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i saw the watch on offer online at US$477 (SGD$600 before GST, shipping and FX charges) and decided to order one even though the white version was the one i wanted (but is out of stock) it shipped free to my aunt who then Fedex'ed it to me in Singapore from America. i understand the price for this watch from the Singapore AD is >SG$750 after discount.
part of the reason why i bought this was to replace my "low key" watch, a steel Seiko, which unfortunately has gold tone indices and hands and thus some times still seems inappropriate when working with the underprivileged. i have had to go without wearing a watch at times and this did not make me feel comfortable - my wrist felt naked! the other reason is my Seiko only has 2 holes on the clasp for fine adjustment and i could never get it the right length so it always felt too loose or too tight on my wrist.
the other was because i've never owned an orient watch before and this one seemed to tick all the boxes for me. namely: i can swim with it and it has dual time, date, sapphire crystal and a steel bracelet.
the Fedex man dropped it off this morning and i thought i would share my experience thus far.
1. what i personally dislike:
the lug width.
it is 21mm and i felt it should have been 22mm because of the case and lug shape.
the bracelet.
it has an odd taper, from the first link after the SEL (that first link extends a little beyond the breadth of the SEL so it looks a little funny some times) at 21.5mm to about 18.5mm just before the clasp. i felt it should have been tapered to 20mm for the reason stated above, or 18mm and be interchangeable with, say, a heavy racheting diver's clasp to balance the watch out.
the bracelet feels unsubstantial although it is not overly thin for a thick'ish head. some links don't seemed as tight as they should be.
the date font/wheel. it is too small for a watch that wears bigger than 41.5mm. i'm also quite sure orient has plenty of compatible (white font on) black date wheels.
hourly lume plots. a little too small for my liking and unlikely to last the night when i stumble into the bathroom at 4am.
the color of the lume on the red gmt hand in daylight doesn't match that of the hour and minute hand.
the design of the power reserve - might look better if the arc was of a typical fat (40) to thin (0) style, and the unmoveable second time zone hour markers can be better printed uniformly in a circle as opposed to partially jagged around the PR.
the second crown (4 o'clock) that adjusts the third time zone hour markers. it does not respond well to "back threading" when i am screwing the crown back in after use. more than a bit of trial and error is needed...
2. what i'm on the fence about:
the "crown guard" - might look better without, or might not.
the cut outs in the hour and minute hand - seems a little unnecessary as the red gmt hand is tiny fraction longer than the hour hand.
the screw down/lack of screw down crown - i understand why Seiko/Orient goes with a non-screw down crown. if the tube/crown won't strip, there will not be a need to replace it. what happens if the screw down crown that adjusts the third time zone hour markers get stripped? how easily would the elements in my environment get into the case via a crown that does not screw down? (dust bits, hazy crystal, etc)
the implementation of the 5 layer dial... somehow i felt it could have still been designed as 5 layers but thinner, thus reducing the thickness of the watch.
no lume on the second hand.
mineral crystal display back. could have done without it and be a little slimmer. it would probably be more anti-magnetic with a steel case back, too.
the mostly superficial and shallow decorations on the movement - would it have been cheaper priced without the perlage and striping? probably not as it could very well be entirely automated.
3. what i like:
this is a lot of watch for less than SG$700, brand new with 1 year's international warranty.
the dial... is extremely detailed and extremely mesmerizing. under any type of light, the hour markers wink and sparkle, the date frame glitters, the OS logo gleams, the hands glisten, the bezel twinkles and the power reserve arc glows.
as mentioned by other owners, the lowest "step"/level of the dial has a discrete sun burst design that comes through under the sun or strong lighting.
the bracelet links are a genuine 5-part per link affair, as opposed to Seiko bracelets that look the same but are actually a 3-part link machined to look like it's got 2 more attached.
split pins - a breeze to resize, compared to the pin and (tiny) collar system requiring the dexterity, if not the assistance, of an octopus.
the crown is easy to use due to its design.
the movement seems fairly robust and bullet proof, and if anecdotal evidence on the internet is anything to go by, rightly so. hand winding very quickly got the PR needle pointing to 40.
4. first impressions:
after taking it out of a nicely designed box, the watch looks and feels good in my hand. it felt heavy (my daily wearer is a non-ceramic Rolex GMT 2) and properly put together. unfortunately the bracelet seemed like it was one of china's finest. the bracelet seems to exhibit a fair bit of flexing due to the 5-piece design... for lack of a better term: "like an almost well worn rolex bracelet!"
as previously mentioned, sizing it was a cinch, although i felt it should have 4 holes instead of 3 on the clasp for a perfect range of adjustments. the bracelet was comfortable and did not dig or cut me.
the sapphire crystal appears to have a slightly blue sheen under certain lighting conditions, and that might be due to some form of anti-reflective coating but i'm not sure.
the dial has a lot going on... but it still does not seem overly crowded. distracting? yes, but not in a bad way. i had thought it was unwise/impractical to include a power reserve indicator in a self-winding watch but i can now certainly see how it can be an attractive "add-on" when implemented the right (ie, eye-catching) way.
the watch looks and wears bigger than the oft-cited 41.5mm (excluding crown guard), probably due to how expansive the black face of watch is.
it's a thick watch, but it does not feel uncomfortably so on the wrist. because of the display back, the head is raised sufficiently so as to not cause me discomfort (i cannot bear to wear watches with a flat case back for some reason).
5. looking forward:
i have only adjusted the date to flip over at midnight once and, if i remember correctly, it was not a slow crawl like in my Seiko. i will be monitoring it tonight to see if my recollection is accurate.
the lume... i'm not a lume freak but i wake up often through the night, for one reason or another, and i like being able to tell the time on the watch i wear to sleep whether at home or in the on-call room. i hope the lume on the hands are at least sufficiently applied to last 4-5 hours in pitch black darkness.
the accuracy of Orient Stars have been touted by their owners - some as good as a few seconds a day. i hope this is the case for mine as well when the timing has settled down or i may have to bring it in for an adjustment...
comfort. whether the caseback will be comfortable in the long run remains to be seen. a Rolex-style caseback would be perfect for me... but alas. this IS not priced anywhere near that ball park.
i will bring this swimming and hopefully it should take to the task fairly well, although i wonder how long i can confidently do it for... this is a watch i do not intend to service for as long as possible.
"stealth" factor. i hope no one takes a second glance at this watch and i will consider this mission accomplished.
6. final thoughts:
for a spur of the moment purchase, i like my first Orient quite a lot - certainly more than i had originally thought i would.
this is not a perfect watch. the case and bracelet takes a little bit getting used to (and i am used to it because i also own a ceramic sub date that looks similarly odd) and it does say Orient on the dial. the pedestrian movement has a simple balance cock instead of a full bridge and it doesn't allow the hour hand to jump.
still, bearing in mind the cost, Orient has packed a lot of value into this watch. the ability to track 3 time zones, albeit not a true "travel" GMT watch, is still very useful. there is plenty of time while waiting to board or when on the plane to adjust the 2-3 time zones and date to however you want it to be.
while you may be "settling" for a cheaper and perhaps less convenient watch, the practical bits such as a hacking and hand-wind capable movement, quick set date, the SEL bracelet with solid links, and sapphire crystal (with AR?) have all been thoughtfully included.
compared to a Seiko 6R15B... the date seems well centered and definitely more stable, and the orient movement has a fair amount of finishing and perhaps more adjustment at factory compared to the 6R15A/B/C. the lack of a 50 hour power reserve found in the Seiko doesn't seem as important in the orient because this is a watch Seiko will (probably) never make even at twice the price.
i have been around the block a few times now and know that beat rates are really not a big deal in the world of mechanical watches. there are trade offs and advantages. personally, i prefer a slow 18k bph to a 36.6k bph. i can certainly deal with 21.6k if it keeps good time.
which brings me to my last point - yes, you could get a 2893-powered "office gmt" watch from the same price range (US$477-$769) but it would never and could never come in a package so attractively found in the Star Seeker.
part of the reason why i bought this was to replace my "low key" watch, a steel Seiko, which unfortunately has gold tone indices and hands and thus some times still seems inappropriate when working with the underprivileged. i have had to go without wearing a watch at times and this did not make me feel comfortable - my wrist felt naked! the other reason is my Seiko only has 2 holes on the clasp for fine adjustment and i could never get it the right length so it always felt too loose or too tight on my wrist.
the other was because i've never owned an orient watch before and this one seemed to tick all the boxes for me. namely: i can swim with it and it has dual time, date, sapphire crystal and a steel bracelet.
the Fedex man dropped it off this morning and i thought i would share my experience thus far.
1. what i personally dislike:
the lug width.
it is 21mm and i felt it should have been 22mm because of the case and lug shape.
the bracelet.
it has an odd taper, from the first link after the SEL (that first link extends a little beyond the breadth of the SEL so it looks a little funny some times) at 21.5mm to about 18.5mm just before the clasp. i felt it should have been tapered to 20mm for the reason stated above, or 18mm and be interchangeable with, say, a heavy racheting diver's clasp to balance the watch out.
the bracelet feels unsubstantial although it is not overly thin for a thick'ish head. some links don't seemed as tight as they should be.
the date font/wheel. it is too small for a watch that wears bigger than 41.5mm. i'm also quite sure orient has plenty of compatible (white font on) black date wheels.
hourly lume plots. a little too small for my liking and unlikely to last the night when i stumble into the bathroom at 4am.
the color of the lume on the red gmt hand in daylight doesn't match that of the hour and minute hand.
the design of the power reserve - might look better if the arc was of a typical fat (40) to thin (0) style, and the unmoveable second time zone hour markers can be better printed uniformly in a circle as opposed to partially jagged around the PR.
the second crown (4 o'clock) that adjusts the third time zone hour markers. it does not respond well to "back threading" when i am screwing the crown back in after use. more than a bit of trial and error is needed...
2. what i'm on the fence about:
the "crown guard" - might look better without, or might not.
the cut outs in the hour and minute hand - seems a little unnecessary as the red gmt hand is tiny fraction longer than the hour hand.
the screw down/lack of screw down crown - i understand why Seiko/Orient goes with a non-screw down crown. if the tube/crown won't strip, there will not be a need to replace it. what happens if the screw down crown that adjusts the third time zone hour markers get stripped? how easily would the elements in my environment get into the case via a crown that does not screw down? (dust bits, hazy crystal, etc)
the implementation of the 5 layer dial... somehow i felt it could have still been designed as 5 layers but thinner, thus reducing the thickness of the watch.
no lume on the second hand.
mineral crystal display back. could have done without it and be a little slimmer. it would probably be more anti-magnetic with a steel case back, too.
the mostly superficial and shallow decorations on the movement - would it have been cheaper priced without the perlage and striping? probably not as it could very well be entirely automated.
3. what i like:
this is a lot of watch for less than SG$700, brand new with 1 year's international warranty.
the dial... is extremely detailed and extremely mesmerizing. under any type of light, the hour markers wink and sparkle, the date frame glitters, the OS logo gleams, the hands glisten, the bezel twinkles and the power reserve arc glows.
as mentioned by other owners, the lowest "step"/level of the dial has a discrete sun burst design that comes through under the sun or strong lighting.
the bracelet links are a genuine 5-part per link affair, as opposed to Seiko bracelets that look the same but are actually a 3-part link machined to look like it's got 2 more attached.
split pins - a breeze to resize, compared to the pin and (tiny) collar system requiring the dexterity, if not the assistance, of an octopus.
the crown is easy to use due to its design.
the movement seems fairly robust and bullet proof, and if anecdotal evidence on the internet is anything to go by, rightly so. hand winding very quickly got the PR needle pointing to 40.
4. first impressions:
after taking it out of a nicely designed box, the watch looks and feels good in my hand. it felt heavy (my daily wearer is a non-ceramic Rolex GMT 2) and properly put together. unfortunately the bracelet seemed like it was one of china's finest. the bracelet seems to exhibit a fair bit of flexing due to the 5-piece design... for lack of a better term: "like an almost well worn rolex bracelet!"
as previously mentioned, sizing it was a cinch, although i felt it should have 4 holes instead of 3 on the clasp for a perfect range of adjustments. the bracelet was comfortable and did not dig or cut me.
the sapphire crystal appears to have a slightly blue sheen under certain lighting conditions, and that might be due to some form of anti-reflective coating but i'm not sure.
the dial has a lot going on... but it still does not seem overly crowded. distracting? yes, but not in a bad way. i had thought it was unwise/impractical to include a power reserve indicator in a self-winding watch but i can now certainly see how it can be an attractive "add-on" when implemented the right (ie, eye-catching) way.
the watch looks and wears bigger than the oft-cited 41.5mm (excluding crown guard), probably due to how expansive the black face of watch is.
it's a thick watch, but it does not feel uncomfortably so on the wrist. because of the display back, the head is raised sufficiently so as to not cause me discomfort (i cannot bear to wear watches with a flat case back for some reason).
5. looking forward:
i have only adjusted the date to flip over at midnight once and, if i remember correctly, it was not a slow crawl like in my Seiko. i will be monitoring it tonight to see if my recollection is accurate.
the lume... i'm not a lume freak but i wake up often through the night, for one reason or another, and i like being able to tell the time on the watch i wear to sleep whether at home or in the on-call room. i hope the lume on the hands are at least sufficiently applied to last 4-5 hours in pitch black darkness.
the accuracy of Orient Stars have been touted by their owners - some as good as a few seconds a day. i hope this is the case for mine as well when the timing has settled down or i may have to bring it in for an adjustment...
comfort. whether the caseback will be comfortable in the long run remains to be seen. a Rolex-style caseback would be perfect for me... but alas. this IS not priced anywhere near that ball park.
i will bring this swimming and hopefully it should take to the task fairly well, although i wonder how long i can confidently do it for... this is a watch i do not intend to service for as long as possible.
"stealth" factor. i hope no one takes a second glance at this watch and i will consider this mission accomplished.
6. final thoughts:
for a spur of the moment purchase, i like my first Orient quite a lot - certainly more than i had originally thought i would.
this is not a perfect watch. the case and bracelet takes a little bit getting used to (and i am used to it because i also own a ceramic sub date that looks similarly odd) and it does say Orient on the dial. the pedestrian movement has a simple balance cock instead of a full bridge and it doesn't allow the hour hand to jump.
still, bearing in mind the cost, Orient has packed a lot of value into this watch. the ability to track 3 time zones, albeit not a true "travel" GMT watch, is still very useful. there is plenty of time while waiting to board or when on the plane to adjust the 2-3 time zones and date to however you want it to be.
while you may be "settling" for a cheaper and perhaps less convenient watch, the practical bits such as a hacking and hand-wind capable movement, quick set date, the SEL bracelet with solid links, and sapphire crystal (with AR?) have all been thoughtfully included.
compared to a Seiko 6R15B... the date seems well centered and definitely more stable, and the orient movement has a fair amount of finishing and perhaps more adjustment at factory compared to the 6R15A/B/C. the lack of a 50 hour power reserve found in the Seiko doesn't seem as important in the orient because this is a watch Seiko will (probably) never make even at twice the price.
i have been around the block a few times now and know that beat rates are really not a big deal in the world of mechanical watches. there are trade offs and advantages. personally, i prefer a slow 18k bph to a 36.6k bph. i can certainly deal with 21.6k if it keeps good time.
which brings me to my last point - yes, you could get a 2893-powered "office gmt" watch from the same price range (US$477-$769) but it would never and could never come in a package so attractively found in the Star Seeker.
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