NWA! Orient Star “Explorient”, but this time in blue

Very nice!

I'm confused as several different models seem to have the name " explorient"?

The only one apparently available in the UK from Tus watches is similar bur has the power indicator. I do like it but yours is obviously different. There seem to be several versions?

As far as I know, the real 'Explorients' are all discontinued JDM models from the early 2000s, specifically the WZ0091ER and WZ0101ER (which I also have). They have the same case shape and dimensions as the vintage Rolex OP Explorers, hence the name (36mm diameter, 43mm lug-to-lug, 20mm lug width). I call these the V1 generation, and they also had day-date versions, as well as cushion case variants. What I call the V2s had different hands, indices and numeral designs, different dial colours, and came in 34mm and 38mm case diameters, like this blue one. There were also variants with a power reserve indicator at the 12 o'clock position. All the classic 'explorients' seemingly had the same 6-9-12 numeral indices and a date window at 3 o'clock.

Brilliant! Thank you very much that clarifies things for me! I have a Kamasu,Ray 2 and just waiting on a Mako 2 but I have no Orient Stars yet. My first choice is the model that's a sort of pilot/ field/ explorer type which is readily available. I've seen a few posts and videos on your watch and similar and was guessing they were discontinued and/or Japanese domestic market only.

I think often Orient Star are a bit underappreciated by people although not perhaps watch enthusiasts?

Agreed! They're not very well known, and their marketing towards the general public is fairly awful. Orients are always great value, but the O. Stars throw in some excellent finishing and nice touches for their price. Current models almost always have a power reserve indicator, which is both very useful yet incredibly rare for such affordable pieces.

Lots of people don't like that complication but I think it looks cool and is really useful. I like Orient because they are less well known and not an obvious choice.

That's a beauty! I own a Bambino but I struggle to justify the extra premium for the Star models. I think part of that is them being on Amazon! Am I missing big savings somewhere or can someone explain the higher price? Love Orient btw!

The higher price can be explained by the movement, and the crystal, considering the bambino and most orients come with a mineral or hardlex. But also the case design and the finishing on both the case and bracelts of Orient Stars is a step up too. For what you're getting with Orient Star, although more expensive than a regular orient, is still insane value in my opinion 😁

Agreed! Although some of the older OS models, like my Explorients, come with heavily domed acrylic crystals too. I actually prefer those over mineral glass, but sapphire is the best for daily wearers. I don't care about the lack of hacking but I sure wish they'd hand-wind, especially on the watches with PR displays.