration of the brand's 60th anniversary. It was, of course, the most exclusive (and expensive, by some margin) of the lot: a limited edition of just 12 (twelve!) pieces.

The specs of this beast were impressive enough, certainly close to the top of Orient's all-time releases, both in their mechanics as well as the esthetics.

The movement was caliber 48Z40, a uniquely skeletonized variant of the 48 family, similar to caliber 48B56 found in other, "standard" Royal Orient Skeletons (as much as these can be called standard). However, looking at the finish and unique bridge construction of the movement, it is obvious a lot of effort had gone into making this piece stand out.

Similar to other 48 calibers, the movement is hand-winding only, boasting 50 hours of power reserve and stated accuracy of +10/-5 seconds per day, at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour.

The case of the WE0011DU was 38.5mm wide, 45.5mm lug to lug, and 10.1 mm thick. Both front and back were covered by sapphire glass, not surprisingly. The watch case and dial feature plenty of finely finished surfaces, both mirror- and satin-polished, achieved through much more manual work than even most Royal Orient models.

Looking beyond the specs, this unique Orient must have been quite a sight, and it's a shame that so little information and real-life photos of it are available! But it makes sense that costing close to 6,000 USD (roughly 2.5 times the cost of "regular" Royal Orient skeleton models!) and being produced in such a small quantity, it has become a safe-queen for most of its owners.

I do like to set some fairly tough targets for my collection, and as followers of the blog must have noted I have succeeded in acquiring some models that are very hard to get. But to be honest, I'm not even aiming at finding the WE0011DU! I'd be happy to even see some photos of this watch. Just to be sure the legendary beast even exists…

The 50th Anniversary Multi-Year Calendar

It is a time of anniversaries – the blog's second (as posted a couple of weeks ago) and Orient's 70^th – so why not look at one other anniversary celebrated by Orient a few years ago – that of the Multi-Year Calendar.

Remember the story of the multi-year calendar? It might not be the brand's highest watchmaking achievement or its most celebrated model, but it is definitely one of Orient's most recognizable designs, which has been associated with the brand since its introduction in 1965.

And that is perhaps why Orient chose to produce a special anniversary piece for this of all models. Reference EU0B005B (sometime listed as SEU0B005B or FEU0B005B) was released in 2015 as a limited edition of 2,000 pieces.

Largely similar to other references in the multi-year line up of the mid 2010's, the anniversary edition is characterized by the black IP plating of the steel case, the black dial with the yellow lower (daytime) half of the inner 24-hour ring, and the matching yellow-stitched black leather strap.

The caseback has a dedicated inscription, mentioning this being the 50^th anniversary model, and the watch's number within the 2000 units produced.

This is a fairly large timepiece. Officially the diameter was listed as 45mm wide, however it measures close to 44 and I'm guessing an extra millimeter was added in respect for the crown guard. The watch measures about 53mm lug to lug, and is a tad over 12mm in thickness. Add the black and yellow color scheme, and the impression you're getting is very sporty, almost aggressive.

The crystal is hardened mineral, and the crown screws in. The watch feels properly tough and well made. Water resistance is 100m. The hands are lumed and you also get lume-dots at the hour markers, so it's also quite legible.

Now, what makes this line of watches from Orient stand out is the very busy (some would say "interesting" or "informative"…) dial. It's all quite functional though. Let's take a look at what you actually get there.

The outermost ring is a classic GMT listing of main cities around the world, each representing a different time zone. While this is not a GMT watch and the 24 hour ring does not rotate, it can be used as a tool for quick time-difference calculations: using the crown at 4, the wearer can place the timezone where he resides next to the current time (on the 24-hour ring, not the actual hour hand). Then, look for a different city to tell the time in that timezone.

Then there's the star of the show, the multi-year calendar itself. Operated in this model via the push-button at 2, every click of the button advances the calendar one year. Simply place the year under the appropriate month at the top half of the dial, and you'll see that month's weekdays presented over the matching dates at the bottom half.

Of course, every new multi-year model needs to have the year wheel updated. This particular watch covers 2015-2036. So it's good for quite some time yet!

Inside the watch runs caliber 46D40, a reliable old-school Orient movement. It is self-winding only, no hand-wind option, and no hacking. It's got the time and date, and a 40-hour power reserve. Accuracy specs are -15/+25 seconds a day, as usual with most Orient movements.

So – there you have it, a nice watch with the limited-edition-cool-factor, which is sort of limited by the fact that it really isn't that limited, at 2000 units… But overall it's a solid watch that can serve as a proper beater, feels sporty and just tough enough without being too bulky. It's not particularly better than the regular unlimited multi-year calendars, and the above text is generally true to most of them.

If, however, you like the collectors' value of an anniversary edition, then this is a decent watch to look for. While it's sold out on most online shops, it is still quite easy to find sellers on Ebay and other sites offering this model, either used or new. An unused watch would be fairly priced at around 400 USD. Or just go for one of the unlimited editions, generally priced below 300 USD.

Orient Place Blog's 2nd Anniversary

Happy birthday, blog! You're now two years old. Another year has passed. And while these are indeed complicated times we live in, Coronavirus and all, there are enough good things we can look back on – and look forward to.

So what has happened since we celebrated our first anniversary? First, some numbers… we've had more than 80,000 visits on the blog's second year, more than triple the traffic we had on the first year. That's fantastic and I thank all the blog's followers who keep coming back, commenting, sharing, liking – or just reading quietly which is just as great!

There was certainly no shortage of news and topics to write about, with more than 40 blog posts (almost once a week) published. Shortly after the first anniversary, we began reviewing new Orient models, many of which thanks to Orient Europe supplying us with the goodies. This proved to be some of the blog's most popular content, with the review of the Kamasu maintaining its status as our most-read hands-on review. However, the first place in the popularity contest goes to the announcement of the Orient Star Divers.

Orient Place Blog is also accompanied by an Instagram account (though it is not 100% dedicated to Orient or watches. But that's part of what makes an IG account interesting, isn't it…). You are most welcome to follow it if you're not doing so already! Here's a little collage that was posted earlier this year, a look back at some of our 2019 Instagram photos.

And of course, the big theme of this year for Orient is the brand's 70^th anniversary. We've seen some cool releases take place under this theme, such as the re-issue of the King Diver and the Retro-future Camera. While new releases are currently taking a short break, we're probably going to see more new stuff later in 2020.

What next? Still no shortage of content in sight! We'll be reviewing new and old watches, discuss more topics from the brand's history, and keep you updated with any new models and announcements. Is there anything else you would like to see on the blog? Any particular models or topics you think the blog should cover, or perhaps – any content of your own you wish to share with us? Your feedback would be highly appreciated, so keep commenting, here or on our Facebook page, and keep following Orient Place blog!

Orient's Special Editions for Thailand

Tomorrow, April 13, Thai people will be celebrating the national holiday of Songkran, the traditional New Year's day.  So today, the blog would be paying respect to the people of Thailand, and we will be looking at some special Orient watches produced to celebrate the Thai culture and national events.

The first thing to keep in mind is the importance of the local language. The Thai take great pride in their unique numerals and alphabet, which are perceived as part of the national identity. Therefore, a key element in watches produced for the local market would be a replacement of Arabic or Roman numerals, with Thai ones. Note in the watches pictured below, that Orient often took the effort of changing numbers not only on the dial but on the date disk as well, as opposed to many other watchmakers that did Thai versions.

Another source of national pride and importance, is the king and the royal family. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with the current dynasty dating back almost two and half centuries and the kingdom as a whole dating back to the 13^th century. Today the king's role might be more symbolic than decades ago, but he is very much revered, and the special occasions of the royal family are still being celebrated widely.

Now, we won't be reviewing all the many limited editions produced by Orient and its local distributors over the years, as there have been quite many. But we can take a look at four interesting examples.

2007: King Bhumibol's 80th Birthday

For the king's 80^th Birthday, Orient and local distributor Trocadero partnered to release a number of interesting models. These included:

·         Dual-time model reference CFE04004W based on the FE caliber 46P

·         A pair of beautiful two-tone "his and hers" Orient Star models, references WZ0311ER (larger model) and WZ0361NR (smaller model)

·         A Royal Orient pocket watch

·         And this very yellow model, ref. CESAA005Y

In can be noted that Orient (or their local distributor) took the occasion so seriously, even the serial numbering of the pieces, engraved on the case back, was done in Thai numerals.

2009: Princess Bejaratana's 84th Birthday

To celebrate the Birthday of HRH Princess Bejaratana (Cousin of King Bhumibol), Orient introduced two limited edition models, practically so rare it is nearly impossible to find any information, references and details about them.

·         An elegant, two-tone Orient automatic. Nothing too unusual there…

·         A very unique, and probably very hard to find, version of the Orient Star Dynamic Re-issue. Now that's a properly royal piece!

2014: Orient Thailand Limited Edition

In 2014, Orient produced four "Thailand Limited Editions" of the Bambino, for no particular event other than a celebration of the Thai language and numerals. These special Bambinos includes one rose-gold plated version, one yellow-gold plated version, and two steel models having a white and a black dial.

2015: Princess Sirindhorn 60th Birthday

In April 2015, Orient celebrated the 60th Birthday Anniversary of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, with a couple of particularly handsome watches.

·         Reference FDB0C006V, a men's watch, nicely combining a royal purple dial and gold plated case.

·         Reference FDB0A00AW, a women's watch, again gold plated, with a dial that's mostly white with just a little touch of purple.

These were only a few examples of the special Orient editions produced for the Thai market. If you are looking to buy any of these rare models, be patient and prepare for a long hunt, as they are quite challenging to find (though possibly some might come up if you search local shops in Thailand).

Happy Songkran!

Some photos and information were taken from official publications by Orient and its former distributor in Thailand, Trocadero. Additional, super-useful and interesting information, was found on this blog