Description
ORIENT vintage mechanical watch
MADE IN JAPAN
“Orient” (オリエント) draws its name from the Latin word “Oriens,” meaning “the East” or “the rising sun.”
The name reflects the company’s Japanese origins and its aspiration to bring the finest Eastern craftsmanship to the world stage.
Founded in 1950 as Orient Watch Company (東方時計株式会社) in Tokyo, the brand quickly became Japan’s third-largest watchmaker alongside Seiko and Citizen. Orient distinguished itself with innovative in-house automatic movements, bold designs, and exceptional value — building every caliber in its own factory rather than relying on outside suppliers.
The brand name literally connects to the idea of Eastern excellence — a fitting identity for a company whose mechanical watches have earned devoted collectors worldwide.
About the Chronoace Line
🕰️ The Orient Chronoace was Orient’s flagship automatic line of the late 1960s and early 1970s, introduced in 1969 to replace the earlier caliber-49 “AAA” models and usher in a new era of bolder case designs, materials, and dial colors that would come to define the brand through the 1970s.
The name is rendered on the dial as the distinctive applied “cA” monogram, and it marked Orient’s ambition for the line: a well-finished, higher-jewel-count automatic aimed at buyers who wanted something a cut above an everyday watch. Chronoace models ran on Orient’s in-house caliber 42 automatic (18,000 bph), offered in 21-, 23-, 25- and even 27-jewel grades, with the jewel count printed proudly on the dial.
Where the Chronoace really stood out was design. Over its short production run Orient used the line as a showcase for experimentation — oval, cushion, round and angular geometric cases; textured and sunburst dials in blues, greens, greys and silvers; and unusual materials like stone and mother-of-pearl dials on the top variants. Day-date models carried a bilingual day wheel that switched between Japanese kanji and Western lettering, a hallmark of Japanese watches built for both the home and export markets.
Today the Chronoace is one of the more collectible vintage Orient lines precisely because of that variety and ambition: genuine in-house Japanese automatic engineering, distinctive early-1970s styling, and — for the more colorful dials especially — a character that’s hard to find at anything like the same price from the era’s Swiss makers.
About This Watch
This Orient Chronoace is a genuine early-1970s example, powered by Orient’s in-house caliber 42940 automatic — a 21-jewel, self-winding movement beating at 18,000 vibrations per hour. The case-back is stamped G429-21160, and the dial carries the reference 4294-2116 with the “JAPAN” origin marking.
Its standout feature is the dial: a deep green sunburst that shades from a bright, almost lime green near the center to near-black at the rim, shifting with the light at every angle. Applied faceted hour markers and silver baton hands keep it clean and legible, while the applied “cA” Chronoace monogram sits above the printed “21 JEWELS.” A framed day-date sits at 3 o’clock, its day wheel alternating between Japanese kanji and English.
The cushion-shaped stainless steel case is very much of its era — brushed and polished surfaces and a slim, integrated profile — paired here with a fine-woven Milanese mesh bracelet. The automatic movement winds smoothly from the wrist, and the day and date advance crisply.
Technical Specifications
- Brand: Orient
- Line: Chronoace
- Case-back Number: G429-21160
- Movement: Automatic (self-winding), in-house Orient caliber 42940, 21 jewels, 18,000 bph
- Production Date: Early 1970s
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Case Diameter: Approx. 38 mm (excluding crown)
- Dial: Green sunburst with applied faceted hour markers and applied “cA” Chronoace emblem; framed day-date at 3 o’clock with Japanese day wheel
- Crystal: Mineral Glass
- Bezel: Stainless steel, polished (fixed)
- Case-back: Stainless steel, engraved with the Orient crest
- Country of Manufacture: Japan
Condition Report
The green sunburst dial presents beautifully — strong, even color and crisp printing, with the applied markers and “cA” emblem bright and intact. The stainless steel case shows only light surface wear and minor hairlines consistent with careful vintage use, and its cushion shape and factory finishing are well preserved. The acrylic crystal is clear. The day-date advances correctly, and both the bilingual day disc and the date disc are clean.
The watch comes on a vintage Milanese mesh bracelet with a signed Maruman clasp — a period Japanese-made bracelet rather than an Orient-branded original.
Watch went through a recent service by a professional watch technician and keeps good time.
Comes complete with vintage steel bracelet*.
(*)Note: Stock bracelets are often shortened by previous owners and may not fit you(see bracelet size in the product images). We recommend adding a new Orient lug width matched leather strap with your order.
This watch ships from 🇺🇦Ukraine with tracking number
Why Collectors Want This Watch Today
Vintage Orient Chronoace models are drawing growing collector interest, and it’s easy to see why: they show Orient at its most ambitious, packing genuine in-house automatic movements and adventurous early-1970s design into watches that still cost a fraction of comparable Swiss pieces. Green sunburst dials like this one are among the more desirable variants — the color photographs beautifully and turns up far less often than the common silver and grey dials. Combine that with a freshly serviced caliber-42940 automatic, a striking cushion case, and a genuinely useful day-date, and you have an honest, wearable piece of Japanese watchmaking history that remains genuinely affordable — for now.
Modes of payment:
- PayPal
- Credit Cards (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover)
We guarantee the item you receive looks and works exactly as advertised — or your money back.
Lug width matched leather straps: 18mm - 19mm - 20mm
About the watch factory
Orient Watch Company (オリエント時計株式会社, Oriento Tokei kabushiki gaisha), commonly known as Orient, is a Japanese watchmaker founded in 1950 in Tokyo. Orient became Japan’s third-largest watch manufacturer, alongside Seiko and Citizen, and earned a reputation for producing high-quality mechanical watches with in-house movements at accessible prices.
Orient’s greatest distinction in the watch industry has been its commitment to manufacturing its own movements entirely in-house — a practice shared by very few watchmakers worldwide. From the beginning, Orient designed, produced, and assembled every caliber in its own factory, giving the brand complete control over quality and innovation.
Throughout the decades, Orient produced iconic lines including the Weekly Auto (day-date dress watches), King Diver (robust sports watches), Orient Star (premium mechanical pieces), and the modern Kamasu and Bambino series that have introduced a new generation to mechanical watchmaking. The brand’s vintage pieces from the 1960s and 1970s — particularly the AAA-graded models — are increasingly prized by collectors for their distinctive designs, reliable movements, and the sheer quality they delivered at their price point.
In 2009, Orient became a subsidiary of the Seiko Epson Corporation, though it continues to operate as a distinct brand with its own identity and movement production. Today, Orient watches are sold worldwide and remain one of the best values in mechanical watchmaking.
