Orient Racing Automatic CFT00004B Power Reserve Semi-Skeletonized Watch Review

This is a good thing, and keeps you happy when looking at the watch.The skeletonization is not total on this watch, but rather, is combined with the look of a quasi-aviator or racing watch. I tried to figure out exactly why I liked the overall look of the watch, even though it didn't serve any formal functional purpose. The design seems to ride between being a tool watch, and being a watch that showcases how a mechanical movement works. Then I remembered the Terminator, from the movies. Everyone remembers the cool look that Schwarzenegger had when he was between looking like a person and a machine. You got a glimpse of what was *** him work, but you still were connected with the human part, and the functional "covering" over the machine underneath. This is the same idea behind this Orient CFT00004B watch. See what I mean? Look at the face and see how it is roughly sectioned off into three pieces. One that is mostly clean with what the watch would look like without the cut-aways, then a section with reduced hour markers with more of a view into the movement, and then another section that is more or less totally open. The concept works because it appeals to our sense of wonder into how things work, but combines it with something that actually does work. This makes for a perfect "guys watch," that few men would refuse to like. The whole concept JUST WORKS.One area that impressed me was the decoration on the movement. You typically don't see this from Japanese brands, but the movement has a fair amount of perlage polish as well as a nicely signed rotor. You may or may not have heard of Orient watches, but that is OK since they only recently (officially) entered the US market. Orient is a Japanese watch maker that has been getting very serious about *** some nice watches for US tastes. The company has been around for over 50 years, and is well known in most of Asia and lots of Europe - producing over 2 million watches each year. A great high point of Orient is that they make their own high quality mechanical watch movements in-house. Inside this CFT00004B is automatic movement with a power reserve indicator - and it gets admirable rate results. Part of the appeal here is the partial skeletonization that allows you to view the movement while it is in operation. You can see the balance wheel quickly oscillating and the escapement in the face, as well as mechanism that allows you to adjust the watch via the crown. There are a total of seven little windows on the dial, and the entire rear of the watch it fitted with a transparent sapphire crystal caseback window. It is fun to watch I admit, and doesn't seem to get old. Sometimes I peek at the watch and end up just staring at the gears moving. After I've looked away I realize I forgot to check what time it was - the original reason I even looked at the watch.