# Royal Orient: Does the brand still exist?



## tgangstad (Oct 1, 2017)

I am a huge fan of Orient, especially their higher end brands Orient Star and Royal Orient. 

However, there is little information out there on their top brand, Royal Orient. Their Japanese and international webpage only show the brand Orient and Orient Star.

It almost seems like Orient have chosen to shut down the brand Royal Orient all together. 

Does anyone in the watch community know if Royal Orient still exist? If so, is there any official information on the brand on the Internet, i.e. an official website? If the brand is shut down, does anyone know when and why this happened?

Thank you for your time.


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## jupiter6 (Jan 8, 2015)

Interesting question that likely nobody has the answer to. Orient has always been a well liked watch with little knowledge of the company behind them imo.

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## mythless (Feb 21, 2016)

Most likely during the restructuring of Orient, the Royal line was dropped.


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## jdmfetish (Nov 30, 2011)

Orient Star is as high up the food chain as you are going.
Royal Orient is gone.

What model R.O. did you want , there are a few left new around.


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## tgangstad (Oct 1, 2017)

It's a shame that Orient have chosen to discontinue the Royal Orient brand. 

There is no doubt that it's especially the Royal Orient models with their higher end calibers 88700 (JA) and 88A00 (JB) that I would have gone for. I have been looking for WE0021JB, but it seems to be sold out. I have sent Orient an email regarding the R.O. models. Haven't got an answer yet. I am still collecting the funds for the timepiece, so I am in no hurry. But it would be nice for it to be available somewhere.

If I cannot find R.O., I will shift towards Grand Seiko, more precisely the high beat SBGH205, which is a fantastic timepiece and a bit easier to come by than the Royal Orient. 

I like Royal Orients entry level pieces as well. Especially their aesthetics. I actually like the outer appearance of WE0O11EK more than the higher end model. But I am not sure if I can justify the price, when I can get Orient Star models with almost the same movement for a fraction of the price. I have two OS models in my collection already, and those are wonderful pieces (DV02002B and EL05001S). The regulation and the finishing is of course a bit better, but because the OS models are in such a perfect spot with regards to the price/value ratio, it makes it harder to buy their entry level pieces..


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## mythless (Feb 21, 2016)

Those high beat movements have been discontinued for quite some time. Finding them new will be a challenge and even second hand won't be an easy task.


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## jdmfetish (Nov 30, 2011)

tgangstad said:


> It's a shame that Orient have chosen to discontinue the Royal Orient brand.
> 
> There is no doubt that it's especially the Royal Orient models with their higher end calibers 88700 (JA) and 88A00 (JB) that I would have gone for. I have been looking for WE0021JB, but it seems to be sold out. I have sent Orient an email regarding the R.O. models. Haven't got an answer yet. I am still collecting the funds for the timepiece, so I am in no hurry. But it would be nice for it to be available somewhere.
> 
> ...


SBGH205 more than a bit easier to find , its a current model in production.

The only RO now you can buy new are the 40 mm as I mentioned good luck.


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## mythless (Feb 21, 2016)

FWIW I am unsure if the previous RO line was worth the additional up cost over the OS line up. Beat rate remained the same and while I am sure there was a step up in quality and finishing and movement regulation/upgrade it's not as clear due to the ambiguity of Orient's movement quality and designation.


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## raveen (Sep 1, 2012)

Orient have stopped the RO production in 2016. It's hard to get one outside Japan. The 88xxx (28800bph) models are even rare. They were not mass produce as other RO models.


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## lovedeep (Jul 24, 2017)

I liked the looks of RO's.


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## mythless (Feb 21, 2016)

Ocassionally, you can find some of yhe more modern RO off the forum and ebay. I quite enjoy the little hand cranker one, more I wear it, the more I appreciate it's clean and simple design.


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## allanzzz (Nov 5, 2012)

Damn they look really good.

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## Seiko1966 (Jul 17, 2018)

The Royal Orient WZ0021EG is a gorgeous watch with a high quality design and finish. I am a huge fan of Orient Star. I have found the accuracy to be amazing and I am sure the Royal Orient would be the same.

Obtaining a RO now is truly a watch that was made and sold mostly in the JDM. So many other watches are advertised as JDM but are not really.

I may buy one yet.


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## Krosya (Apr 26, 2011)

Some exist in my collection


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## speedlever (Nov 14, 2009)

I've always been curious what differentiates the calibres between the Orient/Orient Star/Royal Orient lines.

I currently have a 40N50 in my WZ0291EL and a 40N5A in my Triton. Both offer the power reserve indicator and date, but nothing else. I'm curious what differentiates just these two calibres alone, let alone the other calibres. What typically differentiates a lower from a higher calibre movement? Number of jewels? Complications?


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## fjblair (Apr 24, 2009)

_*used to have an Orient Star that was quite nice, but I sold it to a friend.

**can't edit properly with WUS Commodore 64 software. Sorry.*_


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