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July 10, 2010

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Watch Review - Orient

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The Orient Star 200 and 300 Metre Divers (Repost)

I saw a black dial Orient 300m diver in the wild today. Saw it when I was queuing up to pay for groceries at the supermarket (NTUC Tanjong Pagar around 7:15pm.). The guy in front of me was wearing the Orient 300m diver on rubber strap.

Earlier today, I was at Big Time and there was a guy who wanted to know the physical differences between the Orient 300m diver and the 200m version (Revolver). I did a post on this topic on my Windows Live Space and it was retrieved to show the customer.

Below is a reproduction of the old post. I have been meaning to archive it here.

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The Orient Star 300m diver has been around for quite some time but it was only a couple of weeks ago that I bought mine.

Here’s a post that shows the different colour variants of the diver including the Japan domestic models and the international models. Post dates back to August 2006.

http://yeomanseiko.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!3318BA07329CD633!427.entry

Besides the 300m version, Orient has recently released a 200m version and I managed to borrow a specimen from Big Time for a quick comparison.

So here they are, the Orient Star 200m and 300m divers!

At one glance, you will notice some similarities between the two divers. Just to name a few, both have power reserve indicators at the 1 o’clock position and both have very similar case shape. I don’t know if they are using the same or different movement because the information cannot be found on Orient’s website. So I’ll just highlight some cosmetic differences that I observe.

Top:300m, Bottom:200m

When I first saw the stock photo of the 200m model on the Internet, I thought it uses the same case as the 300m because it is shaped exactly like the 300m except with a different bezel. Now that I them side-by-side, I know they are not. The 300m case is clearly bigger and thicker than the 200m as shown in the picture above.

The 200m seems to have everything smaller on the dial. Here are some examples:

  • Hour, minute and second hands are less substantial compared to the 300m.
  • Power reserve hand slimmer compare to the tapered one on the 300m.
  • Orient Star logo and wordings not as beefy as that on the 300m.
  • Markings on the power reserve sub-dial smaller.

One thing I like about the watch is the black outline on the hour markers. They make the watches more legible. On the 200m, I notice a bit of reflection on the black outlines. This is because they are glossy black compared to the matt black on the 300m that does not have any reflection. Both watches have anti-reflection coating on their crystals.

The crown action is different on both watches. The screw threads on the 300m seem to engage automatically when the crown is pushed in and turned. This is not so on the 200m. User will need to push and turn the crown in anti-clockwise direction and wait for the ‘click’ to indicate that the screw threads have engaged.

Pictures below show the crowns of both watches at the second click position. You can’t see the screw threads on the 300m.


Left:300m, right:200m

Below is a picture of the crowns. They are signed with the letter ‘O’ which stands for ‘Orient’ in this case. The 300m has polished ‘O’ and brushed background while the 200m has brushed ‘O’ and polished background.

Left:300m, Right:200m

Both watches have the same medallion on their casebacks which is the traditional ‘two-lion’ logo with wave-like stripes on the background. The 300m is inscribed with ‘He-Gas Diver’s 300m’ while the 200m has ‘Air Diver’s 200m’.

The 300m is made from 316L stainless steel as indicated on its caseback. According to Orient’s website, 316L stainless steel is supposed to have excellent corrosion resistance.

http://www.orient-watch.com/products/category/item/?category_id=37

The 200m is made from ‘SS + IPC’ as indicated on its caseback. I do not know what ‘IPC’ is but I believe it is the black material on the bezel.

300m caseback

200m caseback

14 thoughts on “The Orient Star 200 and 300 Metre Divers (Repost)”

  3. Hi Yeoman,

    Very good comparison and helpful for me to choose between the two when i have sufficient budget to get one.

    Btw, pardon my lack of knowledge .. when you mentioned “User will need to push and turn the crown in anti-clockwise direction and wait for the ‘click’ to indicate that the screw threads have engaged.”, may i know what does that mean?

    Many thanks for your help.

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  4. Hi bro,

    Recently I saw this orient star 200m wz0351fd and very interested with it. I have read your review and thanks for such a great review. How do you think this watch compared to the seiko sumo or others 6r15 models? How are these two movement in term of durability and accuracy?
    Thanks in advance for your attention.

    Regards,
    Hendri

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    • Hi Hendri,

      This watch is comparable with the Sumo in terms of finishing. The movement is of similar grade as the 6R15. However the 6R15 comes with hack and handwind features whereas this Orient movement does not. However, it has a power reserve indicator feature.

      If you are interested in this model, you have to act fast because it is a discontinued model and probably will run out of stock very soon.

      Best regards,
      Thomas

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      • Hi Thomas,

        Thanks for the quick reply regarding the WZ0351FD. I m nw very hesitate between this orient and seiko with 6r15 movement. With ur expertise, which one should be
        Better? Does this orient star has resale value in the market ?

        Thanks and best regards,
        Hendri

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        • Hi Hendri,

          Both are about the same but I would choose the Sumo over the Orient WZ0351FD because of its traditional bezel design. Based on popularity, I believe the Sumo will have a higher resale price in a few years time.

          Thomas

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  5. Hi Yeoman,

    Thanks for a good review for the orient star above. after surfing from the net, i also quite interested with orient start WZ0351FD 200m diver watch. how do you think this model movement compared to the Seiko 6r15 model movement? is this model come with a good movement, which is reliable? does it come with a value price?

    Thanks again for your attention.

    Regards,
    Hendri

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  6. Pingback: Pictures of my Orient 300m Saturation Diver – EL02003W | Yeoman's Watch Review

  7. Thanks Yeoman, nice comparison… I love both and own both…:-)

    If anyone is interested I have 3 of these, I keep one and willing to sell 2 units brand new in the box ORIENT STAR REVOLVER (one black WZ0351FD and one yellow WZ0371FD). I believe these will truly be collectors item sooner or later, even more than Sumo’s because they were limited edition and are now extremely rare and hard to find. The revolver is an eyecatching one, beautiful and unusual diver’s watch.

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