Orient King Diver & Neo Classic: Retro Divers Reborn

Orient's King Diver is one of its most characterful vintage designs, and two modern watches have brought it back: a faithful 2020 reissue for Orient's 70th anniversary, and the more freely interpreted Neo Classic Sports of 2022.

1965: The Weekly Auto King Diver

The original Weekly Auto Orient King Diver of 1965 was a dual-crown diver with an internal rotating bezel , adjusted by its second crown rather than an external ring. It also had an unusual calendar layout, with the day displayed near 6 o'clock and the date at 3 o'clock. It belongs to the same mid-1960s burst of Orient sports watches as the 1964 Olympia Calendar Diver revived by the Orient Star Diver 1964.

2020: The 70th-Anniversary Reissue

For its 70th anniversary in 2020, Orient reissued the King Diver with only modest changes. The new model, released in July 2020, measures 43.8mm — about a millimetre larger than the original — and keeps the internal bidirectional bezel and vintage day-date layout. It uses the in-house F6922 automatic with hand-winding and hacking, a mineral crystal and 200 metres of water resistance, and was offered in blue, red and green plus a limited gold-gradient edition, at US$475.

2022: Neo Classic Sports

The Neo Classic Sports of 2022 takes inspiration from Orient's 1970s King Diver rather than reproducing it. Its lugless, helmet-shaped steel case measures 43.5 × 13.9mm with a 46mm lug-to-lug, combining a fixed fluted bezel with an inner rotating bezel worked by a crown at 4 o'clock. It uses the F6922, a mineral crystal and 200m water resistance, priced at around €420, in steel-and-orange, bronze-toned and a limited black "rainbow" version of 2,000 pieces.

How They Compare

Both watches are larger and more distinctive than the conventional Mako and Kamasu, trading their versatility for vintage personality. Their internal bezels make them close cousins of 1960s "compressor-style" divers, a look rarely found at this price.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Orient King Diver?
A dual-crown diver with an internal rotating bezel, first released in 1965 as the Weekly Auto Orient King Diver.

When was the King Diver reissued?
In July 2020, for Orient's 70th anniversary, in a 43.8mm case with the F6922 movement.

What is the Orient Neo Classic Sports?
A 2022 diver inspired by the 1970s King Diver, with a lugless 43.5mm case, fixed fluted bezel and inner rotating bezel.

How water resistant are the King Diver reissue and Neo Classic?
Both are rated to 200 metres.

Related Reading

• Orient: Brand History
• Orient Star Diver 1964
• Orient Mako & Ray