New Orient Star Skeleton with 70 Hours of Power Reserve

Orient
is kicking off 2021 with the introduction of a new Orient Star
"Skeleton" model, equipped with a new movement featuring a respectable
70-hour power reserve. This is also a nice nod to the 70^th
anniversary of the Orient Star brand, being celebrated this year. And it's 30
years since the introduction of Orient's first skeleton movement. Let's party
then!

The
star (pun intended) of the show is no doubt, the movement, being both in full
view and boasting advanced watchmaking tech applied for the first time in an Orient
timepiece. The new "46 series F8" movements utilize a new silicon
escape wheel developed in house by Epson, Orient's parent company, to make
power last for almost an entire day longer than the previous skeletonized caliber
48E51.

70
hours are considered a dress-watch benchmark, enabling owners to take the watch
off at the end of the workweek, switch to their weekend attire and (presumably)
sports watch for the next three nights and two days, then put the dress watch
back on without having to wind it.

Accuracy
of the new movement has been greatly improved as well, now declaring +15/-5
seconds per day, instead of the old movement's +25/-15.

Orient
is releasing two versions of the new Orient Star Skeleton: Reference RK-AZ0001S
has a champagne-colored dial, and its movement is finished in gold. Reference RK-AZ0002S
features a white dial and silver-colored movement. The watches house hand-wound
calibers F8B62 and F8B63, respectively, differing only in their color, as
mentioned.

Case
size for both references has been very slightly reduced compared to the older
skeleton model: width is down from 39mm to 38.8, while thickness and length
remain at 10.6mm and 46mm respectively. Lug width is still 20mm. Water
resistance remains at 5 bar.

In
comparison to the older Orient Star Skeleton models, it appears that overall
finishing has also been taken to a higher level in the new models, offering more
elaborate decoration and chamfering of the various bridges and visible parts of
the movement.

The
view from the case back also seems nicer now, and in the new models is viewed
through a sapphire crystal instead of the old models' mineral glass. Front crystal,
of course, is sapphire as well.

What
we have here then is a very impressive piece of watchmaking. Being positioned
as the brand's new flagship, the Orient Star Skeleton showcases the
manufacturer's engineering, design, finishing, and overall watchmaking skills.

All
this comes at a price, of course. The new models will both be priced at close
to 3,000 USD, almost a 20% increase over the older model. However, this increase
appears very reasonable considering the many improvements.

The
new Orient Star Skeleton should be available to purchase starting March 18, 2021. Till then, watch this space, as within a week or two the blog will feature the story of Orient Star history!