Here’s to 70 years! Today marks an important milestone for the Orient brand as it celebrates its 70th anniversary.

Although its history can be traced as far back as 1901,Orient Watch as we know it was founded on July 13, 1950 and since then has been developing and manufacturing its own mechanical movements in Japan. On March 4, 1901, Shogoro Yoshida opened the Yoshida Watch Store, which imported and sold watches in Ueno, Tokyo. About 20 years later, Toyo Watch Works was established and the production of table clocks had begun. In 1934 it began manufacturing wristwatches and by 1936 it was operating out of the 4-story Hino Factory.

In the post-war era, the company dissolved due to management disagreements. It was a year later in 1950 when employees of the Hino Factory came together and operated as Tama Keiki Co., Ltd. Shortly after the company changed its named to Orient Watch Co. Ltd and started manufacturing wristwatches, alarm clocks, and small bearings. This was the same time that the original Orient Star watch was produced and released to the public.

As time went on, Orient Watch saw countless milestones: the T-shape movement of 1955, N-type movement in 1958, the micro bulb-equipped “Flash” from 1964, the thinnest automatic movement at the time (1967) in the caliber 3900, the 1970 “Jaguar Focus” with its color gradient and cut crystal, and of course the 46 series movement that integrated Epson’s magic lever in 1971. It is important to note that Orient Watch continued its commitment to the mechanical movement even in the eyes of the Quartz Revolution. Sure, it experimented with the Touchtron and Orientron, but its production of mechanical watches never faltered. Global expansion kicked off rapidly in 1983, and since then has expanded to distributors in over 70 countries. Today it continues to manufacture watches in the Nagano Prefecture of Northern Japan.

Through production changes, name changes, and even integration with Seiko Epson, Orient Watch has stayed committed to its craft for 70 years. It prides itself on quality of craftsmanship, reliability, and accessibility.