Unveiling the Ultimate Affordable Dress Watch: A Personal Journey
A Watch Lover's Quest for Perfection
In a world where luxury watches push the boundaries of horology with sky-high prices, and the indie market buzzes with innovative designs, Orient Watch stands tall. They've carved a niche with their affordable, timeless mechanical dress watches.
The Power of Orient
Thanks to the mighty Seiko Epson Corporation, Orient offers automatic watches with impressive specs at prices that would cripple most competitors.
Orient's Full-Service Approach
Orient caters to divers, chronograph enthusiasts, and even those who appreciate moonphase complications. But their flagship collection, the Bambino, has earned them respect in the American watch community.
The Bambino Collection: A Frugal Watch Lover's Paradise
Spanning seven Versions, each with unique dials, the Bambino collection offers something for every taste. However, there's one detail that's been a personal gripe: the date window.
A Date Window Dilemma
From the retro charm of Version 1 to the modern simplicity of Version 7, every Bambino sports a date window, except for the rare open-heart models. The more complex Versions 8 and 9 have calendars, but for the rest, I believe the absence of a date window would enhance their elegance.
Orient's Experiment: A Date-Free Bambino
Fortunately, Orient put this theory to the test with the first standard time-only Bambino. Based on the beloved Version 2, it boasts applied Roman numeral hour markers and a rule minutes track.
The Perfect Time-Only Redux
The Version 2, with its pocket watch-inspired dial, is the ideal candidate for a time-only redux. Previous models, including the small seconds variation, feature odd-numbered hour dashes, and the date window disrupts this pattern.
A Balanced Appearance
The unadorned date window always seemed out of place to me, adding mechanical complexity without enhancing the watch's overall appeal. Removing the date window completes the even numeral-and-dash pattern, creating a more harmonious look.
A Diverse Color Palette
While the original Version 2 offers over a dozen dial colors, the dateless update debuts in cream, white, green, brown, and gray.
In-House Movement: Caliber F6524
The time-only Bambino uses Orient's Caliber F6524 movement, eliminating the phantom date position on the crown. It boasts an accuracy of -15/+25 seconds per day and a power reserve of over 40 hours.
A Transparent View
The engraved rotor is visible through a sapphire crystal exhibition caseback, even though the caseback itself is screw-down. However, the lack of a screw-down crown limits water resistance to just 30m.
A Global Presence
Orient, a Japanese company, manufactures everything in-house, including the Bambino collection and its movements, which are made and assembled in Thailand.
Availability and Pricing
Orient has just unveiled the time-only Version 2 Bambino for the European market, often the first to receive new releases. No release date has been announced for America, but the price is set at €340, which is approximately $401. It's likely to be available for less when it reaches American shores.
A Hope for the Future
I hope Orient extends the no-date treatment to more Bambino references, especially Versions 1 and 7.
Orient Bambino Version 2 No-Date: The Specs
- Case Size: 38mm
- Movement: Orient Caliber F6524 automatic
- Water Resistance: 30m
About the Author
Brad Lanphear, an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covers watches and style. Previously, he wrote for Heddels and Men's Health. Now, he's on a mission to find the perfect pair of Japanese denim.
