I mentioned in my State of the Collection – Retrospective post that when my watch collection was stolen, the Orient Blue Ray was one of the few pieces I gave serious thought to replacing. It was an off-hand remark, and I didn’t expect anything to come of it. Approximately one week later, I came home to find a package on my desk. That in itself wasn’t strange; my roommate would typically get home earlier than I would, and place any packages addressed to me in my room. Only I didn’t recall ordering anything. Checking the return address, this delivery wasn’t from Amazon or any of my usual online haunts. When I removed the outer packaging, I saw that the box inside was the same Orient one in which my Blue Ray had arrived. I definitely didn’t remember ordering a watch, but what else could it be? Opening it revealed an Orient Black Ray on a James Bond NATO strap, with a hand-written note that read, “One small step towards rebuilding your watch collection.”
My mind started racing. Who among my readers had sent this? My audience is comprised mostly of my Facebook friends. I checked the return address again. Then I recalled a conversation I had in the comments of Retrospective article. When I finally put it together, I realized that one of my best and long-time friends, Tynan, had seen my post and sent me a watch. I sent him a message both to confirm that it was indeed him, and to thank him for the incredibly generous gesture. A small piece of my collection had been restored, and I was reminded of the goodwill my friends are capable of. I’m getting a bit misty-eyed reflecting back on it now, so I’d better get on with the review.
Despite the number of watches in my collection, I kept that watch as my daily driver for at least a month. For one thing, I was so touched by the gesture that I had to pay respect to what awesome friends I have. But on a more practical level, it was just so damn comfortable. I’ve had mixed experiences with NATO straps in the past, and many of them have required a break in period before my wrist would accept them. I’ve even gone so far as to throw them in the washing machine to soften them up. However, this one felt natural from the first time I wore it. Before receiving the Black Ray, I had been wearing my Seiko Turtle with the included link bracelet, and while it is by no means uncomfortable, the NATO let my wrist breathe. It also looked great doing so. The subject of NATO straps can be a divisive one, but I’m of the opinion that they need to be paired with the right watch. I’ve worn the black and gray James Bond NATO on other watches, but no combination has looked as good as this.
Good looks aren’t all this watch has going for it. The Black Ray is versatile. On the NATO strap, I can take it running or swimming, and then dress it up with a leather band and wear it to work or dinner. And because it’s a dive watch, it’s useful by design. I almost look for excuses to time things. There’s no doubt that I’ve driven people crazy when using the bezel, but the action is so satisfying that I find myself drawn to it in idle moments, unable to resist the click-click-click of its unidirectional bezel. Orient is also known for their generous lume, as you can see below.
The movement is neither hackable or hand-winding, but the absence of these features is far from a deal breaker, especially at this price point. I only find myself missing the first, as it’s nice to have the ability to set the time right at 00 seconds when testing the accuracy of the watch against other pieces or the NIST. And while hand-winding is nice, a few shakes of the watch will start it right up from a dead stop. For those that might be interested in a Black Ray of their own, the Ray II has an updated movement which includes both these features.
When I purchased my Blue Ray – my first automatic watch – several things attracted me to the brand. They are owned by Seiko (which is a company that I highly respect and admire) but appear to be autonomous. They manufacture in-house movements, and although there is some debate in the watch community over how just important having an in-house movement is, I consider it to be a plus. And their watches are also an incredible value proposition, which makes them easy to recommend to a budding watch enthusiast. I believe that collectors at any level can find something to appreciate in the Orient Ray line, just as I will always appreciate what my friend did for me.
Wristgazer 
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