Weekly Auto Orient King Diver Limited Edition review

I’d grown up accustomed to the typical “Submariner style” dive watch with external rotating bezel and all, so I was genuinely intrigued when I was asked to review this watch as the King Diver is unlike anything I had ever owned. Having spent some time with it now I have to say that this is a very interesting piece with one major surprise, but before we get into that let’s get the specs out of the way first.

Specs
Case size: 43.8mm
Thickness: 14mm
Lug to lug: 50mm
Lug width: 20mm
Case material: Stainless steel
Glass: Mineral Crystal
Caseback: Screw down, Stainless steel
Bezel: Internal rotating dive bezel
Movement: Orient caliber F6922 (Automatic, Hacking, Hand-winding)
Complications: Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Date, Day
Power Reserve: ~40 hours
Accuracy: -15/+25 spd
VPH: 21,600
Jewels: 22
Water Resistance: 200m
RRP: S$599 (Standard models at S$549)
Reference: RA-AA0D04G

Overview
Orient has been hard at work producing a whole slew of new models for their 70th anniversary. One area in particular is the reproduction of some of their iconic models such as the 1965 Weekly Auto Orient King Diver which was Orient’s first water resistant watch that featured an inner rotating bezel. For the 2020 rehash, the Orient team decided to evolve these models to the next level while staying as true as possible to the original.

The new line up comes in 4 dial variants: Black (original), Red (with black bezel), Green (with green bezel) and a Gold gradation in a bronze case. In addition, each variant comes in a Japan only and rest of the world version. The JDM versions feature a kanji day wheel and are all limited to 1000pcs each while the rest of the world versions feature an English day wheel with only the Gold dial variant in this review being limited to 2700pcs worldwide.

For those of you who are into JDM, it’s rumoured that the local AD, BigTimeSGP, may still have a few pieces available if you ask nicely.

An Interesting History
So the King Diver has a very interesting history and I’m not just talking about the original King Diver sold from 1965 to 1969 that this is based on. Apparently in their attempt to stay as true as possible to the original King Diver for this 70th anniversary edition, one major issue was overlooked, the use of the word “Diver”. 

Now back in the 60s the ISO standard did not exist yet, but following that, the term “Diver” for a watch ended up becoming indicative of ISO certification. This series released in 2020 however was not ISO certified but managed to get produced with “Diver” printed on the dial before anyone noticed the issue. 

Because of this, Orient had to make a last minute addition to the packaging in the form of a label specifically stating that this watch isn’t ISO rated in spite of it being called a “Diver”. 

I love pieces that have a good story behind them.

Case
Now I mentioned that this watch had 1 major surprise and that is how surprisingly light and comfortable it wears on my 6.25” wrist contrary to what the 43.8mm size suggests. I suspect this is down to the short lugs featured on this watch which come in at just about 50mm and do curve down a fair bit. The sides of the case are a finely brushed finish while the back and inner lug area are polished. The back is also polished with the usual markings along with our lovable Scuba guy laser etched into the caseback, very reminiscent of the original. In fact this whole case is basically a modernised version of the original which Orient have managed to stay very true to.

The crown is not screw down which is one of the reasons why it does not meet ISO certification. The gaskets however are still capable of achieving 200m of water resistance making it perfectly fine for swimming but I wouldn’t really want to bring it for proper Scuba diving. A nice touch paying tribute to the original is the signed “O” on the crown instead of the current 2 lion crest. A slightly domed mineral crystal sits atop the case and protrudes quite a far bit above the bezel which might be a concern for those of you who aren’t the most careful with your watches. Nonetheless this is also a design cue that stays true to the original and is part of what makes it a King Diver.

Dial
The dial is typical of the dials that Orient is known for, this model in particular featuring their Jaguar Focus colour way which is basically a black and gold gradation. The applied markers are diamond polished along with the arrow hands and the minute markers are painted on. Beveled day and date windows sit at 6 o’clock and 3 o’clock respectively just like the original. The printed text on the dial is very minimal which allows the dial to feel uncluttered as it only features 3 lines, 2 at the top for the branding and 1 just above the day window indicating 22 jewels. This dial is as close to the original as it gets with the famous 2 lion Orient logo being omitted in favour of the original text.

Lume is just like the original as well with small pips placed beneath each marker along with the hands. Not the most effective solution compared to modern watches which does in my opinion somewhat limit its ability as a true tool watch.

Bezel
This watch features a large and very visible internal rotating bezel operated by a second crown at 2 o’clock. Minute markers throughout with a rectangle index at the 5 minute marks and numerals at the 10 minute marks while zero is marked with a large triangle. The markers are printed in white on black with the exception of the green dial variant that features a green bezel. Overall a very true recreation of the original King Diver bezel.

Movement
Orient have really upped their movement game in recent years with the introduction of their caliber F6 series. I still get green eyed with envy when I see the new Rays and Makos with hacking and hand winding ability while the 3 that I have trade it for an extra day pusher. This new King Diver is no exception as it receives all the features of the F6922 along with a very decent accuracy for the price point. 

Operating the movement doesn’t feel as tight as the higher end Orient Star movements but by no means does it feel cheap either. Overall there’s really not much to say about this movement as it’s a solid and proven in-house produced workhorse at a great price point.

Bracelet
The standard models feature solid link bracelets on a stamped clasp. A vast improvement to the folded link bracelet that came on the original. The design of the bracelet has also been styled very true to the original. The gold dial limited edition model I have here however comes with a vintage style leather pin and buckle strap. 

Now this review unit came paired with a 3rd party rubber strap (perhaps out of concern for my inclination towards extreme sports) but is indeed matched very closely to the look of the original strap. If the new Kamasu’s leather strap is anything to go by, I’d say it’s a worthy pairing. In any case, the 20mm lug width ensures you’ll have no problem finding a third party strap if the original ones aren’t to your liking.

Final Thoughts
Admittedly I’d never really taken notice of this style of watch before as it didn’t fit into the styles I tend to go for. Not to mention that my wrist size doesn’t normally suit a watch of these dimensions. However, putting it on for the first time and being surprised by how easily it wore got me appreciating everything else about it as well. In fact, the only complaint I could have about the King Diver is how much more easily the internal rotating bezel can be knocked out of position as compared to ratchet style bezels. This however is no different from the internal compass bezel on my SARB017 and just a minor annoyance to my OCD. 

Bezel aside, this watch has indeed grown on me and I am honestly a bit sad that I’ll have to return it soon (I’m tempted to just pick one up myself). For the price and what it offers, the Weekly Auto Orient King Diver is a solid choice for anyone looking for an affordable vintage style dive watch with modern specs and performance. If this watch appeals to you, do check out BigTimeSGP or their dealers (especially if you’re into the JDM ones). 

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