The iconic Seiko 62MAS, which debuted in 1965, is generally credited as the first Japanese dive watch.
However, there were a handful of watches launched before the 62MAS that, while not quite as robust, generally fit the definition of what we would consider a dive watch thanks to their elevated water-resistance ratings, rotating timing bezels and luminous markers.
Most notable was perhaps Seiko’s own Silverwave, which first arrived in 1961, but Seiko wasn’t the only Japanese brand to create a dive watch in the early ’60s. Orient was also an early adopter of the then-nascent format, launching the Olympia Calendar Diver in 1964.
Now, this pre-62MAS Japanese diver is back in elevated modern form thanks to Orient’s higher-end sub-brand, Orient Star.
When I’m ’64
The original Olympia Calendar Diver is, frankly, a vastly underrated vintage diver. While it lacked the accolades and depth rating of more famous Swiss contemporaries like the Rolex Submariner and Blancpain Fifty Fathoms — its water-resistance rating was just 40m — the watch was nevertheless a serious looker, with an Omega-like broad-arrow handset, symmetrical markings on its coin-edge stainless steel bezel, and faceted lugs and indices.
Orient Star previously recreated the Olympia Calendar Diver back in 2022 with a limited-edition black-dial version that recreated much of the look of the 1964 original — the steel bezel with the same black markings, the broad-arrow handset (with the addition of a lollipop seconds hand) and, best of all, the same case design with no crown guards and those nicely detailed, faceted straight lugs.
