ORIENT STAR - F6, F7, F8 movements are very different
Posted by Eddie Lam on
If you are worried about which ORIENT STAR model to buy, have you ever wondered why some ORIENT STARs are as affordable as ORIENT, while some ORIENT STAR models cost more than 10,000 yuan? Today we will discuss the biggest factors that affect the price of watches - "Movement".
Including the F8 movement launched in March 2021, among the watch models still in production, the movements of ORIENT STAR can be divided into three types, namely F6, F7 and F8 movements. One thing to note is that both the F6 and F7 movements have launched versions with 40 and 50 hours of energy storage respectively, while the F8 watch has only launched F8B62 and F8B63 with 70 hours of energy storage for the time being.
Movement Accuracy
It turns out that the biggest difference between F6, F7 and F8 movements lies in the "daily error". Different from quartz watches, quartz watches powered by batteries and stepping motors use quartz crystals to generate a vibration frequency of 32,768 times per second. At a very low cost, quartz watches can already have high accuracy. In contrast, mechanical watches that operate on mechanical principles only have a frequency of 6-8 vibrations per second. Therefore, the accuracy of mechanical watches determines the main value of low- and medium-priced movements.
Generally, for watches with HK$6000 or less on the market, the daily error of the movement is about +30 ~ -25 seconds. For example, the common NH35A error is +40 ~ -20 seconds, and the standard version of ETA 2824-2 has a daily error of + 30~-12 seconds. The daily error of the F6 movement commonly used in ORIENT and some ORIENT STAR is +25 seconds to -15 seconds, while the daily error of the F7 and F8 movements used in ORIENT STAR high-end models is +15 to -5 seconds. Therefore, equipped with a higher accuracy F7 or F8 movement, this type of ORIENT STAR high-end model will have a higher price.
Movement Polishing Level
In addition, another difference between the F6, F7 and F8 movements is the level of polishing of the two. The F6 and F7 movements have been manually polished. On the F6 movement on the right side of the picture above, you can see the fish scale pattern on the splint and the Geneva pattern on the oscillating weight. However, compared to the F7 movement on the left of the picture above, the polishing of the F6 movement can only cover the flaws on the metal. Under careful observation with a magnifying glass, you can still detect the burrs on the metal edge due to cutting and see other parts that have not been polished.
On the F7 movement (pictured above), in addition to more shiny polishing, chamfering is added to cut off the right angle of the edge. The blue steel screws fired at a high temperature of 300 degrees, the repeatedly polished gold balance wheel and the ruby embellishment of the bearing shaft make the back of the watch equipped with the F7 movement very ornamental. The F8 movement (pictured below) inherits the exquisite polishing process of F7. The fish scale pattern on the front of the movement and the Geneva pattern on the back splint are shining. In addition, the blue escapement wheel is vaguely seen on the golden splint, and the low-key processing is matched with the golden movement so that people will not be overly dazzling.
For the first time, the F8 movement is equipped with a silicon escape wheel
The newly launched F8 movement is the first movement equipped with a silicon escape wheel among major Japanese brands. Before the silicon material, most of the movement materials were made of metal, which was easily affected by the magnetic field, which made the vibration frequency of the watch unstable and affected the accuracy of the watch. The escape wheel made of silicon material does not contain metal. In addition to being unaffected by the magnetic field, it also solves the problems of metal elastic fatigue and cold shrinkage and thermal expansion. The shock resistance and accuracy of the watch are also greatly improved. In addition, since the escape wheel made of silicon is stronger and wear-resistant than the material of the escape wheel made of metal, the escape wheel made of silicon is thinner than the escape wheel made of metal under the same durability. The coefficient is low, the transmission efficiency of the watch is relatively higher, and with the longer mainspring design, the operating time of the F8 movement is extended to 70 hours.
With the continuous improvement of Japanese watchmaking technology, ORIENT STAR also adopted a silicon escape wheel for the first time in its own movement F8. Moreover, silicon-made watch parts are the mainstream materials of high-end watch brands at present, and silicon-made escape wheels are also the first to be seen among major Japanese brands. With the gradual popularization of silicon parts in the styles of ORIENT STAR, the position of ORIENT STAR in the Japanese watch industry will be more noticeable.
Read the whole article, is it helpful for you to choose ORIENT STAR watches?
Watch the video for more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4j7O48WWuQ&t=129s
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