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Guest
·Authored by Pelican
Size: 40mm wide without crown, 44mm lug to lug, 20mm lug width, 12/13mm thick
Movement : 21 Jewels Automatic
+25/-15 sec day 40h power reserve
Non-hacking, non-manual winding movement
Case, Bracelet: SS
Crystal: Domed sapphire
Crown: Screw-down crown
WR: 10 ATM
24 hour hand (non-adjustable GMT hand) and easy compass
What do I think of it? It’s great!
Dial
The iridescent dial is amazing. In low light conditions it has a deep blood red / metallic brown appearance, but in bright light and sunshine it radiates a metallic ruby red colour. It seems like a different watch every time the light changes.
If you like the dial on the blue Mako, you’ll love this one (provided you like red of course!).
Hands
All hands, except the 24hr hand, and markers are well lumed and are easily readable all night. The 24-hour hand cannot be independently set to another time zone, but doubles up as an ‘easy compass’ which is very useful for all of those times you find yourself lost in the wilderness… hmmm. Anyhow, all you need to do is lay the watch flat and point the 24hr hand at the sun. You can then assess bearings based on the sun’s position. It’s actually a lot more accurate than you might think. The easy compass only works in the Northern Hemisphere though, and is obviously only usable during the daytime; it’s a nice little ‘gadget’ though.
Case
The retro-styled case has a nice mix of brushed and polished finishes and the curves are very nicely designed. It really is a handsome looking watch and, as ever, the online pics don’t do it justice. The case has an exhibition back which shows off the weight - marked ‘Orient Star’ and ‘Japan’ – and the conservatively decorated movement (polished swirls on metallic components). The case has 20mm lug width.
Crystal
The thick domed sapphire crystal has an almost magnifying effect to it depending on the viewing angle and gives the watch a very solid feel. It does reflect a lot though, but I think that adds to the appearance rather than detracts from it. This watch is going to get noticed!
Movement
The standard 21-jewel Orient non-winding, non-hacking movement provides perfectly adequate performance. Manual wind would be nice, but no biggie for me.
Bracelet
Unadjusted, this 20mm bracelet would fit an elephant! However, I‘ve never come across a bracelet that was as simple to adjust as this one. In fact, it almost seems too simple! The pins are held in place via springs, so all you have to do is slide them out and re-insert them again as required. No tapping with little hammers, or fiddling around with other tools is required. Once adjusted (there are also 3 micro-adjustments), the bracelet is very comfortable and you forget you’re even wearing the watch. The clasp opens and closes very cleanly and the bracelet is solid stainless steel with solid end links.
Summary
As my first Orient Star, I’m impressed with this strikingly good-looking watch and it’s going to get a lot of wrist time. It’s surprisingly dressy and therefore promises to be very versatile. In addition, it’s a Japan-only model which means that I’m not going to see this watch around too often on other people’s wrists – this of course adds to it’s uniqueness (in Canada at least!). The fit, finish and quality, in my opinion, are perfect for the price ($280 shipped) and I couldn’t be happier with this model.
For comparison, I've included some pictures of the OS WZ0071FE next to a Seiko SKX007....
I hope this info has been of interest / use!
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Size: 40mm wide without crown, 44mm lug to lug, 20mm lug width, 12/13mm thick
Movement : 21 Jewels Automatic
+25/-15 sec day 40h power reserve
Non-hacking, non-manual winding movement
Case, Bracelet: SS
Crystal: Domed sapphire
Crown: Screw-down crown
WR: 10 ATM
24 hour hand (non-adjustable GMT hand) and easy compass
What do I think of it? It’s great!
Dial
The iridescent dial is amazing. In low light conditions it has a deep blood red / metallic brown appearance, but in bright light and sunshine it radiates a metallic ruby red colour. It seems like a different watch every time the light changes.
If you like the dial on the blue Mako, you’ll love this one (provided you like red of course!).
Hands
All hands, except the 24hr hand, and markers are well lumed and are easily readable all night. The 24-hour hand cannot be independently set to another time zone, but doubles up as an ‘easy compass’ which is very useful for all of those times you find yourself lost in the wilderness… hmmm. Anyhow, all you need to do is lay the watch flat and point the 24hr hand at the sun. You can then assess bearings based on the sun’s position. It’s actually a lot more accurate than you might think. The easy compass only works in the Northern Hemisphere though, and is obviously only usable during the daytime; it’s a nice little ‘gadget’ though.
Case
The retro-styled case has a nice mix of brushed and polished finishes and the curves are very nicely designed. It really is a handsome looking watch and, as ever, the online pics don’t do it justice. The case has an exhibition back which shows off the weight - marked ‘Orient Star’ and ‘Japan’ – and the conservatively decorated movement (polished swirls on metallic components). The case has 20mm lug width.
Crystal
The thick domed sapphire crystal has an almost magnifying effect to it depending on the viewing angle and gives the watch a very solid feel. It does reflect a lot though, but I think that adds to the appearance rather than detracts from it. This watch is going to get noticed!
Movement
The standard 21-jewel Orient non-winding, non-hacking movement provides perfectly adequate performance. Manual wind would be nice, but no biggie for me.
Bracelet
Unadjusted, this 20mm bracelet would fit an elephant! However, I‘ve never come across a bracelet that was as simple to adjust as this one. In fact, it almost seems too simple! The pins are held in place via springs, so all you have to do is slide them out and re-insert them again as required. No tapping with little hammers, or fiddling around with other tools is required. Once adjusted (there are also 3 micro-adjustments), the bracelet is very comfortable and you forget you’re even wearing the watch. The clasp opens and closes very cleanly and the bracelet is solid stainless steel with solid end links.
Summary
As my first Orient Star, I’m impressed with this strikingly good-looking watch and it’s going to get a lot of wrist time. It’s surprisingly dressy and therefore promises to be very versatile. In addition, it’s a Japan-only model which means that I’m not going to see this watch around too often on other people’s wrists – this of course adds to it’s uniqueness (in Canada at least!). The fit, finish and quality, in my opinion, are perfect for the price ($280 shipped) and I couldn’t be happier with this model.
For comparison, I've included some pictures of the OS WZ0071FE next to a Seiko SKX007....
I hope this info has been of interest / use!
