The Complete Guide To The Orient Triton
Watch & Bullion
27 April 2020 | 6 min read
The diving watch market is a crowded place, with Omega leading the way in the higher end market and Seiko propping up the affordable market with a wide range of collections. That’s not to say either don’t have strong competition, and today we’re taking a look at a competitor from the affordable market, Orient. Specifically, we’re taking a look at one of their most popular dive watches, the Triton.
Released in 2018, the Triton was an immediate hit onto the market, further embodying Orient’s reputation as a provider of high spec, well built watches at highly affordable prices. Since around 1950, the Japanese manufacturer has made a range of fantastic wristwatches across a range of different movements but specialising in robust mechanical pieces.
That’s enough of an intro for now, let’s jump in and break down the Orient Triton to help you understand if this could be the next model in your diving collection!
Note – In certain markets, this may also retail as the ‘Orient Neptune’ but rest assured, the names are interchangeable and they are the same watch.
Quick-Scroll Links:
See Orient Triton prices & reviews on Amazon
Orient Triton Review – Models
The Orient Triton range released with 3 separate models, an all black model (EL0001B00A), an all blue model (EL0002L00A) and a two-toned black and gold model (EL0003B00A).
All 3 models comprise exactly the same specifications inside the case and measure up at the same sizes – it’s purely the aesthetics of the dial, hands and bezel that change to suit different tastes.
Orient Triton Review – Dial
The first thing you’ll notice is that this watch has the classic divers look and feel, with a large dial, a large set of markers and large hand combinations. The markers are set at every hour, with the 12,3,6 & 9 indicators enlarged with the rest of the hours set as circles. The only exception here is the 4 o’clock position which is a half-circle to cater for the inclusion of a date complication window. Each marker has a lume effect, as to be expected in a dive watch, with this Orient model encasing each marker inside a ‘chrome-style’ border, really helping them to stand out.
The hands are lume marked, brushed steel in either silver or gold depending on the design style. All models adopt an again classic diving watch style ‘arrow’ design on the hands, with the slender seconds hand reaching all the way out to meet the chapter ring.
Complications wise, we’ve already touched on the date marker at 4 o’clock which is fairly standard in terms of functionality and compliments the watches design well! Between the 12 and 2 o’clock positions, you’ll find a 0-40hr power reserve indicator comprising a white/red or white/gold styling. This again fits nicely into the design of the watch, being large enough for full visibility without being too large to overpower the dial’s style.
Overall it’s a really classy and simple dial design, incorporating those two complications nicely, whilst keeping large and legible indications in place with strong lume for dark conditions!
Orient Triton Review – Case & Bezel
The Triton comes in a fully stainless steel case measuring 40.5mm from the 3-9 positions, although others have suggested it actually sits nearer 43mm. Thickness wise, this one comes in at around 13.5mm so it will have some size on the wrist.
As we could see with some of the close up pictures above, the bezels are made to match into the colour of the dial in all variants, with the gold/black two tone looking especially sleek. The bezel has a unidirectional, 120 stop functionality with those again classic diver-watch markings meaning the 10-50 markers are numerical rather than just indicators.
The general consensus is that the bezel movement is smooth and easy to operate, which is ideal in difficult underwater conditions but is robust enough not to rotate unintentionally during activity.
One of the standout features at this price point is the crystal, with the Orient Triton sporting an anti-reflective sapphire crystal giving it scratch resistance and again contributing to an overall high build quality and fantastic level of robustness.
Orient Triton Review – Bracelet
All of the Orient Triton models come accompanied with a stainless steel bracelet that matches the case’s top quality build. For closing, it operates a push-button deployment clasp, sporting the Orient logo. The entire bracelet measures in at 22mm just in case you did want to swap it out for a new strap.
Taking of swapping the straps, although we’d say you don’t need to swap this bracelet out on quality alone, we know that many prefer their dive watches on rubber (if diving) or NATO straps for day-to-day wear. Be assured that whichever strap works best for you, the Orient Triton will still look and feel great on the wrist!
Orient Triton Review – Movement
The Triton isn’t just built to high specifications on the outside, the movement inside is also very impressive! Orient’s Cal.40N5A movement offers really high specification.
Composed of 22 jewels, this automatic self-winding movement beats as 21,600 vibrations an hour and as mentioned earlier, incorporates a 40 hour power reserve. We also know this watch incorporates a date indicator, all of which is controlled by the screw-in crown to ensure it’s underwater certification.
For those that love to be super timely, the movement also hacks meaning you can get right down to the seconds-level of detail when setting your time! For those not completely au fait with Orient, all of their movements are made in house from their factories in Japan and are renowned for their detailed accuracy and longevity – so you’re in safe hands!
Some people have noted a slight criticism of the crown’s usability, with some difficulty in screwing fully whilst risking cross-threading but this seems isolated and with some moderate force can be overcome quite easily!
Orient Triton Review – Diving Features
For those that will be taking to the depths with an Orient Triton, the watch is a certified ‘Divers’ watch down to 200m. Stamped accordingly, the Triton meets the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) for a Class 1 Diver watch, making it suitable for recreational diving.
As we’ve covered above, it’s marked with highly-fluorescent lume as well as having the large marked bezel for tracking your time underwater.
As with all dive watches, that water resistance is only ensured upon the crown being fully inserted, so ensure you operate the screw effectively to avoid any water ingress!
Combining these features makes the Triton a solid diver, especially at this point in the market and that is confirmed by its popularity within the community, especially within the US!
Orient Triton Review – Specifications
If you’re wanting to pick up your own Triton, you can never go wrong with Amazon – Take a look at the link below for the latest review and prices across the Triton range!
As a summary, below we’ve listed the key specifications of the Orient Triton:
Movement: Orient Cal. 40N5A Automatic
Power Reserve: 40 Hours
Hacking: Yes
Vibration: 21,600/Hour
Complications: Date Indicator, Power Reserve Indicator
Case Size: Stainless Steel 43.4mm
Case Thickness: 13.5mm
Back: Solid Screw-In
Crystal: Sapphire with Anti Reflective (AR) Coating
Bezel: Uni-Directional, 120 Stop
Strap: 22mm Stainless Steel Bracelet, Push-Button Deployment Clasp
Water Resistance: 200m
Lume Hands: Yes
Lume Markers: Yes
Orient Triton Review – Summary
Overall, the Orient Triton is one of the best diving watches at this price point. It matches clean and simple aesthetics with Orient’s signature high build quality and houses a movement which is far above what is expected in this price range!
It has all the staple features any good diving watch needs as well as having versatility for casual wear on land too! You can’t go wrong with the Triton – it stacks up really well against any Seiko at this price point and in fairness, could give watches double the price a good run for their money!
For further Orient and related articles check them out here.