Orient Automatic Watch RA-AK0403N10B

Product Information

It is one of the most reliable field watches on the market, with its luxurious design and ability to withstand all sorts of harsh conditions.

MKII excels at bringing back rare and hard to find vintage military watches, and the Cruxible is an excellent example of what they’re capable of.

This watch also features a very minimal bezel with a large flat mineral crystal covering the top showing off the highly utilitarian dial. As I mentioned above, the Defender is also available on a matching steel bracelet, though I haven’t had an opportunity to check it out hands-on. The Orient Defender stands out as a remarkably affordable field watch, made from high-quality materials and equipped with many of the essential features an outdoor watch should possess.

A matte-finished case houses the Orient caliber F6B22 movement that allows for a day wheel display, a numeric date at 3, and a really interesting 24-hour display at 4. Now these are the same dial complications as the previous generation Defender, just with a different arrangement. This timepiece pairs a brown leather strap with a 45mm stainless steel black brushed case and features a sapphire crystal anti-reflective coating. Most patrons would agree that the highlight of the Orient Defender is its military-style dial, which incorporates a touch of modern inspiration. Come join the discussion about watch collections, displays, watch winders, accessories, classifieds, and more!The larger sub-dial, which is located next to the 3 o’clock marker, keeps track of the days of the week. lug to lug distance and I have to say it is actually one of the most comfortable watches I currently have especially when worn on my 2 piece canvas strap. Even so, the PVD coating on this case has been impressively durable so far and I’ve yet to see any signs of wear(touches wood). Although they have evolved in style over time, field watches will always remain rugged and reliable. You do not have to stress about scratches when wearing this piece either, as the hardened mineral glass crystal is designed to eliminate this problem.

This is one of the nicest straps you can find in the Orient collection and has a natural pebbling to it that feels extremely comfortable against your skin.It also has a skeleton back on the case, so you can see the inner workings of the Hamilton caliber H-10 automatic movement. The Khaki Field Mechanical ( hands-on here) has to be one of the best bang-for-the-buck watches in the scene right now. Legibility on this dial is excellent but without any hour numerals and only a 12 o’clock marker to provide orientation, it does need a little bit of getting used to. MKII’s Cruxible (polished Hellion version reviewed here) is a recreation of the A-11 spec field watch commonly seen throughout World War II. Given the number of dive watches that I’ve reviewed here so far, you might be surprised to know that I am actually a bigger fan of field watches.

A good field watch tells time very accurately, can be read easily in any light, and able to withstand tough conditions – including being dustproof and waterproof. As part of this technology, the dial’s hands and hour markers are fitted with tritium gas tubes that powerfully glow green and yellow in the dark. Get an insight into time with the skeleton backed case, made from a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal surrounded by solid stainless steel. The power reserve delivers more than 40 hours of functionality, and, at only 41 millimeters across, the Breitling Navitimer 8 is small and compact, ideal for everyday wear. The 42mm-wide case wears modestly on the wrist as a field watch should, sitting comfortably at 12mm thick with a sandblasted steel case.White sword hands with luminous accents and red sweep seconds come together with applied white Arabic numbers and a rugged screw-down case back.