Need a little help guys. Never owned an automatic before, and keep running into recommendations for Orients. They seem to be the best "bang for the buck" watches at the moment, according to several watch forums and a friend who is into watches. Budget is a little bit of an issue (first year of law school in the rear view, and money is tight going into year two.) Can't settle on which model, for reasons listed below:
1) The Bambino. I prefer the first edition in white with a brown strap. Classic, plays well with a suit but can also be dressed down. Issues I have with it are the size of the lugs (21mm) and price. Before you roll your eyes at my quibbles with the price, hear me out. The most reasonable deals I can find from non-eBay listings seem to be in the $130 range. Definitely a deal. However, other Orients seem to available for slightly more (see following), and may be a better value. What's wrong with 21mm lugs? Well, I'd like the option to change straps. If not to match what I'm wearing or my mood, then just because I intend to have the watch for a while and will likely wear the first strap out eventually. 21mm is an odd size, as opposed to 20mm or 22mm. Moving on...
2) The Curator. Wow. Gorgeous watch, especially the grey, which is the one I prefer. Issues with this one: comes with a black band. I rarely wear black. I own one black suit, and also a tuxedo. I'm a bit of a traditionalist with evening wear, so I don't wear a watch to black tie functions. Best deal I've found on this one is around $179. As I mentioned above, the Bambino is a good deal, but the price puts me off compared to other Orients. For $50 more, I get a sapphire crystal and a power reserve indicator, plus 22mm lug width. Downside on the price here is that because I don't wear black very often, I'd have to buy a brown band. So there's another $30, bringing me to $210. Is the curator worth $80 more to me, compared to the Bambino. Not sure.
3) The Producer. Kinda fun. Like the square/tonneau case, but not sure I want that for my everyday watch. Also not 100% sold on the display showing part of the movement through the face. At $149, it splits the difference between the Bambino and Curator price wise.
And then there are the Seikos. By the time (no pun intended) I get to watches in the $250 category, I start leaning towards waiting a few months and springing for a SARB065 Cocktail Time (plus a brown band.) I'd really like to find one of the older SARBs that were 38mm across the case. Those are getting rare, and tend to command a pretty penny on the watch forums, from what I've seen. I also really like the SKX007 on a bracelet. It's probably the only watch I'd get with a metal bracelet instead of a strap. I'd also likely wear it with navy and gray suits, in spite of the black face. But I keep coming back to the Orients.
So, there's the dilemma. Anyone with experience in Orients care to chime in? Is there something else I should be considering? Ready to step up to automatics, but can't quite pull the trigger. I appreciate your help in advance.
1) The Bambino. I prefer the first edition in white with a brown strap. Classic, plays well with a suit but can also be dressed down. Issues I have with it are the size of the lugs (21mm) and price. Before you roll your eyes at my quibbles with the price, hear me out. The most reasonable deals I can find from non-eBay listings seem to be in the $130 range. Definitely a deal. However, other Orients seem to available for slightly more (see following), and may be a better value. What's wrong with 21mm lugs? Well, I'd like the option to change straps. If not to match what I'm wearing or my mood, then just because I intend to have the watch for a while and will likely wear the first strap out eventually. 21mm is an odd size, as opposed to 20mm or 22mm. Moving on...
2) The Curator. Wow. Gorgeous watch, especially the grey, which is the one I prefer. Issues with this one: comes with a black band. I rarely wear black. I own one black suit, and also a tuxedo. I'm a bit of a traditionalist with evening wear, so I don't wear a watch to black tie functions. Best deal I've found on this one is around $179. As I mentioned above, the Bambino is a good deal, but the price puts me off compared to other Orients. For $50 more, I get a sapphire crystal and a power reserve indicator, plus 22mm lug width. Downside on the price here is that because I don't wear black very often, I'd have to buy a brown band. So there's another $30, bringing me to $210. Is the curator worth $80 more to me, compared to the Bambino. Not sure.
3) The Producer. Kinda fun. Like the square/tonneau case, but not sure I want that for my everyday watch. Also not 100% sold on the display showing part of the movement through the face. At $149, it splits the difference between the Bambino and Curator price wise.
And then there are the Seikos. By the time (no pun intended) I get to watches in the $250 category, I start leaning towards waiting a few months and springing for a SARB065 Cocktail Time (plus a brown band.) I'd really like to find one of the older SARBs that were 38mm across the case. Those are getting rare, and tend to command a pretty penny on the watch forums, from what I've seen. I also really like the SKX007 on a bracelet. It's probably the only watch I'd get with a metal bracelet instead of a strap. I'd also likely wear it with navy and gray suits, in spite of the black face. But I keep coming back to the Orients.
So, there's the dilemma. Anyone with experience in Orients care to chime in? Is there something else I should be considering? Ready to step up to automatics, but can't quite pull the trigger. I appreciate your help in advance.
Orient Watches
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