Orient wristwatch

by | Local (↓) | Skill (↑) | 0 comment | 1 question

Japanese wristwratch (Orient) 60-70s retro sports design, hardened glass, waterproof 50m

Where and how is it used?

On my wrist, pretty much constantly

What did you or someone else pay for it?

around £65

Why do you want to add it to the museum?

Nowadays apparently nearly all high and top end mechanical watch brands have movements manufactured by the same Swiss factory, ETA. Individual brands simply modify them to suit their purposes. I found this uniformity both surprising and slightly depressing, great brand names appear no longer as feats of fine mechanical engineering but just facade, it's a bit as if they all have the same heart. (As a kid I used to listen to the insides of mechanical watches to go to sleep, they all sound very different) This uniformity is a post war phenomenon and marks a cultural decline (like with piano builders) It extends to most German manufacturers and to Japanese watch brands which nearly all have Miyota movements. One exception is Orient who still construct and build their own movements, and apparently really good ones as well. With this watch I also like the design. It's a quarz watch so it hasn't got the soul of a mechanical but I liked the idea of supporting a genuine brand who still make their own movements. Orient is not a trust inspiring name but the story was right. As for quarz watches in general, they are cheap, keep time and take a beating, but their voices are boring.


How was it made?

Is made in a factory

Is farmed

Is mass-produced

Is produced by local cottage industry

Is made to particular specifications

Is craft / hand-made

Is foraged

Is found

Is colonised

Is a service


Materials & Making

Who made or produced your commodity?

Orient watches, Japan

Who was paid to make it?

factory workers in Japan

What skills does it take to make it?

Machine operaters, manual skills, engineering

Where was it made?

Japan

What does it cost to make it?

probably less than £ 30

What is it made from?

1. glass:

hardened glass, not quite saphire-glass, but still pretty scratch resistant

2. Casing:

stainless steel, front and back

3. leather strap:

genuine leather strap with orange thread, not best quality leather

Buying & Owning

Who decides how much it costs?

Honkong based retailers

Who or what assesses its quality?

Orient watches Japan, myself as I wear it- only time will tell

Where is it sold?

strangely not in the UK, had to order from Honkong

Who or what sells it?

reasons above as far as I'm concerned

How did this thing arrive from where it was made to where you got it?

Don't know

Where is it used?

as a timepiece on my wrist

Where is it kept?

on my wrist

How and by whom is it cared for?

myself

How long will it last?

I expect it to last for a while, 20 years plus

Where will it go when it's finished with?

don't know if anyone recycles watches in 20 years

What is it worth?

its retail price, which i would like to think of as good value for money


How do you and others value this commodity?

See the values contributed by visitors and those of the donor. And add your own values to this commodity.

Total times valued2
Positive (↑)Skill
Negative (↓)Local
Overall Positive159
Overall Negative-18
Controversy42.25 (0 = most controversial)
  

What do these numbers mean?

This data that we have collected over time in our database means nothing without interpretation. A relational database, which we are using here, is technology that enables designers of websites and software to compare, contrast, interrogate and infer relations within data. The act of designing a database is not objective but driven by the agency of its creators and owners.

Within the MoCC Collection data is used to help think through the relations between values, commodities and data. Can we describe our values using sliders and numbers? How do we infer meaning such as controversy from data?

Below is a brief explanation of the some calculations and how these help make decisions about what is shown on the site.

  • Controversy Score:
    (Total Positive Values) + (Total Negative Values)

    The closer the value is to zero the more controversial it is in relation to other commodities. Used to infer that values associated with one commodity divide opinion more than another.

  • Average Value Score (used in the sliders):
    (Total Positive for Value + Total Negative for Value) ÷ Total Times Valued

    Used to infer a collective value associated with a commodity.

How do you value this commodity?

To add your own values click VALUE THIS COMMODITY and move the sliders left and right to add your own values - then click SUBMIT
show donor's original values
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Questions and answers

Help to reveal unknown quantities, properties and uses of this commodity by answering this MoCC curator's questions.

Question: who knows other examples of industries where competetion leads to impoverishement in terms of diversity(culture) and productquality.

Answers:

No answers given...yet.

Conversation

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