[Clapton]

Сообщение от Akira

Недавно приобрел Ориент, вот теперь интересно узнать, можно ли определить модель по номеру, или место изготовления, сборки и тд.

Если мы имеем дело с не закотлеченым полностью оригинальным экземпляром часов то пользуясь накопленными данными и простым набором логики - думаю можно.
Но ближе к 90-м это определение заметно затрудняется. Ориент расквартировала свои производственные предприятия по странам и континентам Япония/Бразилия/Гонконг-Китай/. Так как наряду с часами началось производство компонентов к струйным принтерам.
Официальные данные явно дают понять что составные части часов могли производится на одних предприятиях и собираться воедино на других.
Большинство поздних 46943cal./90х "трехзвездочников" это компонентный сборочный Китай.
Но основной производственный центр всех механизмов Ориент начиная с 1974 года сохранился в северной части Японии в регионе Tohoku.

Далее под спойлером привожу некоторые данные из официальных источников на примере небольшого интервью у Масатоси Эндо(Masatoshi Endo)

ORIENT moved its production bases overseas from the 1980s. Nevertheless, the core of watchmaking was kept in the Tohoku region, northern part of Japan. The press technology at Akita Orient Seimitsu Co., Ltd., which was founded in 1986, (the present Akita Epson), was upgraded, and Akita Orient Seimitsu Co., Ltd. was placed in charge of manufacturing printer components, in addition to watches. We drew close to the frontlines of ORIENT’s watchmaking, which has continued to manufacture mechanical watches ever since its foundation.
ORIENT moved its production bases overseas from the 1980s. Nevertheless, the core of watchmaking was kept in the Tohoku region, northern part of Japan. The press technology at Akita Orient Seimitsu Co., Ltd., which was founded in 1986, (the present Akita Epson), was upgraded, and Akita Orient Seimitsu Co., Ltd. was placed in charge of manufacturing printer components, in addition to watches. We drew close to the frontlines of ORIENT’s watchmaking, which has continued to manufacture mechanical watches ever since its foundation.
Endo says, “I have thought that die technologies are important ever since I joined Orient Watch, and we pursued greater precision to realize differentiation against other Japanese manufacturers and Chinese manufacturers. From the 1990s, we increased the precision of dies using ultra-precision processing technologies cultivated in the manufacturing of watch parts, and manufactured very difficult head assemblies, which are core printer parts, together with Epson engineers. We thought about what other work we could complete at Akita, and started making finished watches.”
The success of Akita Orient Seimitsu Co., Ltd. was not only for ORIENT. As Endo explains, Akita Epson has refined the die manufacturing and preservation technologies required for the manufacturing of watch parts. Today, in addition to printer head parts manufacturing, Akita Epson manufactures and processes wearable devices (watches) and parts, ultra-high-precision parts, dies, jigs, and tools. This was made possible by the die processing technology cultivated by Akita Orient Seimitsu Co., Ltd.
Decorative work is being applied to mechanical movements on the shop floor of Akita Epson, where CNC machines are lined up. Once you pass through the floor with lines of machine tools which apply patterns such as circular grains and stripes onto main plates and bridges, you arrive the automated assembly line for movements.
Akita Epson, which has been manufacturing Epson’s movements since the 1990s, also excels in the production of quartz movements. Compact production lines are a characteristic of Japanese manufacturers, and beyond that Akita Epson has also adopted a flexible production system.
While Akita Epson focuses on contemporary manufacturing methods, traditional watchmaking methods are maintained at ORIENT. This is symbolized by the parts factory in the Tohoku region. This plant has been manufacturing the main plates and bridges for ORIENT’s caliber 46 series movement ever since October 1974. The key is the hoop press machine. The factory manager says “This machine already existed 50 years ago. It is probably a machine that was used at ORIENT’s Hino plant.” I never expected to see so many presses for stamping out main plates and bridges at a Japanese watch factory. But then, Japanese watchmakers were able to provide high-quality products at a reasonable price by improving press technology. Endo proudly says, “It seems that any company can stamp out metal with a press, but this work cannot easily be imitated. It is only with solid hoop press maintenance that good movements can be produced.”

The perforated main plates and bridges are transported to a plating factory after burrs are removed with barrel polishers, and the jewels and pins are fitted. Because the processing is meticulous, the finish before plating is quite clean. The warping of main plates and bridges, which is typical of mass-produced movements is nowhere to be seen, and the burrs have been cleanly removed. It is no wonder that this movement can be used for high-class ORIENT STAR watches.
The factory manager says, “ORIENT STAR’s main plates are polished manually by craftsmen, one by one.” Craftsmen face the buffing machines and carefully mirror finish the main plates. The reason why the buffing is so beautiful is that the surfaces are polished for uniformity after the main plates are stamped out by the press.

With the merger of Orient Watch into Epson, it became possible to inherit watchmaking knowhow while introducing Epson’s technology and capital strengths, improving both productivity and quality. According to Endo, “The Japanese watch industry is definitely not losing out to the Swiss. We will continue to not only upgrade technology but also propose and implement manufacturing that is attractive to customers.”

Перепечатано из издания Chronos Japan, март 2020 г.