Orient Stela Review & Complete Guide
Orient is known for making high-quality, affordable watches. Many times automatic. The Orient Stela, also known as Stella, is no different.
The Orient Stela is a watch for those looking for an elegant dress watch for formal occasions. Finding stylish dress watches can be difficult, but Orient has done a great job in designing a sleek and classy timepiece that works perfectly for formal occasions, but also one that isn’t boring. And as always, it is a watch that is offered at a very attractive price, whilst still having everything that you may want in a watch, including build quality, finish, and robust movement.
In this article, we are reviewing and looking closer at the Orient Stela.
Orient Stela Review
The Orient Stela is available in a number of different designs and executions. It can be found with either a steel or gold-colored case, gold, and steel, on a bracelet or leather, and with either a black or a white dial. With that said, you should be able to find one that suits your taste and preference.
Case
The Orient Stela is presented with a case with a diameter of 36mm, and a thickness of 12.5mm. With that said it is a relatively small watch that works great for both men and women, in particular as a discreet dress watch.
In terms of design, the case is simple, sleek, and elegant which goes well with the purpose of this watch. It has a smooth polished bezel and a relatively small push/pull crown on the side at 3 o’clock.
The case has small and short lugs and the bezel is thin which puts all the focus on the dial, as a dress watch should.
On top of the case, it has a mineral glass. Since it is not a dive watch, we can’t expect any real water resistance. In fact, the Stela is water-resistant to 30m/100 feet/ 3 ATM which, in practice, essentially means that it is able to withstand splashes from water but shouldn’t be submerged underwater.
The watch is available on either a leather strap or a metal bracelet. The metal bracelet obviously gives it a sportier look compared to the leather strap, so it’s a matter of preference what you choose. But if you’re looking for a dress watch, there’s nothing like a stylish leather strap.
Dial
The highlight of this watch is the dial. Instead of being a ”boring” dress watch dial, Orient has incorporated an interesting detail into this watch which is an open-heart design that means a cutout in the dial at 9 o’clock which allows you to see a movement that hides behind. This is a nice touch that in particular watch nerds will appreciate as it highlights the movement and the mechanical craftsmanship that has gone into this watch.
Apart from the open-heart detail, the dial is elegant and minimalistic. In either white or black, and with applied metal markers with bevels which really contribute to a classy appearance that makes the watch look more expensive than it is. To match the metal hour markers, it has sharp sword-shaped metal hands which also have bevels and reflect the light beautifully.
To allow for a cleaner dial, Orient has not incorporated a day or date function, which can be found in many of Orient’s watches. And whilst this of course serves a practical purpose, for this watch, we feel the omitting of this function was a wise move to make it look classier and more elegant.
Movement
Inside the Orient Stela beats the in-house automatic Orient caliber F6T22 which has both hacking and manual-winding functions. This is a movement that has received a lot of praise for being robust and durable and is able to keep ticking for years to come. This caliber has a power reserve of 40 hours.
For this type of watch in this price range, this really is a great value.
Specifications
- Movement: in-house automatic caliber F6T22 with Hand-winding and Hacking function
- Diameter: 36mm
- Thickness: 12.5mm
- Crystal: mineral
- Crown: push/pull
- Water resistance: 30m/100 feet/3 ATM
- Lug width: 17mm
- Power reserve: 40 hours
Conclusion
All in all, the Orient is a stylish watch that offers great value for money. It can work perfectly as a dress watch or as a versatile everyday watch for any occasion. It has a sleek and minimalistic design, but the open-heart dial ensures that it never becomes boring. Its size of 36mm makes it suitable for men and women, and as a dress watch, smaller sizes are always favored.
The watch gives a great impression of quality and finish, and the automatic movement inside adds to that, as it is robust and durable.
The bottom line? This is a watch that offers great value for money and that basically works for any occasion. It is a classy timepiece for the watch aficionado who appreciates quality and fine mechanical watches, but also wants something more affordable.
