Introducing: Two New Orient Star M34 F8 Date Watches With Out-Of-This-World Dials
Orient Star made its big comeback to Europe a few years ago. Since then, the brand’s M Collections have been taking center stage. While Grand Seiko draws inspiration from local nature, sometimes just outside its studio in Shizukuishi, Iwate Prefecture, Orient Star finds inspiration further afield. Much further indeed, as Orient Star bases its dials on heavenly bodies observed in the sky. That’s only sensible given the “Star” part of the name that differentiates it from the Orient brand. Orient Star’s new manufacturing technique for this launch reflects the Perseid meteor shower cascading across the night sky. This starry effect is seen on a new black dial in a limited edition of 160 pieces. Another new M34 F8 Date expands on the design from last year with a new green sheen. Let’s learn more about these Orient Star watches.
Last year, Orient Star unveiled the M34 F8 Date in blue and white. These two watches were some of Orient Star’s most expensive releases, signaling a clear shift from the more humbly priced collection. Thor detailed these watches, and the initial price shock was evident in the comments. Having had time for us to acclimatize, I still think the M34 F8 Date is one of the nicest watch launches from Japan in recent years, especially the blue, which takes inspiration from the stars in the astronomical Messier catalog. While the result is a beautiful dial, I find the link to meteor showers tenuous at best. But this new limited edition with a black dial finally brings the meteor vision to life.
Orient Star M34 F8 Date Limited Edition
To achieve this celestial motion, Orient Star uses a new multilayering technique. Following Orient’s merger with Seiko Epson Corporation in 2017, Epson shares its know-how for ink injection. For the new M34 F8 Date, nanometer-sized ultra-fine metal particles are layered on the dial multiple times to achieve this starry effect. The result is magnificent and makes good on the meteor-display concept. And if you are a Star Wars fan, you’ll see why it reminds me of when the spaceships go into hyperdrive. Roman numerals indicate the 12 o’clock position, and Orient Star’s signature power reserve indicator sits just below, stylized with concentric grooves. This reserve displays the 60 hours of the mainspring’s power, indicating how to keep the watch in the optimal operating window. The applied indexes and baton hands are sharply cut, displaying deep brushing on the top surface and high polish on the angles.
Somewhat underwhelming is the date window at 3 o’clock that mars the symmetry and interrupts the display of the Perseid meteor shower. However, the date disc matches the color of the dial and has a nice diamond-cut frame. While the dial grabs your attention, the movement highlights Orient Star’s dedication to in-house watchmaking. As Orient Star’s halo model, this watch uses an entirely in-house F8N64 automatic movement with a stated tolerance of +15/-5 seconds per day. However, Orient Star errs on the cautious side, and real-life performance is much better than the specs suggest. This movement’s silicon escape wheel is visible via the case back’s sapphire display, and the watch still boasts a 100m water resistance rating. The Orient Star M34 F8 Date is a limited edition of 160 pieces for €2,909.99 / US$3,250 / £2,699.99.
Orient Star M34 F8 Date with green dial
Alongside the new limited edition is a core-catalog reference with a green dial that continues last year’s blue and white collection. As with those models and the LE, the green dial sits in a 40mm SUS316L stainless steel case with a reasonably svelte 12.9mm thickness. These dimensions lend the watch to a highly adaptable range for wrists big and small. Utilizing a dual-curved sapphire crystal with antireflective coating on both sides, the M34 F8 Date is highly capable. You can therefore appreciate the design flourish of the dial in many scenarios. While the green dial is stamped, Orient Star has used a tool with a hand-engraved Perseid-meteor-shower-inspired pattern to do this. Enhancing the pattern further is an optical multilayer film to give it shimmering depth.
Creating the dial in the Shinshu Watch Studio in Nagano, Japan, ensures uncompromising quality. The stainless steel bracelet with alternating brushed and polished links keeps all this advanced watchmaking on the wrist. Its clasp has three micro-adjustment positions and a foldover clasp with twin-button release for complete security. This bracelet is present across the range, heightening the luxury feel above other Orient Star watches. The new green-dial Orient Star M34 F8 Date is the same price as last year’s blue-dial version, coming in at €2,599.99 / US$2,900 / £2,374.99.
Final thoughts
Orient Star’s M34 F8 Date is a burgeoning collection for the brand. The range includes the sumptuous white, blue, and now green dials that iridescently shimmer in the light. But the 160-piece black-dial limited edition brings the concept of the meteor shower to fruition. You can read more about the green-dial model on Orient Star’s website here, as well as the limited edition here.
