In this hands-on review, we’ll share our thoughts about the Orient FAB00009L 3 Star.
Japanese craftsmanship defines the aesthetic of Orient watches — they are beautiful, detail-oriented, and distinctive.
But for guys with smaller wrists, most of Orient’s catalog won’t be a great fit. The 3 Star, on the other hand, is a smaller take on the classic Orient style.
I got my hands on one to test out, and want to give you an inside look with this Orient FAB00009L 3 Star review. I’ll share the pros and cons, and give you my opinion on who this is a good watch for and who might want to look for a different timepiece.
Table of Contents
About Orient Watch
Since its founding over 70 years ago, Orient Watch has been the leading voice in Japanese watchmaking. They’ve developed a reputation for putting incredible attention to detail into every lineup of their watches, making all of their movements and assembling every watch in-house.
That’s still the case today, with every movement still made in Yuzawa, Akita, Japan. That’s pretty impressive when you consider that you can still find many of Orient’s watches for $100 or less.
First Impressions
So no matter which watch you choose from Orient’s 3 Star series, it’s going to be a bold statement piece. They have a funky little range of colors here, with everything from bright gold to forest green on stainless steel.
I picked up the blue dial version, and it’s definitely a divisive watch. People either love it or hate it, and I get it. The color scheme kind of reminds me of an Indian restaurant in a strip mall — in a good way in my opinion, but your mileage may vary.
For a watch that’s still assembled in-house, it’s overall an impressive piece. Now let’s get into the details.
The Case
First, the specs: This case measures in at 37 mm in diameter, and stands 11 mm high. That gives it a sort of boxy shape, but not overly so.
The case feels solid here, as it’s made of a decent grade of stainless steel. And it’s not so big or boxy that it looks out of place on my 6.3 inch wrist, so I think it would be a good choice for just about any guy with a smaller wrist (as long as you like the style of the watch).
The Dial
Here’s where the Orient 3 Star gets into “love it or hate it” territory. There’s only really one subdued option for the color of the face and dial: The blue dial on stainless steel version.
Every other watch in this series goes for a bold look, combining unconventional colors with either stainless steel or faux gold cases and bracelets.
But beyond the personal choice of whether this watch lineup matches your aesthetic, you have to admit that it’s pretty impressive to have an in-house assembly with a day/date complication, all for under $100.
The color gradient looks even better in person than it does online, and the applied indices and brand logo give the dial a nice texture that’s excellent for the price.
The Strap
So here’s the downside: The bracelets on the Orient 3 Star series feel kind of chintzy. There’s just not much weight to them at all. This is really the biggest downside of the watch as a whole.
But honestly, what else could you expect at this price point? Any watch that’s coming in under $100 will have at least one glaring weak point — and in my opinion, it’s better to have a weak strap than a poor movement or case.
The Movement
The Orient FAB00009L 3 Star is built around a proprietary self-winding automatic movement.
Orient claims that this 21 jewels movement achieves 21,600 oscillations per hour (or 6 beats per second). That gives their watches great longevity, meaning that you’ll be able to keep this watch around for a long time.
Final Verdict: Worth It
So overall, I’m pretty happy with the Orient FAB00009L 3 Star.
I know the colors are a pretty divisive thing, so it’ll be up to you to decide whether it fits your style — you’ll definitely get comments on it if you choose to wear one, probably both good and bad!
For under $100 though, you’ll be hard pressed to find another watch that’s as well made as this one. The band feels light and cheap, sure, but the movement, dial, and overall construction of the watch are pretty on point.
And if you don’t like the color I’ve chosen for this review, be sure to check out the rest of the 3 Star line; they have plenty of other options that might better suit you.
Questions? Comments? Leave them below!
If this is within your budget and you don’t want quartz, then this is certainly a good option. But, the compromises to hit this price are significant. No hand-winding or hacking, only 30m WR, chinzy hardware, mineral crystal, a dice roll of accuracy, and finishing and edge-work that encourage arms-length inspection. But, again, if rock bottom cost is a requirement in an automatic movement, here you are.
I have a larger wrist (7.5 or so), and I love my green dial version. I actually love the jangly, super-comfortable bracelet. It is a lot of watch for way under $100 (I got mine new for $60, but that was years ago). I love the day-date function. This is a great first watch for someone new to watches (especially young men/women with small wrists).
Nice! The green dial looks great!
Go to it, girly men!
I Have an older (maybe 90s model) that badically has remained unchanged in specs and design, left to me by my father in law and at this price point I would say it even surpasses the likes of seiko 5s, mine is pretty accurate.
Orient 3 star is the best budget watch for automatic movement, I purchase orient FAB00006B9 in May 2020 and it’s still working fine also power reserve is quite good for the price.