Orient watches

[notary]

I recently purchased a Vintage Orient King Dive. It is a great watch, gorgeous to look at. I forgot to take a picture, I sent it out for servicing.

Let me begin by saying that the watch is supposed to be water resistant, however after I washed and cleaned it, the day I received it, it got all hazy and foggy inside. At this point I said I will take it for servicing, get the mechanism cleaned and change the seals.

When I took it to the watchmaker, highly trained Swiss watchmaker probably one of the best in the city, I was told that the mechanism was starting to develop light rust, thus requiring cleaning and that the water infiltration issue could not be resolved. I asked him if we could change the seals to water proof the watch again, but apparently that cannot be done.

Does anyone out their have this watch? If so let me know what pros and cons you have experienced. Like I said I really love the watch, but cannot believe its hyper-sensitivity to water, a bulky watch like this one should be waterproof. And do any of you know if the watchmaker is correct about not being able to change the seals on these older watches.

I will actually post a picture after I receive it from servicing.

Sam

 

[Larry C in Texas]

Did you buy it new or used? The "Vintage" confused me. I know Orient has some models with "Vintage" in the name, but I didn't think any of them were divers. If you bought it used, most likely it has been opened on more than one occasion, and whoever opened it didn't put a new O-ring on it or didn't lube the existing O-ring before they closed it back up. If that is the case, and the watch has been exposed to water, then you have a problem on your hands. As far as the info from your watchmaker, a decent watchmaker who is familiar with Japanese watches surely could find an O-ring that would work to seal it back up after cleaning, and test it for water-resistance. My experience is that Swiss watch repairmen look down on lowly Seikos and Orients and don't want to mess with them. Maybe you can find another repairmen more familiar with Asian watches. It will be somewhat costly, but if you love the watch, it is probably worth it. If the Swiss watchmaker is the one you sent it to for servicing, then you are stuck with what he says.

If it is new and you had this problem, then you have a warranty claim. But, I would guess it was used when you got it.

Maybe you can lurk around at some of the watch forums, especially those devoted to Asian watches and see if you you can get the name of a good watchmaker for Asian watches. Good luck.

 

[Austin]

If it is one of the 60's or 70's King Divers, they were made to dive 1000 feet. Nevertheless, Orient also made quite a few ornamental watches they called divers. With any vintage watch, as they age, they become less waterproof. I have a few divers from the 60's,70's and 80's that I would not let water touch them. They are cool to look at but they would probably leak water. I use a modern dive watch for fishing and water sports. Much safer.

 

[Eeyore]

Don't assume that any vintage watch is waterproof, not even vintage divers!

 

[St0ne]

I find it funny that I read a lot of stuff about buy it for life or things to pass down through the family, etc and an automatic watch is always on the list, usually the "holy grail" heirloom watch is a Patek Philippe but probably the even more common suggestion is a diver, usually a Rolex Sub.

But just as easily you can find these threads too with info like...
"I have a few divers from the 60's,70's and 80's that I would not let water touch them."
Goes to show that watches are really not BI4L or Heirloom items, they need maintenance which I don't think a lot of Rolex buyers account for and they balk at the cost if they ever bother anyway. But this is also information the fanboys rarely share in those threads.

I think most people here have their heads screwed on pretty well, the Watch ya wearing today thread certainly features a lot more Orients, Siekos, Citizens, etc than your Rolexes and IWCs.

 

[Kevan]

Never, ever assume water resistance on a vintage watch, unless you can prove that it has been recently serviced whe you buy it. Basic rule of thumb.

 

[Eeyore]

I find it funny that I read a lot of stuff about buy it for life or things to pass down through the family, etc and an automatic watch is always on the list, usually the "holy grail" heirloom watch is a Patek Philippe but probably the even more common suggestion is a diver, usually a Rolex Sub.

Most quality watch movements have the tendency to start running erratically when service is overdue, so the user will get a warning anyway.

An exception are the sturdy Seiko automatics; they keep running reasonably well without service, and grind themselves to death in the long run.

 

[Nomad1600]

The Orients are what they are... an inexpensive watch usually designed to e a copy or close facsimile to nicer watches. I have one that was made to look like a Planet Ocean. They do manufacture a few nicer watches (eg the M-Forces, the Orient Stars) but they are generally a cheaper watch line (below Seikos) and as with most things you get what you pay for.

Interested in the earlier comment about watchmakers and dealers turning their noses at Seikos. While most Seikos sold in the US are cheaper lines, Seiko actually is one of the most respected watch designers and watchmakers in the world. Those sold in Europe and in Japan are among the best watches made... both for the money and for any money. The Grand Seiko line is quite nice (esp the Spring Drives). The MarineMaster is one of the nicest dive watches you can get (I'd put it up against many Rolex, Breitling, and Omega dive watches). I have a Japan model called a Sumo that is just under the MarineMaster in terms of manufacturing build and smoothness of movement. Watch dealers are often shocked to find out what I paid ($410). And Seiko does make watches that are in the mega watch category... I read about one that was priced at $34,000!

For the price of many Orients you can find a Seiko Monster, an iconic dive watch that is very solid, glows like a torch in the dark, and is built like tank. The movement is a bit crude compared to Sumos and many Swiss automatics (eg, no hacking) but for $175-200 you get a lot of watch (and one that some watchmakers, including Orient, have tried to copy).

 

[cfender]

A little off topic but, I was introduced to Orient watches in this forum and I own two. A "Mako" customized with a sapphire crystal, and a "Galant" that doesn't get much wrist time.

I understand that Seiko may make some models that are superior to anything that Orient makes, but one thing I prefer about the Orient is that in the U.S. Orients are not sold at any brick & motar retail stores or shopping mall kiosks and therefore are far less commonly seen. Most consumers in the U.S. know the Seiko line as a highly distributed, low-priced watch line with quartz movements. They are commonly displayed along side other highly distributed Asian brands like Citizen, Pulsar, Armitron, Invicta, and a multitude of fashion watches.

I like that my Orient watches are solid, low-priced, automatic movement watches that I NEVER see on anyones wrist except as online images.

As for having a used Orient watch serviced in the U.S., you might try Motor City Watch Works in Detroit. He installed the sapphire crystal on my Orient after a few shops gave me a bad vibe about doing the work. MCWW does all kinds of custom work on automatic Asian watches and I'm pretty sure he offers the water resistance testing.

 

[Eeyore]

Ohh the MarineMaster!

That could easily be my grail watch!