The Best Field Watch Under $250 - The Orient Defender
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- Join us today as we explore the Orient Defender. The Defender is one of Orient's best selling watches that has great military looks and rugged appeal. Its automatic movement means you'll never have a battery to go dead on you, and 100 meter water resistance with screw down crown can handle your daily grind, no matter what it is.
The dial tells you at a glance: the time (Obviously!), the day, date and military time. The dial conveys all this without being too busy or cluttered. At well under $250, no wonder the WSJ called it one of the best watch buys out there.
To view all Orient Defenders: longislandwatc...
To read the Wall Street Journal article: www.wsj.com/ar...
That's what makes Orient so addictive, they make affordable watches with sophisticated professional styling, that actually keep great time.
Exactly!
Like Subaru's DOES! That car beats ferraris, Porsches, audis, bmws, lambo, for only 1/12 of the cost of those, same with Orient, the bold side of Seiko.
I would have to say that Orient gives you the most bang for your buck than any other watch company out there, accept maybe Seiko. As a very frugal person who loves watches, it is difficult for me to buy any mechanical watch that either, Orient or Seiko. If I had more disposable cash I would consider something else, but these to companies always provide a check mark in all the boxes within my budget. Once again Mark, you have done a wonderful job covering my favorite brand.
@Evocati SUBARU WRX STI has made for RALLY, not for SILLY street shit.
@@larvancioramos9748 that is quite strange.....because i use it as a daily driver....and i never rally.
This watch begs for sapphire and a bright red seconds hand. Those two mods would make it invincible.👍
Totally agree, a little color on the hands goes a long way, also (my taste), the Gen 2 are less attractive.
24 hour indicators are very functional, and underrated on low-end movement watches. They help you to know whether or not you're trying to set the day/date through midnight, which might break the gear. It's especially useful if you rotate watches and have to set the date often.
Very true!
The 24 hr dial indicator can be very useful to Military Personal, the Gaming High Roller, and Raging Alcoholic's alike. So there is versatility within that function.
December 2019 now and I had it for 3 months. It is a nice watch and soft leather strap. Orient is the best value automatic watch out there.
I just bought my self a defender with the blue dial as a Christmas gift for myself but I decided I am not going to wear it untill Christmas, but I am not sure how long I will be able to keep that up haha
LOL, good luck!
Thanks, Mark, your vids are like Watch University lectures.
But for free, like The Cooper Union used to be! (my alma mater)
I like the Orient defender with the bracelet. I like the fact they have subdial for the day and 24hrs.
Orient. Seiko. True watch houses. Their own designs, in-house movements. You simply can't go wrong. Gorgous watch and remarkable value for an automatic. Just picked up a minty used one. Can't wait for it to come in the mail.
Bought the v2 (pvd case, black dial with silicon/rubber strap) in 2021. It certainly is a functional, well built and rather attractive piece.
Orient and OrientStar have become my favorites now.
For the day, you can back wind to 830 and forward to 230, over and over. This will keep from having to go around and around. (Per Marc). V2 has a quick set for this, hacking and handwind.
Thanks for the closer look. Can't decide which one I like best. The screw-down crown is a pleasant surprise.
Sure is at 100m.
My Defender just arrived in the UK from you and I had the day not lining up issue so thanks for the video to explain that , I was sold by the "Affordable Field Watches one" vidoe buy it and I'm really impressed, it will be a great beater
You sold me! I just ordered mine with the grey dial. Thanks for your brilliant reviews!
Mark, happy holidays to you and your family.
Thank you and same to you!
Excellent video. Orient watches have a certain elegance and style that is unique.
That's it. I'm buying blue, but will get a leather strap. Ordering incoming. So glad to skip Amazon. Makes me feel good to spend money with someone that actually cares... and does cool videos like this.
Nice review, as always. I wish they have the defender on sapphire crystal.
It would be perfect with sapphire, yes.
Another great review. This’d be a great alternative to the Seiko SNZG15, especially as they have beadblasted the side of the watch by the lugs. It’s a shame they did not beadblast the crown. Gotta love a beadblast!
I have the snzg15... i dont know, i love my snzg looks better. Just my opninion. Have my eyes one hamilton king khaki though and i have a sarb017 which is an amazing watch.
I love mine Seiko Snzg15J and it has a lot in common with the Orient Defender but it has 40mm (!) case!
24 hour display is useful rather for letting you know whether your setting is am or pm. This simply let's you set the date correctly, instead of making a full 24 hour turn with minute&hour hands to understand whether the mechanism is at am or pm. I'm a fan of your channel but "locked in a casino with no windows" assumption kind of skips the whole point with this very handy complication. My Srpc33k lacks this feature and that has made the date window less reliable in the long run, as I don't always bother (in the morning rush) to 1-check whether the mechanism is at AM, 2-set the date to correct number, after a week of no use.
Love the black leather band one! I will definitely be purchasing one. I see they now come with a nato strap which is not as nice as the leather, but easy to change I guess.
I found it interesting that the crown appears to be at the 3:30 position - I've never noticed that on a watch before.
I really enjoy your videos Marc.
I just received mine with the grey drab face. I love it! Service was quick and it's everything you said it is. I am so happy with my purchase :-)
darksidecarnival I’m trying to decide between grey and black. Really like the grey !
I've got mine now … and it's slowly growing on me . I ditched the leather strap and fit it with a soft silicone band from Barton ….. perfect . Funny thing , in the first two weeks I had the watch , it was not accurate at all , after a month of use , is getting more and more accurate ….. go figure .
Mark, I have a question for you: Do you know if the calibers in both Defenders ( old and new ) are swapable?. Please advice.
Just purchased the blue faced one from you yesterday, waiting for it to get here. Thanks!
Just bought one from your website + a camo nato strap 22mm i wanted a cool military simple watch and this one catched my eye and i said i have to get it so i'm glad i did now all i have to do is patiently wait for it to come :D
Awesome! Thank you!
Yeah. For a buck and a quarter, the Grey/Black Defender works. I might look into one!
I'm attempting to replace the crystal on my Defender 1 with a domed sapphire but Orient is not forthcoming with the dimensions necessary.
Do you happen to know what size I need?
Good presentation!
I would love upgrading to Sapphire!
I just got my Defender today. I really love the watch. It looks great. Only problem: the movement seems to be really noisy. Is that normal or is it a problem that needs to be fixed?
Another good alternative is from Marathon, they have a version of their filed watch that runs on the NH35-A, which is quite nice, plus it’s properly regulated. I mean it’s about 270 dollars so it’s a little over the price range but I think it’s not too bad.
Though you do get the in house movement of orient when you get the defender, plus the fact that I’m pretty sure that it’s the same movement as the sun and moon 👍🏻✨. Pretty sure, it 100% haha
Love Marathon; they make fine watches.
Just ordered a Bambino last week from LIW. I think you need to make a video on the version 4s!
We didn't?
Probably made but not uploaded? I would've seen a video of it twice before pulling the trigger on one but I pulled the trigger anyway. I watched your whole series on the Bambinos its the best made ones so far.
Nice, but for a field watch I would have preferred numerals instead of baton markers.
Great watch. I became a fan of Orient watches. I have one that is not hand wound which disappoints me a little. Waiting for updates movements and if possible with hand winding possibility
Probably the only complaint people have.
@@islandwatch : i dont care about hacking but i would want hand winding .
Спасибо! Отличный рассказ о хороших часах!
Happy Holidays. Thanks for the great videos.
Thanks and same to you!
No mention of Citizens 8180-03a.
No service,no batteries...eco-drive is great.Fantastic accuracy.
sometimes the capacitors go out ( maybe in 10 yrs ) but there are a few watches with ten year battery life . even 5 year battery life is okay for me .
Love the videos! I just bought one from long island and i love it! I would love to see a video over it
Thanks!
Great looking, very cool watch. If it was 40mm (or even better, 38mm) I would have it in multiple colors. Hope they make some smaller ones.
andtothewestamerica l’m with you. Orient makes some great watches, then you find out the diameter is huge. The Ray at 41.5 is pretty much my limit.
please send this link . i want to buy it now!
Nice watch, wanted to get one, but I find the dial unnecessarily busy. The day and date could have been displayed in a classic day/date window instead of those randomly placed subdials. The AM/PM subdial is useless, unless you are in an underground atomic bunker for weeks.
Plus, for a field watch, a case size of 38-40 would have been much more adequate and comfortable.
FlorinU The 24 hour indicator makes it very easy to tell if the movement is positioned at Am or pm hours, which makes setting it a breeze
Does anyone know if the Orient Ray/Mako bracelet will fit on this watch? Mark?
I have the ray and the defender and the bracelets can be switched but the lugs are thicker on the ray so you’ll have to pinch the end links a bit.
White dial i would buy in an instant
Am really confused as to what defines a field watch. I thought my Seiko 5 SNK809 was a field watch, but then saw a video about pilot watches, and with the Type B dial, the SNK809 has some pilot watch qualities, except for being small...
"Field watch" is a pretty loose term. Still, I consider the SNK a pilot watch due to its flieger-style dial. The SNZG has a more traditional field watch look.
The Defender's subdials and lack of Arabic numerals make it look more "aviation" than "field" to me. But I guess it's mostly it's own thing with its own unique look. Very cool watch.
John Boland I agree with most what you said but the defender design kinda has a mixed identity......To me it kinda has a mid century motorsport design with the indices. And the satin case gives it a field watch feel....
Fantastic looking watch. I hope Orient does update the watch. I'm going to continue to pass until they include hand winding and hacking features. Marc, thanks for including those feature specifics in the watch descriptions. Very important.
Thanks so much!
Hear, hear! I'm waiting for that to happen too.
I will go for the Hamilton. Still a nice watch. Tnx for the video Marc.
Will the strapcode oyster bracelet for the orient mako fit this watch?
No, it will not.
The Gen 2 should be out around the first of the new year.........because I just ordered a blue/bracelet. ; p
Good to know!
can you put sapphire crystal on this watch?
Most likely; you just need to match the size and thickness and you can get a replacement from a place like crystaltimes
Hello Marc, great video! Do you also have a Strapcode on the Mako II USA? Or the original bracelet? Thanks for the awesome content!
That's the OEM bracelet, thanks!
A good looking watch I'd change out the black leather strap for a black nylon one abd call it a day !
A true field watch should be quartz, so it works during all the field trip even during inactivity. It should also have a stopwatch, an alarm, and an illuminated on demand face so it is visible during 12 hours of complete darkness. I own multiple Orient watches, both quartz and self-winding. For a true field watch, I recommend a simple Casio. Bottom line, this Orient is for guys who want the style of an outdoor watch, but it’s just a fashion statement.
Any amount of reasonable walking such as on a field trip will keep an auto watch wound. A hand winder is also good. Quartz can run out of battery
I have had my automatic Seikos and Orients stop, unless you consciously shake them multiple times a day. On a winter camping trip there will be lengthy periods of inactivity. Likewise the lume will go out within a few hours, unless you zap the face with a flashlight. On a wilderness trips there are also many benefits of stopwatch. No question this is a good watch, I just would not select it for true field use.
Another great video mark keep it up👏👏
Thanks.
Love this one - on my wish list!
i really like the look of it and i'm a fan of orient but all that hullabaloo changing the day and date would get to me eventually and this is coming from someone who owns 3 vostoks.
I visited your site but you don't have anything from Tissot or Bulova (I'm looking some of their watches) it would be good if you add some to your catalog as I would like to purchase from you. Super cool videos as well.
Spread your wings a bit! There's more in the world than those two :)
I highly doubt the 100m waterproof rating on this watch.. I went out on a cold humid day with the defender and there was condensation inside the glass.
Could it be the effect explained here, starting at 16:45 - th-cam.com/video/uQFuZL14Aaw/w-d-xo.html
Love the content! I ordered the orient sentry off your site a few nights ago, could you do a video on it?
I could, but we're running out of them!
Awesome! Looks like a winner.
mhm, i have 3 of them, stainless steel black face and black nylon strap, black on black with green nylon strap and stainless-steel green face with stainless bracelet.
Can you do Gen 2 now
Does the Defender have a metal movement spacer like the Mako and Ray, or is it plastic?
Nvm, I found out the movement holder, or spacer is metal which is awsome!
Great watch at a great price! I was so close to getting this, but I got four watches for Black Friday, two from you. Wish I could justify this one, but anyone thinking about this one should definitely go for it.
I think the leather strap is actually very nice for an OEM leather strap on an entry level timepiece, the bracelet doesn't come with solid end links (not that is should at this price but still), so I would take it off anyway. Just my opinion.
Thanks for the opinion, and thanks for watching.
I was watching the old defender video today.
Like a rerun, but better.
Hi,
If I was to buy a watch from your website and have it shipped to the uk would I be liable for customs charges? It doesn't matter per se, just affects which watch I buy.
Thanks
I bought a Sentinel from LIW paid $93; net around £72. However, Import tax was £15 plus £8 PO handling fee. We are taxed to death in this fcking country.
Steve R
Long live the royal!
My Padi Seiko Pepsi Turtle is about a month old and running 5seconds slow per day regular. Is this normal?
should be ok...... most turtles are 4r36, specs should be -20 to plus 40 daily
+/-5 seconds per day is very good. COSC spec for a Rolex is -4 to +6 seconds. Mechanical movements are not as accurate as quartz.
Excellent!
$102.00,black dial on amazon prime as of 8-5-2019
that's cause there's something coming, dealers want to clear their inventory
Do you carry the new orient small second bambino.
What's the model #?
Hi Marc, do you know how much for the shipping cost to Malaysia ?
Probably around $20 USD.
Long Island Watch thanks.
@@jameslrs .
You keep rubbing in your mako usa 2 to us. You need to bring those in!
I have one. May sell it.
LOL, sorry!
It's a everyday job watch
how likely do u think will orient add in hacking and hand-winding function to this watch?
Very likely.
Long Island Watch am considering this or the new orient small seconds lol
Nice but I'm still happy with my Seiko SRP715. Which you also sell. :)
Nice watch, great wrist presence.
Long Island Watch It needs a cool nickname like the Samurai or Defender. Needs an identity. Like maybe the Seiko Scout.
I actually think this could pass as a dress watch on leather
These are nicer than the Gen 2, I guess you can't get them anymore.
For the price i'd much rather have a Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical, the Orient's pretty great too though.
The Hammy is fantastic no doubt. But can you get one for $150?
Long Island Watch lmao I thought the same.........
I really like the Hamilton Khaki Field watches also. But the ones I like are ~ 3 times the cost of this Orient. My brother isn't going to get a Hamilton for christmas, but I did just buy him a Defender ;-D (Black face on the bracelet; also got him a brown leather Colareb strap so he has options) I'm trying to turn him into a watch nut, wish me luck.
@BeeSawd u mean the hammy strap?
where can i buy the bracelet?
Nice watch, but the name "defender"?? Here is my 25 years old Fossil quartz Defender, so I don't know about the name...
Ernest Krajnc iver heard of the land rover defender????........................
.. if only the crown is the same color as the case...
It's a great watch, love the aesthetics, but you can feel the relative cheapness. I'm not sure they use 316l steel.
If I gave you a brick of 316L and 303 steel you cannot tell the difference. Same density, same luster. 316L is used too much as a 'benefit'. It's high nickel/chromium steel that oxidizes the least. Other than that, you cannot tell. Unlike Rolex steel, that's a different animal.
Thanks. Good to know. I'd still recommend the Defender to anyone looking in that price range, especially from Long Island Watch. :D
Shame it's above 40mm ,would have been the perfect buy otherwise...
A picture, I don't know how to pin it...
Fuck me, it's beautiful
Nice watch but i got bored of it real quick.. It's just a pain to set also.
Gonna give it to my friend for his birthday lol
Its not field watch.
Its chronograph.
No sapphire crystal.....disappointing.
You can't expect sapphire at this price range
David ... A sapphire crystal would cost the manufacturer about $20. I'd be happy to pay an extra $30 or $40 for sapphire.
David they used sapphire on the Sun & Moon, which has the same movement and complications but in a dress watch design, and that’s in the same price range.
@@liudizzle I bought a Chinese automatic with sapphire for $55 Canadian. So don't say they can't for $150 USD
I agree.....a sapphire would have closed the deal for me......would not consider anything with a mineral crystal
👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👍👍👍%%%
Seiko offers better watches for the same price !
Jollopukki2 nope........orient has better quality control then seiko at this price point and most orients watchs are now hand winding and hacking. All of orients movements are still made in Japan compared seikos Malaysian ones in this segment........not to mention that seiko 5 logo looks fucken stupid..............
I don't know why but Orient doesn't turn me on 😐 even I am sure they make great watches.
The price is way too low.