The Orient Bambino is well-regarded for being one of the best entry-level dress watches on the market. Now, Orient releases the Bambino in a new 38mm variant.
One of the major complaints about its earlier generations (gen 1 – 4), and one of my main reasons for originally avoiding the Bambino was its size. At 40.5mm, or 42mm, depending on the version, the watch was just a little too large for such a sleek and classic-looking dress watch.
The smaller 36mm generation 5 was a bit better wearing, but too small for some. Further, the lug widths were always odd: 21mm for gen. 1-4, and 19mm for gen. 5, making strap replacements more difficult to find than the more common 20mm lug width.
However, it appears Orient has listened to our feedback and is finally releasing a perfectly proportioned 38mm Orient Bambino.
New Orient Bambino 38mm
The new Bambinos feature a more contemporary dress watch style, with a rather minimal dial, and applied hour markers, most closely resembling the V4 and V5 Bambinos.
The movement featured inside of the new Bambino is the Orient F6724 with a 40-hour power reserve, an accuracy of -15 to +25 seconds per day, date function, hacking, and hand-winding.
The ‘water resistant‘ dial text at 6:00 denotes the watch’s rather mediocre 30m/100ft of water resistance. I don’t think this text serves a purpose, other than to provide some balance with the Orient logo at 12:00, and, in my opinion, should be removed in the next generation (please, Orient!).
Orient Bambino 38mm Dimensions
- Diameter: 38.4mm
- Lug to lug: 44mm
- Thickness: 12.5mm
- Lug width: 20mm
The new Orient Bambino 38mm features dimensions that are a bit more appropriate than the originals for such a classic-looking dress watch.
With a diameter of 38.4mm and a lug to lug of 44mm, the watch will sit perfectly on just about any wrist.
A 12.5mm thickness is largely a result of the domed crystal which adds some height, but also some visually interesting distortion.
And finally, 20mm straps make strap changes all the more simple, as 20mm straps are very common to come by.
Orient Classic and Simple Style 38 Models
The Orient Bambino 38mm, named the “Classic and the Simple Style” will be released originally in 4 models.
- RA-AC0M01S with a gold-colored case, hands, hour markers, white dial and brown strap.
- Ref. RA-AC0M02B with stainless steel case, black dial, and black strap.
- Ref. RA-AC0M03S with a white dial and black strap.
- Ref. RA-AC0M04Y with a beige dial, blue hands, and brown strap.
I’m personally looking forward to the beige dial version the most, as it’s the natural predecessor to the Bambino in my personal collection, the Generation 2 cream dial.
Conclusion
Orient seemed to have listened to the feedback about the Orient Bambino being too large at 42mm. At 38mm, the new Orient Bambinos will be the perfect sweet spot for those looking for a great value dress watch that isn’t too large, or too small… Just right.
The Orient Bambino 38mm will be released in July on Orient’s Site. MSRP will be updated as soon as more information is available.
I checked their website and still not showing that model.