After 75 Years, the Best Entry-Level Dress Watch Has Never Looked Better

This limited-edition anniversary model brings back a logo from the 1950s.

The dial of an Orient Bambino 75th Anniversary dress watch with a sun and moon window

Published February 5, 2025

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Updated February 5, 2025

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Orient is celebrating 75 years of the Bambino with a collection of nine new watches, but two of them steal the show with a subtle dial adjustment.

The Orient Bambino is, pound-for-pound, the best entry-level dress watch on the market. It can often be acquired for less than 200 dollars, performs like a watch triple that price, and can pass for a watch ten times that price.

two white dial dress watches with suede straps — The Orient 75th Anniversary collection is highlighted by two limited edition watches.

Orient started out as a one-man operation in 1901. Shogoro Yoshida started the Yoshida Watch Shop in Tokyo and made his first wristwatch in 1912. In 1950, the company was incorporated and created its first mass-produced watch, the New Orient, a design that would eventually become the Bambino. It was a hit, and a year later, the company rebranded as Orient Watch.

A complicated dress watch on a tan suede strap — The Orient 75 Aniversary collection brings back a script logo from the 1950s.

To mark three-quarters of a century under the Orient name, the Japanese watchmaker is rolling out a special collection of colorful dials and two limited edition models that use the brand’s script logo from the 1950s. This includes six new versions of the Bambino II, which has a Roman numeral dial, and three versions of the Bambino IX, which has a sun and moon sub-dial and a day sub-dial.

A colorful collection

Six out of the nine watches in the 75 Anniversary collection are simply new dial color options of existing models. The Bambino II dial options are clover green, navy blue, burgundy, and parchment white. Each one features the same leather band, steel case and Orient dial logo as existing options. They all run on Orient’s in-house automatic caliber F6724 movement.

a blue dress watch with a blue band — Most of the Orient 75th Anniversary collection consists of new colors of existing designs.

The more complicated Bambino IX has a blue dial with a blue faux crocodile leather strap and a burgundy dial with a brown leather faux crocodile strap. Again, each dial sports the same Orient logo found on every existing model and runs on the same caliber F6B24 movement.

a red dial dress watch with a brown strap — The Bambino IX comes with a brown leather faux crocodile strap.

Keeping it simple

The two pieces that stand out from the rest of the collection are a Bambino II and a Bambino IX that use Orient’s script logo from the 1950s on the dial. Both have a creamy off-white dial background, copper-colored Roman numeral indices and brilliant blue hands.

a white dial dress watch on a tan suede strap — The Orient Bambino II 75 Anniversary comes with a tan suede stap.

Both come with a sandy-colored suede strap not seen elsewhere in the Bambino pantheon, as well as an additional leather faux crocodile strap. A display case backs marked with “Orient since 1950, 75th Anniversary” in gold script lettering. Each individual watch is numbered, which is inscribed in the case back.

a display case back on a mechanical watch — Each watch is inscribed with its collection number on the case back.

If one element of the contemporary Bambino collection is out of place, it is the logo on the dial. Orient’s logo is nice, but it is printed so small that it is almost illegible and clashes with the dials’ simple elegance. Using the retro script logo feels like a more natural fit.

the box for Orient's 75th anniversary watch — Each watch comes in a special Orient 75th Anniversary box.

Rounding out the collection is the first-ever solar-powered Bambino. The gold case Bambino II has matching gold indices and hands and comes on a creamy white leather strap. It runs on a

Availability and pricing

Orient’s 75th Anniversary collection will hit the American market in Spring 2025 and can be purchased from Orient USA and authorized retailers. The Bambino II with script logo is limited to 9,500 units and priced at 360 dollars. The Bambino IX with script logo has 5,500 units and costs 450 dollars.

All other models in the collection are not limited and will be added to the Bambino line, with the Bambino II selling for 300 dollars and the Bambino IX selling for 400 dollars.