Orient is the gateway watch to many budding enthusiasts thanks to the brand’s near-singular focus on mechanical watches, its broadly attractive takes on several popular watch styles and, most important of all, its ultra-affordable prices.
But Orient isn’t just a bargain brand. Like its fellow Seiko Epson subsidiary, Seiko, Orient is a Japanese watchmaker that produces all of its movements in-house. Also, like Seiko with Grand Seiko, Orient has its own higher-end sub-brand called Orient Star.
Orient Star’s watches are considerably more affordable than those of Grand Seiko, and while the brand isn’t quite on the level of its cousin, Orient Star is still a legitimate Japanese luxury watchmaker, even boasting some features absent from GS, like silicon escapement parts.
Having said that, most Orient Star watches don’t really do it for me from an aesthetic standpoint. Their dials often feel too busy or have designs that feel cribbed from cheaper watches. But the brand’s latest watch — a hand-wound moonphase dress watch — is very, very good-looking. In fact, I’d say it’s the most attractive Orient Star watch I’ve ever seen.
Over the moon
Like Grand Seiko, Orient Star isn’t the best at coming up with memorable names for its watches. The new model is the M45 F8 Mechanical Moon Phase Hand-Winding. But what the watch’s name lacks in elegance, it more than make up for in looks.
A round, 39.5mm stainless steel case surrounds a dial featuring slender printed Roman Numeral hour markers and leaf-shaped hands. A power reserve indicator, also featuring a leaf-shaped hand, sits below 12:00, while a moonphase display rests at 6:00, cutting into the index there. I generally dislike the power reserve indicators on Orient Star watches, as I find them intrusive, but I actually don’t mind it here, as the moonphase does a great job of balancing it out.
