Orient Automatic Duke – $145 FINAL w/ FATHERSDAY15 ($290)
Note: Code is good for 50% off… but all watches purchased with that code are considered final sale. No returns, no exchanges. So use wisely.
Is it possible for a watch to be both pretty and masculine at the same time? Seems like that is possible, because that’s precisely what Orient’s new Duke automatic accomplishes.
Orient has been on a terrific run in the last few years of releasing new, classically designed wrist watches. And while the vintage-look Orient Bambino’s looks lean heavily towards the first half of the 20th century, the Duke is still classic, but a little more contemporary.
The dial is clean and simple, with a light starburst texture radiating subtly from the center. It’s certainly suit worthy, but those Arabic numerals are more versatile than Roman, since they’ll look just fine along side a t-shirt and jeans. (Roman numerals might look a bit stuffy with super casual stuff.) The champagne dial option comes with true blue hands, and that combo of dial & hands looks awfully good together. The rest of the dial is pretty simple. Logo at the traditional 12 o’clock position, date window at 3 o’clock, but no extra day window to clutter it up. Sapphire crystal here, which has to account for some of the elevated (pre-code) cost.
While the Bambino is a more traditional 40.5mm in diameter, the Duke is slightly larger at 43mm. It wears a bit smaller, so if you have average or above sized wrists, you won’t look like you’re wearing a Frisbee on your arm. It’s on the lighter side, but still has the familiar feel & weight of an automatic.
Movement is what you’d expect from an Orient watch at this price point. Around 40 hours of power reserve, doesn’t hack, doesn’t hand wind, and there’s no exhibition window on the back of the case. But with the half off code, it’s a more than affordable sapphire crystal automatic that should see a lot of work across the full spectrum of many a guy’s wardrobe.
Enter here to win the Orient Automatic Duke w/ Champagne dial seen above. Deadline for entry is 12:59 PM ET on 6/17/15. Many thanks to Orient for providing this new model for a giveaway.
UPDATE: Congrats to Greg Y. who won the random drawing for the Orient Duke. And thanks as always to Orient for sending along one of their latest models for a review and a giveaway…