Orient Watch Reissues

The
recent release of the Orient
SK reissue seems good excuse to look back at some of Orient's other
reissues.

A
reissue is generally when a (watch) company either brings back to production,
or – more often and more likely – produces a new version which is based on, an
old model. The extent of the similarity between the old and new versions is up
to the manufacturer. Many watch brands have in recent years launched new models
that were very closely based on vintage models, typically adjusted to current
market expectations such as larger dimensions, improved water resistance, etc.
Seiko's recent series of reissues of their classic divers is one well known
example.

Watch
brands often resort to old designs when they run out of fresh ideas, or simply
when the old designs seem to have retained a loyal fan base that is likely to
find a modern version appealing. While Orient does not seem to be out of new
ideas, they certainly have plenty of old likeable models to resort to as basis
for new editions.

Let's
look at some examples of such reissues.

Between
2009 and 2010, Orient re-issued a number of models of historical importance, in
respect of its 60^th anniversary. For instance, there was the
multi-year calendar ref. wv0061fx, a very faithful reiteration of an original
1976 model.

Roundabout
the same time they also did a reissue of its famous King Master model of the
mid 60s. Curiously, that did not prevent Orient from also reissuing a fairly
similar model, the King Diver 21, 5 years later, as the ref. wv0011aa (however
they did add one jewel to it, making it a "king diver 22"…)

Another
very faithful reproduction was of the 1970 Chrono Ace. These were in fact so
similar, that to this day I see sale ads presenting pre-owned re-issue models
as "vintage chrono ace". Just remember, a quick tell-tale of the
newer model are the lume dots, placed below each hour marker. These did not
exist in the original.

Going
back even further in time, the 1950's Orient Star Dynamic received a double
dose – a proper reissue in 2005 with "Dynamic" on the dial, ref.
wz0011eh, and then in 2011 a whole line of "new vintage" watches that
hark back to 1950s designs – most notably, and unmistakably, this ref.
wz0051dg, that closely resembled the "tuxedo" version of the old
Dynamic.

Those
were only a handful of examples, many more can be found if one digs deeper into
Orient's past models.

Now
tell us (in comments below, or on our Facebook page) – what other old models
would you like to see Orient go back to and re-issue?

The
photos in this post were taken from old Orient catalogs and advertisements.