Orient Star
- Founded
- 1951
- Based in
- Tokyo, Japan
- In our catalog
- 2 watches from $600 to $900
Orient Star is where Orient puts its best work. The movements are still made in-house, but they're upgraded with power reserve indicators and better accuracy, the cases get more careful polishing, and the dials are more elaborate. For people who have owned an Orient Bambino and want something more refined without jumping to Grand Seiko prices, it's the natural next step.
History
Orient introduced the Orient Star name in 1951, a year after the Orient Watch Company itself was formed, as its top-of-the-range line. For decades it was mainly sold in Japan and Asia. Since Orient became part of Seiko Epson, Orient Star has been pushed internationally with a clearer identity: classic dress watches, open-heart and skeleton dials, and a series of sports watches based on Orient's archive.
Signature models
- Skeleton Classic: A dress watch with much of the dial cut away to show the movement. Openworked watches at this price are rare, and this one is properly finished.
- M45 Diver 1964: A reissue of Orient's first dive watch from 1964, with a slimmer case and a vintage dial layout but modern water resistance.
What it's known for
Many Orient Star watches have an open-heart window, a skeletonized dial or a power reserve indicator, and they all use Orient's own automatic movements, which hack and hand-wind.
Price and positioning
Orient Star watches mostly cost $500 to $1,000. That puts them up against Seiko's Presage line and Citizen's mechanical watches, and against Swiss entry models like Tissot. For a watch that shows off its movement, the Japanese options usually give more for the money.
Orient Star watches in our library
- Orient Star Skeleton Classic ($600 to $750)
- Orient Star M45 Diver 1964 ($780 to $900)