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ORIENT STAR Automatic 300M Diver WZ0251FD

26K views 36 replies 13 participants last post by  RichieP 
#1 · (Edited)
This is a watch I looked long and hard at before buying.
For me the rather avantgarde look with power reserve and datewindow at 9 o´clock took a lot of getting used to.
When the chance came for buying one I didn´t hesitate though.
I bought it from the original owner LNIB and judging from the serial no it´s from august 2006. I´ve never looked back.

It comes in a doublebox with a nice satin feel to it.

Inside the box there is:
-the watch itself
-springbar tool
-rubberstrap
-manual
-guarantee
-instructions for changing bracelet

All that was a bonus as I like such stuff :)



The watch is massive and at first I was considering if I´d made a mistake.
Some selfmeasured specs:
-226 grams minus 2 links
-45,7 mm diameter (without the crown)
-17,1 mm thick
-22 mm lugs

But after awhile I got used to the size, but sadly not without some accidents.
So it´s a good thing the crystal is sapphire, and thick too boot, 5,5 mm, according to sources on different forums.
As I mentioned earlier it took a while before I really liked the dial. Now I can´t imagine it any other way.



It is very easy reading the time, which for me is most important. I´m also addicted to the power reserve complication. It´s a great way of to see how much time there is left.
And it looks cool;)
The date window could be a bit larger but that´s minor stuff.

The lume is great on the Orient. The best part is that it lasts all night. And believe me, wintertime is really dark in Sweden…



The bezel is 60 clicks. Really large and surprisingly stiff to turn. It doesn´t look to have an insert. I use it all the time for timing cooking, running or whatever. So for me, all clicks need to be there. How it works under water I don´t know ´cause I don´t dive…
In the future I´ve promised myself to get a diving license now that I have two diver watches.

The casework is nice, even though my Omega Seamaster has a tiny bit better finish.
It´s cool with the lugholes. Gives it a "tooly" look.

The crown is located at 4 o´clock and is supernice! I just love the look of it. It´s large and very grippy. The best thing is that the action is very smooth. A lot better than my SMP!



The case back is really nicely done, very intricate. Attention to detail comes to mind.



The original bracelet is pretty good, but somewhat thin. It´s not really on par with the watch.
It also has the divers extension with a ratcheting system. Kind of cool but it releases very easily when putting on the watch. My SMP has a better bracelet/clasp.
In the future I´ll probably buy a watchadoo as pictures of the pairing really looks neat (and heavy).
For me it´s best on Nato as it really hugs the wrist.
I have only had it on the supplied rubberstrap and that was ok.
I´m about to buy a leatherstrap next and we´ll see how that fits. Updated with a Hirsch Grand Duke.
Seems pretty nice so far.

And if you wonder, my wrist is about 7,8 inches.








The calibre is non-hack/wind. To be fair, this is the only thing this calibre is lacking. I don´t really miss winding since it winds up superfast. And I mean fast! Someone said a good brush of your teeth will do and your ready to go. Had to try that one! After a couple of minutes the PR was on 25 hours, pretty neat, huh?
But non-hacking really sux. I know you can put pressure on it, and I do so if I need to. But it still sux. The only real improvement needed with this watch would be hacking.

Accuracy-wise this is right on the money. When I first bought it it went like this:
- Crown down, one week with constant use except for 9-10 hours off at night, + 66 s.
- Crown up, one week with constant use except for 9-10 hours off at night, + 68 s.
- Dial up, one week with constant use except for 9-10 hours off at night, + 127 s.
Now I´ve started anew and this is the result so far:
- Crown down, one week with constant use except for 9-10 hours off at night, + 33 s.
- Crown up, one week with constant use except for 9-10 hours off at night, - 15 s. UPDATE
- Dial up, one week with constant use except for 9-10 hours off at night, + 55 s. UPDATE

I´ve worn the watch for four weeks now, and it´s still pretty accurate.
I have on the nightstand alternating crown down and crown up every other night.
As before it´s off 9-10 hours at night, -78 s. That´s accurate enough for me :) UPDATE

If you leave it resting in different positions you´ll probably have really great accuracy in the long run.
It´s probably safe to say the watch is consistently inconsistent. Much like my SMP after a while it can suddenly run slow.
But it really keeps good time so in this respect I´m really pleased.

The conclusion is that for me this is a great watch, with great looks and allows for great accuracy, which for me is really important.
I know many people think it costs way too much money for an Orient with a non-hack/wind calibre.
If you can look past those hindrances it´s a fabulous watch with great presence on the wrist.
The OS 300 really rocks and is for me the perfect beater. And it´s a real plus that it goes so well with all kinds of bracelets/straps.
I want to thank Alphonse for giving me courage buying one and also thank Hans for giving me the opportunity in buying it.
Jan
 
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#22 ·
Great review, I love the look of the Orient and thinking of it as a next big investment. I prefer the yellow dial, but black looks amazing too. And they do have a good price consider what you seems to get, specially used ones seems to have av very reasonable price:-!Only downside might be the size, maybe a little bit to large imo...but that´s probably easy to get used to;-)

Enjoy the watch.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Very nice pictures.

I thought about buying one last year when the price of a new one was under $1K US. With the current exchange rate is it closed to $1300.00.

The watch looks like a beast and appears to still be a pretty good deal. One would expect that with from a Seiko company. Where it in good health.

Oh did you scratch you bezel or was that lint?
 
#25 ·
Thanx Yoda for the comments.
Yes, I still think it is a pretty good deal if you want a good quality watch with everything inhouse. It´s very accurate which is really big for me.
I´m about to update my accuracy report and after that I´ll probably use the watch in different positions for a couple of months to see how good it can be.

About the scratch, let me put it this way:
I had just gotten it and wasn´t used to it´s thickness.
I was changing to wintertires and it got caught between the tire and asphalt. What can I say? The asphalt won.<|
It isn´t really visible in real life, but in photos you see everything.
Jan
 
#26 ·
Thanx Yoda for the comments.
Yes, I still think it is a pretty good deal if you want a good quality watch with everything inhouse. It´s very accurate which is really big for me.
I´m about to update my accuracy report and after that I´ll probably use the watch in different positions for a couple of months to see how good it can be.

About the scratch, let me put it this way:
I had just gotten it and wasn´t used to it´s thickness.
I was changing to wintertires and it got caught between the tire and asphalt. What can I say? The asphalt won.<|
It isn´t really visible in real life, but in photos you see everything.
Jan
its ok Jan

watch is to used and we never worry bout the battle scar :-d

Mine has one hair scratch in side when my patient got convulsed , then he bang my watch to the bed...
not stopping me from wearing it

This week until next week, I am departing with OS300
one of my collague want to wear OS300, he switch his Chopard Mille with OS300 for 2 weeks..
 
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