The Orient Bambino Is The Best Dress Watch Under $300

Ah yes, the Orient Bambino. Over the years this is a watch that I have come to appreciate for what it represents to the broader horological universe, but I also respect the way Teddy, the man, and TEDDY, the business, have been able to truly platform this particular model over the years. Some time ago, for another publication, I penned an essay about the Orient Bambino Version 2 – the model with the applied Roman numerals at 40mm. I boldly proclaimed that, in the wake of the Seiko SKX’s discontinuation, that this watch was the new value king — the unsung best buy in automatic watches between $100 and $200. I still believe that, despite the price creeping up a hair over $200 these days.

Today, we are looking at the 40mm Bambino v2 in steel, with its white dial and blued hands. I own the edition with rose gold-toned touches. I actually bought it after writing the aforementioned article. And while I do not wear it a ton, it is one of the watches I appreciate most. It’s a sub-$300 watch that looks and feels like something at five times that price tag.

The Orient Bambino V2 clocks in at precisely 40.5mm in diameter, with a thickness of 11.8mm and a lug-to-lug of 46.8mm. These three numbers combine to give you almost pitch-perfect dimensions (especially by contemporary standards), and supreme wearability. The wingspan keeps things compact on the wrist and that height is spot on for the size.

Now, I need to be careful in invoking the Seiko SKX here because there’s one standout spec here that could draw some raised eyebrows. That, of course, is the 30 meters of water resistance. Before that scares you off, just remember that this watch is quite clearly going for that dressy, office type of energy where the closest body of water you’re liable to get close to is the water cooler or…  I digress.

This is not a "go anywhere, do anything" watch, but rather a watch committed to a certain design ideal that is coloring perfectly within the lines. And it’s the dial where the quality quotient really shows. I’ve said this before, but this dial is as well designed as that of any dress watch on the market and it has become so recognizable within the Bambino line — a line which has spawned many versions and dial variations.

The applied Orient logo is sharp and well done, and the text and numerals are printed in a highly stylized typography. But it’s the applied Roman numerals that steal the show, and elevate this beyond the competition (which hardly exists, I might add). I especially love this look on the rose-gold-accent V2, but it works just as well in this all-steel variation as well.

It’s actually the steel variant that is able to best put the icing on the cake via the blued hands. The hand complements the logo, which in turn complements the other dial furniture to create a really nice overall package.

Inside beats the Caliber F6724 which, unlike the movement inside the SKX, offers hacking and hand-winding functionality. No this is not going to be an accuracy monster, and no there is not an exhibition caseback to showcase it, but it does the job and the utilitarian caliber is housed properly behind a solid caseback. Orient is technically owned by Seiko Epson, although it functions autonomously — therefore, technically making it a vertically integrated business and technically meaning this movement is produced in-house. You don't find many in-house calibers in a knockout dress watch package for $210.

My only main gripe with the Orient Bambino is the OEM strap which looks more like patent leather but also just feels a bit rough around the edges. I am sure it breaks in nicely, but the odds are that most people are swapping this out early on.

In today’s watch world, I can think of very few models that are a no-brainer “first watch” option. The Bambino seems to be the king of that realm these days. As we saw with the SKX, you never know how long a value play like this can last, so if a Bambino is on your mind, it’s about as "low risk for high reward" as they get.