OrientMen's '2nd Gen. Bambino Ver. 2' Japanese Automatic Stainless Steel and Leather Dress Watch

What a pleasant surprise! I have to admit that my expectations weren't very high when I purchased this watch. But, Man, I am blown away by the visual aesthetics, the feel of quality as well as the accuracy of this Orient Bambino. It is running 4 seconds fast within a 24 hour period. That is comparable to watches I own that are 40X's the price. And, the price has dropped $16.00 since I bought it last week!Surprises: Orient did a fantastic job with the design! The dial, alone, is absolutely stunning in that it combines the new,( Rose gold tone Roman numerals for the hour markers) and, the old,( art deco Arabic numerals printed on the outer chapter ring for the '05, 10, 15, sec., etc.) All of which are accentuated by the vintage looking domed crystal.The case is very well thought out as well. It has a polished, tapered bezel over a brushed/satin case side that extends out to the lugs, creating a layered side profile which I find very appealing. I also like the over sized 'cupcake' crown which makes adjusting the time/date easy for man sized fingers.The strap also surpassed my expectations. It's quite comfortable, easy to find the perfect fit and I like the color which is dark brown with a nice burgundy tint, that compliments the rose tone hands/numerals on the dial. The signed buckle is a nice touch as well.Con's: If I had to nitpick, and I am..the date window could have been a tad larger. Other than that, I'm blown away by the amount of quality at this price point. It looks great with a dress shirt or a tee. As someone mentioned, the dial does have just a hint of mint in the right light. Well done, Orient. This is my third Orient and, it will most definitely not be my last. Time to sell the overpriced 'showpiece watches'!

I love this watch. I collect watches of all levels. Micro-brands, mid-level, high end and I have so much respect for Orient. Yeah they do a couple of things that drive me nuts (bracelets with hollow end links and stamped clasps). They make their movements in-house. That is horologically significant. Even at this price point. Which brings me to the title of this review. I don't know how they can make such a handsome wristwatch for the price I paid (105 with tax). I wouldn't blink twice if I saw this watch advertised for 500 dollars. It's that nice. One thing is for certain. Pictures do not do it justice. Seeing it in person, the play of light on the domed crystal, the creamy tone to the dial and those wonderful blue hands. The strap takes a bit of time to break in but it's not bad. It's pretty. I changed it out for something less shiny and a little more "me". If you're in the market for a retro-inspired dress watch, you can't go wrong with this. I bought the white dial with silver indices because I planned to wear this as an every day watch that can play the part of dress up when needed. This looks just as nice with jeans and a t-shirt or golf shirt as it does with a suit and tie. Accuracy has been minus 2 to 3 seconds a day. Not bad at all. I was pretty surprised at the accuracy for a mass produced movement but Orient is a proud company. I've had a few of their watches in my day and all of them, regardless of price point, had accurate movements as good or better than any of the pricier watches in my collection. I have mechanical dive watches (Swiss Army & Seiko), mechanical chronos (Omega), quartz tactical G-Shocks, vintage pieces and some lovely hand-made custom pieces with Unitas hand-wound movements and this Orient is the only one I want to wear of late. So light on the wrist and handsome. Reminds me of all those great watches from the late 50's and early 60's that came from Omega, Longines, JLC, etc. If you're thinking of dropping 2 C notes on a Timex Marlin, STOP. Look at the Bambino. It's so much more watch for the money with a superior movement and quality. Look at them side by side yourself and the quality and fine finishing of the Orient is very obviously superior. "Amo il mio bambino!!!"

Gonna get the 2 cons out of the way first.1. It's very large for a dress watch. If they were to bring the diameter down to 38mm I think it would be perfect, but unfortunately fashion watches these days are all large. If you want a more traditional automatic dress watch that is smaller however, you'll have to go vintage and gamble on its condition, and possibly pay quite a bit more.2. It rattles a bit. I own a few Automatic watches (vintage Bulova, vintage Omega, a Seiko SKX, etc), and they all have a small amount of rattle which is to be expected. However this is more noticeable. It's not that bad, but I was almost worried there was something wrong at first.Also, not a con, but the strap isn't all that great. If you like crop leather it isn't so bad, but I replaced it.Pros1. Very nice polish all around. All numerals and accents are placed evenly, the face is clean of any blemishes, and the case was pristine. The individual tick marks that surround the edge of the face are very crisp, it reminds me of a nautical instrument.2. The lens. It has a very large raised lens, which I appreciate because it pays homage to older vintage watches. It almost reminds me of a ship's windows because of its curvature. However, that means it can be more easily damaged because of how pronounced it is. While not sapphire, its held up fairly well so far. I wear it every few days and never while in uniform. The risk is worth it, its eyecatching.3. The movement. I'm no expert on a horology nor the Orient Cal 48743 movement this watch has, but so far it has been more than serviceable and hasn't gained or lost any significant time. Being able to manually wind the watch is an amazing feature and something I miss when I wear my gshock or my Seiko SKX (which is automatic but you can't wind! Biggest criticism of that great watch). The date has always been accurate as well, provided you set the watch correctly for the month (different months have a different number of days obviously)4. Water resistance. I haven't swam with this watch, and I wouldn't recommend that at all. However I've done the dishes a few times without thinking and there's been no issue. I question if this truly is 30M rated, I'd want to see someone test that actually. But like I said, it's been rained on and soaked in soapy water without issue.Overall:It would be very difficult to do better for less than $200, or the $140 I paid for that matter. This watch is perfect for casual business settings or on a college campus. Could fit with a lot of different aesthetics I think. For the cost I paid, it's not disposable but I feel like I can wear it without worrying to much about damaging it.