Vintage Orient Automatic (Green and Gold Dial)

Today I'm wearing my other vintage Orient automatic. It's similar in many ways to my blue-dialed vintage Orient as they are both from the late 1970s or early 1980s, both contain the 469 movement, both have silver day and date wheels and both have funky stainless steel cases. I also don't know any more about this one than the other. This Orient has a neat faceted crystal that is hard to capture in photographs. The outside of the crystal is flat, but the inside has facets that creat a tic-tac-toe pattern which is pretty neat looking. I also really like the green and gold sunburst dial with the textured gold ring around the outside. That combined with the gold Orient crest and hour markers gives it a very nice look. I receieved this on a Citizen bracelet from the same time period that works well with the watch and I see no reason to change it.

Orient CEM65006D "Mako" Automatic Diver

Yes, I know how you never tire of learning new nicknames for otherwise uninterestingly named watches. In this case it's the Mako, a name made up by some forum poster who didn't want to type "CEM65006D" all the time (or CEM65001B, CEM65002D or CEM65001M for the other color combinations.) This is a really impressive watch, especially for its modest price (around $150 or less.) The fit and finish of the stainless steel case, bezel and bracelet is every bit as good as a Seiko, as is the accuracy of the 21 jewel Orient movement. It has some features in common with the typical Submariner-style watch, but it's larger at 42mm wide (without the crown, closer to 46 with) with 22mm wide lugs and seems to have a lower profile as well. One bit of Orient quirkiness: As we've seen before, they tend to have pushbuttons to set the day of the week (something typical of the Orient movements) and in this case it is a somewhat oversized pusher with a screwdown lock to maintain the 200m water resistance. It definitely adds a unique touch to the watch. While it is available in with black and orange dials in addition to the blue, I really think the blue is the best looking and has the deepest, most reflective finish of the three, while still affording great visiblity in low light. I also like how the red on the "Pepsi" bezel coordinates with the red-tipped second hand and Orient logo on the dial. This is a real winner in the bang-for-the-buck category and should provide decades of great looking, trouble-free service.

Vintage Orient Automatic (Blue Dial)

This is another vintage watch that I don't know much about. It's one of a few Orients I have (like this one) and one of two vintage ones. I found it on eBay and picked this one based on its near mint condition and attractive dial and case. It was probably made in the late '70s or early '80s, and at 1 1/2 inches wide it's a decent size for a vintage watch. Based on the case markings I believe the movement is an Orient 469. It's also all stainless steel (one of the reasons it still looks so good after 25 years or so) and was made in Japan. As I mentioned before, the Orient brand is much more popular outside the U.S., and this vintage model was originally from Israel. You can still make out some Hebrew writing on the red sticker on the caseback. The blue coating on the back is common on watches like this and seems to be the protective coating they applied before the modern-day plastic caseback stickers were used. It can be cleaned off, or will eventually wear off, but its condition does show this watch hasn't been worn much in its lifetime. It's a neat watch, and has an out of the ordinary case and dial, as well as great looking hour markers and Orient name and badge. I also find the silver day and date wheels unique, although they seem to be common among Orients from that time period.

Orient Titanium Slide-Rule Automatic

Here you go, not another diver! On my wrist and in front of the camera today is my Orient titanium slide-rule automatic (model #CEM58001B.) Orient is a company I was not at all familiar with before I started collecting watches. They are popular in much of the world, especially the far east, and are currently 52% owned by Seiko Epson. Orient is also one of the few watch companies to still use their own movements rather than sourcing them from other manufacturers. This watch uses and Orient cal. 46P 21 jewel automatic movement with day and date. The day is set by pushing the button above the crown which seems to be common among Orient movements. The watch has a large dial which includes a slide rule ring around the edge which is turned by the lower crown. At one time watches like this were popular with pilots and others who needed to do quick calculations, but I have never really used a slide rule nor taken the time to learn how. The watch did come with a nice manual in case I ever want to learn. The titanium case and bracelet have a very industrial look to them but the entire package is very lightweight. I think overall it is very attractive, legible and unique. Like most of my watches, I feel like I should wear it more often than I do.