Hands-On With The Orient Bambino 38 In Four Delicious Limited-Edition Colors
I noticed that we haven’t covered that many Orient watches here on Fratello. This surprised me a little as the Orient Bambino is the affordable automatic dress watch of choice for watch enthusiasts who are just getting into this hobby. It’s kind of like what the Seiko SKX007 is for automatic dive watches. Recently, the Japanese brand launched four colorful limited editions of the Bambino, each with a different, gentle color on the dial. Today, I’m going hands-on with all four models of the Orient Bambino 38.
Supposedly, as I read on the Orient US website, this is already the seventh version of the Orient Bambino. There are Bambino models in various sizes, with or without numerals, featuring a date or not, and even some with the occasional sub-dial. However, something that never changes is the stainless steel case’s friendly round shape and short but elegant lugs. The same goes for the limited editions we’re looking at today. But these dials are certainly some of the nicest ones I’ve ever seen in the Orient Bambino and even in general at this price point. Let’s take a look.
The Orient Bambino 38 Limited Edition
As its name already suggests, this version of the Orient Bambino has a 38mm stainless steel case. Actually, it’s 38.4mm in diameter, to be precise. The watch is 12.5mm thick, but the domed mineral crystal is responsible for quite a bit of that. It certainly doesn’t feel that thick on the wrist. The lug-to-lug distance measures about 44mm, and that, in combination with the overall design, makes this watch very comparable to my Oris Art Blakey. I’d say the Orient Bambino’s case is a little less refined, but that’s understandable when you look at the price difference between the two watches.
When you turn the case over, you can take a look at the automatic movement inside. It’s the Orient (Seiko Epson) caliber F6724, which runs at 21,600vph, features 22 jewels, and provides a 40-hour power reserve. It also offers hacking seconds, and it should be accurate somewhere between +25 and -15 seconds per day. The Orient logo is printed or etched onto the rotor along with a few decorations and specs. It’s definitely not the best-looking movement, but when you’re just getting started in this hobby, it’s nice to take a look at the internals every once in a while.
On the dial of the Bambino, it proudly states “Water Resistant.” However, the exhibition case back snaps onto the case, which means the watch isn’t water resistant beyond 3 ATM. Basically, it’ll resist hand washing and light rain, but this isn’t really the kind of watch you would take diving, right?
The gentle quartet
Then we get to those very cute-looking dials. The creamy yellow, baby blue, dove gray, and copper colors don’t jump at you like the colors that Rolex uses for its Oyster Perpetual variants. No, these colors have been carefully chosen to look as soft as possible. The blue one is my favorite, but I also think that’s the one that best matches the padded beige nubuck strap that comes standard on all four versions. It’s good to keep in mind that the light blue dial is the only matte one of them all. The other colors received a very subtle sunburst finish.
Just like on my Oris Art Blakey, it looks like the dials on the Bambino 38 curve down slightly toward the edge. It’s a very nice design feature, and the highly domed mineral crystal enhances the effect. The hour markers almost look like fir needles, and the minute track in between them uses plain hash marks and nothing else. At 3 o’clock, there’s a simple date window. Unfortunately, the date wheel doesn’t match the dial color. Then again, I’m very glad that the razor-sharp hands are done in steel and aren’t covered in blue like they are on many other Bambino models.
The Orient Bambino 38 the wrist
Maybe it’s good to mention the price here as well. The Orient Bambino 38 Limited Edition sells for $420 on the Orient US website — though it’s discounted to $330 at the time of publishing) or £287.99 in the UK. That’s not a lot of money for such a nice-looking watch. It feels quite light on the wrist, though, so that makes it feel a little less substantial than something like my Oris Art Blakey. But again, the Oris is a €2,000 watch. It would be strange if the Bambino competed with that piece. However, in the looks department, I think the Bambino isn’t very inferior to the Art Blakey or other more expensive dress watches out there.
The dial colors are quite soft and work very well on the kind of watch that the Bambino 38 is. Together with the indices and hands, they make this a very elegant-looking timepiece. The leather strap is a decent one, and its 20mm width makes it easy to swap it for a different one that you might already have. Now, when it comes to collection, I’m already covered in terms of dress watches. But if you’re looking for your first dress watch, then the Bambino is certainly a very good option.
Limited to 360 pieces worldwide
The Orient Bambino 38 Limited Edition is available now through the official Orient US and Orient UK websites, for example. But you could also take a look at your local Orient dealer, of course. Worldwide, there are 360 pieces available in each color. For more information on the watches, you could also take a look at the international Orient website. It’s also worth noting that Orient will be running a giveaway on its Instagram page over the coming weeks. So for a chance to win the blue-dial Bambino LE, make sure to follow, tune in, and participate.
Let me know what you think of the colorful new Orient Bambino 38 in the comments below.
