What the heck am I looking at here?

Professor · Nov 25, 2019

Found this Orient on the Bay and never saw a calendar dial like it before.
Its a very nice looking watch, apparently some sort of GMT.

How would this set up work?

zoohannover · Nov 25, 2019

Here is a manual available for the current version:
https://orient-watch.com/Collections/ORIENT/Sports/ORIENT:-Mechanical-Sports-Watch/p/EU0B003F

The busyness of the dial is reflected in the thickness of the manual 😉.

Professor · Nov 25, 2019

zoohannover
Here is a manual available for the currend version:
https://orient-watch.com/Collections/ORIENT/Sports/ORIENT:-Mechanical-Sports-Watch/p/EU0B003F

Thanks for the prompt reply. Still not sure about the utility of such a complicated watch. nice looking piece though.
I guess once mastered one might wonder how they got along without it.

alam · Nov 25, 2019

Professor
...What the heck am I looking at here?...

IMO, a very busy dial! 😀

S.H. · Nov 25, 2019

It is a "perpetual" calendar that works within a limited set of years. Raketa did this too in its time, some instructions:

https://www.timezone.com/2002/10/15/raketa-perpetual-calendar/

Hard to read!

JimInOz · Nov 25, 2019

A strange "complication" from the 1970s I think. You supposedly set the year and the day and after a quick glance it tells you the date/timeyear.

It takes me about ten minutes to figure out what day it is on my example, lucky it became non-functional in about 2000 😁.

A good novelty that everyone should have one of in their collection.

JimInOz · Nov 25, 2019

Just checked. Mine is a Wittnauer and it became "obsolete" on 31 December 2015!

😁

Professor · Nov 25, 2019

Thanks for all the very informative replies.

Deltatango · Nov 25, 2019

well that is something you really dont see every day !

ahsposo · Nov 25, 2019

Deltatango
well that is something you really dont see every day !

Thank God!

vacheroyale · Jan 11, 2020

it's a perpetual calendar, but I some of the settings that would need to be set manually, I don't think the movement does them all

Professor · Jan 12, 2020

Deltatango
well that is something you really dont see every day !

ahsposo
Thank God!

And now You Can't UN-SEE IT.