Orient Excursionist in blue – $262.50
($375)
Note: Also available with dials in grey, white, and black. You can find the black on Amazon for around $190.
There’s just something about blue dial watches. Add in the can’t-miss, orange, dual time hand on Orient’s Excursionist, and you’ve got a watch that visually sets itself apart from the similarly sized Mako XL.
Like their more business ready Explorer, the Excursionist is a dual time. Unlike the Explorer that shows a second time zone through a cut out on the dial, this one uses a fourth hand, that orange one, to show a second time. You have to set the bezel to the correct, second time zone once, and from then on you can glance at the watch and see what time it is in… London. Or Tokyo. Or Terre Haute.
Not that it takes a ton of brain power to do the quick math in your head, but that means you have to remember how many hours ahead or behind you are of that second time zone. If you’re headed somewhere new, and might not remember, it’s a nice function.
As already mentioned, it’s a larger watch. 45mm without the crown, but wears a bit smaller. Much smaller than the Mako XL for some reason (maybe it’s the small font on the bezel?). One slight disappointment is that the bezel doesn’t turn and click with the same uber-crispness as many other Orient bezels. Being that you use the bezel for that dual time function, you’d think it’d be great. It’s good, it’s not wobbly or anything like that, but it’s just not as definitive as some of their other watches when the bezel jumps from one notch to the next. Bezel does rotate in both directions.
Water resistance is a solid 200m and the links are a perfectly proportioned, brushed stainless. 40 hour power reserve. Crystal is mineral and there’s no exhibition caseback on this one. Doesn’t hack either.
It’s a looker for sure. Just enough off the well-worn, submariner-style path, with an extra feature and a hard not to like color scheme. Might even look extra good on a brown leather band.
Enter here to win the Excursionist from Orient. One entry per person. Deadline is 11:59 pm ET on 4/24/13.
UPDATE: Congrats to Shawn T. who won the random drawing for the Excursionist. Thanks to all who entered!
