Orient Bambino Small Seconds Automatic Review

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Today we are going to discuss a rather new addition to my collection of affordable dress/casual watches. The watch I chose to buy this week is fairly cheap and definitely super affordable to the masses. The Orient Classic Date automatic is certainly overlooked by watch enthusiasts I feel as most gravitate towards the traditional Orient Bambino series of watches produced by the Japanese watch manufacturer Orient. In my opinion I do feel this watch offers a bit more versatility in terms of wear as it appears to be a dress watch obviously but there is a certain field aesthetic to this watch I have noticed which is definitely useful in more casual dress settings and daily wear. The watch is under $200 and comes with a in house automatic movement....are there any downfalls?

Case
The Orient Classic comes standard in a 316L stainless steel 40MM by 12MM case with rather small stubby lugs which point downward towards the end which really does help it wear a bit smaller than its true dimension. The Polished smooth bezel definitely adds a touch of spark to a rather standard design and is definitely needed. In terms of lug width we do get that odd 19MM lug width which everyone truly despises in a way as most strap companies generally sell straps in 18MM, 20MM, 22MM and so on. I did find that a 18MM strap does fit almost perfect though which you will see pictured at the end of this article. The sides of the case are finely brushed and I must admit Orient did an excellent job with the finishing as it resembles a quality of finish seen in much more expensive watches. The caseback is screwed down and completely polished with an exhibition window which I am on the fence about as the movement is really nothing special to show off...

Movement
The Classic is equipped with an in-house manufactured F6222 automatic movement. This is truly a miracle to receive a watch with an in-house manufacture movement at this price but is not rare as Seiko does the same for all of their models. Inside this movement you will find 24 jewels and a slightly decorated rotor with the Orient logo inscribed which is visible through the exhibition caseback. A big plus is that we do get hand winding and hacking seconds which is a huge plus in my book! I do love to set my time precisely. The small sub seconds dial is located above the 6 o’clock position and slightly reminds me of the Patek Philippe Calatrava in a way which is nice to see. Included is a quickset date function for the date window over at 3 o’clock which clicks nicely and is definitely legible. The power reserve is around 40 hours and in terms of accuracy I have been getting olus 5 seconds each day.

Dial
A beautiful black dial with applied sharp polished indices and numerals definitely takes the cake for me. It almost appears Greyish in certain bright lighting conditions and a deeper black in low light conditions which is nice. We also do get 60 minute markings on the outer portion of the dial for a precise timeset. I think Orient did a superb job with the dial and it really appears to give off a much more luxurious look than the pricepoint suggests.

Hands
The Dauphine polished silver hands are definitely good in terms of size and length for this Orient dress watch and adds a bit of class to an already classy watch ;)

Crystal
The domed mineral crystal is a joy to view the time through and also adds a bit of vintage aesthetic to the timepiece and a spark of character. Although, I do prefer sapphire crystal I do understand it is a rather affordable watch at $140 USD and you cannot ask for everything.

Caseback
The polished steel caseback is screwed down and does have a mineral crystal with an exhibition caseback to get a glimpse of the orient in house manufactured F6222 movement. The Bi Directional winding rotor is also visible with the Orient traditional logo inscribed. Other than the rotor the movement is rather bland and lacks any finishing but once again this is a cheaper watch and you can’t expect the world at this price. It does state some information such as “Water Resistant” , “Epson” , Model #.

( If you are wondering where the stock black leather band that comes on this watch is I did remove it as it is rather uncomfortable out of the box and is not the highest of quality but definitely wearable.. )

Conclusion
Furthermore, after wearing and examining this affordable offering from Orient I do not have that many bad things to say about it. One thing I would suggest is purchasing a 19MM band with the watch as you might find the stock strap to not look the part as the watch does. Some things that are amazing is that us the consumer can receive a reliable in house movement with hacking and hand winding below $150, a beautifully domed mineral crystal covering a black dial with applied markers, and a well placed sub seconds dial which gives off a luxurious vibe. The finishing is 9/10 I would say and really does mimic the finishing of higher end entry level luxury watches. In conclusion I think all around this is a great buy for the money and something that can fit into many situations whether paired with a suit or a Polo shirt and Khaki shorts with some boat shoes. I even added a green Nato strap which might seem odd but it works oh so well!
Detailed Pictures Below and Specs

Model # - RA-AP0005B10B
Diameter - 40MM
Width - 12MM
Lug Width - 19MM
Finish - Polish / Brushed
Movement - Automatic F6222
Water Resistance - 30M
Crystal - Mineral Front and Back
Stock Strap - Genuine Leather embossed Black
Crown - Pull/Push
Functions - Analog Display , Date Display
Price - $140 USD

Where to buy
http://amzn.to/2pb8ryk
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