Generally speaking, Orient watches are some of the best watches you can find for the money on the market today. The Orient Power Reserve Watch, model number CEX05003D, is the second Orient watch that I have reviewed. And like the first, I am impressed with what it offers given the price. However, there were a few things I found myself wishing it had, which may be the result of personal preference more than anything.

Some of the product reviews I’ve read on the CEX05003D labeled it as “cool" and “mysterious." I don’t know if I’d go so far as to call it mysterious (I tend to find people mysterious who call watches “mysterious"), but it is very cool and appealing. The dial of the Orient is midnight blue (navy blue, really) with the periphery, beneath the hour markers, having a patterned design. It’s a bit difficult to see this without having a light to shine on it just so, but I appreciate the intricate work that embellishes the dial’s “cool" appeal. The dial also has a power reserve indicator (more on this later) and date display, which can be easily adjusted with the push button just above the push-pull crown.

The case and bracelet are both stainless steel, ideal for durability and ensuring they’ll never become rusted.

The clasp of the watch is a great feature as well. The clasps on watches I’ve previously owned haven’t held together well because of their insufficient locking mechanism (i.e. friction locked fold-over clasp design). The clasp on the Orient CEX05003D has a fold over clasp as well, but with push buttons, making for a sturdier, more long lasting clasp.

In true Orient style, the inner workings of the watch are made with top quality material. Should there be any defects, however, I can always cash in on the manufacturer’s one year warranty.

Now for the bad news: the hands. I love the second hand feature as its sweeping style is virtually identical to that of the Rolex. However, its “luminous" hour and minute hands are less than brilliant.

Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem; I’m usually in an area where at least partial light enables me to see the time on my watch. But when I was driving along a rural New England street at night recently, in a car that is sans dome lights and without a working clock, the Orient’s “luminous" hands prevented me from seeing what time it was.

Instead of the push button for the date, I wish that was replaced by a button I could press to light up the dial. Again, this isn’t really an indictment on Orient as it is a statement of my own personal preference when it comes to watches. However, I do think a watch ought to be able to harness light longer and more efficiently, especially when it’s pressed up against a light bulb for several seconds (So I guess it is an indictment).

The watch wears comfortably. I didn’t find it to be too cumbersome nor did I find it to be too light, weighing in at approximately 4.8 ounces. I haven’t yet figured out what’s too light or too heavy. When I find out I’ll tell you.

Another nice feature is its water resistance, 100 meters. The style of the watch looks like one you’d wear for special occasions only, but the fact that its water resistant gives the wearer the kind of usability that ought to come with all watches.

I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but this is an automatic watch, meaning it has to be worn regularly in order for the watch to keep time properly (the wearer’s arm movement winds the watch if worn regularly). One of my favorite features is the power reserve indicator, something you don’t find on most automatics. Without this feature, automatic watch wearers are armed with nothing but speculation on how much power is left on their watch before placing it on their night table before bed. This feature rectifies that issue.

Lastly, automatic watches, generally speaking, don’t keep as good time compared to quartz watches. They tend to either gain or lose anywhere from a few seconds to a minute per day. I didn’t find that to be the case with the Orient. It did lag a bit, but again, this is to be expected from automatic watches. Getting an automatic watch that doesn’t lag is oxymoronic, but Orient’s lag is significantly less than other automatics in comparable price ranges.

Orient’s known for offering low-priced watches without undermining the quality that goes into making it. The CEX05003D is no exception.