Orient
Orient Mako 37 mm Black Grade
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Orient · Mako
Orient Mako 37 mm Black Grade
Reference 85852OR.70
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Orient
- Collection
- Mako
- Model
- Orient Mako 37 mm Black Grade
- Reference number
- 85852OR.70
- Year / era
- 1950 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Tourbillon
- Movement
- Spring Drive
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 100 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 37 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 14C — Spring Drive
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 65 hours
- Number of jewels
- 31 jewels
- Complications
- Tourbillon
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1950 – 1959
- Limited-edition quantity
- 100 pieces
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Orient Mako 37 mm Black Grade sits within Orient's Mako line, introduced in 1950. It carries the house codes established since 1950 — grade 5 titanium case, black lacquer dial and spring drive — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Orient
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1950
- Founder
- Shogoro Yoshida
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Tier
- Japanese
- Major collections
- Bambino, Kamasu, Star, Mako, Revival
- Signature technologies
- In-house hairspring production · Hand-applied guilloché dials
- Famous movements
- High-accuracy quartz · Automatic, 24 jewels · Eco-Drive solar quartz · Spring Drive
- Notable watches
- Orient Bambino 37 mm Blue Ceramic (2003) · Orient Bambino 41 mm Blue Quartz (1981) · Orient Bambino 37 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon (1990) · Orient Kamasu 43 mm Blue Quartz (1999)
Brand history
Orient has spent more than 76 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Bambino, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Shogoro Yoshida established Orient in 1950, working from Japan at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Orient calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1950
Shogoro Yoshida founds Orient in Japan.
1969
The quartz era forces Orient to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Orient enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Orient continues to produce Bambino, Kamasu, Star and other icons in limited numbers.