The Orient Star 200 and 300 Metre Divers

The Orient Star 300m diver has been around for quite some time but it was only a couple of weeks ago that I bought mine.
 
Here’s a post that shows the different colour variants of the diver including the Japan domestic models and the international models. Post dates back to August 2006.
 
http://yeomanseiko.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!3318BA07329CD633!427.entry
 

Model# WZ0271FD
Click on the image to see full size picture
  

Besides the 300m version, Orient has recently released a 200m version and I managed to borrow a specimen from Big Time for a quick comparison. 
 

Model # WZ0371FD
Click on the image to see full size picture

 

So here they are, the Orient Star 200m and 300m divers!

 

Click on the image to see full size picture
 
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At one glance, you will notice some similarities between the two divers. Just to name a few, both have power reserve indicators at the 1 o’clock position and both have very similar case shape. I don’t know if they are using the same or different movement because the information cannot be found on Orient’s website. So I’ll just highlight some cosmetic differences that I observe.

  

Top: 300m, Bottom: 200m

 

When I first saw the stock photo of the 200m model on the Internet, I thought it uses the same case as the 300m because it is shaped exactly like the 300m except with a different bezel. Now that I them side-by-side, I know they are not. The 300m case is clearly bigger and thicker than the 200m as shown in the picture above. 

 

  

The 200m seems to have everything smaller on the dial. Here are some examples:

 

• Hour, minute and second hands are less substantial compared to the 300m.
• Power reserve hand slimmer compare to the tapered one on the 300m.
• Orient Star logo and wordings not as beefy as that on the 300m.
• Markings on the power reserve sub-dial smaller.

One thing I like about the watch is the black outline on the hour markers. They make the watches more legible. On the 200m, I notice a bit of reflection on the black outlines. This is because they are glossy black compared to the matt black on the 300m that does not have any reflection. Both watches have anti-reflection coating on their crystals.
 
The crown action is different on both watches. The screw threads on the 300m seem to engage automatically when the crown is pushed in and turned. This is not so on the 200m. User will need to push and turn the crown in anti-clockwise direction and wait for the ‘click’ to indicate that the screw threads have engaged.  

   

Pictures below show the crowns of both watches at the second click position. You can’t see the screw threads on the 300m.
 

Left: 300m, Right: 200m

 

Below is a picture of the crowns. They are signed with the letter ‘O’ which stands for ‘Orient’ in this case. The 300m has polished ‘O’ and brushed background while the 200m has brushed ‘O’ and polished background.

 

Left: 300m, Right: 200m
 

Both watches have the same medallion on their casebacks which is the traditional ‘two-lion’ logo with wave-like stripes on the background. The 300m is inscribed with ‘He-Gas Diver’s 300m’ while the 200m has ‘Air Diver’s 200m’.

 

The 300m is made from 316L stainless steel as indicated on its caseback. According to Orient’s website, 316L stainless steel is supposed to have excellent corrosion resistance.

 

http://www.orient-watch.com/global/product/pro_diver/

 

The 200m is made from ‘SS + IPC’ as indicated on its caseback. I do not know what ‘IPC’ is but I believe it is the black material on the bezel.

  

300m caseback

 

200m Caseback (S/N removed)