Orient Place Blog's 3rd Anniversary

Today we are celebrating the blog's third anniversary. And while most
articles telling the story of the past would probably go on about the pandemic
and such, I prefer to just stick with happier thoughts – and hoping that next
year this won't even be a consideration…

Some numbers – and here are the most exciting ones: the blog continues
to grow in popularity with more than 100,000 views since the previous
anniversary, a rise of 25% in traffic compared to the year before. So once
again – thank you, readers, followers, likers, sharers, and commenters!

Thirty-six stories were posted in the last year, an average of three per
month. These included five hands-on reviews of current models, five reviews of
vintage or discontinued models, and eight articles covering new model releases,
the rest being a medley of topics ranging from Orient's history to various
philosophical discussions.

The most popular story of the last 12 months was actually an older post –
the one discussing Royal
Orient's demise. It got 2,310 reads this year and is perhaps an indication
of the huge attention this now-dormant sub-brand of Orient continues to draw. Please
bring it back, Orient, the world is ready!...

Now, what about social media?

The blog's Facebook page roughly doubled its audience, rising from around
260 followers one year ago, to more than 540 at the moment. Many of them engage
with content on the page, like and share posts, which is great! And by the way,
all posts on the page are public, so you are most welcome to share more – this helps
the blog reach new readers.

The most liked Orient watches featured on my Instagram account were the
Royal Orient ref. WE0011EG, the Orient Star WZ0211FD, and the new M-Force. Yes,
the Royal one tops this popularity contest as well.

What else happened this year that was interesting?

The new M-Force was definitely such a thing. When the first images of
the new model emerged, it seemed that the watch was not a true successor of the
M-Force lineage. However, having bought and reviewed
this watch, my opinion changed – and it seems so has the impression of others
who purchased it. I definitely learned to like it and appreciate its robust
appearance and surprisingly comfortable wearing experience.

Also interesting was the introduction of a solid-dial
Moonphase watch – albeit a limited production run. It seems to have
answered the wishes of many of complained that the open-heart aperture ruins
the otherwise classic look of the original models. Will this be the start of a
welcome trend where Orient would offer both open-heart and closed-dial versions
of its watches? We will have to wait and see.

For me, one of the most pleasant surprises and perhaps the coolest of
Orient's recent releases, was the re-issue
of Orient's World Map Diver – including both a faithful reproduction of the
1969 original, and some new colorful variants.

What next on the blog? Probably more news, reviews, stories and
discussions. Is there anything else you would like to see on the blog? Any
particular models or topics you think the blog should cover, or perhaps – any
content of your own you wish to share with us? Your feedback would be highly
appreciated, so keep commenting, here or on our Facebook page, and keep
following Orient Place blog!