Orient

Orient’s official history dates it to the Yoshida Watch Shop, opened in Ueno, Tokyo, in 1901 by Shogoro Yoshida to import and sell foreign watches.^1, 5

Yoshida’s firm set up Toyo Tokei Seisakusho to make table clocks in 1920, began making wristwatches in 1934 and in 1936 built a wristwatch factory at Hino, west of Tokyo; Wikipedia adds that Yoshida had made wristwatch cases from 1913.^1, 5

In the war the factory went over to munitions; Japanese Wikipedia says Toyo Tokei was renamed Toyo Heiki Kogyo, Toyo Arms Industry.^1, 6

After the war a long labour dispute began in 1946; Japanese Wikipedia records that one person died and more than a hundred were hurt when gangsters intervened. The Hino factory was closed in 1949.^1, 6

In 1950 Tama Keiki took a lease on the Hino factory and started making watches; it became Orient Watch Co., Ltd. in 1951, launched the Orient Star the same year, and bought the factory at auction in 1952.^1, 5, 6

Donzé writes that the government’s plan of 1952 to double wristwatch capacity counted Orient with Hattori and Citizen as the three makers to be re-equipped.⁷

The company was listed on the second section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1961 and recognised by the trade ministry for its exports in 1965, its own history records.¹

Japanese Wikipedia says Orient was known until the early 1970s for boldly styled mechanical watches, and that its top line, Royal Orient, was sold in the 1960s and revived in 2004.^5, 6

In electronics, Donzé writes, Orient worked with Sharp on a joint research centre for digital watches and brought out its own in 1974.⁸

Production spread: Orient set up O.R. Time in Hong Kong in 1978, a parts factory at Ugo in Akita in 1981 and Akita Orient Precision in 1986, which by Wikipedia’s account still makes its movements as Akita Epson.^1, 5

Seiko Epson, the former Suwa Seikosha, became Orient’s largest shareholder in 1997 and its parent, with 52 per cent, in 2001, according to Wikipedia; Epson records that Orient became a wholly owned subsidiary in 2009.^2, 5, 6

In 2016 Epson announced that from April 2017 Orient’s domestic sales would pass to Epson Sales Japan and its other functions to Epson, to combine Orient’s mechanical watches and movement design with Epson’s own watch business.⁹

Seiko Epson merged the dormant company into itself on 1 February 2026; it says the making and selling of Orient-brand watches continues within the Epson Group.³

Its owner, Seiko Epson, also makes Grand Seiko’s quartz and Spring Drive watches at its Shinshu Watch Studio; Orient’s place among Japan’s makers is told in Japan builds a watch industry.^2, 3, 10