Orient Star Diver 1964 2nd Edition review – No longer limited edition

The 2nd edition of the Orient Star Diver 1964 was released alongside the much anticipated Orient Bambino 38mm earlier in May 2022. This was doubly exciting for me as I’d been hoping for a standard Diver 1964 model release after having missed out on the 1st edition the previous September which was limited to only 300pcs outside of Japan (the remaining 200pcs meant for Japan were already overbooked upon release). 

I eventually went for it just about a month after its release when my local AD, BigTime SGP, decided to do a seriously attractive introductory promo on it even though I wasn’t entirely 100% convinced yet due to the slightly larger bezel. Since then though, it’s been on my wrist (and mind) about 90% of the time. I think it’s safe to say I’m absolutely in love with this watch and here’s why.

Specs
Case size: 41.0mm
Lug to lug: 49.6mm
Lug width: 20mm
Thickness: 14.5mm
Case material: Stainless steel
Glass: Curved AR-coated sapphire crystal
Caseback: Screw stainless steel
Movement: F6N47 (Automatic, Hacking, Hand-winding)
Complications: Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Date, Power Reserve Indicator
Power Reserve: 50 hours
VPH: 21600
Jewels: 22
Water Resistance: 200m (ISO 6425)
RRP: S$1739
Reference: RA-AU0601B

Overview
I’ve always loved the value that Orient Star offers, probably even more so than Orient, and I hoped that they would release a new dive watch that is smaller than their 43.6mm Orient Star Diver. My wish finally came true when the 1st edition of the 1964 Diver was released back in September 2021 in a compact 40.2mm size as an homage to the 1964 Olympia Calendar Diver. However at S$1700 retail and a fast disappearing limited quantity, I had to pass on it at the time and hope for an eventual standard edition being released.

Fast forward a few months and Orient Star releases the 2nd edition of the 1964 Diver. This time it comes as an homage to a different watch from 1964, the Calendar Auto Orient. It comes in two colours, a black dial and black bezel which is a very true homage to the original, and a gradation green dial and green bezel which was inspired by the Ryusendo limestone cave in Japan. Both models come on a stainless steel bracelet and are supplied with an additional silicone strap.

At first sight I really liked the new look, that is until I realised that the new bezel was slightly larger than before. Yes it was a marginal 0.8mm difference but it still lost a bit of the compactness that I really liked about the first one, at least to me. Yes I know it sounds like I’m nitpicking but with a 6.25” wrist and for the same S$1700 retail price, the doubts in my head made me hesitate to pull the trigger. Fortunately like I mentioned earlier, my AD decided to run an introductory promo at a price I was able to stomach giving it a chance, and boy am I glad I did.

Case
Although the case is in fact the same one as the 1st edition which measured in at 40.2mm, this new version is listed as a 41mm watch. This is because the bezel is now 41mm and extends ever so slightly beyond the case. Despite the relatively small 40.2mm case however, the lug to lug distance comes in pretty long at 49.6mm which is pretty much the limit of what my 6.25” wrist can usually handle. Fortunately the lugs are angled down quite a bit making it wear perfectly fine on me. 

As expected of an Orient Star, no less a flagship sports model, the case finishing is immaculate. We have a mirror polished finish around the entire case including the tips of the lugs with the only exception of a very nice straight brushing on the top faces of the lugs. I am told this is in fact Zaratsu polishing which explains the crisp, clear bevelling found around the lugs. 

While this does make the watch particularly dressy for a tool watch, do not mistake this watch for not having tool watch intentions as they have given it drilled lugs to allow for easier strap changes. Take note though that the amount of polishing seen on this watch does mean it can be a scratch magnet. In my daily wear however, despite wearing it around the workshop quite a lot I have seen relatively minimal wear on the polished surfaces so far.

The coin edge bezel is also mirror polished all around with a domed aluminium bezel insert shaped to flush with the domed sapphire crystal. The bezel indices are very utilitarian displaying minute markers all round and a single lume pip in a triangle marker at the 12. It has 120 unidirectional clicks that are relatively soft and fine feeling but still stiff enough to not get knocked out of position easily.

The crystal is double domed sapphire with a single anti-reflective coating applied to the underside. This helps prevent it from getting scratched and also allows the crystal to shine a bit more to match the dressy case finish. 

The signed crown at the 3 o’clock is appropriately large and easy enough to operate even with gloves on. As an ISO 6425 compliant divers’ watch this is a screw down crown. Lastly, in true tool watch fashion we have a solid stainless steel screw case back that has a polished finish with the usual Orient Star logo and accompanying text etched onto it.

Dial
The black version features a glossy black dial which is one of the standout features to me as you don’t normally see gloss dials on a tool watch. The first thing I thought of when I first saw the dial was actually the Seiko Presage Urushi dial that a good friend of mine had recently gotten. While it may not be the same level of gloss as the Urushi dial, it definitely leans towards that end of the spectrum.

The dial markers are also very well done in my opinion, largely because I am a fan of round indices. This is a very true reproduction of the original Calendar Auto Orient apart from a couple of modern updates such as the cut off triangle at 12 to fit the power reserve indicator and the lume pip at 3 o’clock in order to meet the ISO 6425 standard. Three lines of text beneath the printed Orient Star logo is just enough to specify this as a 200m automatic divers’ watch without becoming overly cluttered.

The hands are also very similar to the original. While I do wish the lollipop seconds hand extended all the way to the printed minute track, it is the same for the original Calendar Auto Orient so I can’t exactly criticise them for it either. 

If you aren’t keen on a black dial though, the watch does come in one other colour. Green lovers will rejoice at the gradation green dial variant being offered which is inspired by the Ryusendo limestone cavern in Japan. Between the two I personally prefer the black dial simply for its more classic design as opposed to the green dial which has a more casual and sporty feel to it.

Just like other Orient Star sports models, the lume is as impressive as ever. It charges up very fast and remains very legible in the dark. Yes it is faux patina coloured lume but that doesn’t really bother me. I think it looks really good due to the classic style of the watch. It also covers just the right amount of dial to be very legible in the dark without being too overwhelming.

Movement
The movement in this watch is particularly impressive. Yes it is the same old calibre F6N47 that was already found in the Orient Star Diver back in 2019 but it does seem like the regulation done at the factory has been improved. While I previously got approximately 12spd from my older Orient Stars, the two Diver 1964s that I randomly picked out and tested over the course of several weeks have both given me an impressive +0/+3spd when it is worn daily on the wrist. Something I did notice though is that when kept on the dresser or in a pouch or anywhere off the wrist for an extended period of time, it tends to run slow at around -5spd. Still a lot better than the 6R15 in my Alpinist.

Now this movement runs at 21600bph or 3Hz and has a 50 hour power (power hour) reserve. For the price of this watch, I’ll admit that the movement isn’t much of a selling point and more of an acceptable spec. After all for quite a bit less, you can get a Swiss branded watch with an ETA movement that has an 80 hour power reserve. Of course the level of finishing won’t be as good as the Orient Star but it will still be good enough to be a consideration especially for a tool watch.

That said, while 80 hours is really nice to have, I think 50 hours is pretty much the sweet spot for me compared to the conventional 38 hour ETAs or the 40 hour Orients. You see I tend to rotate between 2-3 watches at a time over the course of a week or so, so when I leave a watch with a 38-40 hour power reserve on the dresser for a day, in order to keep it running I have to make sure I wind it up by the next morning otherwise it’ll have stopped by the time I get back from work. With a 50 hour power reserve, it will still be running by the time I get home from work on the second day and even possibly only need to be wound just before I go to bed.

While an 80 hour power reserve will allow you to get through the weekend easily, that tends to apply more to the two watch collection type of person. For most other people including those with a one watch collection or even the “I’m too ashamed to count how many watches I have” collection, I think 50 hours is a very good number to aim for. Let me know what you think.

Bracelet & Strap
Now on to the strap, while Orient isn’t exactly known for having great bracelets, Orient Star on the other hand does tend to have pretty decent bracelets on most of their models, and this new Diver 1964 is no exception. Unlike the Orient Star Diver I reviewed previously which although did come with solid end links, it was a bit disappointing to see a stamped clasp on it. This time I’m glad to see that both editions of the Diver 1964 come with a milled clasp.

This bracelet is a 5 piece link type with 2 polished links running down the middle. It features a security latch and a divers’ extension and is made of the same 316L stainless steel as the case in order to prevent galvanic corrosion as required by ISO 6425. This bracelet offers a good amount of adjustability with 4 micro adjust positions that will help you get the perfect fit. As a full fledged divers’ watch, it is still a bit top heavy and I was also a bit worried that the male end-links would make it wear too large for me. Thankfully after wearing it for over a month I’ve not found any of these to be a problem for me and this is actually a very comfortable watch to wear. 

If you’re not into bracelets however, we also get an additional silicone strap included in the box. While I usually prefer a bracelet, I am actually torn between the two straps as this is one of the most comfortable and well designed silicone straps I have ever worn. One problem I have always had with silicone straps is that the tail always sticks out way too much and the keeper seldom holds it in place well enough. This one however has a nice moulded shape at the end of the tail which locks it very securely together with the keeper. Even G-Shocks that tend have a similar design haven’t been quite as effective for me at keeping the tail tucked away neatly.

Final thoughts
So considering all this, I think the biggest criticism this watch is generally going to receive is probably the price. I don’t think that’s entirely fair however because we have to remember that this is not an Orient, this is an Orient Star, and their flagship sports model no less. 

When you buy an Orient Star instead of an Orient, you are no longer buying the absolute most bang for the buck utility. What you are buying is some of the best value that you can get for the art of watchmaking. This includes among other things the higher end manufacturing processes, the better finishings and the proven technologies that Seiko Epson Corporation has to offer.

Things like Zaratsu polishing, solid build quality, design and materials that meet ISO 6425 standards, and in-house movement production and regulation. In fact the only area that this watch actually falls short of Orient Star’s actual flagship, the Orient Star Skeleton, is that it doesn’t have their latest 70 hour, silicone escape wheel movement. And that watch costs around 30%-50% more.

This definitely isn’t the cheapest Orient Star around especially when you compare it with their other ISO diver that retails for almost 40% less. But I think it is a really good looking watch and not unreasonably priced at all if you were to compare it against a Swiss made watch of equivalent quality and finish. That being said, it’s also very unlikely that you will pay full retail over the counter even at the AD which just makes it that much more of a better value.

I have absolutely no regrets getting this watch and even if I had to pay market rate for it, I would still be very satisfied. It has already become a regular pick in my rotation and I personally feel it is one of the best looking watches that I currently own, not to mention the most accurate. These Orient Stars definitely do seem ready to start competing with the entry level Swiss offerings from brands such as Hamilton. In fact I think they are already beginning to offer a better value than their legendary Seiko counterparts.

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