and that crown, i find myself handwinding it just to use it. The Orion Calamity isn’t a parts-bin dive watch, nor is it a good dive watch, it’s a Will has been a photographer for nearly 15 years. You don’t often see these types of tolerances on microbrand watches.The bracelet is well-executed. In 2018 he founded The Watch Clicker to bring his love for watches and photography together. It shouldn't clunk around or feel too alien. I found the bezel tension to be a bit tight and had difficulty turning it on some occasions. The Calamity was almost complete, and prototypes were in the wild. It was a risk for them, and they put their confidence in the modern watch buyer to understand what makes the Calamity special.
If you get to know him and his opinions on how the owner of a watch should feel about his watch, you will understand the design of the crown. The seconds hand just grazes every other hash mark (with the others being slightly shorter).
That arc is followed by the sapphire display … The lug-to-lug length of 48mm will give the Calamity plenty of wrist presence without taking over but it remains subdued because of the thinness and turndown of the lugs. Dive watches and chronographs dominate his collection as he is a die hard tool watch fan. Orion created the Calamity to be comfortable in almost every way possible. Nick began by modifying Seiko watches, which eventually led him to watchmaking school and becoming a salt-of-the-earth watchmaker.I followed Orion on Instagram and through the story segments and posts, I got to see the Orion Calamity come to life.
Lumed markers on bezel insert. Crown operation is one of the most important functions of a mechanical watch and the Calamity allows you to enjoy this immensely.The polished chamfers that run down the length of the case are thin but add a nice dimension to the case. The Orion Calamity is one of the thinnest automatic 200 meter dive watches.The Calamity sets itself apart in a world of chunky dive watches by being exceptionally thin and low profile.
The crown is huge, about 2/3 the size of the case. Bald and bearded is Nick Harris, the man behind Orion Watches. It is listed as 11.3 millimeters tapering down to 10.5 millimeters, and the reason for that unusual measurement is the curved case back. The caseback is curved so it conforms to the top of your wrist, rather than sitting on top of it. Modding a Seiko 5 is a cheap way to get a custom watch There are plenty of one-man watch brands out there, but few that come with the gusto and expertise of Orion with Nick at the helm. A relative newcomer, Orion has produced a handful of well-received watches that struck a balance between field and dressy designs, but the Calamity is their first go at making a dive watch. A gentle turndown of the lugs and an immediate drop off from the bracelet are two things that make a difference, but those can be had on any watch.The other two things that are more difficult to achieve are the case thickness and the caseback design.
The Calamity quickly became one of my favorite watches to wear. Polished bevels on a brushed case, polished edges on the applied indices, and polished accents on the hands give that extra bit of flair while keeping it subtle. For reference, the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight announced at BaselWorld 2018 comes in at 11.9mm but in some ways, I almost prefer the more contemporary approach taken with the Orion Calamity. Take the quickest of glances at the Calamity and you’ll have no problem reading the time.After you are done admiring the thinness of the Calamity’s case, your attention might turn to the dial. Your watch should feel good to wear. Coming from the world of landscapes and architecture, watches were something he never thought he would photography. Orion made a bold choice in entering a premium space with the Calamity. All the small things in the Calamity came together to make an amazing package. Regardless of the colorway you choose (Black, Navy, or Drab) it will have an orange seconds hand. Leather on a dive watch? It is those small details that make the Calamity’s dial so good.Speaking of the seconds hand, one of the standouts of the face of the Calamity is the splash of color on the seconds hand.
Nick had not yet graduated watchmaking school but was close. Note: If you buy a Calamity from Orion today, it will now include the Sellita SW300 with a redesigned black rotor.Orion made a bold choice in entering a premium space with the Calamity. Photographing watches quickly turned into also writing about watches and the reviews you see today are the product of that evolution.