It feels like it’s been a good long while since we’ve had a watch brand celebrating a noteworthy milestone. While you may think of Orient as a newer brand, they’ve actually got some roots, marking 1950 as the official start of the company. With that, you know that means there’s a special watch coming, and in this case it’s a reissue – the Orient King Diver.
The Original The reissue
In terms of a reissue, the Orient King Diver is a pretty faithful recreation. Just look at that photo above, with the original on the left and the new on the right. They look pretty similar, don’t they? And externally, they are very much the same (though, presumably with more modern manufacturing processes).
Internally, however, the Orient King Diver has been upgraded. You’ve got the F6922 movement inside (instead of the caliber 660) which is automatic, hand-winding, and hacking. To protect it, they’ve tweaked things on the case so you’ve got a 200m WR rating, rather than the 40m of the original. For all of that, they only had to make the case a touch larger (under a mm).
While a compressor case diver isn’t exactly my preference, I do applaud the approach that Orient took here. Long-time fans of the brand will appreciate the history, and I think owners will be liking that hard link to the past. The Orient King Diver, as launched today, is available in three colors – black, red, and green, and starts at $475. If you want something with a bit more of a vintage look to it, hold out for the limited-edition model pictured below (only 1,700 pieces) coming later this month, resplendent in gold- and earth-tones. orientwatchusa.com
Tech Specs from Orient
- Case Diameter: 43.8mm without crown ? Case Thickness: 14mm
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Domed Mineral Crystal
- Bezel: Inner Diver Bezel
- Stainless Bracelet, Leather
- MSRP: Starting at $475
- Movement
- Orient Caliber F6922 (Made in Japan)
- Self-Winding, hand-winding, seconds hand- halt mechanism (hacking)
- Vibrations: 21,600 VPH
- Jewels: 22 Jewels
- Power Reserve: 40+ Hours
- Functions: Day and Date
