Orient Star's technology shines through with an unprecedentedly delicate dial! This new model heralds a new era of dial expression.

Since its founding in 1951, Orient Star has continued to captivate many watch enthusiasts as a brand of authentic mechanical watches. While the brand is known for its mechanical moon phase and skeleton watches, in recent years it has also released a number of models that stand out for their intricately crafted dials. This time, we will take a look at the evolution of dial expression, which could be called a new era for Orient Star, taking advantage of the strengths of its in-house integrated production, using the new models, the M34 F8 Date and the M45 F7 Mechanical Moon Phase, as examples.

Advanced dial design highlights Epson's technological prowess


　In recent years, Orient Star has been focusing on dial manufacturing. In particular, the two new 2024 models announced in February have finishes that symbolize this trend. Using these as examples, we will introduce the new dial expressions that Orient Star is promoting.

"M34 F8 Date" Ref. RK-BX0003L with optical multilayer coating

　The first model we will introduce is the "M34 F8 Date" Ref. RK-BX0003L, which is scheduled to be released in June 2024. The name of this collection, "M34," is derived from the open star cluster "M34," which can be seen near the constellation Perseus and is featured in the "Messier Catalogue," a catalog of nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies by French astronomer Charles Messier.



　The design concept of the dial is the Perseid meteor shower. It features a pattern with a sense of depth that radiates out from the center, like the meteor shower that rains down across the night sky with its radiant point near the star Gamma Perseus.

　This unique pattern was created by pressing a pattern that had been hand-carved into a mold by skilled craftsmen at the dial plate workshop of Shinshu Toki no Takumi Kobo.

　The design is so delicate that it would normally be crushed during the painting process, but Epson's optical multi-layer film technology, used for the first time in this model, has made it possible to maintain this fine unevenness while producing the deep blue color.

　Human vision recognizes a wide variety of colors by combining signals emitted by three types of cone cells in the retina of the eye that respond to red, green, and blue (hereinafter referred to as RGB).

　This is why RGB are called the three primary colors of light; when these three colors are present in equal amounts, we perceive it as white, and when they are absent, we perceive it as black.When this balance is disrupted, we are able to perceive a variety of colors.

　When we look at the organic EL displays used in familiar devices like smartphones and PCs with a magnifying glass, we see that they are basically made up of three RGB color LEDs arranged as a set (one pixel).

　This piece takes advantage of these characteristics of light and vision, using an optical multilayer coating deposited on a silver-colored wet plating to suppress wavelengths other than blue from the ground reflected light, resulting in the appearance of a blue dial.

　The optical multilayer film itself is transparent and is deposited at a nano-level thickness, so its greatest feature is that it achieves a vivid, deep blue without compromising the sense of depth created by the delicate shape of the ground.

　Additionally, each film reflects and transmits light of different wavelengths, and the colors are expressed through interference between them, so another unique feature of this work is that the colors appear to change depending on the viewing angle.

　In addition, the double-sided sapphire crystal is coated with SAR (double-sided anti-reflective) coating, minimizing the loss of contrast caused by reflections on the crystal, resulting in an extremely clear view of the dial.

　It is truly a dial that inspires a sense of exhilaration, as if witnessing the magnificent mysteries of the universe.

A limited edition model with a white dial that makes the most of the sparkle of the base is also available.

The M34 F8 Date also includes the Ref. RK-BX0001S, a limited edition model of 200 pieces, which features a white dial with a delicate pattern based on the design concept of the Perseid meteor shower and a blue second hand.

　This is a regular painted dial, but it is coated with a very thin white paint that brings out the sparkle of the underlying silver-colored wet plating.

　As a result, the delicate patterns in the ground are not obscured by the paint, and the three-dimensional depth seen in the blue dial is still present in this model.

The dial of the "M34 F8 Date" is manufactured at the dial workshop of "Shinshu Toki no Takumi Kobo." First, a skilled craftsman uses rotary tools to carve a mold by hand, and then presses the pattern into a brass base plate.

　Next, the base is colored using wet plating or vapor deposition of optical multilayer film (white dials are painted).

　
The top layer is then coated with a thick layer of clear paint, known as a lapping coating, before the date window and power reserve area are machined and drilled. The machined surface is then plated again and polished until it is perfectly flat. After multiple rounds of tampon printing, the indexes and adhesive base are polished to a mirror finish and then attached by hand to complete the watch.

　Aiming to create dials with high added value, this is a craftsmanship that can only be achieved by Shinshu Toki no Takumi Kobo, which possesses a variety of manufacturing processes.

The M45 F7 Mechanical Moon Phase RK-AY0122N depicts the cosmic scenery of the moon and Subaru.

　The second watch we will introduce is the "M45 F7 Mechanical Moon Phase" Ref. RK-AY0122. The name of this collection, "M45," comes from the open star cluster "M45" visible near the constellation Taurus.

In Europe, M45 is known as the Pleiades star cluster, named after the seven sisters of the Pleiades in Greek mythology, but in Japan it has long been known as Subaru.

　The design concept of the dial is "an occultation where the Moon and Palaia overlap." An occultation is a phenomenon in which the Moon appears to overlap with another star as it orbits the Earth. The combination of a dark gradient paint on the outer edge of the dial and an irregular pattern stamped on the base represents the brilliance of the stars in the Pleiades star cluster.

　In addition, the silver-colored mirrored dots placed in the darkest area around the Roman numerals sparkle even with the slightest amount of light, giving them a presence like celestial bodies shining in the dark night.

　All the markings on the dial are uniformly black, but each one is printed in three dimensions using octopus printing, so the shadows appear to change depending on the angle of the light, which is a unique feature of this model.

The dial is made by the dial workshop of "Toki no Takumi Kobo"

　The dial of this watch was also manufactured by the dial workshop of Shinshu Toki no Takumi Kobo. First, a pattern is stamped into the brass base plate using a die, and then a silver-colored wet plating is applied to the surface.

　Then, using a special painting machine, paint is carefully applied to each piece, creating a gradation from gray to black.

　The top layer is coated with a lapping paint and polished until it is perfectly flat. After that, the power reserve area and moon phase area are cut and drilled, and the cut surfaces are plated again.

　After that, a three-dimensional print is formed using multiple octopus printing processes, and applied parts and adhesive substrates are attached by hand to complete the product.

Orient Star's dial manufacturing takes it to the next level

　This time, we have focused on two models, the "M34 F8 Date" and the "M45 F7 Mechanical Moon Phase," and introduced the evolution of Orient Star's dial manufacturing.

　The dials are manufactured using optimal techniques to match each design concept, and each one establishes a unique worldview with unprecedented delicate expression, exuding incredible brilliance.

　This is truly a level of craftsmanship that can only be achieved by Orient Star, which carries out consistent manufacturing from parts manufacturing to watch assembly.

　The watch has also incorporated technologies that make use of Epson's strengths, such as optical multi-layer coating that enables optical color development and SAR coating on double-sided spherical sapphire crystal, and as we enter a new era of dial expression, Orient Star's watchmaking will surely attract even more attention in the future.