Orient Bambino 38mm – $199.44 ($270)
When they first came out you couldn’t get your hands on one.
Then they slowly but eventually trickled on over to Amazon.
Now the classy silver-white dial has finally dipped under $200.
Thus is life when you’re an Orient automatic watch.
A man’s wristwatch is a “reflection” of the wearer’s character and soul.
…
(That’s total B.S. I just wanted to make a “watch laying on a mirrored table” joke.)
This is the new, more svelte version of Orient’s Bambino, their flagship line of dress-watches. Compared to the original’s 41.5mm case, the new 38mm with its 20mm wide lugs will be more wearable for more customers. See it side by side here with an OG 41.5mm Bambino Bauhaus-style:
Left: The new 38.4mm case / 20mm wide strap.
Right: The original 41.5mm case / 21mm wide strap.
Still comes with an in-house automatic movement which hacks and hand-winds. The croc-embossed leather strap seems to be a step up in terms of quality compared to the original Bambino line, with a slight taper keeping things dressy and smart. Strap width is the common 20mm, so if you prefer your dress watches on a brown strap, the stock black leather strap should be an easy swap out for something different.
Slides nicely under a shirt cuff.
Crystal is a domed mineral, caseback is exhibition, and pic above shows it on a 7.5″ wrist, and remember that watches always appear larger than they are in flat images on the internet. So it wears a bit smaller in real life.
RE Pricing: On Amazon, where you can usually get watches for a deal, lately these have been bouncing back and forth between the direct-through-Orient price of $270 and $210-$235. I know this because we put this particular watch in style scenarios all. the. time. (Because it’s a great looking watch, and it works in a lot of style scenarios.)
Domed crystal. Simple indices and layout.
If it’s running around $270 on Amazon, you might as well just go direct through Orient so in case something goes wrong/you need to use a factory warranty, you’re dealing direct with the brand.
But now Amazon’s pricing robots have (relatively) tanked the price to $199.44.
And as of post time, it’s Amazon who is selling and fulfilling/shipping the purchase. Not some sketchy 3rd party/gray market dealer who might have clunky shipping and/or non existent return policies. Amazon clearly knows what they’re doing when it comes to fulfillment.
The Bauhaus 41.5 (left) is still a great watch.
But many have been clamoring for a sized down Bambino, and the new 38 is that.
Who knows how long this price will last. Who knows how many Amazon has in stock. But when they run out, they will often suddenly switch over to a 3rd party seller/gray market dealer, and at that point the price will almost certainly go up.
And at that point, probably want to stay away.
That’s all.
Carry on.
