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Orient Star Stripped Down Their Latest Automatic Watch, and I Think It Works
Orient Star has announced the Sakigake Three Hand, and I think the easiest way to understand this watch is to look at everything that disappeared. Thereโs no date. Thereโs no power-reserve indicator. The dial text has been cut down to the Orient Star logo and a small โAutomaticโ above six. If youโve spent any time looking through the Orient Star catalog, thatโs a big cleanup.
The New Citizen Attesa Brings a Wild Dial to a Very Serious Quartz Watch
Citizen has spent a ton of 2026 marking 50 years of its light-powered watch technology, and the latest anniversary releases take one of the brand’s more technologically ambitious watches in a wildly colorful direction. The new Attesa Eco-Drive 50th Anniversary models come in two limited editions Citizen calls the โPower of Green Flashโ and โPower of Purple Aurora.โ
Alpina Wants $1,372 for a Solar Quartz Pilot Watch. Hear Me Out
Alpina is expanding the recently redesigned Startimer Pilot collection, and I think the coolest development here is happening underneath the dial. The new Startimer Pilot Solarmetre introduces the brandโs AL-140 solar quartz caliber to its pilot watch family, while shrinking the case to a nice 38mm.
The New King Seiko Vanac Is Making the Grand Seiko Comparison Harder to Ignore
Seiko is adding another watch to the modern King Seiko Vanac collection, and at first glance, the change is mostly about the dial. The new King Seiko Vanac HKF005 takes the angular steel platform introduced with the current Vanac lineup and gives it a dark, glitter-like dial that Seiko says was inspired by Tokyoโs city lights at night. Looks pretty darn cool out the gate.
Seiko Revisits the Affordable SNZH Again With a Much Dressier Take
Seiko has two more 5 Sports models arriving this October, and at first glance, the HDB004 and HDB005 look like another pair of color additions to an already enormous collection. Dig around a little, however, and thereโs a cooler story here. Seiko is revisiting the old SNZH design (one I used to own), a watch that occupied its own strange and memorable corner of the Seiko 5 catalog.
