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Showing 1 of 16 conversations about:
Cloaca
1906
Jul 9, 2018
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Orieint Star had a line of watches in Japan from about the mid aughts to the mid teens called "Retro Future," and this seems to be from that same general DNA. The watches all had a power reserve, and open heart, an open stem window, display backs, most had a seconds complication, and each watch in the series had some thematic design touches. Most of the movements used were non hackable, non windable, and the crystals were not sapphire. This was the car version:
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You can see it has the same angular power reserve/fake dashboard fuel guage complication. One of the members here has this watch in a different color. You can see that the open heart has a steering wheel overlay.
They had an SUV version (the only series release with center seconds) with a line of car with dashboard icons such as a feul pump.:
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There were a couple of motorcycle versions. I have the normal one, and there was a touring bike version. My favorite in the series were the camera lens models, of which I have two, one with a hackable, windable movement.
Retro Future watches have not been out of production that long, but they have a fan base in Japan and are quirky enough that they attract the attention of both non watch people and watch people. I don't know if these newer watches will develop in the same way, however.
As for the watch not being a "real racing watch," the Retro Future watches were likewise meant to be evocative of an interest or hobby, not tools for the hobby. The camera version has a bezel like a diver but made to look like a 1950s Zeiss lens with f-stops. But versions of the camera watch do not have screw-down crowns, because they were not meant to be used as dive watches.
Orient as a company no longer exists as of April 2017, and is now simply a brand of Seiko. I hope this watch is a sign that Seiko is continuing to use the weird design language of some of the old Orient watches, although this design just predate the complete merger of the companies.
Jul 9, 2018
jmcpherson
1
Jul 9, 2018
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CloacaSeiko and Orient are two totally different companies. They are both owned by epson, but two companies don't work with one another.
Jul 9, 2018
Cloaca
1906
Jul 9, 2018
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jmcphersonReading now various documents online, at the end of the Japanese fiscal year, the end of March 2017, the Orient corporation was split into two parts, marketing and everything else. Marketing (maybe just Japanese domestic marketing?) went to the Epson sales subsidiary, and the rest to the Epson parent company. Then the Orient corporation was legally dissolved. It had been a Seiko-Epson subsidiary since 2008. You seem to be right that Seiko isn't operating it, but Orient is not independent in any sense, but at best a division within Seiko-Epson. Epson is referring to this reorganization as some sort of "wearables" play, which sounds ominous for the future of the brand, since I associate wearables with rubber fitness bands, not mechanical wristwatches. I wonder why they weren't put under Seiko Watches? The corporate strategy will become apparent in time, I suppose.
Jul 9, 2018
Keth
760
Jul 9, 2018
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jmcphersonActually Seiko Group is the parent company: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiko_Group
Orient falls under the Seiko Epson umbrella, where as Seiko watches falls under the Seiko Holdings portion of the group. Yay for 30 seconds of time on Google and Wikipedia. Please check your own facts before attempting to correct someone else.
Jul 9, 2018
jmcpherson
1
Jul 9, 2018
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KethWord
Jul 9, 2018
Glen8
671
Aug 14, 2019
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KethOMG, a lot of hair splitting, honestly who cares? The two companies operate independently, that's the important takeaway. Not referring you You Keth or anyone in particular, just wanted to throw my 2 cents into this silly irrelevant conversation as well for some reason, so sorry if it offends anyone!
Aug 14, 2019
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