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Orient FAB00009L 3 Star Review: An Orient Watch for Guys With Small Wrists

By Brock McGoff Updated August 22, 2022

In this hands-on review, we’ll share our thoughts about the Orient FAB00009L 3 Star.

Orient FAB00009L 3 Star Review
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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
  • First Impressions
  • The Case
  • The Dial
  • The Strap
  • The Movement
  • Final Verdict: Worth It

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. 

Orient 3 Star FAB00009L dail shade

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. 

Orient 3 Star FAB00009L blue

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.

Orient 3 Star FAB00009L on wrist

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.

Orient 3 Star FAB00009L dial logo

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.

Orient 3 Star FAB00009L bracelet 2
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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!

Categories: Automatic Watches, Watch Reviews Tags: Orient

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About Brock McGoff

More "watch curious" than "watch expert", Brock is the editor-in-chief of The Slender Wrist. He's currently rotating between a Rolex 16030 and Nomos Minimatik. His wrists are roughly 6.3" around.

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Comments

  1. David says

    August 25, 2022 at 3:47 pm

    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.

    Reply
  2. Garry Perkins says

    September 26, 2022 at 8:57 pm

    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).

    Reply
    • Brock McGoff says

      November 11, 2022 at 1:54 am

      Nice! The green dial looks great!

      Reply
  3. Bennett says

    October 10, 2022 at 4:10 am

    Go to it, girly men!

    Reply

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Brock

Hi, I'm Brock, the guy behind this site. I love wearing watches, especially ones that look great on small wrists (mine are about 6.3" around). The Slender Wrist is dedicated to helping you learn about and buy watches that you will love wearing.

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Brock

Hi, I'm Brock, the guy behind this site. I love wearing watches, especially ones that look great on small wrists (mine are about 6.3" around). The Slender Wrist is dedicated to helping you learn about and buy watches that you will love wearing.

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