Orient Retro Future Camera review – A snapshot of the past

Continuing on with the Orient Revival series, we have what is probably my favourite model in the lineup, the Orient Retro Future Camera. To recap, the Orient Revival series is a 70th anniversary tribute where some of Orient’s most classic designs are being reissued with a modern twist.

Today we have a tribute to the original Orient Star Retro Future Camera, appropriately named the Orient Retro Future Camera. This piece was kindly provided by BigTimeSGP for this review. Let’s get the specs out of the way first.

Specs
Case size: 40.8mm
Lug to lug: 46mm
Lug width: 20mm
Thickness: 12.6mm
Case material: Stainless steel
Glass: Curved mineral crystal
Caseback: Screw stainless steel
Movement: F6S22 (Automatic, Hacking, Hand-winding)
Complications: Seconds, Minutes, Hours
Power Reserve: 40 hours
VPH: 21600
Jewels: 22
Water Resistance: 50m
RRP: S$599
Reference: RA-AR0204G

Overview
So while this model falls under the Orient branding, the original Retro Future Camera was actually an Orient Star model. First introduced in the early 2000s, this watch represented some of what Orient is so well known for, quirky and daring designs.

Taking to the same design cues of classic 1950s rangefinder cameras, the 70th anniversary tribute does a very good job recreating the look of the original despite omitting some key features such as the power reserve indicator which is now reserved only for Orient Star models.

Orient even went further this time and updated the design with a few new elements such as a viewfinder style display case back and additional vintage colour ways and materials. 

This series comes in four colours, an original stainless steel case with a black dial on a stainless steel bracelet, a matte dark grey case with either a green or brown dial on a leather Nato strap, and a limited edition(2,300pcs) bronze case with Orient’s signature Jaguar Focus dial also on a leather Nato strap.

Today I am lucky to have the limited edition model with me because I honestly think is the best looking of the series.

Case
The bronze-plated case wears very well on my 6.25” wrist which is largely due to the very short lugs on this watch. The lug to lug width is 46mm, pretty short for a 40.8mm case compared to what other brands tend to use. It is a bit on the thick side at 12.6mm however, but nothing I would consider unwieldy.

Like the original, this is a pretty chunky looking case that reminds me quite a bit of my Orient Defender II that I reviewed awhile back. Its design is simple with no elaborate contours and is fully straight brushed apart from the areas between the lugs and the underside of the case. Oh and it has drilled lugs. Hurray!

The flat knurled crown is signed and interestingly features a crown guard on only the top side. These are supposed to mimic the rewind knob and square top of a camera cover. They are bronze-plated just like the case which I think really adds to the retro feel of the watch.

On the back is a polished case back, but this isn’t just any ordinary case back. While the original featured a standard exhibition case back, these now come with a special viewfinder style open heart case back. 

It is perfectly placed in-line with the open heart window on the front allowing you to see right through the watch. Much of it will be blocked though should you choose to go with the leather Nato strap that comes on three out of the four models. But it’s still a pretty cool feature nonetheless.

On the top we have a dark brown knurled bezel and a finely brushed aluminium insert. Five minute intervals are printed on the insert along with “r” symbols which I’ve read are symbols used on the old rangefinder cameras. I have no idea what they are though.

The bezel is also unidirectional unlike some of the other Revival Series models. There is a bit of back play but it is pretty minimal and let’s face it, you really aren’t going to bring this watch diving. To top it off we have a very slightly domed mineral crystal.

Dial
Now comes one of the most interesting parts about this watch, the dial. The main attraction here is the camera shutter style design that is precisely machined into the dial and finished off in a beautiful Jaguar Focus colour way. 

There are also four slim slot cutouts around the edge of the dial that just ever so slightly cut underneath the rectangular applied markers. These slots along with the open heart window reveal the movement behind it.

Now the main difference from the original is the lack of a power reserve indicator which is a feature now reserved exclusively for the Orient Star line. In its place we have an applied Orient crest and printed white text that reads “Automatic”. 

Also printed in white around the small seconds sub-dial are the only numerals that you will find on the face of this watch. These come in increments of 10 with the 0 conveniently covered by the axle of the hour and minute hands. 

The hands are all colour matched to the gold dial and very reminiscent of the original with the exception of the hour hand getting a pointed end instead of a straight end.

Finally, we do have some lume applied to each of the small rectangle hour markers as well as on the minute and hour hands. While it isn’t going to knock your socks off, it is quite useable for a watch that wasn’t really intended for rugged use.

Movement
Inside we have the calibre F6S22 movement, yet another variant of Orient’s 46-F6 family of movements. As always with Orient, this is an excellent movement for the price. It hacks and hand winds and is lightly decorated(basically polished with a decorated rotor) for the open heart display.

While the winding of the crown isn’t as smooth as some of the other Orients, Orient Stars or ETA movements, there is certainly nothing wrong with it. The only issue I really encountered was the crown being a bit harder to pull out than I am used to, especially if you don’t have long enough nails to slide behind it.

At 3Hz this is not the highest beat rate movement around if that matters to you but if it doesn’t, it is an excellent value that you are getting here. This unit I have is keeping decent time, well within the stated accuracy at about +15spd. 

Strap
The provided strap for this model is another new addition to the line. Unlike the original which came with a stainless steel bracelet, we get a nato-style leather strap. Not just any plain leather though, this one was specially chosen to mimic the leather straps and holsters that were found on the old rangefinder cameras.

The hardware is also bronze-plated to perfectly match the case. This is one of those small things that I really like about Orient. Even at this price point they still take the effort to colour match the hardware to the different finishes of their cases rather than just use generic one of a similar tone across the board.

I think that even though this is a tribute to the original Retro Future Camera, the introduction of this leather strap is a great update over the original that really helps it to capture the retro camera design aesthetic that it intended.

Final thoughts
So because I tend to be more of a tool watch kind of person, I was very surprised that this turned out to be my favourite model of the entire Revival Series. Apart from the timer bezel, it really is just a simple three hand watch. But I really love this design for some reason.

This is even more surprising as I usually lean towards more conventional styles and cleaner dials. But I am absolutely making an exception for this one. 

This watch is for the person who doesn’t mind being different and having a story to tell others. It can be worn in both casual or even smart casual settings and easily becomes a conversation piece. While many would call this watch an acquired taste, and I don’t disagree, this is one taste that didn’t really take me all that long to acquire.

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