Orient Commuter

Orient Watch Company has a rich history dating back to the 1950s, starting life in Toyko. Over the decades, Orient has become well known for producing high-quality mechanical timepieces, often featuring in-house movements, a rarety among brands in its price range. Today, Orient continues to offer a range of stylish and reliable watches, balancing traditional watchmaking techniques with modern aesthetics, making them a respected name in the world of affordable mechanic watch making.

This model, the Orient Commuter, technically "Orient Classic RA-AA0C06E19B" is a timepiece that seamlessly blends classic design with reliable functionality. It embodies a classic dress watch design, suitable for both formal and casual settings.

Featuring a 42mm stainless steel case, which is a bit large for a dress watch, but at only 12mm thick, it wears comfortably for a 6.5" wrist. The standout feature is a captivating sunburst green/teal dial, complemented by gold-toned and white indices and hands, enhancing readability. Matching gold Orient logo and standout white "Orient, Automatic" lettering are a nice contrast to the dial tone and color.

The stainless steel case ensures resistance against daily wear and tear, while the mineral crystal offers a reasonable defence against scratches. With a water resistance of 50 meters "5 Bar", the watch can handle minor water exposure, such as a handwashing or light rain, but you would be best to avoid swimming, showering, or otherwise completely submersing the watch. Just a reminder, this is a dress watch, not a diver, 5 bar water resistance is no problem.

The Commuter houses Orient's in-house automatic movement, the F6922 cailber, which supports both automatic and manual winding, along with hacking seconds for precise time setting. While a hacking seconds hand is cool, I don't think its that important to be precise down to the second when setting your watch, but alas, hacking seconds has become a standard for the even the simplest of watch complications. A 40-hour power reserve is sufficient, could it be better? Sure. Truth be told, I enjoy the morning interaction with my watch. Winding it up, setting the date and time. It's only a minute or two, and in the wise words of Jerry Seinfeld, you should waste time doing things you enjoy.

Orient has always been a brand favorite of mine, offering beautifully designed watches, often vintage styling with domed crystals, open hearts, and chronograph designs. To me, they sit among the top tier affordable watches like Seiko or Tissot. An honorable mention, and hopeful future review on this page is the 38mm Orient Bambino II with small seconds hand.

Pros: Classic and versatile design, reliable in house movement with hacking and hand-winding features, day and date complications.

Cons: Mineral crystal is more prone to scratches compared to sapphire, 50-meter water resistance limits exposure to water activities.

Technical Data:

Movement type - Automatic with manual winding

Caliber - Orient F6922

22 Jewels

Case Material - Brushed stainless steel

Case Size - 42mm diameter, 12mm thickness, 48 lug-to-lug

22mm Lug width

Crystal - Mineral crystal

Water Resistance - 5 bar