A hundred quid, fully in-house, 200 metres, and a crown built for ants
The bottom rung, and wonderful in many ways
First tier of the Orient dive watch hierarchy. You can pick up the Ray II for about a hundred pounds, and for that you get a fully in-house mechanical 200 metre diver. She hacks, she hand-winds. Mineral crystal, but at this price, what do you expect? The case is lovely: high-polished flanks, brushed top, about 42 mm and 13.4 thick, and a caseback with the Orient dolphins on it. I don't know what they're doing there, but they're very nice. Matte black dial, applied indices, applied logo, framed date, sword hands, generous lume and a blood-red tipped seconds hand. Some people compare it to the Sub. It's about 1/50th of the price, but it does compare favourably.
The jingly-jangly bits
That crown is pathetic. Tiny, too thin, floppy bevelling, very difficult to deal with. The bezel is clicky and feels good, but it's hard to action because the case protrudes over it. Small oversight, I can live with it. It's 22 mm tapering to 20, and a watch this delicate should have come on a 20. Then the bracelet: a stamped fold-over clasp and hollow end links, the creators of the jingle jangle. Not saluted by me. But a hundred pounds, really?
Verdict
Extremely high quality for the money, and in the lume shot she comes in quite well. But if you're in the market for an entry-level Orient, spend about 150 quid more and buy the Kamasu, because it's just better.
