{"id":357315,"date":"2026-07-10T04:10:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T04:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/orient-place-the-place-for-orient-watch-collectors-and-fans-new-orient-and-the-first-orient-star\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T04:10:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T04:10:04","slug":"orient-place-the-place-for-orient-watch-collectors-and-fans-new-orient-and-the-first-orient-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=357315","title":{"rendered":"Orient Place – The Place for Orient Watch Collectors and Fans: “New Orient” and the First Orient Star"},"content":{"rendered":"


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When discussing Orient’s early history, two watches stand out. The first
\nis the New Orient, introduced in 1950. The second is the Orient Star,
\nintroduced a year later. Together, these watches marked the beginning of the
\nmodern Orient Company and established themes that would remain visible
\nthroughout much of the brand’s history.<\/p>\n

Although the company that launched the New Orient was formed in 1950,
\nits roots stretched back much further. Shogoro Yoshida opened a watch shop in
\nUeno in 1901, a bustling commercial district in eastern Tokyo, and gradually
\nexpanded into manufacturing. By the 1930s, production had moved to a factory in
\nHino, west of central Tokyo, where watches were produced under the Toyo Tokei
\nname. <\/p>\n

The war and the difficult years that followed eventually led to the
\nclosure of the company in 1949, but the Hino factory itself remained. In July
\n1950, production resumed under a newly established company called Tama Keiki.<\/p>\n

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The first watch produced by the new company was the New Orient. It was a
\nsimple hand-wound watch with a small seconds display, and by modern standards
\nthere was little about it that would attract much attention. Its importance
\nlies elsewhere. The New Orient demonstrated that watch production at Hino could
\ncontinue and that the newly formed company once again had a product to bring to
\nmarket.<\/p>\n

The watch appears to have been successful enough to influence the
\ncompany’s future direction. In 1951, Tama Keiki adopted the name Orient Watch
\nCo., Ltd., effectively taking its identity from the watch that had relaunched
\nthe business. The same year also saw the introduction of the Orient
\nStar<\/a>, a model positioned above the New Orient and intended to represent the
\ncompany’s higher-end offering. More than seventy years later, Orient Star
\nremains one of the few names from Orient’s earliest years that is still in
\nactive use.<\/p>\n

The movement story also appears relatively straightforward. The New
\nOrient was based on a pre-war movement that allowed the newly restarted company
\nto resume production quickly and efficiently. It therefore seems likely that
\nthe first Orient Star continued to use the same basic caliber, perhaps with
\nminor refinements appropriate for a higher-end model. <\/p>\n

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During the following years, Orient gradually improved the movement
\nbefore eventually unveiling the T-S
\ncaliber<\/a> in 1955 \u2013 the first movement developed entirely by the new company.
\nThis period also coincided with the arrival of Tamotsu Aoki, a Professor
\nEmeritus of the University of Tokyo and a leading figure in Japanese horology,
\nwhose influence likely helped shape the company’s growing focus on technical
\nquality and movement development. Rather than pursuing frequent redesigns,
\nOrient appears to have focused on refining a proven foundation while rebuilding
\nits business.<\/p>\n

Collectors may notice that both the New Orient and the first Orient Star
\ncarried the word “Chronometer” on their dials. While impressive, the
\ndesignation should be viewed in the context of its era. These were not
\ncertified chronometers by modern standards; however, in those early days, the
\nterm Chronometer itself was loosely defined, and was often used simply to
\nindicate a premium watch. Later in the 1950s, the terminology became clearer
\nand Orient would no longer use it.<\/p>\n

The New Orient and the first Orient Star established two ideas that
\nwould remain visible throughout the decades that followed. The New Orient
\nprovided the foundation on which the company could rebuild, while the Orient
\nStar established the concept of a premium offering sitting above the standard
\nrange. Both themes would reappear repeatedly in later collections, from Royal
\nOrient to the modern Orient Star line.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Photos were taken from various old Orient publications and sale ads.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n