he watchmaking roots of the Orient Watch Company reach back not to 13 July 1950, the date on which it was officially “founded”, but much further into last century, to 1901… Far enough to imbue it with genuine horological legitimacy. It was in 1901 that Shogoro Yoshida founded the Yoshida Watch Shop in Ueno in Tokyo’s city centre, successfully selling imported pocket watches.

In 1912, Shogoro Yoshida began producing his own, gold cases; in 1920, he launched the production of carriage clocks and gauges and in 1934, under the name of Tokyo Tokei Manufacturing, began producing his own movements and watches. A factory was built in Hino, Tokyo. The company was thriving – then came war. The damage was devastating and it was forced to close in 1949. But not for long: in 1950 it was revived as the Tama Keiki Company and resumed its watchmaking activities. The very next year, in 1951, it became the Orient Watch Company Ltd. That same year, the first Orient Star watch was released.

The first Orient Star model, dating from 1951

During the years that followed, Orient Star gradually developed in the same understated, classic style and expanded its international base, especially in China thanks to a Sino-Japanese trade agreement signed in 1955.

Over time, until the early 1970s, Orient issued one model after another starting with the Royal Orient – a move towards the higher end of the market perceived at the time as a direct challenge to Seiko. Orient also launched sports watches, associated itself with the automobile sector with its Dynamic and Grand Prix models, innovated by launching the Para-Aimant and the Royal Super Antimagnetic in 1958, then its first diving watch, the Olympia Calendar Diver, in 1964. In 1970, Orient presented its Fineness model, the automatic bracelet watch indicating the day and date and the thinnest watch of its time, and the rare Tenbeat, fitted with an in-house 5Hz movement and beating at 36,000vph.

The Tenbeat from 1970, with a beat rate of 36,000vph

Then, in 1971, it produced the first movements in the Calibre 46 series. This same calibre 46, which after numerous iterations and improvements still exists today, owes its existence to a licence that Orient obtained from Seiko for the calibre 7006, to which it added the famous, high-performance Magic Lever winding system, also from Seiko.

The first calibre 46 from 1971 with the Orient Star logo. Even today, the self-winding calibre 46 remains the faithful and efficient base movement that drives most Orient watches.

“Time… and time again”

But in the early 1970s, the quartz tsunami was about to break, carrying everything (or nearly) before it. Mechanical subtilities were no longer the flavour of the month. Like its Japanese fellow brands and rivals, Orient turned its efforts almost entirely to quartz, producing all kinds of collections covering the entire watch spectrum. “Time… and time again”, ran an Orient ad published in Europa Star in 1976.

But this state of affairs did not last long.

Advertisements in Europa Star in 1976, 1978 and 1980

At the same period, in 1985 to be precise, links were being forged between Orient and Epson – the large movement manufacturer backed by Seiko and by then an integral part of the Seiko Epson Company. The two companies began pooling resources. A new phase began in Orient’s development, as in 2009 this rapprochement resulted in the takeover of Orient Watches by Epson. It became a subsidiary of Epson before being incorporated into the mother company, the Seiko Epson Corporation, of which it now forms one of the branches, in 2017.

But let us go back a few years… In the aftermath of the great quartz watch boom, a renewed interest in mechanical watches became apparent worldwide, from Switzerland to Japan. In response to this revival in popularity, Orient Star released its first mechanical model with a power reserve indicator in 1996. This would rapidly be followed by new World Time, GMT, skeletonised and semi-skeletonised models. The stylistic and technical sophistication of the Orient Star collections grew steadily.

The Orient Star Skeleton from 2013

This first skeletonised watch by Orient Star, which showcases both the movement and its decoration, would go through a series of iterations right up to the present day through numerous skeletonised and semi-skeletonised models, which have become one of the brand signatures.

Among them, we can cite the 2017 release of the Mechanical Moon Phase, a moon phase with a semi-skeletonised dial. And in 2021, on the occasion of the brand’s 70th anniversary, a new model was issued: the Orient Star Avant-Garde Skeleton. This self-winding model is equipped with an escapement in silicon providing a power reserve of 70 hours and greater accuracy. This silicon escapement (F8F64 automatic calibre) was developed with the help of Epson’s manufacturing expertise in the field of semiconductors.

Calibre F8F64 with a silicon escapement and 60-hour power reserve, a first for an Orient Star self-winding movement. You can see the escapement, dyed blue, at 6 o’clock under the partly openworked base plate of the new Avant-Garde Skeleton. The two-layered dial design was carefully calculated make the transition between layers appear seamless. The seconds hands are arranged so as to stand out above the upper plate, giving an impression of depth and dimension to the distinctive skeleton structure. The SAR-coated sapphire crystal reduces light reflections by 99%, allowing all the facets of the design to be clearly visible. Case and bezel in stainless steel (SUS316L), brushed and mirror finishes achieved by Sallaz polishing.

M-Collections, the very best of Orient Star

Distributed today in nearly 80 countries – in Asia, where the brand wields particular clout, the Americas, Europe (including its recent, successful introduction in the UK), the Middle East and Africa – the Orient Star collection is composed exclusively of high-quality, meticulously executed, finely decorated and very competitively priced mechanical watches. Now, its Classic, Contemporary, Avant-Garde and Sports collections have been joined by M-Collections, which represent the very best the brand has to offer. Orient Star recently launched new models as part of its M-Collections range, including the much talked-about M34 F7 Semi-Skeleton and M34 F8 Date.

The Orient Star M34 F7 is a new, semi-skeletonised model in the grand tradition of the brand and inspired by the star cluster Perseus, the constellation in the northern sky named after the eponymous hero of Greek mythology. Typically, the M34 models have a strong, sharp-edged case (40mm in diameter and 13mm thick) – the key feature of their design – which highlights the mother-of-pearl dials, the naturally graded colours of which express the brilliant, changing colours of the aurora borealis. Three distinct models are available, in blue, green and anthracite. The anthracite model, which comes with a metal bracelet and an additional calfskin bracelet, commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Orient Star Semi-Skeleton and is a limited edition of just 500.

The M34 F7 Semi Skeleton is powered by the self-winding in-house calibre F7F44, accurate to +15/-5 seconds a day with a 50-hour power reserve at 12 o’clock above the small seconds hand. The movement, with its Geneva stripes and chamfered finishes, is visible through the sapphire crystal caseback.

The Orient Star M34 F8 Date is the flagship model of the M34 Contemporary collection. It offers two new models: one with a blue dial, and one with a white dial available in a limited edition of 160.

Especially noteworthy is the unique design of the dial – displaying the hours, minutes and seconds, date and power reserve – which is inspired by the Perseid meteor shower from the Perseus constellation. As one of my Europa Star colleagues put it, “this dial is very, very special, almost alive. The reflections really bring the printed patterns to life, far more than the usual sunburst or guilloché finishes. There’s something organic about the face of this watch, something akin to the foam of mingling waves or a field of altocumulus clouds playing with light just before nightfall. It’s amazing.”

The very silky, “organic” effect of the M34 F8 Date dial.

The MF34 F8 Date is powered by the F8N64 calibre and has a silicon escapement and 60-hour power reserve.

This flagship model, the M34 F8 Date, is incontestably opening up a new path for Orient Star. With its diverse range of timepieces, Orient Star (which, strategically, is to Orient what Grand Seiko is to Seiko) is reaffirming the quality and solidity of its portfolio – not to mention its truly remarkable value for money – on the international markets. Moreover, the M34 lineage includes not only the Classic collection, but also the bolder designs of the Contemporary collection and those of the Avant-Garde Skeleton, as well as the Sports collection with its top-quality diving watches.

A portfolio which is gaining in strength, size and sophistication.