Orient Star Classic Moonphase Review – If the Moon doesn't get you, everything else will

Tags: Review | Orient Star | Men's | Classic | Elegance

5.10.2022 | 7 MIN

The romantic complication of the moon phase may be the focus of the Orient Star Classic Moonphase, but I was wondering before the review whether they would hold up even without the Moon wandering around the dial. And also, whether the price tag corresponds to the quality of workmanship. But most importantly, what feelings can they bring up.

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First thoughts – meaning those, that will get you revved up

After unpacking from the box, my first thought was so strong that it didn't just stay in my head: Wow! That watch probably doesn't even have a glass! Yes, Super Anti-Reflective Glass Coating, i.e. simply put double anti-reflective, works flawlessly here. The glass is slightly convex, but the absorption of glare is so effective that you actually feel like you can touch the dial.

I appreciate it especially considering the sapphire, which can get quite bothersome when it comes to reflections. Of course, at a certain angle or light, the glass shows through, but it also reveals another strong point of the watch, which is the structure of the dial. But we'll get to that later.

However, the second thought led to the dial and everything that happens on it. Elegance is emphasized by Roman numerals, romance is brought by the moon phases, and finally you will also notice two useful complications in the form of a power reserve indicator and a date subdial.

The open heart will also attract attention, which is a catch for all lovers of mechanics inside. So, why not this time get rid of the detailed description of the design, which you can best appreciate in person, or at least in photos, and go straight to what's hidden inside?

Movement with moon phase

Orient introduced its Caliber 46 in 1971. It was the flagship movement of the brand for a long time. However, thanks to the merger with Seiko Epson, Orient, i.e. Orient Star, was given the opportunity to significantly modernize and refine their movement.

However, the basis is still, in a way, this caliber 46, even if many components are new. Specifically, in Moonphase, the F7M62 the movement ticks with a tolerance of +15～-5 seconds per day, which is completed in Japan's Akita prefecture.

It has 22 stone deposits, runs at a rate of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour and offers around 50 hours of power reserve. Just by looking at the dial, it is clear that it offers the possibility of several complications, including the 50-hour power reserve indicator and the day of the month indicator.

It is precisely with the moon that a complication is connected, according to which the watch was given its name. Moon phases. It is sometimes said to be the most unnecessary complication on watches today, but apparently we will never stop looking for it and admiring it.

As day after day passes, the golden disc of the Moon appears and disappears again in the cutout. For proper operation, the Moon must be set correctly according to the current date and phase of the Moon. But I will not dissect it, because a colleague has already written about it in detail. I'll just add that the setting is done using a hidden button on the right side of the case.

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How do the two Orient Star Moonphase variants differ?

In the Orient Star Classic line, the Moonphase comes in two forms. They have identical parameters, including a case diameter of 41 mm, leg to leg 48.5 mm, and the exact same movement inside. They are also practically the same in concept, but differ in several details.

The first is the hands. The first variant has silver steel hands similar to a diamond, but without a decorative divider. Sometimes they are also called heavy diamonds. At first glance, I had the impression that the white filling was luminescence. But that didn't really suit the strictly elegant Classic series. Only a detailed examination revealed that it is really just a white filler without a phosphorescent effect.

Reason? I can only speculate, but the fact is that it has improved readability. After all, Orient Star stretched the minute hand for legibility and slightly curved it, so that now it almost touches the individual minute indexes.

Models with diamond hands also have a different dial structure. Personally, the middle section reminds me of wavy tall grass, but fantasy is a welcome feature here and it's up to you what you discover in it. From the color combinations, you can choose between dark blue and black. It is precisely on dark backgrounds that silver handles can stand out better.

The second model has blue hands in an elegant elongated leaf shape. The indices are again Roman, but the silver steel has been replaced by black printing. Thanks to this, the designers could choose a light (silvery) background for the dial. The indices are in the form of a rail and the structure on the dial has a clear meaning this time - the Orient Star logo. The structure is further delimited by a wavy surround, which optically distinguishes the overall design from the rest of the dial.

It's hard to say which one is more interesting, I guess it just depends on preferences. Light or dark background? Silver or blue handles? I was in favor of blue the whole time, but the light one made a better impression on my hands. You can have both variants either on a steel bracelet with a butterfly clasp or on leather.

The leather is cordovan, i.e. leather from a horse's buttock. It sounds stupid, but you will definitely appreciate its softness, smoothness and quality. It is also nicknamed "King of Leather" or "Leather Diamond" precisely because of their beautiful structure and smooth surface. The buckle is reversible, so it is also gentle on the strap. On the skin, the model definitely looks more elegant, and quickly. But the steel has a very good and precise processing and is the clear winner of the more practical side of things.

Final thoughts – meaning those, which will then decide

Usually, the more time you spend with your watch, the more in love you become, or on the contrary, you start to discover little things that seem trivial, but you know would annoy you after a while. So, how is it with Moonphase?

Both and actually neither. The admiring glances did not deepen. It was a beautiful watch from the start and is still beautiful after many days. It's like looking at the starry sky at night. You just stare and wonder. At the same time, I discovered several of those little things, but none of them turned out to be a major obstacle that would make the watch uncomfortable for me.

The first thing I would fault them for would be the steel bracelet. Not by workmanship or style, but by the optical impression of the connection to the case. It is lower and does not blend in so precisely with the legs. Nothing unusual for such a tall watch, but maybe it always catches my eye just because I have a problem with case height.

Fourteen millimeters is simply not enough when we are talking about elegant social watches. It's my age-old problem with Japanese automatics, especially the complications that the movement will logically increase. Due to the steel case, the watch can seem too heavy and unbalanced.

In practice, this concern of mine was not confirmed, but it will depend a lot on the size of your wrist. In this case, leather can be a literally elegant solution.

What I would like for the watch is a 4Hz frequency instead of 3Hz. The beautifully long, slender at the end, gently curved (at first I thought it was just an optical illusion caused by the curved glass, but it really is curved) seconds hand is a joy to observe. A smoother journey through the dial would suit her all the more.

Maybe I'm already too spoiled. Here we have a decently decorated watch with two beautiful complications (eh, three, if we also count the date display) and I'm nagging about how fast the flywheel should work. But yeah, if I could only wish for one single change to these Moonphases, it would be this one.

And that's the end of my list of complaints. I know that many would look for a more spectacular decoration of the movement, as we are often used to with the Swiss competition. But - and maybe this is just my impression - in my experience, the Japanese are more conservative about this and play with sophistication rather than quantity.

And as a minimalist, it suits me this way. The Orient Star Classic Moonphase model already boasts many interesting details, so I think it would be a waste to decorate it further.

So the final thoughts are clearly in favor of the old. And if they were a hair thinner, I would without hesitation classify them as truly ideal dress watches. With and without the moon. This is how you need to calculate the height of the case and test whether it is the wrist that will support it playfully and you will give in to their starry interest, or you will set off to look for a bit further in the galaxies...

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