Orient celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2025. In that year, the new "Orient Strett" collection was announced, and in 2026, variations were added. In this article, we will introduce the "Orient Strett Sun and Moon," which showcases Orient's expertise in manufacturing highly original watches.
Photographs & Text by Chieko Tsuruoka (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published on January 17, 2026]
The surprise I felt when I saw the first model in 2025 is coming back to me.
Founded in 1950 as Tama Keiki, Orient celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2025. If we were to highlight Orient's current characteristics, they would be that it is a Japanese brand of mechanical watches and that it boasts a multitude of unique designs. The latter, in particular, has contributed to attracting a strong base of loyal fans, and the original forms and colors of its watches, such as the "World Diver" and "SK" models which are still part of the current lineup as复刻 models, are a major strength of Orient.
This strength is evident in the new model released in 2026, the "Orient Strett Sun and Moon."
Automatic movement (Cal. F6B24). 22 jewels. 21,600 vibrations/hour. Power reserve approximately 40 hours. Stainless steel case (41.5mm diameter, 13.0mm thickness). 5 ATM water resistance. Limited edition for the Spring/Summer 2026 season. 62,700 yen (tax included).
Last year, the Orient Stretto was added to the brand's "Contemporary" collection as one of the 75th-anniversary models. Stretto is an Italian musical term meaning "to accelerate the tempo to create a climax," and the collection's press release stated that it "evokes a rich, uplifting urban lifestyle." Three 75th-anniversary models were released, all based on Orient's classic "semi-skeleton" design, featuring a classic case and bracelet, but combined with a stylish dial in a gray nuance color with orange accents. This dial certainly possesses a refined, urban elegance, and I remember being very surprised when I first saw the actual watch, due to the excellent color rendering of the dial and the surprisingly affordable price considering its color and texture.
I experienced this surprise again when I saw the new Orient Strett Sun and Moon, which is the subject of this article.
The skill to bring together multiple vivid colors.
Aside from this colorful sun and moon design, there are five other Orient Strett models released this year. The lineup includes regular models with vibrant green, blue, pink, and orange dials, based on a pop and metallic theme, as well as a limited edition model with a blue gradient dial featuring stripes.
Automatic movement (Cal. F6722). 22 jewels. 21,600 vibrations/hour. Power reserve approximately 40 hours. Stainless steel case (38.5mm diameter, 11.2mm thickness). 5 ATM water resistance. Limited edition for the Spring/Summer 2026 season. 48,400 yen (tax included).
Automatic movement (Cal. F6722). 22 jewels. 21,600 vibrations/hour. Power reserve approximately 40 hours. Stainless steel case (38.5mm diameter, 11.2mm thickness). 5 ATM water resistance. Limited edition for the Spring/Summer 2026 season. 48,400 yen (tax included).
Automatic movement (Cal. F6722). 22 jewels. 21,600 vibrations/hour. Power reserve approximately 40 hours. Stainless steel case (38.5mm diameter, 11.2mm thickness). 5 ATM water resistance. Limited edition for the Spring/Summer 2026 season. 48,400 yen (tax included).
Automatic movement (Cal. F6722). 22 jewels. 21,600 vibrations/hour. Power reserve approximately 40 hours. Stainless steel case (38.5mm diameter, 11.2mm thickness). 5 ATM water resistance. Limited edition for the Spring/Summer 2026 season. 48,400 yen (tax included).
Automatic movement (Cal. F6722). 22 jewels. 21,600 vibrations/hour. Power reserve approximately 40 hours. Stainless steel case (38.5mm diameter, 11.2mm thickness). 5 ATM water resistance. Limited edition of 2300 pieces worldwide (300 pieces in Japan). 50,600 yen (tax included).
And the Orient Strett Sun and Moon takes on the character of a dial that incorporates all four of these dial colors.
Combining multiple colors is difficult. You have to consider things like unity and contrast, and it's not uncommon for the combination to end up being just noisy (at least for me). Moreover, the four colors used this time are all vivid tones, and even individually they seem difficult to coordinate. However, this work doesn't feel noisy; rather, it is well put together as "one design." In this respect, I feel that Orient's strength lies in its long history of differentiating itself from other companies by being "unique." Perhaps it is because they are used to using unique colors that they can control even difficult combinations so well? With navy blue as the background, each color is given space that is neither too big nor too small, resulting in a design where each color does not clash, but still makes its presence known.
The position of an affordable mechanical wristwatch.
One of Orient's strengths, not just with this particular model, is their commitment to affordable pricing. This watch, equipped with a mechanical movement, boasts a three-hand display of hours, minutes, and seconds, as well as a date window, day of the week display, and sun and moon (day/night) indicator, all while being sold at a reasonable price of 62,700 yen (including tax).
In recent years, with rising prices becoming a serious issue in the watch industry due to exchange rates and global inflation, the number of mechanical watches available for under 10 yen is gradually decreasing. Of course, they are not entirely nonexistent, but there are certainly not many watches that are multi-functional and have such a high level of craftsmanship, including excellent color reproduction, smoothly beveled sub-dials that create a sense of depth, and radial decoration without any burrs.
Of course, there are aspects that are commensurate with the price. For example, Orient has a higher-end brand called Orient Star, and compared to the Cal.F8 movement with a silicon escape wheel used in that brand, the performance of this watch may fall short.
However, this watch, and Orient in general, are not competing with high-performance models from such high-end brands. With basic performance such as an accuracy of +25 to -15 seconds per day and a power reserve of approximately 40 hours, they have focused on design and details that enhance user satisfaction, and as a result, have gained the "die-hard fans" mentioned at the beginning.
This new model fully showcased Orient's strengths in creating original and innovative watches.
Grab your wallet and run to an Orient retailer!
The program introduced Orient's new "Orient Stretch Sun and Moon" watch, which was announced in 2026.
Among its many merits, the fact that it's an "affordable watch" is a particularly welcome point for me, a watch journalist and watch enthusiast alike. Moreover, it's not a case of "cheap and nasty." It provides users with satisfaction that exceeds its price. Readers who are interested should definitely stop by a store and see the actual watch. Of course, this is not the only model released this year, so take a look at any that catches your eye and try it on your wrist. You'll be able to fully appreciate Orient's strengths right on your wrist.
