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<\/a><\/div>\nA few Since This Collecting The special Royal Orient designs caught In Many Mind you, I’m not really advocating this specific book, and it’s not the easiest to find online, but as a concept, I find it quite a nice and effective way to curate vintage watches. There are some other interesting books out there, Navigating <\/p>\n
\nyears ago, I posted a story titled “How do
\nyou collect?<\/a>” in which I wrote about different types of watch
\ncollectors. I described myself as seeking diversity and wearability \u2013 aiming to
\nmake my collection as varied as possible while retaining practicality, even in the older watches.<\/p>\n
\nthen, I found that another theme has emerged within the broader habit. I
\nacquired the 1999 Orient Watch Catalog, an unofficial publication that provided information on many of Orient’s models and movements from the 1950s \u2013 1960s, a
\ngolden era of hidden vintage gems. <\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nbecame like a sticker album for me \u2013 except for seeking watches instead of
\nfootball player cards. I was not an avid collector of cards and stickers as a
\nchild \u2013 I was fairly impatient and probably ditched most albums after a few
\ndays, with not much more than those few cards you’d usually buy with the album
\nitself\u2026 So I guess I’m making up for it now! It is a known fact that any
\nunsolved childhood issue costs much more to solve as a grown-up; still, watches
\ncost less than therapy \u2013 at least Orient ones do!<\/p>\n
\nby the book proved to be plenty of fun, but it is also a decent way of going through the brand’s history. I said I was not specifically aiming to be a collector of “models by years” as some do, but it is nonetheless a valuable part of the hobby, and the technical and historical information included in the book contributes to another side of my interest in Orient: gathering knowledge, on top of collecting watches.<\/p>\n
\nmy attention early on \u2013 I wrote<\/a>
\nabout some of those, and pretty soon set to acquire a few. The Polka-Dot<\/a>
\ncame first, and was recently accompanied by the Zodiac-Dial<\/a>. Yes, the Zodiac is not
\nidentical to the book version, but \u2013 it’s close enough! No need to be
\nnitpicking \u2013 always remember the intention is to enjoy your hobby, not make it
\nan obsession.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nsome cases, it turned out I already had the right piece in my collection. Such
\nwere the cool Crosshair-Dial Olympia
\nCalendar<\/a>, or the Map-Dial
\nWorld Diver<\/a>. It was still nice to see pictures of my watches pop up in the
\nbook. In a way, it was also quite reassuring; I always make every effort to
\nverify the authenticity of what I’m buying, but seeing the same piece in a publication
\nlike this is an additional seal of approval.<\/p>\n
\nmodels in the book are also shown with their case backs, which provide an
\nadditional level of authentication. It’s not always the most important thing: sometimes a case-back is lost or cannot be fitted back in during servicing of old watches. So you might come across a watch that’s mostly
\nauthentic but has a slightly different back cover. Not a deal-breaker if it’s
\nan inexpensive item. But of course, when you see that you do have the proper one,
\nthat is ideal!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nthough not much easier to find, such as the Orient 60th Anniversary Commemorative Book<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\nmy Orient purchases using this book did not change my main guidelines. I still
\nmake sure I’m getting wearable watches, in terms of style as well as their
\nactual condition. And the diversity of models and designs over the years covered is great, providing plenty of options \u2013 and I’m still not done with
\nit! I wonder what I should get next\u2026<\/p>\n