We present the affordable Orient Bambino 38 in three new, fresh colors

The term “value proposition” is quite difficult to define… It all depends on who is looking at it, what budget you can afford for a watch and what you consider to be good value for money. With Orient’s Bambino series, objectively speaking, there is no such debate. “A watch that takes the concept of value for money to a whole new level” as we said in our first review and the Orient Bambino 38 offers a lot. Elegant, timeless, mechanical and overall pretty good looking, it offers everything you want from a watch and more, all for around 300 Euros. And to make it even more stylish and appealing, the brand is adding three new, fresh and eye-catching colors to the series, as well as a steel bracelet for versatility.

Orient, a champion of affordable automatic watches along with its cousin Seiko, launched the Bambino 38 in 2022 as a more versatile, unisex and slightly dressier version of its best-selling 40.5mm model. Initially available in 4 classic colors and on leather straps, the 275 EUR price tag certainly surprised us, so we decided to get ourselves a copy just to make sure it wasn’t a gimmick. The review ended with us being quite impressed. Of course, we can’t expect the same level of quality and sophistication as a 3,000 EUR Swiss watch, but the Orient Bambino 38 is a fine mechanical watch with elegance and appeal.

This year, after launching the elegant Bambino 38 Small Seconds collection, the brand is back with three fresh new models that play on understated colors and come with the added versatility of a steel bracelet. The basic elements are the same as the model we reviewed here, i.e. a simple but quite robust round steel case with a thin beveled bezel framing a domed glass – which is made of mineral glass, not sapphire. The polished case is 12.5mm thick, which is rather thick for such a watch with a time and date display, but then again, this is one of the concessions you have to make in this price range. And with the domed glass, the profile of the case is visually thinner than the numbers suggest.

As for the dial, we find the same appealing domed base – again, this is quite nice considering the price, and even the seconds hand is curved to follow the curve of the dial – with applied markers and polished hands. New this year are the sunray-brushed dials with matte coating. And there are three new colors to choose from, all subtle and rather smooth: grass green, light blue and copper. The wording “water resistant” on the dial still seems quite anachronistic today, but it adds to the vintage feel of the model.

Under the hood, these new Orient Bambino 38 models are powered by the in-house automatic caliber F6724. Sure, the embellishment is minimal, but the specs are more than decent, with manual winding, a stop-seconds function, and a 40-hour power reserve. Accuracy is rated at +25/-15 seconds per day, but again, we’re a long way from Swiss chronometer prices.

Another novelty is that these bright editions are worn on a steel bracelet that closes with a triple-fold folding clasp with push button. Compared to the other models with leather straps, it gives a sportier and more modern look. These new Orient Bambino 38 are now available in the permanent collection and will be available in retail for 330 EURwhich is still pretty impressive. For more details visit www.orient-watch.com.