This Beloved Japanese Brand Just Perfected Its Affordable Rolex Oyster Perpetual Alternative

Orient is the king of entry-level automatic watches, undercutting both Seiko — its step-sister brand — and Citizen on price. But that affordability causes many people to sleep on how good many of the brand’s designs look.

For example, the Bambino collection, especially the new Version 2 No-Date, looks as classic as an affordable dress watch can, and the Stretto is perfect for everyday, all-purpose wear.

Orient

While the Bambino collection is well known, functioning as the brand’s de facto flagship, the Stretto is a newcomer that deserves a bit more attention. Introduced to the American market in late 2025, it loosely resembles Rolex’s modern Datejust or Oyster Perpetual, without straying into dupe territory.

Four color options debuted last year, highlighted by a versatile navy blue sunburst dial and a two-tone case and bracelet with a silver dial. It set the collection on a solid foundation that amplified the design’s versatility, but lacked some flavor.

Orient

Less than a year on, Orient has spiced up the Stretto with four vibrant dial colors reminiscent of blooming spring flowers. All of the new options retain the rich sunburst dial texture of the original blue reference, magnifying the eye-catching impact of the bold hues.

More of the same

Everything else about the new Stretto references remains unchanged, and that’s a good thing. The wedge baton applied hour markers are placed along a snailed track, encircled by a dash minutes track with lume dots at each hour.

Orient

The Stretto dial features beveled obelisk hour and minute hands with lume inserts, complete with a pin seconds hand. There is a framed date window at 3:00 and a brand logo, including the coat of arms, at 12:00.

Kermit or Creamsicle?

The Stretto dial and case are heavily influenced by designs from the 1960s and 1970s from its cousin brand, Seiko, but to a much broader audience, it is arguably the most affordable stand-in for a Rolex Datejust or Oyster Perpetual.

Orient

The four new dial colors, consisting of orange, turquoise, pink and green, further the comparison to the Crown’s most versatile watch, the OP. Specifically, they follow the example of the surprisingly vibrant references Rolex released for the line in 2020.

The creamsicle orange Stretto falls in between the Yellow and Coral Red OPs, thanks to the sunburst dial texture, and the turquoise is a loose approximation of Rolex’s turquoise dials. Meanwhile, the pink and green options are chromatically closer to the Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog ProPilots from Oris than the OP’s more muted pink and green options.

Orient

The eye-catching new dial colors, paired with a 38mm steel case and a steel three-link bracelet, are as close as $390 will get you to one of Rolex’s rare, vibrant-dialed Oyster Perpetuals or Datejusts.

Each watch is powered by a respectable Orient Caliber F7622 automatic movement, which can also be hand-wound and offers hacking. It beats a 3Hz and has a modest 40-hour power reserve.

Availability and price

As usual, the four new vibrant Orient Stretto dial colors were released in Europe before America. The orange, green, turquoise and pink references are currently available on Orient’s UK website for £350.

There is no indication of when the new options will be available on Orient’s US website, but when they are, they will almost certainly be priced at $390, as all currently available references are.

The good news is that, when they do hit the American market, they will likely be discounted early and often.

Orient

Orient Stretto Date

Specs

Case Size	38mm
Movement	Orient Caliber F7622 automatic
Water Resistance	50m

• $390 at Orient

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