When it comes to affordable Japanese watch brands, Orient joins Seiko, Citizen, and Casio on our Mount Rushmore. Despite being the least known of the bunch, the company has been making quality timepieces since 1951, even though its roots date back even further.
The same year it relaunched as the brand we know today, Orient also debuted its more luxury-oriented Orient Star label, recognizing right away that the community deserved both value and high-end at the same time. Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Orient Star has debuted a handful of limited-edition M-series models — most notably the first variant to use a meteorite dial. Let’s take a look…
The Cosmic Connection Finally Goes Literal
The M34 F8 Date line has always drawn inspiration from the Perseid meteor shower — the name itself references Messier 34, a star cluster within the Perseus constellation. Previous iterations played with multi-layered dial tech and gradation effects to capture that celestial vibe, but this 75th anniversary piece ditches the metaphor entirely. Inside the 40mm stainless steel case, Orient Star sourced an actual Muonionalusta iron meteorite for the dial, complete with its naturally occurring Widmanstätten pattern — geometric crystalline structures that form over millions of years as the meteorite cools in space.
To protect the pattern from corrosion, a thin silver vapor coating gets applied to each dial. The result is a silvery-gray surface where no two pieces look identical, reinforced by Roman numerals at 12, polished hour markers, and metallic hands that lean into the monochromatic aesthetic. Orient Star’s signature power reserve indicator sits below 12 o’clock, with the date window at 3.
If It Ain’t Broke…
Under the sapphire exhibition caseback sits the automatic Calibre F8N64, Orient Star’s in-house workhorse movement that traces its lineage back to the legendary Cal. 46 from 1971. Running at 21,600 vph with a silicon escape wheel (introduced by Orient Star in 2021), the F8N64 delivers over 60 hours of power reserve with manual winding capability and hacking seconds. Lastly, the watch comes adorned with a stainless steel bracelet with a trifold deployant clasp.
Spec Sheet
Model: M34 F8 Date Meteorite (RE-BX0010A)
Case Material: Stainless steel
Case Size: 40mm
Case Thickness: 12.9mm
Movement: In-house Calibre F8N64 automatic
Power Reserve: 60+ hours
Water Resistance: 100m
Dial: Muonionalusta meteorite with silver vapor coating
Strap: Stainless steel bracelet with trifold clasp
Limited Edition: 255 pieces
Pricing & Availability
The Orient Star M34 F8 Date Meteorite launches in March at €3,250 (~$3,500 USD), limited to 255 pieces worldwide. Check Orient Star’s website for regional availability and retailer info.
Recap
Orient Star M34 F8 Date Meteorite 75th Anniversary
Orient Star’s celebrating its 75th anniversary by putting actual meteorite on the dial of its M34 F8 Date — limited to 255 pieces with that naturally occurring Widmanstätten pattern that forms over millions of years in space. It’s their first time using the material and runs about $3,500, which feels right for a watch where no two dials look the same.
