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A tight budget and watches that look as classy as possible? Those two can’t go hand in hand, right? High-profile celebrities and movie stars always seem to be wearing watches that sell for thousands!

Well, for a decade now, Japanese brand Orient has been coming in clutch with their highly-popular line of Bambino dress watches. These sleek timepieces offer a rare combination of a sophisticated look at a widely accessible price point, usually retailing for between $100 and $200 a pop. They might lack some luxury features and don’t have the finest finishing when viewed on a macro level, but they easily exceed their modest price tag at a glance.

Perhaps the only thing impairing the elegance is the proportions. While the contemporary 41mm diameter suits minimalist models like the Bambino Version 3, it isn’t wholly in keeping with the vintage aesthetic showcased in most of the range. When I think about it, even the V3 paid the price to some extent, with hands that fell short of scaling the rather large dial.

It’s a nitpick considering the price, don’t get me wrong, but it did mean I was particularly excited when I heard rumors of a smaller addition to the Orient Bambino family.

Indeed, after many years of sizing stagnation, a 36mm model was finally released in 2020…or at least it supposedly was. You see, the ‘5S,’ as it was nicknamed, was as easy to get hold of as Private Ryan in that war movie from the late 90s! Right from launch, this one was out of stock at most retailers, with the few available listed for exorbitant prices. You know it’s bad when eBay scalpers can’t even get hold of them!

Perhaps the pandemic played a role, or immense popularity meant they were all bought up instantaneously? Who knows? After a few months, I gave up, as the hype for what felt like a ‘paper launch’ had since subsided.

Then, a few weeks ago, an interesting email hit my inbox. It was from TUS Watches, a popular Orient specialist based in the UK. Supposedly, Orient had a 38mm version of the Bambino ready for imminent release, and this time, people were supposedly going to be able to get hold of one.

The two that TUS Watches provided are the white and cream versions. Their stupidly long codenames are on screen for reference. For convenience, we’ll call the white one the 3S and the cream one the 4Y - these are the two-digit identifiers sitting within the codenames. If you want to check them out on the TUS website, you can do so in the video description; for international viewers, they do ship abroad.

comparison

Here they are adjacent to my existing 41mm Bambino V3. While they obviously look related, I have to say their profiles are a little different than I anticipated. These newer models are thicker than their brother, with an additional millimeter in height, taking them to 12.5mm.

*Left: 38mm Orient Bambino Right: 40.5mm Orient Bambino V3*

I love slim watches, especially dress watches, though I must say from a side-on angle, the older Bambinos have always looked a bit top-heavy. The gigantic dome is perhaps a little overkill when paired with the otherwise super-thin case. The 38mm models even things up a bit, and I think they look more proportionate as a result. I’ll happily take a visual improvement to a watch that already looks great.

Watch Crystal

The material here is once again mineral, which is the standard glass used by many brands. A more scratch-resistant sapphire would have been nice to see here, as consumer expectations have shifted somewhat since the Bambino was originally released in 2012. That being said, such a switch may force Orient to retroactively bring all existing Bambino models up to spec, an expensive undertaking they may not want to engage in.

Dimensions

On the wrist, the 38mm Bambino wears an absolute treat. For most wrist sizes, I think this will look better than the original, which was a tad wide and flat.

The lug to lug is the real difference maker, shrinking from 46.5mm to just 44mm this time around, meaning the chances of ‘overhang’ are substantially lower. Because those lugs don’t taper sharply either, it shouldn’t cause issues for larger arms if you’re after a viable compact watch.

Dial Design

Design-wise, the new variants are like miniature versions of the V4, with similar hands and markers but colorways taken from the V1 and V3. Together with the conical crown, this setup gives the Bambino 38 lineup a classic look that’s simple yet handsome.

The ‘white’ 3S is actually halfway to silver, with a shiny, sunburst dial that’s just as nice as before. It’s not the most legible, as the indexes and hands are also silver, but it does provide a desirable monochrome look which makes outfit pairing a walk in the park. If I were buying the Bambino, I’d probably go for this one.

I requested to also look at the 4Y, as I’ve noticed previously that many watch brands fail to capture cream dials accurately in their stock images. I figured it could be helpful to show you guys this one and I’m glad I did. The hands aren’t as bright in person as in the product shots, instead appearing as a very dark navy. Additionally, the dial has less of a peachy hue to the naked eye and has a greener tone, forming more of an off-white appearance, as opposed to the ‘cream’ listed.

Unlike the rest of the lineup, this one has a matt finish, and while it looks fine, I don’t think it exudes as much of a premium touch. It seems more vintage but is simultaneously a little more basic. I’d like to have seen those hands presented in a lighter blue, as they appear black in many lighting conditions, which doesn’t supplement the dial as well as I’d anticipated.

There are two more colors currently available (black and white/gold).

It’ll be interesting to see if Orient expands this range in the future or whether they’ll stick to just this one style, as they did with the 36mm variant.

Watch Bracelet

Thankfully, these 38mm options avoid some of the pitfalls that hindered the previous larger iterations. All of the hands pleasingly stretch to their markers, and shockingly the lug width is a much more strap-friendly 20mm - a standard size that unlocks a world of possibilities. Do these straps need replacing, though?

Well, visually, I think both do an excellent job of matching the theme. The brown croc fitted to the cream watch is particularly complimentary to the dial. Nevertheless, the quality across the board is passable at best. They feel plasticky both in the hands and during usage. I think personal taste and fussiness will determine whether these are keepers, as they are very much on the cusp.

Case Finishing

Outside of that, the case finishing is of an identical standard to previous models, meaning it’s serviceable for the price but not top-tier. I’ve seen better from some Chinese micro-brands, but they’re still better than most low-quality fashion watches, which look like they belong in a kid’s toybox.

Movement

While most of Orient’s watches, including these, are primarily constructed in China, their movements are all still made in Japan by Orient themselves; a rare windfall at a price point where most brands outsource these to save costs. These 38mm watches contain the same 22-jewel F6724 automatic movement as in the larger V5 Bambino, which gives a reasonable sweeping motion to the hand that looks more elegant than a quartz tick.

Overall performance is, in theory, comparable to something like the widespread Miyota 8000 or Seiko NH series. In practice, I’d definitely take this Orient over at least the Miyota. It’s got a quieter, lower-pitched rotor, that’s oddly also less audible than that in the Bambino V3, which uses the same movement. Perhaps Orient has adjusted the mechanism in some way, as there is a perceptible difference.

I put one of the new watches on the timegrapher to measure the accuracy, as information about this caliber is scarce, and my word…it scored an absurd accuracy that flicked between -1 and 0 seconds per day! That’s truly incredible for an automatic watch at any price point, let alone toward the budget end of the spectrum. I quickly checked the white version out of curiosity, and sure enough, it was the same story. Who needs a chronometer when you have Orient offering this for peanuts, eh?

Caseback

A boon with the new Bambino is the addition of the exhibition rear, which allows you to see this impressive automatic in action. Sure, it lacks decoration, only having a custom Orient rotor, but the window still adds some flair compared to the sealed snap-back rear featured on the previous watches. As before, it offers a mere 3ATM splash resistance rating, though the Bambino is better suited to the boardroom than the beach anyway, so it’s hardly a shortcoming.

Resemblance

Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but think back to the 38mm ‘Bambino Killer’ that I featured on the blog in March 2021. That watch was quite similar to the Bambino in several ways, so out of the two, which do I think you should get?

On paper, the choice is obvious. That open-heart watch was built of the same stainless steel but also came on a solid-link steel bracelet, had a superior sapphire crystal, standardized lugs (which weren’t present on the previous Bambinos), and improved water resistance.

Even so, I find myself far more drawn to this new release.

On-wrist, this feels like it’s punching above its weight class, whereas the open-heart model still felt more like an entry-level piece due to its inferior finishing and less attractive dial. The latter is also getting harder to come by, with prices sitting substantially higher than when I reviewed it – making it less tempting.

Price

While we’re on the subject, let’s talk pricing for this new release. It’s currently retailing for a chunk more than the legacy models. Right now, TUS Watches genuinely has the best price I’ve seen at £176 or just over $200, though some sites are charging closer to the $300 mark for this one. I’m unsure whether this is an initial supply and demand thing or whether Orient is pulling a Seiko and trying to move upmarket with higher RRPs. Either way, at least this piece is more buyable than the elusive 5S, which has only recently returned to some digital storefronts after a two-year hiatus!

Final Thoughts

If you think a 41mm Bambino will fit you equally well, it’s probably worth saving some cash and going for one of those. Otherwise, I think the small changes make this the new go-to entry-level dress watch, despite the price bump. The only competitor that looks this good for this much money is probably the German-made Junkers Bauhaus (review to that watch here), that one is beautiful but has some major trade-offs.