Orient Star could well be the most respected watch brand you have never heard of. It was founded in Japan in 1951, though its history dates back to 1901 when a certain Shogoro Yoshida opened a shop selling imported pocket watches in Tokyo’s historic Ueno district. By the 1970s the now Orient Watch Company under the brand name of Orient Star was, unlike its fellow Japanese watchmakers such as Seiko and Citizen, concentrating on producing mechanical timepieces with in-house movements rather than going down the quartz road. One reason for this was that in many of its overseas markets it could be difficult to obtain batteries at that point. Meanwhile, its sister brand Orient concentrated on more affordable pieces.
Orient Star, which today manufactures its mechanical timepieces in Akita prefecture, collaborated with the Seiko Epson Corporation for over two decades, accessing its precision parts processing. While most famous for its printers, Epson has been involved in the watchmaking business for the past 75 years, perhaps most famously in the creation of the first-ever quartz timepiece. The two companies officially merged in 2017, although Orient Star has always maintained its independence as a watch brand.
