The Adventures of Luminous and Flash

Luminous and Flash? What's this about? Are these the names of the blog author's favorite goldfish? (No, I don't have any goldfish. If I did, they'd be meals for my cats by now). Is this another Marvel / DC Comics crossover movie starring the famed Flash character and not-as-famous Luminous, sister of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch?

Nope, that's not it. We're still talking about Orient watches here.

Back in 2010, Orient was busy releasing a whole bunch of models celebrating the 60^th anniversary of the brand. Among those watches, there was one rather unusual release: the Fukkoku Series Flash. 

What made this watch special was the combination of mechanics and electrics. The watch was equipped with a mechanical, manual wind movement, a unique variant of the 48 family called cal. 48440. But it also housed a battery. And with the push of a small button, the battery would turn on an LED, lighting up the dial.

Now isn't this cool? I honestly love how that crystalline structure circling the dial spreads refracted light all over the watch face. It just oozes quaint sci-fi esthetics, the sort you'll find in old series like The Time Tunnel and first-generation Star Trek.

Note that there is also lume paint on the hands and dot hour markers, which the LED light helps charge up.

Two versions of the Flash were released – reference WV0011DL with a black dial, and ref. WV0021DL with a silver dial. Both were 39.5mm wide, 48mm long lug to lug, making them perfectly wearable for most wrist sizes.

Now, to make things more interesting, Orient also issued a second series of Flash watches: the "North Star" Flash. Presumably, these were intended for global markets. But these did not just differ in their reference numbers, but were in fact different models – with distinct hour and minute hands, and having "North Star" printed on the dial.

So, you had ref. URL001DL with a black dial; URL002DL with a golden dial; and reference URL003DL with a lighter-colored dial. They were limited to 777 pieces each.

But wait, what was that "Fukkoku Series" tag? Well, Fukkoku was the term used by Orient at the time for its re-issue models – like its 2009 Multi-Year Calendar and King Master. So was there an older Flash watch? There sure was.

The original Flash was released by Orient in 1964, and production continued one year into 1965, when it became apparent that the low level of waterproofness of the watch did not provide sufficient protection for the battery and electric circuitry, which developed corrosion too quickly. And so, production ended rather quickly.

Note just how similar the original Flash was to its direct reprint, the WV0021DL. The vintage model is naturally smaller, being around 37mm wide and 45mm long, but if you see it in photos it looks almost identical to the new model. There's one quick telltale though – can you spot it?

Well if you haven't spotted it: on the original's dial "Flash" is printed above "ORIENT" whereas in the reissue it says "ORIENT" on top and "Flash" just below it.

Similarly, the "North Star" series of Flash re-issues was very similar to the second production run of the vintage Flash in 1965, which featured the same style of hands. 

So, have we reached the end of this model's history? Well, not quite. Indeed the 2010 reissue may have helped make the Flash a somewhat familiar name among Orient fans, but in fact this model had an earlier, much less famous ancestor – the "Luminous"!

In 1958, six years before the Flash, Orient released the Luminous. This model had a classic 1950s dress-watch design. The small light bulb was hidden at its top, and shed its light through a tiny aperture above the 12 o'clock marker. Its operation was similar to the Flash, with a small push-button at 2 turning on the light.

Why did this model not pick up or at least become viable for reprint? Well, one can only presume it suffered from the same waterproofness issues as the Flash. Plus, the movement used in it (the type "T") was already becoming obsolete and being replaced with the newer caliber "N". The extreme rarity of this model today indicates that either very few were made, or most got corroded and disposed of.

So this is it – the complete history of Orient's mechanical-movement-with-a-battery-and-lighting watches.

Photos in this review were taken from various old Orient publications and sales ads, and from Watch Tanaka website.

The Orient Olympia Calendar Swimmer

The watch we're looking at today is not of any particular importance in Orient's history. It does not represent some unique milestone of mechanical achievements, and it is not listed as one of the brand's hallmark models, the sort that Orient's current designers look up to when seeking inspiration or searching for the subject of a re-issue project.

It is an utterly lovely piece in my opinion, though, which is why it ended up in my collection. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce the Orient Olympia Calendar Swimmer.

First, let's explain some of the terminology that makes up the name of this model.

Olympia was a name introduced by Orient in the early 1960s, perhaps inspired by the upcoming 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. It was applied to a fairly large range of watches, as a middle tier in terms of price and quality below Royal Orient and legends like the Grand Prix 100, and above more basic models.

The Calendar term was added to identify models featuring the then-new date feature, which was also introduced to Orient watches in the early 1960s.

The Swimmer label was given to watches dubbed as "waterproof", prior to the introduction of proper dive watches. The standards for water resistance were not fully established at the time and related terminology still fairly obscure. However as some of Orient's early divers that emerged in the 1960s were marked 40m, a "swimmer" would likely be rated at 30m, or 3 ATM at best. Less of a "near-diver" then, and more "dress watch you don't need to take off when washing your hands".

The Olympia Calendar Swimmer came in different shapes during the 1960s. This specific specimen has a number of recognizable characteristics that I like.

The case is type I-19868, featuring a "case within case" design. The overall dimensions are 36.5 mm width without the crown, and 42mm length lug-to-lug. A similar, slightly larger case type was also being produced but I find this 36.5mm version perfect: the unique construction really makes it look larger.

The dial has a gently brushed texture and a unique warm shade – I'm not 100% sure of its composition, but it could be brass. I feel like the unique punched-in minute markers and protruding hour markers add lots of character to it. And I definitely love the crosshair mark!

The movement inside is an LC-type manual winding caliber, featuring 19 jewels. L-type (including LC, LCY) movements replaced the T-type and are generally considered good and reliable, which can serve the watch owner for many years before requiring service. This one here was running too fast when I got it, but my local watchmaker had no trouble fixing it and regulating it to keep good time, in 55 +/- year old watch terms, within 20-30 seconds a day.

On the wrist, this Olympia is a joy to wear. I have no difficulties pulling it off as a decently-sized dress watch, despite being used to much larger watches. Its unique shape does draw attention even from people just mildly enthusiastic about watches (I say this from experience…)

Asking price for this sort of watch would typically be in the range of 250-400 USD, depending on its condition and seller's whim. I find this reasonable for a perfectly wearable, good looking vintage piece.

Keep in mind the Olympia range is quite broad, so don't be surprised if you see different Olympias, like the Grand Prix or Diver, listed at much higher prices.

The Orient Star Survey Has Closed, And a Winner Announced!

Over the last two weeks, 99 questionnaire forms have entered our survey and were found to be eligible to participate in the draw, for a chance to win a new, limited edition Orient World Map Diver re-issue.

The winner was selected by means of double randomization: first, each entry was given a random number between 0 and 1, generated by Excel. All entries were sorted in the order of these random values, thus eliminating any importance of the original order of entry.

Then, a random number between 1 and 99 was drawn, again using Excel's random number generator. The number came out 87. So the winner was the 87^th entry in the sorted list.

And now that we got the geeky part covered, we can tell you who won... Congratulations, Luke from the USA!

We have reached out to the winner via email to inform him of the good news and to arrange the delivery. We hope the watch reaches you quickly and that you will enjoy it - and many thanks to everyone who participated!

The blog would like to thank Orient – Epson Europe for creating the survey and of course - for providing the World Map watch as a reward!

Orient Star Layered Skeleton Watch Review

Call it an open heart dial, call it a semi-skeleton watch, whatever name you use – the concept of watches that offer a glimpse into the mechanical movement has been a familiar design theme of Orient since 2003.

Earlier this year, Orient presented their latest iteration of the concept, dubbed "Layered Skeleton", aiming to add depth to the dial by dividing it into two stacked layers. Today we'll be reviewing one representative of this new model: the Layered Skeleton reference RE-AV0B02Y (RK-AV0B02Y in Japan).

How It Looks

When I first saw Orient's official photos of this model, I thought this watch needs to be seen to appreciate whether the design works. When I first saw it with my own eyes, I thought: I need to wear this a little longer to make up my mind. A week later, it becomes clear why there's no easy answer here, as there are a number of aspects involved here.

• Is the watch impressive? It pretty much is. Elements like the case finishing and the five-link bracelet make an immediate visual impact, and the view into the beating heart of the watch can also impress, particularly those who are not used to semi-skeleton dials.

• Is the watch elegant? One might argue that the mixing of steel and gold-toned markers, or even the very notion of multiple dial layers, each with different etching, does not meet the conservative definition of elegance. In terms of outline and proportions, though, it's all very harmonious.

• Is the watch pretty? The answer is obviously subjective. I would say it is definitely not ugly, and it has some cool design elements. However, at no point did I feel I want to stop work and just look at it – which is what a truly beautiful timepiece should make me do.

So now that we've established why assessing this model's looks is so complicated and inconclusive, let's dive into the details.

First, the dial, which is a complicated affair here. The top layer is brown and carries a fairly clear herringbone pattern. Underneath it is a blue layer which, upon closer inspection, shows a kind of paisley pattern with leaves and flowers. The texture on both layers is subtle enough in most lighting conditions, though it can burst into a more powerful presence under strong, direct sunlight.

The elements above the dial are all quite stylish and finely executed, including the hands, markers, and the Orient Star logo. If you're not too concerned with the mixed use of gold and steel hour markers, you will likely find the dial attractive and well made even under the magnifying glass.

Below, cut-offs in the dial provide a view of the balance wheel and a few other bits of metal. The sight of the engine room is far from Haute Horlogerie but is not too shabby either.

The famed Orient Star quality reveals itself more prominently in the outer workings, namely case and bracelet. The case (seen before in other Orient Star models) has beautifully flowing lines, and its complex shape features alternating finishes of vertical brushing (top of the lugs), polishing (chamfers and bezel), and circular brushing (case sides).

The bracelet too looks good with broad brushed links separated by thin polished links, and its visual connection with the case works well. The milled clasp at its back looks good too.

The exhibition case-back allows further observation of the mechanism. The movement's backplates are adorned with perlage, while the rotor has some very subtle Geneva stripes and a golden Orient Star logo. Nothing that we have not seen before, but no flaws here either.

All in all, it's a mixed bag. If one were to judge this design by dress-watch standards, a disappointment would be the likely result. However, consider the Layered Skeleton a casual, or even sporty, watch to wear to the office and to the pub with the boys after, and it makes more sense. Like many Orients, you have to accept that it is not following common conventions other than the brand's own, and then you can start to like it.

 

How It Wears

The Layered Skeleton is not a lightweight at just over 150g, but it is very comfortable to wear nonetheless. You feel certain heft, but in a reassuring way, unless one is really used to very small, light watches. The 41mm wide, 48.3mm long case lies smooth on the wrist, and the downsloping lugs ensure the bracelet also wears well, spreading the weight evenly around the wrist.

The bracelet is definitely high-end, a clear differntiator of Orient Star from "Mere Orient" watches. It is flexible enough, yet feels robust and secure. Needless to say, you will experience no hair-pulling at this level of quality.

The clasp too is comfortable, easy to use, and does not protrude or push into the skin as in too many other watches.

Will it fit under a cuff? The watch is not particularly slim, being nearly 14mm thick. However, it's smooth enough to slide under your sleeve if it's not too tight.

So it's comfortable to wear but isn't too small. What wrist sizes are we talking here then? I reckon 6.5" and above would wear it well. Under 6.5", its wrist presence may appear bulky – or manly, depends on one's perception… – so trying it on before buying would be recommended.

 

How It Functions

The movement driving the Layered Skeleton's is Orient's caliber F6F44. A member of Orient's current crop of modern, 50 hour movements, it is expected to maintain its siblings' reputation for long-term reliability. The accuracy measured on the sample unit reviewed was +12 seconds per day, which is within the stated -15/+25 specifications.

Like all current Orient Semi-Skeletons, this watch includes the power-reserve indicator, and does not have a date function. And, like many of the brand's open heart watches, it features the small seconds in a sub-dial. I tend to like this configuration, as the power-reserve and small-seconds create certain symmetry on the dial.

Legibilty is excellent: despite the busy dial, the hands stand out in all lighting conditions, including direct sunlight – and fairly dark spaces. Telling the time is therefore always quick and easy. There is some lume on the hands and dots next to each hour markers, so you get some night-time visibility as well – not dive-watch levels of it, though, but every little helps.

Practicality is fine. You get 100 meters of water resistance, which is fairly good for a watch that's not a diver or a tool watch. Front crystal is tough, AR-coated sapphire; The case-back, being less prone to scratches, is covered by mineral glass.

 

The Bottom Line

Objectively speaking, what we have here is an impressive watch: it is constructed and finished to Orient Star's usual high standards and features some original design ideas; and it is a practical, comfortable daily wear that's powered by a robust and reliable automatic movement. On paper, a very worthy Orient Star.

Subjectively, I was left a bit cold by the Layered Skeleton. Not sure exactly why, but I felt that the dial was perhaps too technical for my liking, and the color scheme did not excite me too much either. Possibly, bolder colors could lift this design to a higher level: imagine this dial having a red top surface, with piano-black lower plate…?

That said, colors are indeed very much a matter of personal preferences. If you do like the overall design concept, it's worth checking out the other references in the series, as you get versions with a white/silver dial, black, and that limited edition sparkling green color.

Prices for the Orient Star Layered Skeleton are generally in the range of 800-900 USD, meaning they are selling at close to MSRP. Not a cheap watch, then, so you'd absolutely want to make sure you like it before committing to the expense. If the style speaks to you and you do go ahead and make the purchase, the execution will not disappoint.

 

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