As a rookie watch enthusiast, it is not very rare coming across watches that look magnificent but the name somehow puts you off. It's not a name you can associate with those you have heard, so don't allow a good piece slip away due to sheer ignorance.
To cite one such brand: It's Orient. It's not possible you been to the the watch world and never heard of Seiko; so Orient is owned by Seiko Epson despite operating as a separate watch building unit. Orient's watch movements are mostly in-house i.e. built by Orient itself and the lion's share of their focus goes to automatic, mechanical watches, most of which are not hand-wound. You shake the watch a few times to start it from a dead stop and when you wear every couple of minutes store enough power to make the watch run for about two hours. The best are those sold exclusively in the Japan Domestic Market and are hard to find elsewhere.
Over the years, Orient has built up a status that conjures up everything that's best within an affordable price range. Compared to a Swiss watchmaker, Orient's automatic watches like the Orient Automatic GMT, or the Orient Star Classic Mechanical cost less than a-tenth while exuding almost the same quality; oftentimes, a higher reliability and always - a better durability!
All that give Orient auomatic watches a worldwide respect and a name that seasoned watch collectors run after. The brand’s automatic timepieces are acclaimed globally for the superior styles and excellent values they offer for a reasonable price. It does two things - It makes the heart go a little less deader if you somehow manage to shatter the timepiece and lets you use it more often than you would a Suisse. That goes for anything between the simple
Orient Automatic Semi Skeleton and the Orient Automatic Nobel Collection pieces. Imagine the price you would pay for watches like the Orient Automatic Arena or the Orient Semi Skeleton Power Reserve Automatic if they were Swiss made.
Here's how Orient started. One thing that's astonishing is the company's initial business as sellers of clocks and watches at Ueno in 1901. 50 years later, in 1951, the company introduced the Orient Star, its first wristwatch; now reincarnated as the
Orient Mako Automatic Diver, the company's top-line timepieces. These run on a 21-jewel automatic movement and features extra protection with its Dia-shock shock absorbing system. Seiko licenses it, if that assures you more. For other 21-jewel movement based automatic timepieces from Orient, see here.
However, their consecutive releases broadened horizons over time and their lineup is now heavily influenced by high-end watch concepts, both modern and from yore. Their 50 years of watch selling experience to thank, making proper use of high-quality materials and classic design concepts is something Orient has excelled. To sum it up all: It's quality craftsmanship, fine materials, precious metals, gems and crystals - all in one package.