First Wave of Orient's 70th Anniversary Releases – King Diver and Retro-Future

We have been waiting to see what surprises Orient has in store for its fans
to celebrate 2020 as the brand's 70^th anniversary. And today the
first wave of anniversary releases begins rolling out, in the shape of two very
interesting re-issues: The King Diver and Retro-Future.

First up is the "Weekly Auto Orient King Diver", originally launched
in 1965 and a true iconic model of the brand, with the new version due for
release on March 19.

The new models appear to be a very faithful reproduction – including the
unique hands, the round weekday window, the inner rotating bezel… absolutely
authentic! Only slightly larger, at 43.8mm wide vs. the original's 42. Lug-to-lug length is 50mm, and the watch is 14mm thick, including the mineral glass (which seems to be somewhat domed). Lug width is 20mm. Driving the watch is caliber F6922, hacking and hand-winding like all F6 movements.



The
result is simply beautiful, and assuming the quality is there – we're in for a
treat. At little over 400 USD for a cool looking "super-compressor"
style diver (rated to 200m) this one should be a sure success.

Models include the black dial reference RN-AA0D11B (limited to 1,000
units for the Japanese domestic market), red dial ref. RN-AA0D12R (500 units),
green dial ref. RN-AA0D13E (500 units), and gold gradient ref. RN-AA0D14G (1,000
units).

The second announcement is based on a more recent model, the Orient Star
"Retro-Future" family and specifically the "Camera" from
2005. Curiously though, the new release is labeled Orient, not Star.

The new Camera model, ref. RN-AR0204G, is limited to 2,300 units, and
will be available as of April 23. The case is a fairly sporty, though not
overly large, 40.8mm width and 46mm long, and bronze plated. Here too, glass is mineral, and lug-width is 20mm. It is rated to 50m. Inside is caliber F6S22.



The retro-future design is
quite unconventional, and – love it or hate it – is Orient DNA through and
through. Price for the retro-future camera would be around 530 USD.

So – there you have it – 2020 is on! We're looking forward to seeing
these new models in the flesh… and particularly, to hold one of these new King
Divers next to the original !...